Moving from Ireland to Denver

[Ruthdd]

Also wondering about cars? Would you recommend rental/ leasing? Or buying? A lot of expenses at once!

[bluescreen73]

Originally Posted by Ruthdd

Thank you all so much for the tips so far! We will have a car also (maybe need 2?) do schools tend to provide transport for students?

The latter point varies. Yes, most schools have buses, but you may or may not be able to take advantage of them. My daughters couldn't ride the bus to their high school because we live within a mile or two of the school.

Originally Posted by Ruthdd

Also wondering about cars? Would you recommend rental/ leasing? Or buying? A lot of expenses at once!

Rent? Only for your scouting trip.

Denver has pockets where you can live somewhat car-free, but if you're planning to make regular trips to the mountains and/or you settle in the suburbs you're going to need one. AWD/4WD and winter tires are not a necessity if you're only planning to drive irregularly and won't be making trips to the mountains in the winter for skiing and such. I have a 11-year-old FWD sedan and it does fine 99% of the time (I don't ski).

Leasing only makes sense if you plan to get a new car every couple years, and you can keep your mileage below the annual cap.

Sometimes it makes more sense to buy a used car and let the previous owner take the depreciation hit.

[mkwensky]

Originally Posted by Ruthdd

Also wondering about cars? Would you recommend rental/ leasing? Or buying? A lot of expenses at once!

If you rent it makes sense to book your vehicle ahead of time. Car rentals are getting expensive and can be hard to find. Sometimes it's cheaper to rent a moving truck than a car. Long term it makes sense to buy a used vehicle.

It would be difficult to drop/pickup your kids from school if you're without a car. Even if you live ten minutes away there are snowy/icy or brutally hot days where that can be a chore for a seven year old.

[Rigeleer]

Originally Posted by Ruthdd

Also wondering about cars? Would you recommend rental/ leasing? Or buying? A lot of expenses at once!

Unfortunately, used car and new car prices have been unreasonably high since last summer at least. Many used cars are now selling for more than the original paid price! And there can be waiting lists. As I understand it, the main reason is that there is a computer chip shortage, creating a new car shortage so that supply-and-demand has driven up prices here in America where it is very inconvenient in most places to live and work without a car. From what I read, the situation is not expected to get better for several months, probably longer. It's easy to find news articles about the problem. Here is one.



https://www.motortrend.com/news/pric...average-30000/


You might be surprised that Japanese brands remain pretty reliable even with over 10 years and over 100,000 miles on them. If under 150,000 miles it's probably ok. Personally I would go with them over American brands. Some dealers offer "certified" used cars but because "certified" can mean only a perfunctory check it's not as good as it sounds and is mainly an advertising hook.

[Wheatridger]

Cherry Creek has no monopoly on good students or great schools. My kid got an excellent education in Jefferson County schools that were rich with music and theater programs, as well as basics and STEM subjects. Within each county, open enrollment allows you to send your kid to a school of choice, IF you provide transportation (yes, you need a car here) and IF there is space available. Popular schools that are overbooked ration space with a lottery system. There's also a large Gifted and Talented program that offers an accelerated pace with choice teachers for students who test well out of kindergarten. There are magnet high schools for the Arts, STEM, and International languages and studies. Overall, we have a complicated public school system that offers variety, and pockets of excellence available to all.

[Wheatridger]

Originally Posted by Ruthdd

Thank you all so much for the tips so far! We will have a car also (maybe need 2?) do schools tend to provide transport for students?

School buses generally pick up students living within a couple miles of elementary schools. If you're enrolled in any kind of magnet or Gifted and Talented program, you're on your own. My Daddy drive to my daughter's GT school was 15 miles round trip, twice a day.

[otowi]

Originally Posted by Wheatridger

School buses generally pick up students living within a couple miles of elementary schools. If you're enrolled in any kind of magnet or Gifted and Talented program, you're on your own. My Daddy drive to my daughter's GT school was 15 miles round trip, twice a day.

To clarify this a bit - if you live closer to your child's home school than a certain distance (which varies by district and grade level), transportation will not be provided as it is expected the children can walk. For example, it could be that under 1.5 miles for your local elementary, under 2 for your local middle school and under 2.5 for the local high school. If you live within the school boundaries but beyond those set distances, generally bussing is provided to and from a neighborhood pick-up point, although some districts have bussing fees. If you enroll your children in a school where you don't live in boundaries, in most cases you will have to provide transportation. Some private schools, etc., may provide bussing in their fees but within a limited range, etc.