Car ownership is often regarded as something of a luxury for hard-up students today.
Especially against a backdrop of rising running costs that see vehicle ownership cost £500 more annually. But buying a car can offer innumerable benefits to the student-on-the-go, and even create some long-term financial savings in the process.
Buying a car might not always be the most economical of choices, between the outright cost of a new vehicle and running costs like fuel and insurance. But by making some shrewd decisions regarding the car you buy, you can minimise these costs. For example, used Audis are much cheaper to buy than newer models, and offer high reliability and fuel economy. Buying a used hatchback over a saloon can bring costs down yet further, while certain insurance plans might allow you to save money by agreeing to a black box.
If you’re on the fence about buying a car for university still, what follow are some winning reasons to reconsider. Not only can you widen your prospects, but also your bank balance, simply by having access to private transport.
Wider Job Opportunities
For one, driving gives you greater travel freedoms and minimises travel times significantly. This is useful for a number of reasons, but arguably the most lucrative of these is work-based. Driving greatly widens your catchment area for work, enabling you to apply for more roles. You might take on work to subsidise your study, or you might seek experience in your field while you study.
Affordable Rent
Not only can driving net you a more suitable job, but also a more suitable home. Student rental prices are often untenably high, particularly in high-traffic regions close to campus. By driving, you can take advantage of lower rent prices in further-out suburban areas – or spend the same amount of rent on a veritable mansion as you would a city centre student-let flat.
Visiting Home
Driving gives you greater freedoms overall, but can be an essential way to keep in touch with your family – particularly as rail strikes and rail company mismanagement continue to impact commuters for the worst. Driving puts your travel plans in your hands, and enables you to travel back, dirty clothes in tow, whenever you so choose.
The Food Shop
Last but certainly not least, your wider range of travel opens up a large degree of new options for you regarding groceries – in a number of key ways! For one, you can travel farther to a larger, cheaper supermarket, enabling you to save money on your weekly shop. For another, having a car enables you to shop more without worrying about how you’re going to get everything home. This way, your big grocery shops become easier as well as cheaper, allowing you to more effectively schedule them around your university timetable.
