I'm a college student...the S is an awesome car to have.

 

Man, rewarding educational accomplishments with an expensive car seems like a bit much to me... Reminds me of those damn "Lexus Christmas Event" commercials where father hands out SUV's to the wife, son, daughter, dog, neighbor, neighbor's dog, etc. as if they were candy, because he's so happy it's Christmas, and what better way to celebrate the birth of Christ than with a Lexus? Whatever happened to giving socks, or books, or if you really wanted to go all out, a video game as gifts instead? Anyway, sorry, maybe I'm just jealous that I had to wait until after college to get myself an S2K

I definitely would advise against an S2K for a full-time college student, at least based on personal experience (I'm 24, finished my undergrad when I was 21--damn I'm getting old). There's just too many things to worry about: a) Vandalism/Theft 2) Damage (door dings, bumper scratches, etc) , iii) Cost of ownership, d) Storage space for moving furniture, etc. My car (a Nissan Sentra which I still own--it's a sweet ass car, and it shall never die ) had multiple dings and scratches, the front bumper was bent out of shape because some bad driver decided to hit it in a parking lot and not leave a note, and was used to move stuff from one dorm/apt to another multiple times. It also got towed a couple of times from being illegally parked, and the damn towing people don't care if they scratch up your car. I can't imagine going through all that with an expensive sports car... Plus I can't imagine being able to afford the maintenance expenses of the car, especially if some unforseen problem happens to the car that requires expensive work.

Plus, though I have no scientific proof of this, I will say that not having an S2K while in college only motivated me to get some sweet ass grades, so that I could get a sweet ass job, so that then I could afford to buy sweet ass things, such as an S2K. Furthermore, I will say that, had I owned the S2K back in college, my ambitions wouldn't have been as great, and I'd be living under a not so sweet ass bridge right now... But maybe that's a bit extreme, I dunno

So in conclusion, I'll say the following: Don't buy him an expensive car, just buy him something to get by during his college years, and then if you want, when he's done with college and has a job lined up, go ahead and help him with his sweet ass car. He shall one day thank you for that (though he shall initially hate you for it, too).

Thanks mom and dad

 

I hated my S2000, when I was in college, being parked out in the elements with students who can't park their cars worth a damn. I would discourage you from buying him a S2000 right now. His insurance will be higher and someone will ding, hit, or find someway to be stupid. I would go with the civic Si or accord, rsx, tsx, or 4-door bmw for now. He can get a sports car when he graduates. He will be better able to afford the insurance and tickets and won't be dealing with college kids who just learned to drive but believe they are ready for indy.

 

I graduated from college a few years ago, and my college car took a beating. My sister has one year left in her grad program, and her college car is taking a beating (at no fault of ourselves). Just expect door dings, getting bumped by others when they try to parallel park, drunk students going car surfing/car hopping (whatever it is when you run across a line of parked cars), drunk/bad drivers side swiping cars parallel parked along the street, etc.

I guess it depends on the school too. How nice are the off campus student neighborhoods; how abundant is student parking? Will your son be parking on the street or will he have access to a garage or off street parking?

These are the issues I think of because I would be really upset to have these things happen to my S. Looking back there is no way I would have wanted to have my S as my college car.

Dave

 

I bought mine in HS, and I couldn't have asked for a sweeter car then. Now I am at college and the car stays back home. I hope to bring it next term or at least next year. I am concentrating on studies now, trying to get the grades and develop strong habits here. I think it's a fine car for him, but only you know his responsibility and maturity. If he tries to show it off and be snobby, he'll either crash it, get it vandalized, or have a b*tch of a time making friends. If he enjoys it to himself and drives responsibly, he will have the time of his life. Good luck.
For costs - gas is pretty good, insurance is a bit high, and maintaining it is also decent. Gas mpg for me is 24-29mpg (premium), insurance is $220/month for full coverage (started when I was 17, good grades discount, no tickets, 1 accident). Maintainance (haha, I've never been able to spell this word) is expensive when needed, but I've never needed to fix anything in 1.5 years. My car is a 2001 with 35k miles with no problems at all. It has the extended warranty, but I've never needed it.
*Also my recommendation depends on the school. If the campus is sketchy I wouldn't recommend it. If it's a campus like Stanford, it'd be a-okay. I am at UBC (British Col.) and confident it's safe here (normal parking). Either way, I park behind my fraternity house where it's safest yet.

 

I'm in college, own an S2K, and have no problems. Unfortunately, my parents weren't nice enough to help me out so I needed to work my ass off to buy my car, so I can't really answer your question because you know your son best. If he is the type of kid that works hard and has respect for his stuff then he should be fine, but if he is the kind of kid that has mommy and daddy give everything to then he will probably end up with his car totalled due to a lack of respect for the car from not having to work for it. (i'm not saying this is your son in any way, i'm just speaking in general). Just my 2 cents. I think i'm thinking so synical today because I just saw a kid at college today beating the piss out of his M3 that his parents bought for him and he has no respect at all for it as he drives like a lunatic.

 

You have every right to feel this way. They make me too.

 

If he's doing good in school, getting an S2000 will spoil him. jk.

Driving a practical car = less worry
Driving a fancy/sport car = more worry

Your son is in college, don't let him worry too much about car. Unless you're planning on paying everything for him ( payments, insurance, maintainents...) then an S2000 would be an awesome car for him & his female friends...

 

The only thing I can say, is one of my neighbors sons was in a similar situation. Scholarships, no accidents, very responsible. They bought him an STI for graduation... He totaled it before he got out of our housing developement. The car was TWO HOURS OLD, and it was his fault.

That being said, the NEW s2k's are much more forgiving than they used to be. The older ones like mine (2000) will bite you without provocation... But I like it that way

A lot of accidents with younger kids are usually in the 2000-2003 model range where the car was prone to kicking the rear out without warning if pushed to hard. The stock tires didn't squeal at all, giving the impression you were still in its limit... until the rear went out and someone was dialing 911 for you.

The 2004+ models have been toned down, with different tires that work better in the rain. This makes the car easier to drive and easier to know when the limit has been reached.

Toned down may not be a good description, TUNED differently may be a better assement.

As for college... well can't really help you there. But if I was in college I'd rather have the G35 coupe over an s2k.

1. sexxy and classy
2. back seat is usefull. Bigger trunk useful.
3. Convertibles are cool, but too easy to break into.
4. more comfortable ride. Sooner or later the kid is going to want to take a road trip with some friends.

Ok, I'm done.