Quote Originally Posted by cybersecretary View Post
... as i am looking at them i think that I want one for me! have to think practical for my son. Gas milage is important for him as we are pretty poor most of the time.
He is an excellent driver but not big on fixin stuff, my husband is..
A kid with a hotter car than Mom or Dad. That's just wrong on so many levels.

How 'bout you get the VX & kiddo drives what you have now???

Actually there are many factors that go into an ideal car for a college student: amount of driving, # of moves anticipated, finances, parking on campus, congestion on campus.

etlsport gradumacated last year from college so I'm sure he would recommend the VX as the ideal college car. But I think he went to school on the 8 year plan (working to support his VX habit) so he may not be the ideal example.

When I went to college (yes, they had internal combustion engines back then), I drove a 1974 Plymouth Duster. It wasn't the hotrod version though, it had the slant 6 engine, 3 speed on the floor, drum brakes all around & you had to pump the windshield washer with your foot. It was the perfect car for me though. Decent gas mileage, decent capability in the snow (for Tennessee), very reliable (1 fan belt, 1 battery, 1 oil breather & 1 PCV in 5 years) & absolutely nobody wanted to steal it or anything in it. The most important thing though was that by my sophomore year, I could fit all of my worldly possessions in the trunk of the car. That was of paramount importance since I was moving every 3 months. I Co-Op'd for 2 years alternating quarters working for the Air Force and school.

Living in VT, I'm sure you'll be wanting him to have 4WD so that's going to narrow down your choices.

It'll need room for all his stuff, be reliable, get good gas mileage, easy to drive in congested traffic and easy to park.

The Escape isn't a bad choice but open the market a little & look also at Subaru's (wagons aren't popular with college kids but he won't turn down a free car - but there's also the Outback). KIA also makes some decent SUVs. The subcompact market just doesn't seem ideal to me since he won't have much room for hauling laundry home to Mom (I never did that).

The VX really isn't a bad choice for a college car with the exception of the gas mileage. There's room for his stuff if the rear seat is tumbled or removed & it is 4WD so Mom won't worry too much about him in the winter. My personal experience with the VX is that it is reliable (of course, I only have 50K miles on mine).