College car 101: how to choose a car for your college kid

COLLEGE days, how we all miss them. Parties, road trips, and cutting classes (okay, maybe not that one).

Owning a car back in college was a great ice-breaker, helped you be one of the cool kids and popular with your group. It was a time when we all explored our freedom and pushed the boundaries and our luck. Especially when gas was free (courtesy of our parents) or close to free (it was below P20 a liter back in my day).

Now though, things have changed significantly, and we are spoilt for choice. So here are some tips to consider when buying your first college car, or when you are the parent choosing a car for your kid.

College students, please be realistic. We all wanted a cool hip sports car like a Hyundai Genesis, Toyota 86, Honda CR-Z or Subaru BR-Z, but it’s not the most practical of choices for a college car. Nor does a gas guzzling V8 SUV make much sense.

Parents on the other hand, don’t skimp on your kids too. Please don’t buy them a rattly old death trap rust-bucket on wheels. At least get them a comfortable small car loaded with safety features like ABS brakes, airbags, keyless-entry with alarm and a multi-media system, something many of us were unfamiliar with a decade or more earlier when we were in college.

Here are some tips to consider then when picking a car for your college kid.

1. Do your homework
Read up on the most common cars, the most popular cars and the most sought after cars. These cars enjoy great popularity for a variety of reasons: they are well-designed cars, they are cars that offer great value for money, offer tremendous fuel efficiency and cars that deliver a great driving experience. This will help you define your parameters for choosing a car.

2. Set a budget, then add a bit more

Picking a car has never been better, and harder at the same time. There are so many car models available on the market. And within that car model range, there’s a plethora of variants available. So pick the car your budget allows, then if needed, add a bit more to get the top-model variants, which usually comes with the most safety and convenience features.

Your kid might be driving a modest B-segment hatchback like a Toyota Wigo or Mitsubishi Mirage. But if it’s got ABS brakes, airbags, a multi-media system with SATNAV to help them from getting lost, your kids will thank you, and drive much more safely.

3. Consider the fuel and maintenance cost
Fuel efficiency is indeed always a factor, but most people never consider the maintenance cost when Preventive Maintenance Servicing or PMS time comes.

Sure, a diesel will offer better fuel efficiency and has cheaper running cost, usually in the order of almost P20 per liter difference between the premium diesels versus the lowest octane rating gasoline fuels.

But servicing a diesel, especially modern CRDi diesel vehicles, cost more than typical gasoline-engine vehicles. This is because CRDi diesel vehicles need more oil, usually of the top-of-the-line fully-synthetic variant, and require anywhere from 6 to 8 liters per oil change, while many of today’s gasoline-powered vehicles can be run with regular mineral oil that costs a third of many fully-synthetic oils and only require 4 liters or less. Food for thought.

4. Where will the student be driving his or her car to?

I studied in the university belt area for my primary and secondary schooling so flooding was always an issue which dictated us owning tall-riding vans or pick-ups back in the day.

With monsoon flooding becoming a common occurrence, it’s important to consider where your kids will study and what car to buy them. A cute Hyundai i10 might be one of the most fuel-efficient vehicles available on the market, but it doesn’t swim. At all.

Hence, an entry level tall-riding pick-up the likes of a Toyota (Hilux), Mitsubishi (Strada) or Chevrolet (Colorado) might be a better bet for your college kids. They’ll have greater chances of getting home safely during heavy rains and light to moderate flash floods, and save you and your spouse a ton of worrying too.

Horses for courses, as they say. Worried that your kid won’t be able to handle these large vehicles? Send them to a driving school. It’s worth it!

5. Have your kids test drive the short list of cars you’re considering

In the end, it’s them driving it. I always tell people that a car is usually the second most expensive purchase they will ever make in their lives. Hence, it has to be something they really like, enjoy driving and be proud being seen driving it.

If you love a particular car but your kid doesn’t, don’t force it on him. Adults and teens see and perceive things differently. Between your own objective wants and your kid’s subjective needs (yes, think about this line for a moment now), there is a happy middle ground we should all strive to find. If you buy them a car they absolutely do not want, trust me, it’ll be a waste. They won’t take good care of the car, or will hardly drive it.

6. Shop around for the best bargain

Once you’ve decided on a short list of cars to seriously consider, look at different dealerships of the same brand. Sometimes, different car dealerships of the same brand will offer you a bigger discount. Throw in freebies (which can include free comprehensive insurance, free 3-year LTO registration, free tint, free car matting or free apparel/umbrella, etc.).

If you’re buying a car on financing, check on different banks too. As an example, a friend shopped around a number of banks before settling with the best offer he got. He purchased a Subaru XV with a 40 percent down payment, with the balance payable over three years. The best deal he got versus the next closest bank financing package saved him almost P2,000 per month on monthly amortizations. That’s almost P36,000 worth of savings over three years, enough for a modest vacation.

Another option is to look at a bank’s repossessed list of cars. These banks generally want to get rid of these cars immediately and tend to offer further discounts and reductions to dispose of these quickly. Just make sure you buy a car with the lowest mileage possible, and ideally no more than three years old. Beyond three years, problems with big ticket items start popping up, such as the tires, air-conditioning components, starter, alternator and major suspension parts.

Six simple steps to start your college kid’s motoring life at a good, decent pace. Remember, cars are faithful companions in one’s journey through life. Through joys and pains, success and failure, heartaches and triumphs, a great car makes life better, bearable, more convenient and ultimately more enjoyable.