Buying a car in the US

[rpm]

Thanks for the insight Gene, I really appreciate it.
I will be staying in Pittsburgh to study for a period of 2 years.
That is why I think a new car would not be a very rational option, i.e. I would loose too much money selling at the end.

So I guess my best bet would be to find a car at a more southern, road-salt free state, fly over and drive it back. Now that would be an adventure.

I think I will live close to school so I'll probably walk or ride a bike there.
This gives me some time to search for a good car, that will be used mainly for traveling around the country and for general driving pleasure/stress relief.
I tend to like small lightweight cars for all their nimbleness and responsiveness, but let's see what comes up.

[GeneW]

Originally Posted by RPM

Thanks for the insight Gene, I really appreciate it.
I will be staying in Pittsburgh to study for a period of 2 years.
That is why I think a new car would not be a very rational option, i.e. I would loose too much money selling at the end.

So I guess my best bet would be to find a car at a more southern, road-salt free state, fly over and drive it back. Now that would be an adventure.

I think I will live close to school so I'll probably walk or ride a bike there.
This gives me some time to search for a good car, that will be used mainly for traveling around the country and for general driving pleasure/stress relief.
I tend to like small lightweight cars for all their nimbleness and responsiveness, but let's see what comes up.

Okay....

If you're going to school in Pittsburgh you'll most likely be attending school in the Oakland district of Pittsburgh. Parking is SCARCE down there. I am an alumni of the University of Pittsburgh. I also attended Carnegie Mellon. CMU has tough parking but Pitt is abysmal.

If you live in Oakland than you will be able to obtain off street parking or obtain a "residents" permit, which entitles you to park for free on the street. All you need do is find a parking spot.

You'll need automobile insurance, which is compulsory in Pennsylvania. As a newly insured person you might be paying a good deal of money to obtain coverage. However I do not know your personal history and am not sure if you can provide evidence of driver training or other assurances that you're a competent vehicle operator.

Oakland has good mass transit. Very good. Most buses that go East go through Oakland many times per day. I think that there may be bicycle lanes too. It's been a while, I do not like the city much.

Gene