How difficult is it to be a car enthusiast in college ?

"TDIGuy" (owenrosier) 10/02/2014 at 23:07 • Filed to: None

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Okay so I've been around oppo enough now to realize there are quite a few of us that are either in college or about to be in college. I myself am a senior in college and recently transferred from community college to a 4 year college to finish my computer science degree. I've come to realize that its becoming increasingly difficult to be a car guy in college now because there just aren't very many other car guys at my new school (Hood College). (by the way I spotted this GTR on campus a few weeks ago)

Before when I was going to the local community college the car scene was so diverse it was unreal. There were so many car guys there from every different car denomination from old muscle cars, slammed imports, mini trucks, to old british roadsters. It was great I was in my element because I still had the Roush Mustang and we all came together as car enthusiasts. Now that Im at hood though it has gotten a lot weaker. There are still car people around just not to the same extent and I think thats because most of these kids live on campus and just have way too much going on to get into the hobby. Don't get me wrong there are a few car enthusiasts around but for the most part im pretty alone in this. At community college it was so easy because alot of the kids there worked alot and didn't have to have the worlds most reliable car because they lived at home still. Anyways I'm still trying to keep the car enthusiast spirit alive so I'm doing a fun comparison... My Jetta TDI versus my girlfriends 2003 Mercury Grand Marquis.

Okay so here goes the mini comparison, Lets start with the TDI.

I bought this car new almost a year ago after I totaled the mustang and it has the lovely 6 speed manual matted to the fun little 2.0 common rail diesel that makes no horse power and a lot of torque. This little car has served me well since I commute about 40 minutes one way to college now and I put 20,000 miles on it already. This car is actually surprisingly fun because the suspension is tight enough to hold its own and be fun in the bends and its small and light enough to be throwable and yet its still soft and solid enough to be very comfortable. Now its no sports car because its easy to reach the little guys limit but it in its own right is fun and from my own experience it handles a hell of a lot better than the MKIV Volkswagens. Now when it comes to power like I said earlier it doesn't have much horsepower especially when its not making boost but under boost the car is a lot of fun just because that is a crazy about of torque to have out of a non-performance car. Another fun this is when I'm on the highway in 6th doing like 70-75 mph it runs at about 1800rpm and in most cars that 1800rpm would require a downshift to get moving a little quicker but in this the second I put my food into it the turbo starts to spool and it'll pull .. IN 6TH ! The mustang couldn't even pull in last gear ! Getting to the rest of the car I think it looks pretty good for just a small sedan it looks like a previous generation Audi a4 almost. And the interior isn't anything special but it is a very good place to be because its got leatherette and heated seats along with all the usual amenities. All in all its a good little car than I still enjoy driving every single day. That is a very difficult thing to do now a days because so many cars have gotten so beige.

Next up is my girlfriends Grand Marquis ..

Okay so my girlfriend of almost 2 years now drives this gem , a 2003 Mercury Grand Marquis LS. This is still her first car that she got back in high school and this thing still has only 57,000 miles on it ! Thats nothing for an 11 year old car. She got it from some old people with about 30,000 on it and it was literally their "going out" car. Thats it, thats all the light this car ever saw. And since her and I have started dating I've put more miles on it than she has. Anyways this car is like a lost art form. It is just a big, soft, bench seat, column shift, V8 powered BOAT. Yes there are other read drive V8 sedans but this is the last one I would call a boat. It is so soft over every bump and highways are so wafty that it will almost make you sea sick. This car was built to be effortless to drive because lets be real, the target market was old people but it really is an excellent car. Does this car need a V8 to move it ? In short, no it doesn't but it does need one to complete the effect of luxury. Its not even that powerful of a V8 making something like 240 hp but the key here is the torque of the v8 at low revs. This car was meant to just waft you up to speed without ever the slightest bit of struggle or effort. When I say it should never struggle I mean the car isn't built to be wound out the the red line, you know why ? Because it doesn't even have a tach. Only a speedo. Handling in this car really means does it turn. I say this because its just not built do take a corner even remotely quick and to be honest when your driving you don't wanna try its just too damn comfortable. As far as the rest of this car it has enough room to play a 5 on 5 game of vollyball on the inside and the trunk will hold a years worth of luggage. The seats are super soft bench seats so this yacht will seat 6 comfortably or 10 of you squeeze. And like I sad the best part about it is the fact that hers is absolutely mint. Coming down to it, each car serves its purpose. The TDI is an enjoyable commuter car and the Grand Maquis is a comfortable road warrior. I love having the privilege to drive either one whenever I want but mine is slightly more practical.

Anyway Thanks for reading and lemme know what you guys this especially you college oppos or if you wanna talk about either one of these cars!

JR1 > TDIGuy 10/02/2014 at 23:11

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As a college student who loves cars I hate it. A bunch of kids more interested in the new iPhone than internal combustion. It. Makes. Me. Sick

Kanaric > TDIGuy 10/02/2014 at 23:12

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When I was in college I maybe could have had enough money for a Starion or something but not enough money to autocross it or anything like that. I worked 40 hours a week and went to school full time as well.

TheJWT > TDIGuy 10/02/2014 at 23:15

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I go to an art school in NYC, and as far as I know, there are 3 car guys here. I know this, because we all live together.

It sucks not having my car here, but all of the car shows/Jalop events in the area makes up for it.

Zipppy, Mazdurp builder, Probeski owner and former ricerboy > TDIGuy 10/02/2014 at 23:16

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depends on the course. I took a Automotive technician course, and it was all full of people, but a minority were rice bros, Truck bros, and some didn't know anything and bragged about their Plastidipped Prelude being JDM, but a small minority of others picked up on the course quickly, and most were nice people.

cveccs > TDIGuy 10/02/2014 at 23:17

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Well I'm a junior and I'm helping to start a car club at my college. It's not easy, but if you find a couple people that enjoy cars, chances are they know people who would be interested and so on and so forth. That's how I went about it and now we have weekend cruises which is awesome

TDIGuy > Kanaric 10/02/2014 at 23:18

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I worked full time as the frozen food manager when I was at community college full time but now I've cut my hours back because I'm at school from 9AM to 9PM 3 days of the week and the other two I'm there till 5 But money is defiantly part of the struggle

Alfalfa > TDIGuy 10/02/2014 at 23:18

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There certainly is more of a car scene in community college compared to a university, from my experience. But I tend to think that it's a demographic thing as much as a time/money thing. It's been my observation that the parents who can afford to pay for school are also the type to buy a boring reliable car, the ones who see it as more of an appliance. Gearheads seem to generally come from the more blue-collar side of the fence, and more of the community college type. That may be a little of an over-generalization, though. I still see plenty of pretty Jalop rides when I'm driving near the university in my city.

Kanaric > TDIGuy 10/02/2014 at 23:19

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lol you sound like me.

I worked full time in produce at a grocery store, went to community college and transferred to university and quit that job the final year and worked a part time job doing IT that final year. Got a computer science degree as well.

First job I bought a 350Z.

AddictedToM3s - Drives a GC > TDIGuy 10/02/2014 at 23:19

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Yep, currently in college. Everyone's interested in their phones, instagram and twitter. Once in a blue moon I run into car guys/gals and it makes my day. A few weeks back I saw a guy in a 997 leaving the campus garage and I stared at with my mouth unknowingly agape. He gave me a big smile back.

I'd say worse than not knowing a lot of car people would be not having money for a fun car at all. There are a few e46 M3s in the garage and I just check them out longingly as I walk past them every day.

TDIGuy > cveccs 10/02/2014 at 23:20

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See I'd love that but it's tough I haven't met too many people yet with a real interest. There is a kid on campus with a super clean GTI that I've been hoping to run into one day but it just hasn't happened yet.

TDIGuy > JR1 10/02/2014 at 23:22

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Isn't that the truth. And the worst part about that is I also have very strong opinions about iPhones as well because I'm an android geek so I won't even go there with people haha

TDIGuy > TheJWT 10/02/2014 at 23:23

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I couldn't even not have my car for one because I'm a commuter and two I just hate relying on people to get me around !

CB > TDIGuy 10/02/2014 at 23:24

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I don't really see a car culture on my campus.

Plus, I have a choice of either going to school, or owning a car. We can guess which one I went with.

TDIGuy > Zipppy, Mazdurp builder, Probeski owner and former ricerboy 10/02/2014 at 23:25

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Yeah that's a little bit different. Most of the people taking descete mathematics could car less about burnouts and boost hahah

TDIGuy > CB 10/02/2014 at 23:26

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Yeah I was kinda in the same situation but I worked my ass off for the last few years working full time so I can afford to have a car around

TheJWT > TDIGuy 10/02/2014 at 23:27

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I don't really need it here (and the roads around here would probably do it in), but that doesn't make me want it less:(

TDIGuy > Kanaric 10/02/2014 at 23:27

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Haha sounds jut like what I'm doing and I'm trying to work in IT at school too ! Only a little bit more left of this CS degree !

CB > TDIGuy 10/02/2014 at 23:28

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Yeah, that's not happening for me. I barely have enough time as is.

03mach1 - Now has a Fiesta ST > TDIGuy 10/02/2014 at 23:29

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I'm having a real hard time finding anyone really in to cars like I am. There are a few interesting cars here, but the owners don't really know anything about them and don't maintain them well. No one just wants to talk cars. It's sad because back in HS I knew quite a few gearheads. Now I feel like the only person who puts time and effort in to their own car.

TDIGuy > Alfalfa 10/02/2014 at 23:30

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I agree 100% I'm from a pretty blue collar town so the community college has lots of interesting rides but most of the kids at Hood are just given a car because like you said its just a thing they use to get around nothing more. Thats why most everyone I talk to is like " why the hell would you buy a car with a manual, was it cheaper or somthing ? "

TDIGuy > AddictedToM3s - Drives a GC 10/02/2014 at 23:33

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Yeah I feel you in college cars are really just a utility item not so much a toy or a prized possession. Most kids are given a car and are like sweet I can drive all my friends to taco bell at midnight now. I have like 3 or 4 cars that I think are driven by grad students that are very nice but besides that only a few GTIs and my one friend whos a big diesel truck nut.

unclevanos (Ovaltine Jenkins) > TDIGuy 10/02/2014 at 23:34

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There's a subaru club on my campus yet no car club. There are few a odd and exotic cars on the campus, but its mostly toyotas and hondas. Once in a while I park next to a row of bmws. Sometimes I get the idiot who leaves no room for me to open the drivers door.

ShelbyRacer78-Fusion Modifier > TDIGuy 10/02/2014 at 23:35

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Not hard at all for me! I've got alot of friends from my auto classes.

My "main" crew that I hang out with at school. From the left: 95 Del Sol SI, 95 Mustang GT convertible with a 5.0, Audi B2 coupe (which is normally a jetta diesel wagon ), my Sable and the Subaru Forester. Out of all the cars, I sadly drive the only automatic in the group but I can beat the Del Sol and the Forester in a drag race.

Enginerrrrrrrrr > TDIGuy 10/02/2014 at 23:42

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This is why I come to jalopnik and oppo as much as possible. Always able to get my fix on here :D And you should always be able to find another gearhead.

It helps that I'm in engineering, but there should be more gearheads at your school for you to talk car with. Another thing you gotta do is go out of your way to find car shows. I have no idea where you are located, but there should be something out there!

TDIGuy > ShelbyRacer78-Fusion Modifier 10/02/2014 at 23:53

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See thats how it was for me back when I was in community college, We would go drag racing at the strip on weekends !

That B2 is pretty sweet though and I drove my grandmas sable for a week one time because my dad and I were working on it so I just dove it while we were working on it, that v6 has more balls than I'd like to admit !

TheStraightSixKid > TDIGuy 10/02/2014 at 23:58

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SHOUT OUT FOR CARROLL COMMUNITY COLLEGE!

Ark > TDIGuy 10/03/2014 at 00:03

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My college has plenty of interesting cars. Tons of Audis, more than one GTR, a ZR1 Vette, bunch of BMWs, and I swear to god I keep seeing a Mclaren.

The problem is they're all toys that were purchased by Korean and Chinese exchange students by their ultra-rich parents. It's just bling to those entitled shits, they aren't car people at all.

ShelbyRacer78-Fusion Modifier > TDIGuy 10/03/2014 at 00:13

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Duratecs are so nice....

dontbethatguy > TDIGuy 10/03/2014 at 00:17

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Notable cars seen in the last 2 weeks:

C7 Corvette Z06/7

Ferrari 458 (x2)

Ferrari 430

many Porsche 911's in various trims

Charger/Challenger Hellcat (x2)

2015 Mustang GT

2015 Ford F150

Chevy Volt test mule

the list goes on. Car culture at my university is very very diverse.

I think you also need to consider your sample size. I looked up your school and it seems to be a bit on the small side. No knock on small schools, for some people theyre perfect, but it would seem like the small number of students would correlate to a small number of car guys. My school is ~25x bigger than yours and the car culture here is quite large. Also im within 50 miles of detroit...

tl;dr car culture is actually thriving on college campuses. some places just require a bit more work to find them. :)

TDIGuy > dontbethatguy 10/03/2014 at 00:24

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Yeah my college is super small but I like it though ! and see thats kinda awesome because your so close to Detroit !

TDIGuy > Enginerrrrrrrrr 10/03/2014 at 00:25

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Oh I still go to car shows and meets like every weekend just not usually near school because school is like 40 minutes away I usually head down to VA for cars and coffee

TDIGuy > 03mach1 - Now has a Fiesta ST 10/03/2014 at 00:27

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I know it's kinda disheartening sometimes. And like some people already said it does depend on the college demographic. I go to a small private college so everyone with a car here is just one mom and dad gave them so they can come home on weekends

TDIGuy > TheStraightSixKid 10/03/2014 at 00:28

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YES CARROLL ! You have no idea how pumped I am for finding someone else from carroll !!!

TDIGuy > unclevanos (Ovaltine Jenkins) 10/03/2014 at 00:29

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Uhg hate those jack asses. Thats why I just parallel park now so I can at least open my doors hahah

JGrabowMSt > TDIGuy 10/03/2014 at 00:40

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I would say it depends on your major. I jumped on the fact that I was a TV/Digital Media major, and centered a lot of my school work around cars. Some of my final projects were videos specifically about car clubs or individuals and their cars. In most of my classes.

Not all majors are so flexible about letting me be fully immersed into my passion, but when you can swing it (and not piss off your professors), it's awesome.

Otherwise, it's hard. Do what you can, who's going to blame you? School does come first.

AddictedToM3s - Drives a GC > TDIGuy 10/03/2014 at 00:43

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That's true. I remember I used to hang out with a girl in freshman year who had a Kia Soul. Her main reason for having one was so she could drive friends around and go to sorority events. Different strokes for different folks I guess. That's cool that the grad students at your school have nice cars. The grad students I know are more into their areas of study (rightfully so I guess since they are in grad school) and have not a care in the world about what car they drive as long as it gets them where they need to be. It makes it kind of hard to approach them though since they're so interested in their studies and projects while my interest is declining.

03mach1 - Now has a Fiesta ST > TDIGuy 10/03/2014 at 00:45

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It's strange because here in Texas there's a pretty big car culture. But at my community college there's seemingly nothing. I expected to meet more car people, not less.

TDIGuy > JGrabowMSt 10/03/2014 at 00:48

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Yeah right now there isn't a ton of programming I can do to relate to cars .. yet but one day

TDIGuy > 03mach1 - Now has a Fiesta ST 10/03/2014 at 00:50

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Yeah thats kind of weird because like in HS for me people were all about big trucks and just having a car and then at community college the car groups were more diverse and now they are gone ! But I still am a car guy through and through !

twochevrons > TDIGuy 10/03/2014 at 00:53

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I'm a somewhat-slow undergrad (I dropped out and changed majors a couple of times before my current college stint), now a senior in computer science at the University of Minnesota. There doesn't seem to be much of a car scene on campus here – it's mostly your typical my-parents-got-me-this beigemobile fleet. Even as a car enthusiast, I rarely drive to campus – taking the bus simply makes more sense, both economically, and as a use of my time.

I do see a few nice cars around the place, mostly, it seems, driven by faculty. A somewhat-legendary physics professor drives a lovely NA Miata year-round, and I've regularly seen a Morgan Plus Four and an E12 M535i, too. I haven't been brave enough to take my MG to campus – it's total lack of security (it doesn't have any locks, and is laughably quick to hotwire) has put me off, but my Volvo 850R blends in nicely with the rough-around-the-edges '90s and early '00s metal that the majority of students here seem to drive. People wonder why I bought "a boxy old Volvo" by choice. I take them for a ride. Then, they get it. Like the TDI, it's not especially fast by modern standards, but when it comes on boost, the wave of torque and resultant acceleration are quite surprising.

By the way, I really like the TDI. I've driven one or two, and really like them – I was almost considering buying a Sportwagen TDI when I got the Volvo. My wife drives a Golf with the 2.5 engine, and as nice as that is (it may be thirsty, but it has a lot of go, and it sounds fantastic when you give it the works) I'm trying to swing her over to the ways of the Diesel.

dontbethatguy > TDIGuy 10/03/2014 at 01:06

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Awesome! i feel like its all about what you make of it. Does your school have any sort of FSAE/ Formula Hybrid teams?? That is definitely a great way to find car guys around campus... also the engineers that function best on the smallest amount of sleep.

TDIGuy > twochevrons 10/03/2014 at 01:10

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I understand why you don't want to drive the MG, my best friend would drive his 74' MGB when we wont to community college and it was a little iffy because we had to bump start it 2 of every 3 times we took it somewhere but will it was great because every time we had a break in classes together we would just go and drive it for hours. And yes they are east to break into haha but we trusted the folks around there. And as far ad the TDI I really love the car you would never know it was a diesel unless someone told you if your not very car savy.

03mach1 - Now has a Fiesta ST > TDIGuy 10/03/2014 at 01:22

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Sounds a lot like my old HS. Big trucks, the ricers and then the Mustangs. Not to mention a few odd cars here and there. Now in community college it seems everyone has sold their cars and moved on. Complete opposite from yours.

I don't have anyone to talk about the real technical stuff with now. Well, my dad, a few other friends I rarely see and Oppo but still. It feels awesome to drive what I do to school because it's not common at all, but at the same time no one cares if it's a Camry or a Lamborghini. Now if I had the iPhone 6, that's a whole different story. But I don't like iphones!

TDIGuy > 03mach1 - Now has a Fiesta ST 10/03/2014 at 08:36

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I know it you had a bent iPhone in your pocket all hell would break loose but you roll up in a 4 valve mustang it doesn,t even matter haha but oh well thats life I guess, you gotta do it for you not for everyone else !

TDIGuy > dontbethatguy 10/03/2014 at 08:39

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I don't think so because most of our engineering programs work together with other schools but us CS majors are also really good at not sleeping like I just got 5 hours and I feel fantastic haha or at least I will once I get coffee.

sellphones2493 > TDIGuy 10/03/2014 at 08:48

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I go to a small private college in Connecticut. Almost everyone around here has a fair amount of money. I'm a senior and most senior's live off campus, so we're all pretty much commuters if you will.

That said, you'd expect a small private college that costs nearly the same as the median income salary in the US per year to have a fair amount of young enthusiasts with nice cars.

However, it's pretty underwhelming. Most the car's are leased 3's, A4's, and G37's. The most people can do is tint the windows. When it comes to the modded cars, we have like 10+ loud tacky Scion Tc's!

03mach1 - Now has a Fiesta ST > TDIGuy 10/03/2014 at 08:49

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Very true! It's unfortunate but oh well. I've still got Cars and Coffee!

TDIGuy > sellphones2493 10/03/2014 at 10:00

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Yup pretty typical for the small private college life there are a few nice cars around here but they usually annoy me because they always like new A4's driven by some kid because it was given to them they don't realize how nice of a car they have because it was just given to them. There are a few annoying civics and such but thats even rare here

cveccs > TDIGuy 10/03/2014 at 10:15

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That's annoying, I completely get how difficult it is though. I guess the only other thing I would do is make a post on your campus Facebook page if you have one

quarterlifecrisis > TDIGuy 10/03/2014 at 10:17

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Commuting to college, while in college I think is an even different thing than being in college and living on campus. I say this having done the latter, a number of years ago.

It's difficult.

For 2 years I lived in a house with a driveway, and I could hook up my hose and wash my truck, and all was well. When I was in grad school, I had street parking a couple blocks away and my truck sat there. I bought my TBSS in March of 2010, and graduated in May of 2010. At that point in time, I was commuting to an internship in my hometown a couple days a week; this resulted in swapping vehicles from time to time because I didn't want to completely load the TBSS up with miles.

Most of my friends in undergrad didn't have cars on campus, by the time I left the school I was rotating cars on campus.

Depending on the school, it could be vastly different though. I went to a Big Ten school, which is a very different environment than say, my friend at Kettering, where they always had project vehicles laying around.

TDIGuy > quarterlifecrisis 10/03/2014 at 10:44

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Commuting is defiantly a whole different experience because just the different schedule I have to live on than everyone else because I drive so far every day by the time I graduate I will have put 60k miles on my poor jetta. But at the same time I do get some "on campus" experience because my girlfriend lives here so I do stay in her room with her a few nights a week to save my self a little sleep and miles.

quarterlifecrisis > TDIGuy 10/03/2014 at 11:12

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Any particular reason in particular that you've chosen to commute rather than live on campus?

TDIGuy > quarterlifecrisis 10/03/2014 at 12:10

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Mostly money and I like being able to basically do both because I live on campus like half the time with my GF so I kinda get the best of both worlds

Enginerrrrrrrrr > TDIGuy 10/03/2014 at 12:15

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Is there not an SCCA group or SAE group at your school? That would be the other way I could see you getting some real wrenching in. That cars and coffee sounds sweet though.

TheStraightSixKid > TDIGuy 10/03/2014 at 12:50

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It's Luca

TDIGuy > TheStraightSixKid 10/03/2014 at 21:04

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DUDE hey !

TDIGuy > Enginerrrrrrrrr 10/03/2014 at 21:05

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I think the closest SCCA groups are closer to DC

dontbethatguy > TDIGuy 10/03/2014 at 21:14

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Gotcha. Hey 5 hours aint too shabby!! My personal record for least amount of sleep gotten per day was 4 mins/day for 5 days. It was rough.

TheStraightSixKid > TDIGuy 10/04/2014 at 01:28

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TDIGuy > TheStraightSixKid 10/04/2014 at 11:56

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How is the BMW doing ?

TDIGuy > dontbethatguy 10/04/2014 at 11:57

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Yeah that doesn't sound like fun

TheStraightSixKid > TDIGuy 10/04/2014 at 17:08

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To be honest not so good. It need some rust repair and a new front right tire/bumper. I'm getting the tire today. I also just got a new job that pay's $9 an hour.

TDIGuy > TheStraightSixKid 10/05/2014 at 14:25

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Well hopefully the job goes well

Driverist > TDIGuy 10/07/2014 at 09:24

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When I was in Uni, there were a few decent cars, RX8/350Z/G35 Coupes/a few bimmer 3ers.

Now that I'm at community college, the bar's definitely lower. There are a few cool cars but most of the kids have stanced out shitboxes. Let's just say they're not people I'd want to be in a car club with.

BiggsHoson > Alfalfa 10/07/2014 at 11:24

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I don't know if I agree with the blue-collar/white collar thing. The income level might effect the type of car people are into, but that's usually simply a matter of money. Of course, my view might be skewed because the gearheads I know are either engineers or the guys manufacturing the stuff the engineers design.

As for community college vs university - I could definitely see a difference. Community college tends to have part timers who will already have jobs and cars, while university will generally have full time students with less need for cars and less time to play with them (and generally less money to buy them).

Behrend2016 > TDIGuy 10/07/2014 at 16:45

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Starting an auto club is a good is a good way to get some gear heads together. I have one at my college and we usually host a small autocross each year and take a trip to the Detroit auto show. its a good way to blow off some steam. I've see the coolest cars by just walking around the campus, 2 Gran Tourismos, a ghibli, a bunch of range rovers and cayennes, lots of cool subarus, and a murcielago and a GT40 that come by time to time.