How far will you drive a kid to college?

scottmandue · 05-09-2013, 11:18 AM

My niece is the smartest/sweetest/cutest most adorable 19 year old on the planet.

She is attending college at San Luis Obispo 250 miles north.

There is a train that runs between here and there, she has taken it a few times but it is an all day ride.

Niece is coming down for mothers day... great! Her dad is up north and will drive by her school to pick her up on his way home.

Last night we get a text from my SIL "would you be interested in driving (niece) back to school? We will pay for gas and a hotel room for one night."

That is 500 miles round trip, I have to work Monday so my wife would have to drive niece up there Sunday then back by herself.

Personally I think the niece is pushing for mom and dad to buy her a car.

What think ye? Would you let your wife drive her back to school?

Mind you I drove almost that far and spent the day moving my step daughter into college... but for every weekend visit? When there is a train running between here and there?

Nostril Cheese · 11:35 AM

Women have no business behind the wheel of an automobile.

RANDY P · RANDY P's Garage

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nostril Cheese

Women have no business behind the wheel of an automobile.

If they do it, tell them to watch out- there's other ladies on the road, you know.

Flieger · Flieger's Garage

I assume Cal Poly?

That is a bit far. If it is just going to be once, I would say yes. If she is one who would maintain it, I would say getting her a car is the best way to go.

I used to come home about every 2 weeks (driving myself) and it is about 170 miles one way from SLO to TO. I've done TO to Willow Springs, then back to TO and up to SLO in one day, and I have done SLO to Laguna Seca, watched a 6 hour race, and back to SLO in one day. But 250 miles one way would be more like TO to Monterey and back in one day and I don't think I would want to spend my whole day just driving, which is what that would be.

I guess we need to have a Pelican meet up here.

VincentVega · 05-09-2013, 11:36 AM

Ride to the train and a book for the trip.

bleucamaro · 05-09-2013, 11:38 AM

I've ridden the train from Sacto. to SLO many times when I was in school there, and it is an all day deal, with terrible stop times. However, there are flights from LA area airports into SLO daily, and that would be comparable in price to your fuel plus overnight stay expenses. why don't they just do that?

Also if your niece is jonesing for a car maybe you can spend some quality time with her this weekend and gently remind her that with her own money she can buy whatever car she can afford, and maybe she ought to get a job.

Flieger · Flieger's Garage

By the way, if she comes home between this weekend and the end of the quarter I could give her a ride from Thousand Oaks to SLO if you end up as her chauffeur. I am bringing the 911 up later in the month for some suspension mods at Rebel Racing.

scottmandue · 05-09-2013, 11:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Flieger

I assume Cal Poly?

Yes. I love the central coast, we stopped and visited/bought lunch for my niece on our last trip up the coast.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Flieger

That is a bit far. If it is just going to be once, I would say yes. If she is one who would maintain it, I would say getting her a car is the best way to go.

This is the problem, I wouldn't mind once however I'm afraid of setting a precedent.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Flieger

I used to come home about every 2 weeks (driving myself) and it is about 170 miles one way from SLO to TO. I've done TO to Willow Springs, then back to TO and up to SLO in one day, and I have done SLO to Laguna Seca, watched a 6 hour race, and back to SLO in one day. But 250 miles one way would be more like TO to Monterey and back in one day and I don't think I would want to spend my whole day just driving, which is what that would be.

I guess we need to have a Pelican meet up here.

I give up, what/where is TO?

And she has a car! A giant, old, white Mercedes... that she hates and her dad doesn't want to pay for parking so it sits in her parents driveway down here.

Head416 · Head416's Garage

If they don't think their 19yo can ride a train, why are they bothering to send her to college?

Would you hire a college graduate that had to have somebody drive them to work?

scottmandue · 05-09-2013, 12:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Head416

If they don't think their 19yo can ride a train, why are they bothering to send her to college?

Would you hire a college graduate that had to have somebody drive them to work?

She has taken the train many times... however:

Quote:

Originally Posted by bleucamaro

I've ridden the train from Sacto. to SLO many times when I was in school there, and it is an all day deal, with terrible stop times.

Flieger · Flieger's Garage

Quote:

Originally Posted by scottmandue

Yes. I love the central coast, we stopped and visited/bought lunch for my niece on our last trip up the coast.

This is the problem, I wouldn't mind once however I'm afraid of setting a precedent.

I give up, what/where is TO?

And she has a car! A giant, old, white Mercedes... that she hates and her dad doesn't want to pay for parking so it sits in her parents driveway down here.

What! She has a car? Tell her to drive herself!

I think you can buy quarter-long parking passes. I live in the on-campus appartments so I have a year-round pass.

TO=Thousand Oaks.

BeyGon · 05-09-2013, 12:05 PM

No, I would say take the train. Study or just read. What would she do in the car if you took her, Tex, read, study, tex, tex.

onewhippedpuppy · 05-09-2013, 12:15 PM

Why in the hell would you drive someone that has a car to college 250 miles away? Furthermore, what is she doing without a car at college?

911boost · 911boost's Garage

Shoot, I drove 1200 miles to college by myself a few times a year from 1992-1996, in a 1966 Mustang......

scottmandue · 05-09-2013, 12:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bleucamaro

However, there are flights from LA area airports into SLO daily, and that would be comparable in price to your fuel plus overnight stay expenses. why don't they just do that?

Do you off hand know what L.A. airports fly to SLO? Funny because when we were visiting my niece we talked about that "oh yeah, we have an airport here."

BeyGon · 05-09-2013, 12:29 PM

I don't even drive my wife to LAX and I sleep with her,

scottmandue · 05-09-2013, 12:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by onewhippedpuppy

Why in the hell would you drive someone that has a car to college 250 miles away? Furthermore, what is she doing without a car at college?

For one thing it is a huge MB with a V8 that gets horrible gas mileage, and I don't know if this is a west coast thing or a modern thing but most colleges discourage students from bringing a car. That and parking (for a car that most likely will only get used only the weekends) is hundreds of dollars a month.

Zeke · 05-09-2013, 12:40 PM

LAX to SBP, yes
LGB to SBP, no
SNA to SBP, yes, but that's a stretch and costly.
Anything else and you're half way there, especially time wise.

sammyg2 · 12:44 PM

51 cents a mile and you cover the gas. Seems fair.

I gots no room to talk tho.
My daughter has her own car (mine) and she drives home from school (300 miles) nearly once a month. On top of that the wife or I make 3 or 4 trips up there a year to visit or help her move etc.

It doesn't seem like much but it adds up!

scottmandue · 05-09-2013, 12:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BeyGon

What would she do in the car if you took her, Tex, read, study, tex, tex.

Hey! That is my wife! LOL!

When we visited my niece I took us all out for sushi... they were taking pictures of the food and posting it to Facebook with their phones.

Quote:

Originally Posted by BSiple

Shoot, I drove 1200 miles to college by myself a few times a year from 1992-1996, in a 1966 Mustang......

Tell me about it! I had to walk 20 miles to school uphill in the snow without shoes dodging velociraptors the whole way!