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I vote for a low mile Gen 1 Volt. You can pick one up in the mid-teens. Much less hassle, less insurance, less cost to fix when the inevitable accident(s) happen, and better value. Fun car to drive too.
OP, you are in the east of the country, you probably want the base model and you haven't put a deposit as yet. You are probably looking into waiting 2 years before getting the car. At least 18 months.
My 2 cents.
Get him a good rugged mountain bike--a light one would be best. Make sure all the quick release systems are replaced with bolts* fit to your son (maybe except the front wheel, just make sure he remembers to take it off and either lock it with the back wheel or lock it separately with the frame). He's going to need two sets of locks. A U-lock and a chain lock. Good knobby wheels for the winter ice and snow. Look into ski equipment for winter biking (ski masks, gloves, etc...). Helmet is a must.
Philly is actually an easier city to bike around than to drive around lots of times. Just watch out for the stupid drivers. No biking and texting. Biking in Philly, like NYC, is a full attention activity.
Freshman year he'll be in the Quad (most likely) and be in the thick of campus life. The car will be a distraction. There are plenty of transit/cabs/uber or lyft available. For local stuff he can usually walk, but make sure it's with a group--especially at night. Campus security is usually able to accompany, I think.
Tell him that if he wants the model 3, he can get it during his Sophomore or Junior year, once he figures out where to park the car (West Philly can be very unfriendly to nice cars on the street). It needs to be off-street and garaged with charging. He can and should do the research for that one. I would include good grades as an extra incentive to get the Model 3 for his 2nd or 3rd year. This would fit better with everyone's time frame of getting one, and the greater likelihood that Tesla will start to roll out City Superchargers.
As an extra incentive for the bike, there is some amazing single track just 30 minutes (by bike) north of W. Philly in Wissahickon Valley Park. If he's a strong biker (or becomes one)... he could even do The Wall in Manayunk: Manayunk Wall - Wikipedia
*especially the damn seat. For whatever reason everyone loves stealing the damn seats.
Get him a good rugged mountain bike--a light one would be best. Make sure all the quick release systems are replaced with bolts* fit to your son (maybe except the front wheel, just make sure he remembers to take it off and either lock it with the back wheel or lock it separately with the frame). He's going to need two sets of locks. A U-lock and a chain lock. Good knobby wheels for the winter ice and snow. Look into ski equipment for winter biking (ski masks, gloves, etc...). Helmet is a must.
Philly is actually an easier city to bike around than to drive around lots of times. Just watch out for the stupid drivers. No biking and texting. Biking in Philly, like NYC, is a full attention activity.
Freshman year he'll be in the Quad (most likely) and be in the thick of campus life. The car will be a distraction. There are plenty of transit/cabs/uber or lyft available. For local stuff he can usually walk, but make sure it's with a group--especially at night. Campus security is usually able to accompany, I think.
Tell him that if he wants the model 3, he can get it during his Sophomore or Junior year, once he figures out where to park the car (West Philly can be very unfriendly to nice cars on the street). It needs to be off-street and garaged with charging. He can and should do the research for that one. I would include good grades as an extra incentive to get the Model 3 for his 2nd or 3rd year. This would fit better with everyone's time frame of getting one, and the greater likelihood that Tesla will start to roll out City Superchargers.
As an extra incentive for the bike, there is some amazing single track just 30 minutes (by bike) north of W. Philly in Wissahickon Valley Park. If he's a strong biker (or becomes one)... he could even do The Wall in Manayunk: Manayunk Wall - Wikipedia
*especially the damn seat. For whatever reason everyone loves stealing the damn seats.
I wouldn't do it. Your first car shouldn't be that expensive anyways and if recharging becomes an issue, you would waste a lot of money.
If you want him to get a green car, buy him a used Volt, there are very low milage ones to be had for under 20k, and let him keep his 15k. It isn't as cool as a Model 3, but it won't be the end of the world, if he wrecks it. And it can be driven with petrol, if there is no charging station to be found.
Candleflame
Active Member
get him a 1L vauxhall corsa or if you are nice an old BMW 316 or 318 with a manual transmission. Great drive.
sdugan99
Member
Does he need a car in college? Most universities is pretty simple to get around without a car. I know some colleges don't even let freshman have cars. I really don't think a college student needs a car unless they are living off campus where they can't walk/bike/bus to school.
Skotty
2014 S P85 | 2023 F-150L
I think something like a Volt, if he's an EV fan, might be a better college choice if he can't plug in where he will live and doesn't have charging very close by. If he's not a Volt fan, just go with whatever.
Hello, I'm a long time reader, but signed up just to reply to this.
I happen to work and live in the area and I definitely say, not a good idea.
There are few convenient chargers around Penn and almost no students bring their cars.
The parking on campus is extremely limited and not near any of the places where a freshman is likely to live.
The only way it even remotely makes sense is if he has an off campus rental with parking (again not something recommended for freshmen).
In general, good luck to your son with his college plans.
Its a great school and I'm sure you probably heard that Elon went there for a few years as well.
Vortexx
Member
Had a friend in college with his parents H1 Hummer (the real hummer). He used it to show off on the weekends and to take trips back home. During the week he rarely drove!
If your kid wants to learn responsibility and has already saved up $15k then id say go for it! He deserves it and is very responsible. With the tax credit on a base model. You can get one for $27,500. Not a bad price
I say go for it.
Honestly look at this as a long term thing. This would be his car for at least the next 7 or so years anyways. Plus being electric it would be cheaper to own than a gasoline car and eventually pay for itself.
If he actually saved up the money for the car and he himself wants the car (you arnt trying to force him to get a Model 3 because YOU think it's awesome)...
Like Nike says...
"Just Do It".
Honestly look at this as a long term thing. This would be his car for at least the next 7 or so years anyways. Plus being electric it would be cheaper to own than a gasoline car and eventually pay for itself.
If he actually saved up the money for the car and he himself wants the car (you arnt trying to force him to get a Model 3 because YOU think it's awesome)...
Like Nike says...
"Just Do It".
K-MTG
Sunshade Captain of TMC
My nephew drives his parents old Model S to UCI (he commutes from home). Apparently UCI has a ton of chargers but they charge around $2 per hour. However, parking is much easier for him as chargers are normally vacant. It's Irvine and they are a lot of international students who drive high end vehicles so the Tesla fits in.
It obviously depends on the university environment...when my dad was at Berkeley with a Caddy...he got the entire thing keyed!
It obviously depends on the university environment...when my dad was at Berkeley with a Caddy...he got the entire thing keyed!
There's no parking at Berkeley anyways. Or UCLA. Just forget about a car at those campuses. Not as bad at the other schools, although some are still a lot easier than others. Irvine is pretty easy cuz it's a commuter school. They've built the parking garages and lots for it, as did the nearby shopping areas. Davis, being in the middle of nowhere, and having a bizarre hippy culture moreso than Berkeley, is much harder even though they have the land for it.
Really? A car? Some kids would be happy to get a backpack or splurge and get a laptop. But a car...and an EV at that?? Might be time for some perspective.
BluestarE3
Active Member
UCI must have gone more upscale in the past decade or so. Didn't it used to be called "University of Civics and Integras" and "University of Changed Integras" (with all the modifications)?
It was, but it always had rich international kids. When I was there, it was probably peak Civics and Integras time (before the first F&F movie came out). Plenty of lower end BMWs and Mercedes even then, but I distinctly remember two brothers. One drove a purple Lamborghini. The other had some high end Mercedes (Merc SL?). I remember I had one international friend, and we'd laugh at him because he drove a C-class. He had an E-class in his home country and due to the crazy taxes there, I think it cost somewhere around USD$200-300k. We never understood why he didn't get a nicer car, especially when his credit card bill after 2-3 months equaled the cost of his car.
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Op - You should just check out the logistics of parking and charging an EV at whatever school your son ends up attending. I know at the college I attended parking was always an issue, and having to deal with the hassle of charging on top of everything else would have been an unwelcome distraction.
As for whether he deserves it or not, that's something only you and your family should decide - the judgmental attitudes in this thread are outrageous.
As for whether he deserves it or not, that's something only you and your family should decide - the judgmental attitudes in this thread are outrageous.
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