Car on campus: worth the drive?

There is no worse feeling than the one I experienced calling my second tow truck in three days last week. Unfortunately, as I’ve learned, cars break down (even if you have an illustrious 2015 Volkswagen). Sometimes they break down twice, and then you take them to get fixed only to return the next day and find them dead in the parking lot once more. 

Although I’m still bitter about my long and ongoing car debacle, it’s a fact that on a campus with as many students as we have, cars will break down. I discovered on my parents’ Facebook account this week that car problems actually happen so frequently, that students have a preferred off-campus mechanic (redacted — I can’t confidently endorse anyone yet). 

It makes sense; I’m no mechanic, but it’s probably not good for cars to freeze and warm up with our erratic weather. South Bend weather can make a car inefficient in more ways than one. I have made it my routine every time it snows (so every day until last week) to go out to the car and get a head start scraping off the snow. The walk to the parking lot alone, although shorter (for me) than the walk to DeBart, is treacherous during snowy and icy conditions. 

Keeping a car in an open parking lot located ten to fifteen minutes away from you in a state where it snows five days a week, although it sounds like such a good idea, is actually kind of risky. I experienced a feeling of true shock every time I returned to an out-of-commission car, even though it was honestly kind of predictable. My struggles this week likely have my non-vehicle-having peers wondering: is having a car on campus worth it? 

I say yes. Though it has put me through trials and left me with traumas, having my car this semester has opened up opportunities that I wouldn’t have otherwise received. I’m not just talking about driving to my off-campus internship, although I do that too, but the other normal-feeling kind of day-to-day freedoms that come with having a car in a pretty much unwalkable city.

In three short weeks, I have had Taco Bell at 3:30 in the morning (on a weeknight), drank Starbucks (thrice!) from a real drive-thru and tried two different weeks’ worth of Crumbl cookie flavors. Now that the newness of the car on campus has worn off, I do have to start conserving my financial resources — I have to pay for gas now, after all — but the short-lived excitement of eating non-dining-hall food has me missing my car now that she’s gone. 

Of course, besides the great food, a car offers a chance to explore the world outside of campus every once in a while. I have discovered that I really love University Park Mall, for one. I have scoured the local Target (I am working towards breaking free from the chains of relying on Amazon deliveries) and already mapped out the best route to my internship. 

Although sometimes it feels like you need to stay in the campus bubble to fit in here, connecting with the community has genuinely helped me make the most of my time at Notre Dame. My car has allowed me opportunities I might never have been able to access otherwise; I believe it will bring even more in the coming years. I’ve been struggling lately with the idea of getting a regular job off-campus as well; I could, now that I have a car, but students here aren’t usually expected to “have time” to work. What I have learned, however, is that just because most people on campus don’t do something doesn’t mean that I can’t. 

I likely will try working a part-time job, and I will continue to enjoy my explorations of South Bend in the meantime. If you are lucky enough to have a car that you’re considering bringing to campus, I would tell you to do it, despite the potential risks. You’re going to love the freedom and occasional break from the ND bubble; as soon as my car is ready, I know I will.