While I still think a 1-pay Altima or Sentra might still make sense in the likely scenario that she’ll be making a higher income a few years from now, a used compact like a Corolla or Civic seems like a way better fit than a Crown Vic. Mediocre gas mileage, massive size, etc.
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For a used car spend the $3-400 for a pre-purchase inspection from an independent mechanic or dealer in case the car has neglected maintenance or other issues. Repairs add up quick when on a budget.
I had a friend who bought an old used car while in med school in upstate New York and ended up selling it at a profit in Boston when she moved there after graduation. 
As for insurance would having comprehensive coverage cost that much more? It would be bad if a simple car theft sets her back to square one. Just set higher deductibles to offset.
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Agreed. My civic depreciated about 2.5k in 10+ years. And less than $1k in repairs. Can’t beat that TCO.
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Tesla model 3 will be $350/month for 36 months. Plus the free charging at the university. Just have her change her license to NJ.
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Who pays for the subway?
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"New York City residents and businesses also pay 71 percent of the regional and statewide taxes the State allocates to the MTA. ’
That would be a better option than leasing.
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Comprehensive without collision is pretty cheap.
I pay like ~$10 extra a month for comprehensive (not collision) on my 01 Toyota.
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Don’t lease. Buy a ~5-10K reliable Toyota and have it checked out by an honest mechanic before.
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Need cheapest lease for poor student who will be doing meaningful research to save lives
I need the cheapest lease for poor student son who will be doing nothing meaningful while saving no lives.
Would that be a different car and lease?
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He can walk.
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IMHO, buying a used Japanese compact car is the right move 99% of the time. Just not here.
Yes anything can happen in a career but would you tell a doctor doing their residency to take multiple days off work to do their due diligence to buy a used car correctly and then have a less reliable vehicle? It’s totally an opinion question but I would say their time now is worth more than the possible financial hit later.
If this was a person who had any sort of automotive ownership experience and lived anywhere other than NYC (where looking at cars is going to take longer/be more expensive) maybe the answer is different. But between the likelihood of her making a poor choice when looking at 10 year old cars with 100k miles on them, the time and money she would have to spend shopping for them and then the chances of her losing more time/getting taken advantage of when the car needs service I don’t think the likely financial savings is worth the non-financial costs.
But again it’s all an opinion question.
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You forgot to mention the amount due at signing. That could range anywhere from $5k+. So maybe not the best option for someone only making $35k a year.
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Nah, NJ residents get a $4k POS incentive which covers most of the DAS. No sales tax either on EV’s.
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OP’s friend is currently not a NJ resident, though.
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Oh stop lol, she’s moving to NJ and will eventually get a place there which means she’ll also have a NJ D/L . She’ll be eligible .
Edit: but with her income nearing close to the poverty line, she should invest in a monthly bus pass LoL.
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It’s a total lease cost of $13,600 for 36 months in NJ on the m3 rwd plus the free charging he mentioned.
OP should just list her budget because I don’t know what else is close to that amount with a 45k msrp.
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