practicality

Yeah, that first bit is a big sticking point - basically none of my friends have their own cars, and the very few that do live waaaay out in the suburbs. A motorcycle would be more convienent on a day-to-day basis (better gas mileage, cheaper parking on campus) but a car would be better for those times when nothing else will really work. I'd join one of the car sharing plans, but out of the two here, one requires being 21, and the other requires a three year driving record, which I won't have until next August :\ And I think I'd rather buy an older, crappier car outright than lease - I may be selling it off four years down the line when I graduate, depending on what I decide to do afterwards.