Anyone here attend U of O (Ducks) or know someone who is/has?
 

Step daughter is starting school at U of O in Eugene this September.

What we are concerned about is transportation, the school asks that new students DO NOT bring a car.

No big deal, I did not attend a university but we did tour a few and they seemed to have pretty good food/entertainment options on campus and easy access to mass transit. She is taking a bike.

Now here is the trick, daughter is moving to Eugene to go to school, wife is moving from Portland to live with me, but we want to give wife's car to daughter when she is ready for it.

So one idea is to put it in storage for a year or two in Oregon.
Plan B. is to drive it down to Los Angeles, then when she is ready for it she can come and pick it up.

We are really tight on cash so we are trying to figure the least expensive way to do this.

Anyone know of a cheap storage place in Eugene?

She could find a friend to store it at their house. Parking is very very tight near UO, as they have shoe-horned 25,000 students into what used to be a nice 15,000 student university. They are very assiduous at patrolling near the UO for overtime at a meter. They will also fine you if you have a car stored on private property that is visible from the street but does not have current plates & sticker. Starting to get the picture? Students are a great source of income!

Eugene started the "Bus Rapid Transit" concept (a bus on a partial guideway for cities too small for fixed rail) and has xlnt transit. Not that there is anywhere she cannot get to on a bike..

The cheapest storage might be in Springfield - if you watch The Simpsons, you understand the two towns...

If you have free storage in LA, that will be the best option.

Let me know if I can help you out locally.

My son brought his car to the U.of O. for his freshman year. After he settled in, he was able to get a campus parking permit.

DON'T announce to the University that he plan on bringing a car. It's not green.

Yeah that would be the next question, if/when she does get a car what is the parking situation like?

I'm afraid to ask (but will) how much does a parking permit cost?

I don't remember. I'll ask my son.

parking is difficult -- I see letters in the city paper all the time with students complaining about parking, and BTW the campus parking permit only permits you to park IF you find a space

I'd offer but have no room -- and the street I live on is so narrow they only allow parking on one side

BTW most private apt.s around campus only have limited parking - 20% of residents or something

My son doesn't remember the cost. But he said there were several big parking lots on the edge of campus. He never had a problem parking. No worries.

was this a few years ago?

I did some searching, Diamond has a bunch of lots around the campus.

Results | Diamond Parking Service

$60 for a monthly pass... I just fear she will get there and decide she doesn't need the car and we will be throwing that money away while the car sits and rots in a lot.

we?

make her pay for it

I would suggest that you not store the car in Eugene. Anywhere that is cheap to store it will be outside in the rainy season which is defined as September first through June 15th...

If you leave it in long term storage, it will probably decide not to start (or get broken into, etc) when she goes to pick it up. Which means a repair bill to get the car moving plus any "once-over" type repairs for tire pressure/rotted tires, wipers, you name it.

Better to store it with you in California. She does NOT need a car at U of O. It will be cheaper to fly her down and pick up the car from your place in California.

angela

Sell the car, stick the money in the bank.

If and when she needs one find a reliable beater that is cheap to insure.

My son did not use a Diamond lot. Regular campus parking FAR cheaper.

Two years ago. He's a junior now.

Sell the car.

A year from now you will have a car that you've paid money to watch depreciate.

parking is worse now than just 1 years ago - how much worse I can't really tell you

I agree with Angela's Admonitions.

We have friends and family in Medford and Corvalis... we are checking with them.

I have been thinking of selling... but I think her daughter has her heart set on the car, and I don't think we can get much for a 2005 Elantra with 100K miles...

The car is in excelent condition and runs like a top, literaly "all freeway miles". It was my commuter, 200 miles a week from my garage to parking structure at work.

Well that's different. You are correct, it's pretty well depreciated to nothing already so if it runs well then it only makes sense to keep it.

A replacement will cost you more than the Elantra is worth.

I think we have an answer... friend in Medford says she will take the car and drive it once or twice a week. We have family in Medford so we could drive the car when we visit, or if we want to visit daughter in Eugene fly in to Medford and drive up.

Thanks for all the ideas folks!

SmileWavy