Short term car needs
 

My daughter has an intern position in Norfolk, Virginia this summer and was told she needs a car for transportation. However, she's only going to be there in the summer. After that, it's back to school in CA.

My initial thoughts about this:
- use public transportation, if available
- walk, if possible
- share a ride with other internees, if available

If the above aren't possible due to distance and location of employment, we have the next category:

Car-wise:
- Buy a beater, use it for a few months, then try to sell it to someone. The "buy" part might be problematic due to time and distance and the fact she doesn't know anything about cars. I could search on eBay or Craigslist, but you know how that could end up.

- Car must last the summer w/o major repairs. The "sell" part is more problematic since she's only going to be there for awhile. She might end up advertising it for sale as soon as she buys one.

- Anyone have a car suitable for a short-term rental?

- Drive our extra car 3000 miles, fly back, then fly out again for the 3000 mile road trip home. However, my teenage son may not welcome parting with a convenient set of wheels.

- Could we consider these back east trips a family vacation? :)

Need your wise input.

Thanks,
Sherwood

I work in used car financing, and the one thing I've learned is that cheap cars can't be counted on for more than a few months. The only surefire way to get a good, reliable car for $2000 is to be able and willing to fix things yourself when they break.

You may get lucky and get a year or two out of them, but many won't see 6 months without something major (defined as a critical part costing more than, say, $200) failing.

She'd be better off trying to find a short term lease, if possible, or even a long-term rental, if that's possible.

Hi Sherwood, one large factor will be her age, on any type rentals. I worked out of that area for a while, and a few others, Langley, Quantico, etc. I would certainly not depend on public transportation with children. I see a lot of future worries my friend. I hope you get it worked out, Tony.

I have a friend with a 99 Cougar, she bought it new, always maintained, but she just bought a new car, so she wants to sell it, $3,500

How long will she be there?
Have you thought about Rent-a-Wreck?

I don't think Norfolk is the kind of place that I'd want to be riding public transportation.

What is your budget on this?

I have a car for sale and I happen to be in VA, see signature. :D

Avis Mini Lease, Figure $1,000-1,500 for 3 months

Be advised that Avis may have age limitations (i.e. can't rent if younger than 25).
I couldn't find restrictions on website.

Sherwood, VaSteve's car is not fast, so it shouldn't be too much for your daughter to handle. ;)

LOL.

When does she get to Norfolk and when does she leave?

As the owner of a $2000 car, you should probably buy her a shop manual and tool set along with the car.;)

Don't buy a 944... see my sig :p

But seriously, if you got a slightly more expensive used Honda or Toyota it most likely would not depreciate much if at all in a few months when you turned around to sell it. IMHO

I have had 3 different $600 beaters in the last 15 years and every one of them were more dependable than my $50K Audi.

I had:

$600 - Honda Civic, no a/c DX model that got 40MPG. Drove it for 130K miles before I sold it for $600.

$500 Toyota Tercel - Again no a/c rust bucket but ran like a top. Drove it for 1 year while I set up my company.

$600 VW Scirocco - drove it for 1.5 years only problem was a water pump - I replaced it in the apartment complex parking lot so fast no one could yell at me for breaking the rules working on it in the parking lot.

Find an old Toyota or Honda for less than a grand, do all the basic maintenance and he will have a great beater to run around in.

Some sage advice here.

Daughter is ignorant as to the joys of double-clutching. I didn't want to sacrifice my 911 synchros teaching her. I've already PM'd Steve about his track-ready, but manual shifting 944. That sounds like something I could have fun with.

But back to the dilemma, Buying is less of a problem than selling since her stay is only a few weeks (June-Aug). Finding a buyer may be quick or slow. In her case, a worst case scenario is a buyer isn't quickly found.

Many rental car companies require a 25 year minimum. Those that offer a provision for those 21-24 tack on a $15/day rate on top of the long term rental. That's substantial in itself. Young daughter is but 20, so that makes it "simpler". Not an option.

Buying a car, then shipping or driving it back is an option, but out-of-state cars must comply (eventually) with CA emission regs. The expense may not be worth it. In addition, not too excited in driving a beater 3000 miles although it'll probably be "interesting and challenging". Maybe a personal documentary movie in the making. There's also the option of buying a CA car, then driving it back for her, then back again when she returns to school in the fall. That's 3000 mi. x 2 or a large transport bill if done commercially.

A reliable beater $600 Honda or Toyota with a line of willing VA buyers in August is an ideal scenario, but let's get back to reality.

Maybe this particular summer job is too ambitious at this point in time. She turned down a choice internship here at home (Universal Studios) to get some journalism experience, her career goal.

Sherwood

How about donating the car to a local non-profit, or finding a hard luck case either through a local church or shelter and donating it?

Perhaps you can look at Budget Rental. I have no idea if they do long term rentals, but I do know that they rent to people younger than 20. My car broke down while I was driving home for thanksgiving this past year (while I was 19) and I rented a Chevy Aveo for the week while my car got fixed. My friend also got a rental car last summer for almost month while her car was getting fixed, but I do not know where it came from.

Seems like the decision making revolves around the finances. While I 1000% agree the finances are important let's look at them another way.

What is the monetary value of the education that she will receive?

If you had to pay for the education would it be more, less or equal to buying a $5-600 beater and walking on it at the end?

How would the cost of taking extra credits over the summer compare?

Good ideas to consider. I checked with Budget's website a couple of days ago. It may not be on the website about <21 drivers, but their posted rental rules have a +25 age requirement. Other companies have a +21 provision, but at a daily premium. However, it's worth a call to clarify. If that option is viable, the normal est. cost is $1800-$2000 for a late model car.

She normally wouldn't be in school this summer; instead she'd be looking for a job somewhere locally. However, this job in VA will be for a small salary and will be valuable experience, something to add to her resume. We'd like to make this happen while also planning for our son who's leaving for college this fall.

Next spring, she's headed to Spain for study in lieu of being on-campus. I hope she doesn't need a car there too. :)

Sherwood