In all seriousness...that probably ain't a bad idea...

 

I would probably say buy a Kia or Hyundai instead of the Honda, but thats more personal preference.

Same features as the Honda, longer warranty, lower cost. You get a status symbol by buying a Honda now, which you don't really need if you are going to college.

The Spectras, for example. Great little cars. Good styling, good gas mileage, 10 year 100,000 mile warranty. Not as good as Chrysler's Lifetime Powertrain Warranty if you are buying new, but still pretty darn good (and unlike Chrysler's, its transferrable to the next owner, so you can get a nice used one-owner for pretty cheap and still get a good warranty).

EDIT: After I read my own post, I realized the irony. I am going to college, and I drive my Ram... Even though my wife is a RN and we have enough money to pay for the gas, I still picked out a Ram in part because of the status symbol.
[sm=guilty.gif]

 

Kia and Hyundia are both cheaply madejunk. They made be cheap and offer you a longwarranty, but what you do not see right off is that after so much work the warranty isvoid. If you want a good vehicle buyeither a Honda orToyota, they are good vehicles that have a great track record.

 

I'm not saying Hondas or Toyotas are bad by not having a warranty, all I'm saying is that they are now a status symbol because of their reliability. And they charge you for that.

If you are out of college with a steady, decent job and upgrading a Ram, having a newer Honda or Toyota for a good daily driver is great. But for someone going to school who doesn't have a whole ton of money to spend on a car in the first place, a Kia or Hyundai is a decent choice. I used to think they were cheap junk as well, but then I got married. My family-in-law has owned three or four different Kias. The only things to ever go wrong with them were minor things, the worst of them being a bad thermostat. All covered under warranty, and they never had an issue with voided warranties.

I am not talking about a car to soup up here, I am talking about a reliable college car to get you through until you graduate and have more money to play with.

 

Get a truck after - ok, maybe I exaggerated a little bit. I will be collecting full pay and benefits as an E-5, with 8 years of service, while going to college.

As for the car - the wife has the 2002 Prius. We average between 30 - 50 mpg, depending on weather conditions and driving style. Short trips really hurt gas mileage (yep. 30 mpg hurts )

My mind was made up for me by our pet beagle - he whined and got sick in the Prius; he whined and got sick in the F-250. In the Ram, he'd remain completely quiet and well behaved. I guess dogs just prefer Dog Rams...erm, Dodge Rams I mean.

My situation is a little different from a typical college student: I'm 26, I have 8 1/2 years of proud Naval service under my belt, and I get paid base pay, Basic Allowance for Housing and Basic Allowance for Sustinence while going to college. I won't have a truck payment while I'm there, which means that the money normally spent on the truck payment will be freed up. Not that I owe much anyway - I only owe $2,600 against the Ram.

Good advice, though - and thanks for all of your inputs!