Car?

boston_beerI'm a rising sophomore at a target school and am wondering if I should buy a car. I have about 30k saved up and would be looking to get a 4runner or something reliable for around 15k. Would this be a good idea if I'm planning on going into banking (analyst program or equivalent) after graduation? Have any of you guys used your cars enough after college to justify the purchase?

A car is useful if you do lots of the following:

travel to places where public transport can't take you in a decent manner travel around year in adverse weather conditions heavy shopping (groceries monthly, furniture, garden stuff) you have pets which require to travel your hobbies require you to travel to far places (ie sky diving, golf courses in other states, horse riding) you enjoy driving you enjoy the freedom or feeling of owning a vehicle other reasons

Otherwise a city provides enough infrastructure to survive without a car. The cost of ownership (depreciation, insurance, gas, parts, parking, cleaning, servicing, breakdown cover, time & effort) is significant.

I love cars and always had them around me, driving relaxes me.

update: if you are single/dating: a car makes a different impact on a date than "meet me at station XYZ". you could pick her up at her place and drop her off afterwards. However the car should not be a factor at all otherwise!