Our App Gets Them There & Back Again
So, your child is going to college.
This often conjures up images of loading up the family car, and slowly unloading it in a non-parking spot on a warm early fall day in a small town that you have never even heard of. However, there are different options. More kids have their own cars these days, so they now have the option of bringing themselves. We just made a guide for students on weather or not to bring your car to campus, so now we’re going to tackle the other side of the equation.
Should you encourage your child to bring their car to campus? The short answer is yes, however there is a lot of uncertainty. Oftentimes, the car that your child uses is an older, higher mileage age vehicle. Oftentimes this means that it is less than reliable. Luckily for you, there is a new solution. Even if you are dropping your child in a strange land, there is a service that can get them home in one piece.
Surfwrench is a new crowdsourcing application that allows people to post their car, their car problems, and have local, independent technicians and auto repair shops bid on their work. They choose based on price, availability, and previous feedback- so they are always getting the most trustworthy technicians at the best price. This allows young people, especially broke college students to get to where they need to go with less drama, less hassle, less stress, and by paying less money. This service was built by college students, for college students- because we know that you need to get where you’re going and don’t necessarily want to spend all day on the phone figuring out how.
So…does your kid really need a car?
Do they need it? Are they going to be safe with it? Is it going to be wrecked? Is it going to be more trouble than it’s worth? These are all some of the common questions that the parents of incoming students have had. Once again, the answers are as diverse as the students.
Does your student need their car on campus? The most basic answer to this question is probably not. Odds are they can get around fairly well, and most colleges are extremely accommodating with their public transport. However, if you want them to be able to do thing on their own terms, a parking pass is a good back to school gift. One of our marketing operators had an interesting solution. “That is what my aunt did for my cousin every semester. He would buy books with his part time job savings, and my aunt would front a parking pass.”
Is your child going to be safe with a vehicle on campus? This depends entirely upon how they were with it while they were in high school. If they were reckless and foolish with a car while you had your eye on them, why would they act any differently when there is is less personal surveillance, and way harsher legal ramifications? Seriously, University Police and small town cops make their living off of careless college students. Conversely, if they are responsible drivers, this will allow them to go on great adventures and give you great stories for the Thanksgiving and Christmas family get togethers.
Is your child’s car going to get wrecked if they are driving it around campus? Yes. In our experience, a lot of the people on a college campus are in a major hurry. When you are in a major hurry in confined spaces, you’re going to run into stuff.
As our Marketing Director put it, “every single car that I had in college had dents from being backed into, bumped into, door dings, spray from plows, and a myriad of other body damage. But, that’s ok in my case, because I didn’t care. I never paid more than $1000 for any car that I had in college, so it was all good.” However, if you plan on sending them with something nice and newer, you might want to make sure that they’re not duking it out over on street parking — fork over a little cash for a parking pass.
Is having a car on a college campus more trouble than it’s worth? This is something that parking services will tell you is gospel, but don’t act so quickly. Having a car on campus is having the ability to have adventure at your right foot. It is also the ability to get home on your own terms. For many parents, this isn’t the first thing that they think of, but it is important. Having a car on campus for some students is a silent reminder that despite being quasi on their own, they still have the ability to return to something they find familiar. It also gives them the ability to do the right thing in being a designated driver, or visit friends and family not near enough to walk. Overall, despite the cost, most people that we have talked to who have brought their cars on campus have found that the benefits far outweigh the cost.
So overall, we feel that you should encourage your son or daughter to bring their car on campus. It will open many doors of friendship, employment, and adventure: which is what college is all about. Moreover, if your worried about them having problems with their car, there is now a simple and cost effective solution — your friends at Surfwrench. We keep college students on the road to success, and keep more of their precious few dollars in their pockets.