3 Things I Should Have Done Before Buying My Used Car

So I finally purchased a used car on Tuesday evening.  I like my car a lot–a 2005 Volvo S60–but there were a few things that looking back, I should have done:

1.  Driven another of the exact same model to compare.

By doing this, I could have gotten a better feel for the type of car in general.  I would have had something to compare it to.  I did drive 2 cars that were the same model but a year older, and the felt less refined.  So the newer model showed improvements, even with more mileage.  But I should have driven another 2005 for comparison purposes.

2.  I should have driven different models.

I purchased the basic version of the car.  In the case of the S60, you can get it in turbo, turbo all wheel drive, and what is known as the ‘R’ which is the hot rod version.  While I wasn’t in the market for the hot rod, I feel that I should have at least driven the turbo to see how it handled, and to judge whether the extra cost would have been offset by the gains. (Although in my case, it wouldn’t have been because of insurance and more expensive gasoline.)

3. Taken the car for a longer test drive.

I had already driven two cars that evening and didn’t feel the need to go for a really long drive in any more of the cars they were going to send me out in.  I went for a two or three mile drive, came back to the dealership and decided that I liked the car.  At that point I should have asked to take the car out again, driven it in residential neighborhoods, on the highway, and wherever–just to make sure I was serious about the car.  Looking back on the test drive–I know I definately skimped.

I have now had the car for three days and am very happy with it.  I feel I got lucky, but I don’t want to ever leave it up to that.  Only time will tell.

Rochester Institute of Technology

Five and a half hours of driving from mid-state PA, and I finally arrived in Rochester.  On a trip that seemed initially to be wasted time and effort, I was pleasantly surprised to find that Rochester Institute of Technology could very well be just what I am looking for.

Finding the campus took little to no effort on my part, everything was well marked and the map they sent me had enough outside roads to make life simple.  First impressions: the campus looks a little bit boring, everything is made out of red brick.  As for the size, one could look at it and say smaller than Penn State University Park–maybe a third to half of the size–but perhaps triple the size of Lehigh University, or double that of Bucknell’s campus.

The campus is well maintained; everything looks groomed, the snow is out of the way, there are trees and brick walkways and courtyards if your into that sort of thing.  The buildings are also well taken care of.

The people in admissions were courteous and quick to help out with questions, guidance, or requests.  Be warned that if you are planning on visiting for anything dealing with design, people in the department will not meet with you same day scheduling.  On the phone they said the wouldn’t meet with me unless I had a portfolio for review.

There are a variety of majors to choose from.  RIT has a good engineering program, anything tech based, and it also scores with in the top 5% in the nation for business.  As for art programs, it also does them very well.  A search turned up RIT in the top 60 graphics design schools in the world.  I am looking at RIT for graphics design or new media.

Academic buildings are nice, maintained, well light, well used by students–there were plenty of kids hanging around outside of class–doors were open (open as in come into the classroom as well as unlocked, get in from the outside).  There seemed to be plenty of different labs for research by upperclassmen, as well as a plethora of computer labs–PC and Mac.  As for lecture halls the biggest holds 300 people and it was said that it is seldom used.  Large lectures of 80-100 people, and small classes depending on the major and class, of 20 people.   TA’s do not teach, but help with labs and field questions.

Recreational areas were well maintained and plentiful.  Division 3 sports except for hockey which is Division 1.  Nice pool, weight room, indoor track, indoor tennis, indoor soccer, basketball, etc.  Plenty of outdoor athletic fields, and just regular fields for the occasional Frisbee throwing.  Skiing/snowboarding does happen on campus occasionally, but there are mountains in Buffalo and Syracuse.  Buffalo gets more snow, but Syracuse has better mountains is what I heard.  I also heard that there is about 100 inches of snow on average.  (92.3 inches apparently, 11th in the U.S.) That makes me happy.

Students stay in mostly on campus housing.  There are plenty of options ranging from apartments that look like beach houses, to regular apartments, to dorms (the freshmen are required to live in dorms and take a meal plan), to off campus options in Rochester and the surrounding area.  Every dorm is connected by underground tunnels, this is very nice in my opinion.

Security is pretty low key but present.  There are blue boxes everywhere, campus police driving around, card keys to get into the dorms.  One notices while perusing the public safety pamphlet, that incidents of crime are fairly low and can probably be avoided by locking doors when leaving a room.  The campus is secluded and unto itself.  The public has to drive to get onto the campus because it is set just outside of the city.

After a visit, I would say RIT feels like Drexel University in Philadelphia, known for its engineering, business and art programs, meets Penn State University Park’s country side appeal while upholding both schools education standards.  You have the best of both worlds, the country side and a large city with in 5-7 miles from campus; Rochester has a little over 200,000 people.

Overall, I find the campus pretty, peaceful, well maintained, secure, and easy to get around and deal with.   I would say that it is definitely a possibility for me.