Car and car insurance

If you live on campus or close to it, you won't really need a car (look at the Public/campus transportation section). However, Atlanta is a vey car-oriented city and if you want to explore the area or live far from campus, you should consider buying one.

Sharing a car

You can either share a car with other students in your appartment or neighbourhood or share it professionally. For the later way, have a look at ZipCar which has a special offer for GaTech students (no application fee, only $25/year membership fee). ZipCar is car-sharing company with car located on Campus, at Atlantic Station, in Midtown as in many other US cities. You can reserve cars by internet or phone and use them with a special keycard which arrives after a few days by mail. Prices start at ca. $10/hour or $70/day including everything (even gas).

Buying a car

You want to pay attention to the following car features:

• Air conditioning (aka A/C)
• Gas consumption (see Fueleconomy.gov)
• Market value (see the Kelley Blue Book)
• Power steering (aka PS)
• Power windows (aka PW)
• Power locks (aka PL) / keyless entry

Buying a used car is as tricky as anywhere. If you buy from a private person, you can hire a mechanic that you can trust to check out the car you're planning to buy before actually doing it (~$150). It's worth it. Of course, you could always buy a new car ;-)
There is a comprehensive site about buying used cars at Samarins. It is especially important to check the car history via the vehicle's VIN (vehicle identification number) and a service like ConsumerGuide's Vehicle History Report. Samarins has many more useful tips in the "How to check a used car prior purchase" section. Another valuable resource: Best of the web - automotive.

You can find ads on

• Atlanta Journal Constitution - Cars
• Craigslist Atlanta - Cars & Trucks
• CarsDirect - Atlanta
• Carmax
• Cars.com
• LiveDeal
• eBay Motors
• Autotrader
• Campus blackboards, such as Student Center
• The WSF mailing list

Insuring a car

Car insurance is mandatory from the first day that you own a car. You could even find yourself in jail if you fail to show one! The following are major American insurers:

• InsureMe, a free insurance referral service
• Esurance
• Geico
• StateFram
• Allstate
• Nationwide
• Progressive
• AAA is a automobile club with road side assistance and many discounts on hotels etc. (equivalent e.g. to the German ADAC)

Registering a car

The law allows you to drive without a license tag for 30 days after purchase. However, register as soon as possible. Registration information can be found at the Georgia Department of Revenue - Motor Vehicle Division. The tag office closest to GaTech is located in Downtown at: 141 Pryor St SW, Suite 2097, Atlanta, GA 30303 (hours: Mo-Fr 8.00am to 4.30pm). Typically this is what you need to bring:

• Driver's license
• Proof of ownership (vehicle's original valid title, manufacturer's certificate of origin or registration certificate from a non-title state/country)
• A completed application form MV-1
• Receipt and bill of sale of the car indicating that you paid for it
• Proof of insurance
• Emissions inspection (Emission inspections are valid for 1 year, so you don't have to get a new one if preowner's one is still valid)
• Proof of residency - e.g. lease, utility bill, closing statement, paycheck stub, etc.
• Title transfer fee of currently $18 (cash/check/money order only!! No Credit/Debit Cards!)
• Annual Standard Tag fee of currently $20
• There are tags with a GaTech logo & background. The number is randomly assigned and not choosable. You have to pay once an extra manufacturing fee of currently $25. In addition, there is an annual special tag fee of currently 25$ which is directly donated to GaTech.