Michigan- Ann Arbor: Car necessary?

[dinsosaur junior]

A car in AA is not necessary. I went to grad school there and while i did have a car, many of my friends did not. I was the nice friend who always let them know when i was going to the grovery store!! And really, the main reason I had a car was so I could drive back to my home state of Ohio. Also, I did get a job in my second year that had me driving all over the Detroit area...so the car helped there.

If you go carless, I suggest looking into car share systems, in addition to the public transportation, of course. I am not 100 percent sure that AA has one, but knowing how liberal the city is, I'd place my money on it.

I did live very close to campus (10 minute walk) and never drove to classes. Parking is really hard. But I always heard that if you got a parking ticket, you could pay it that day and it was only $10 or something cheap like that.

Go carless! At least for the first year. You'll be fine.

[Intuition]

You can get around A2 without a car with few problems. As long as you plan things out right (i.e. grocery runs, Meijer runs, etc.) you should be fine. The city is *fairly* compact, especially the area where most LS kids spend their time.

[emarejay]

Don't live in a Dan's House or at 603 Hoover. (The landlords SUCK!)

[amanaplanacanal]

I'd like to bring my car, but I also want to live in the Lawyer's Club, and I understand there's no parking there.  Is there any street parking that's actually feasible?  Are there private garages when I could rent a spot?

[Kansas]

I lived in Ann Arbor for 2 years while my fiance was in grad school. We did have a car, but we usually only used it to go to the grocery store. The city bus system is actually one of the best in the country for a city of Ann Arbor's size. And last year, I think, they integrated the city and university bus systems somewhat. We had friends without cars, and the only real problem they found was getting to the grocery store, but you can usually carpool with someone. All that being said, parts of Ann Arbor aren't terribly pedestrian-friendly, which was a nuisance at times.

[theprofessor]

I'll qualify my earlier statements. As others have expressed, it is not as clear cut as you MUST have a car. If you live on campus and have no need or desire to leave campus frequently, a car is certainly not necessary. If you don't have a car and want to save on costs, you can certainly get by without one. I have known students without cars, for sure. If you want to live off-campus and desire to experience the rest of the city and surrounding area, then the bus system is really not sufficient to do that. If you bring a car, you will definitely not regret having it, and you will probably use it a great deal. I would definitely suggest bringing one, but it is not absolutely necessary.

[!!]

I'm a lifelong Michigander.  You need a car.  I went a year good public transportation.  It was horrible.  It's like being on Gilligan's Island.  You see... eventually you're going to want to leave your little college town.