Would you recommend a Peel P50 to a college student?

[Giantsgiants]

So I was playing Forza Horizon 4, and I was racing in the Peel P50 to get an achievement. As I was doing so, a thought crossed my mind. I had class earlier that day, and like many college campuses, parking can be difficult and hard to find. Hence, I was wondering if a Peel P50 would be a useful car to a college student. It's the world's smallest production car. I can imagine parking never being a problem again. Oh yeah, and the student can work off the freshman 15 by literally pulling it into spaces. (The car has no reverse gear. You have to get it out and pull it using a handle at the back.)

 

Now, I know that the Peel P50 is a rare find these days, and they can fetch hundreds of thousands of dollars at auction, but let's just assume the student somehow someway is able to get one.

 

So, would you recommend this microcar to a college student? Discuss.

 

[Svip]

You cannot just ignore the price tag, because that is the most important aspect here, since that is the reason why most people are not getting one.  Add to that the insurance companies will be unlikely to insure it at all, or at unreasonable prices.  I remember when I wanted to insure my classic car, it was quite problematic because I was under 30 at the time.

 

Now you seem to be referring to the original Peel P50, which ended production in the 1960s, but since 2011, a new production of P50s have started up again, where one version is available with an electric motor.

 

These modern P50s have an asking price of about 11 500 quid, a price I imagine few students would be able to match.  I mean, if you can match that kind of asking price, there are several other cars that might be more interesting.

 

So generally my recommendation would be no.  It's a fool's errant to find one, and then find one at a decent price for something a student to pay.  And then it's hardly certain whether they could actually insure it.  Classic cars can certainly be cheaper at face value, but they come with a lot of complications.  And modern replicas tend not to be cheap to begin with.

 

As for the car itself, why not a classic Fiat 500 instead?  They are easier to come by and cheaper too.  Or perhaps a Mark 1/2 VW Golf?  These are small cars by today's standard, and certainly easy to park.  You don't have to go to the extremes that the P50 is.

[Tchuck]

Parking would still be a problem, though. All parking spaces are done with regular cars in mind. Having this wouldn't make your life any easier. Parallel parking might give you an advantage, since you can go for smaller gaps, but how often do those even exist? And then, where do you park? In the middle, looking like the asshole that hogged a full-sized spot for himself? At the ends, looking like the asshole that hogged a space another car could have gotten?

 

Then there's the practicality of it all. This has no trunk space. No passenger seat. This is literally you inside a tin can. This will get demolished in any form of accident. You'll never take it out of your regular home-school-home commute because you'll get killed.

 

Then because this thing has such a limited use, why not use a bicycle? Or even a moped? Will provide you with more room than this would, and far easier to park.

 

In the history of terrible ideas, this is the top half for sure.

[BadaBing_1996]

On 11/1/2018 at 3:34 AM, Giantsgiants said:

So I was playing Forza Horizon 4, and I was racing in the Peel P50 to get an achievement. As I was doing so, a thought crossed my mind. I had class earlier that day, and like many college campuses, parking can be difficult and hard to find. Hence, I was wondering if a Peel P50 would be a useful car to a college student. It's the world's smallest production car. I can imagine parking never being a problem again. Oh yeah, and the student can work off the freshman 15 by literally pulling it into spaces. (The car has no reverse gear. You have to get it out and pull it using a handle at the back.)

 

Now, I know that the Peel P50 is a rare find these days, and they can fetch hundreds of thousands of dollars at auction, but let's just assume the student somehow someway is able to get one.

 

So, would you recommend this microcar to a college student? Discuss.

F*ck no.

 

There's only 1 answer.

 

 

Edited November 3, 2018 by BadaBing_1996

[Burbalade]

You can't just park in the street because you have a small car. You still need to find a designated parking spot, so no real advantage there.
It's absurdly expensive, so no advantage there. 

It may be "easy" to drive but you're going to develop bad driving habits that will not transfer well when you get a larger vehicle later on, so not really an advantage there either.

Little to no room for groceries or moving any of your belongings. Can't pick up any friends or family members. 

I'm having trouble finding any positive aspects to owning a P50 compared to an average hatchback or motorcycle. 

[Cudwieser]

Firstly, where are you studying. Different campuses have different private rules. Then there are national laws of any towns and cities you're in. If you're in a more rural or suburban area then a secondhand smart car or toyota aygo would be handier. If you're in a city then two legs and a bus are worth more than private transport (no insurance and usually a discounted student travel card). The only reason to justify a car in the city is if you travel into and out from it in a day and even that is subjective.

 

If you really must have a car the P50, as usable as it can be is more a novelty than an outright practicallity, even in 1960. Once you've graduated and are out working, what are you going to do with the car? As fun as the P50 is in a game or around a town the spectre of reality has a habit of changing perspective and odds are by the time you graduate you'll have more baggage than the P50 can carry (job offers in strange places, maybe a love interest in tow. You ain't getting those into a single seater).