my future plans for my next mini is to definitely get a mini cooper s convertible. i really want to get a mini cooper s jcw convertible though. right now i have an 02 mini cooper. i want to get this as my next car because it will be an awesome upgrade. has anyone had any experiences with them? i think i prefer an 08 or 09. they look amazing. does anyone have any suggestions on how i could make money for the $40,000 mini that i want to buy? i need a good job/ career. i am going to be a freshman in college this fall and i need some directions so i can be able to accomplish my goals!!!!!

 

I know a new car sounds amazing right now...
But trust me, unless your college is paid for, you might want to put your money towards that. College is really expensive, and if you're paying for it yourself, you'll want to take care of those loans.

And this is coming from a 16 year-old. Haha.

 

I'm about to finish up my BA in International Business. On the whole, you can't go wrong with a degree in business. You could work in hundreds of business fields in the broad categories of finance, accounting, economics, and management. Going international makes even more sense in today's global world and is pretty desirable to employers.

A useful piece of advice though, for your first semester don't declare a major yet. Take as many gen-ed classes as you can. Talk to your professors about their field, majors within those fields, and potential jobs. Most of all, pick a major that interests you. It makes studying for the classes easier if you are genuinely interested in the material.

I could talk at length about some of the tips and tricks I learned along the way.

 

If your dreams and goal is to get a mini, and u want to know what to do in college to accomplish that, im gonna say prioities are skewed, and a reevaluation of ur life is in order.

At least say what profession do i pursue to get a lambo or rarri.......

 

OK here goes some BAD financial advice, I took from an Econ Prof, ok, ya ready, if so read at your own risk. Well, it wasn't advice, it was a story he told us, that he and his now Math Prof wife (was also my Statistics prof). If you get grants try to to save some of it every sem/qtr and put it in 6 month, 1,2, 3 year CDs, stagger them in case you need cash, but ultimitly have them expire at the same time like August 2012 your senior year. Take out every federal and state education sponsered loan (not private=high interests) carefully budget books, living expense, etc and the rest put into 6 month, 1 and 2 year CDs. Also, it helps if you work evenings and weekends and use that money for expenses (that you should have covered with loan/grant/scholarship money) make sure to get off-campus job, cause they'll deduct some grant/scholarship money if you work on campus. Remember, apply for every scholarship. Once your done with school, get your 1st year of loan payment waived then consolidate with federal or state program. (not private). Carefull with credit cards, stay away, or better yet use them to build your credit, NOT to ruin it (my only mistake I regret). By the end of your senior year you should have a good chunk of change to put down on a car or house, at ZERO to 5 percent interest. Negotiate your payments with consolidator/government to no more than what you are given back on loan interest paid for your tax return, essentially it will be free partial payment of your loan. Focus on your higher interest loans first, give up all your tax returns, to pay them off. Good Luck

 

edited: ^^^ I'd take howsoonisnow's advice, except I'd see a bit of the world before buying a house ^^^

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You want to buy a $40k car and you're a freshman. Is your Daddy paying for it? If yes, he needs to adopt me.

If you're paying for it, my suggestion is to hang on to the one you have now and concentrate on school. If you make $ on the side, be frugal and save it. Don't you know what's going on with the economy right now? Just last quarter alone, Americans have lost $1.33 trillion in equity... that's $1330 billion in 3 months! It's a good thing you're in school and not out looking for a job.

Are you curious about the world outside your neighborhood, your state, and the US? Spend some time and travel if you get the chance. I've not owned a new car all my life and I graduated High School exactly 21 years ago. I had an Audi in college (paid $1700/117k, died @ 355k) and now have a '87 Porsche 944S (paid $7000/64k, now 126k) and recently bought a '06 MCSc... and one day I might get my hands on a mid 1990's Porsche 911 convertible.

Kinda lame you might think of someone my age and never owned a new car? Well, I have a different perspective on life early on - I want to see as much of the world as possible. By the time I was 26, I had taken 4 trips to Europe, two of which I spent 3 months and 11 months working and traveling. I've been back there twice since 2007, one of which was 3 months as part of my 6-month bumming round-the-world trip... from Europe to Asia, Australia and New Zealand.

Good thing I never bought a $40k new car... I can bum around the world for 2 years with that kind of change.

Pardon the lecture.... good luck with your choice!

Wish I was on the road again.... (South Island, New Zealand)

 

Maybe a gentler way to put that... is that college isn't vocational training for making money. if making money is what you want, consider dropping college and apprentice to a successful electrician or plumber. spend a few years doing that, get your journeyman's, then your master elec/plumb certification, then go into business for yourself. if there's a union, try to get into the apprenticeship program. you'll make more money earlier in your career this way than the college route.

going to college is to learn how to think (if your profs are any good, at least -- plenty aren't), not how to make a living. don't think picking a major will put you in a track to a specific well-paying job. most college grads do nothing like their degree ... but it's still good prep. but it'll take a lot longer to climb the corporate payscales than going into the trades.

(just avoid the trades that are hard on your knees. notice you never see any flooring guys over 40 except as owners? there's a reason for that.)


or maybe you shouldn't listen to me. i dropped out of college after a few years, got a job, started a career in tech ... but the contacts i made in college were definitely key to getting some of my first full time jobs.

*shrug*

good luck, with whatever course you choose!

 

Oh yeah, that was my other big regret, not taking advantage of study abroad programs at school, that like a free all expense paid trip for 3 months plus you get credit.

BTW: Used is the way to go, let someone else pay the dealer mark-up and depreciation. I bought 91 geo metro, 94 toyota corolla, 94 bmw 325is all used while in college, and 04 MSC and 06 GP after college used.