I'm 19 .. graduated high school in '08 .. attended a local technical college during my senior year and got a pretty good paying job as a Painter at a Dodge dealership in February of this year ..

I bought my 2007 350z in April and it now and has 10K miles .. had 3K when I got it .. work puts about 1700 / month on it (college should reduce that ALOT)

I'm thinking of going to college for a Bachelors in Mechanical Engineering since the auto collision field is dying more every day (insurance company's pay less and less, people aren't getting cars fixed, too labor intensive for the pay, and too much ******** to put up with everyday)

anyways .. I'd have to get a loan for school (no problem), and a part time job to make my car payment .. but my worry is leaving my 350z in the college parking lot since I'd be living on campus for at least the first year

Is it me or does this just seem like a bad idea .. would a car cover help?

worried about sitting in the sun all day and potential damage from other people

any suggestions?

please dont say trade the car down for a beater b/c that isnt a choice ... would lose to much money (downpayment, taxes, insurance, etc), just want to pay the car off and drive it till its dead .. got a pretty good deal on it and love the car

 

I have parked my Z at University of Texas at San Antonio and never really had a problem. What you'll find is that there are good and bad drivers/parkers everywhere. What i try to do is find an end-row parking spot that has a little room on the curb side and park in that space. This gives you and the person who decides to park next to you more door room.

 

I know a college student who's 1 y.o. Mazda is beat to hell already - all from parking on campus. Yes - bad idea.

 

keep my ppw Z at univ of miami with no problems. then again, ppl are much more concious around here since everyone drives bmws, range rovers, mercedes, etc, etc.

 

yea .. figured end row is a good idea since it halves the chances of something happening

 

park outside if u have to, just use common sense when it comes to where u park

 

My Z got several dings in the one year I had it while at school.

 

My Z went through my last semester with no issues. Just be cautious where you park. I'd rather park further away and know my car will be safe from blonds then find a closer spot where people are constantly in and out.

 

What college in GA you attending?

 

You still go to UTSA? The first day I parked there last fall someone keyed it - ever since then I park in the empty lot on the other side of campus. Long walk to class but car has been in great condition since.

 

I don't mind parking far away .. I either do that or take up two spots whenever I go places like home depot (my neighbor parks AT the door )

not really sure what a college would think about the two parking space thing

as far as college .. was looking at Georgia Southern .. I live just south of Atlanta and theres not many that offer mechanical engineering besides Georgia Tech which is a little over my budget .. haha

 

Dude, you are ASKING for any douchebag with a beater to get as close to your Z as they can just because you're being a douchebag by taking up 2 spaces ! Like has been suggested, park it in an end space as far away from the masses as is reasonable. Take up two spaces, you're gonna get keyed eventually...my .02

 

At my college, there is a parking lot mostly for staffs. They are pretty friendly and I haven't had any problems there yet.

 

yea .. only taken it to home depot once or twice and done that .. usually I go with someone else or take my dads car ..


at work I park between two body guy's cars .. might try that with roommates if the parking lots are packed


if theres room then as far out as possible is the best choice ..

still wondering about a car cover .. is it worth it to get one compared to just keeping it waxed / clean regularly .. if so which one?

seen some that have "nissan" and "Z" on them .. guess nissan sells them or something .. like $200 .. or ive also seen websites where you can choose materials its made out of

 

Ga Southern is a good school. Southern poly could be a good alternative.

 

Check school rules. Freshmen may not be able to have a car on campus.

 

Good man! Don't take up two spaces. As far as the car cover is concerned, get the one you want. My only concern would be if you're gonna park it outside, do you really wanna advertise what's under the cover? If it's gonna be in a garage, get the NISSAN or the Z cover! Probably looks pretty cool. If it's gonna sit outside, then everyone's gonna know "THERE'S A 350Z UNDER THIS CAR COVER"...

Also agree with davidv...this could be a moot discussion.

 

I'll check again ..

but its not a matter of rules to me b/c I'll NEED my car to get home, to a part time job, or groceries

especially when the college is a good 200 miles away from home .. but anyways

as of now I haven't seen anything except the new rule about its mandatory to live on campus the first year ..

and good point about the nissan car cover .. probably better to get a blank one

 

Parking on campus can be hell. Door dings. Bumper bangs. Tossed beer cans. Impossible to escape irresponsible kids.

 

not to mention people not paying attention/checking out girls - I've seen one too many accidents on campus where people drive into somebody because they were too busy looking for a spot or a hot girl just walked by. Like she's gonna be really impressed with you right? Oh sh*t this guy is so badass he just wrecked his car for me - lol