motorbikes

[Plexi Ken]

I still have trouble getting my head round student loans.  They want to discourage a debt culture, they want to send as many people as possible to university - and those people leave university with a load of debt hanging round their necks.  :?

Wasn't like that in my day.

Too true, apparently the average debt is 23.5k  :o When I went, I received a grants, it wasn't much but better than nothing (or debt).

[Jonny]

I'll be looking forward to the mountain of debt I'll be in, especially being in London and all. It'll be like:

Congratulations on graduating! So yeah.. about that money.. that we let you borrow.. we'd.. sort of like it back.. all of it. Now. Kthx.

[ToneMonkey]

It's not too bad on the whole.  They take a fair bit off me at the minute (can't find a pay slip but I think it's about £170 a month), but I wouldn't be able to do what I do without it.  It's not like I've ever see the money, it's just another bill that has to be factored into the equation.

Be paying it until I'm 40 odd however  :(

[WezV]

student loans are nothign to worry about.  as TM says it comes out your wages along with tax and NI contributions so you get used to the same bottom line each month. 

It only goes up by the rate of interest so is the cheapest loan you will ever get.

They dont take anything till you earn over 15k, then the repayments start quite small.  when i first hit 15k it was about £20 a month IIRC

It doesnt count towards a credit rating (although my morgage company did ask, which according to the government they shouldnt :( )

If you never earn enough it gets written off, and there are various other scenarios that get it written off.

Most importantly, nobody is going to break your legs or reposses your house over it! :)

i know the numbers are scary but student loans are not the burden some people make them out to be

[ToneMonkey]

I think the earning limit is going down.  I thought it was about £12k now.  Also one year it work out that I was paying 5.25% apr which is still quite high.  Also they do it like a mortgage where your payments go into a holding account and is taken off the balance once a year, so you still get charged interest, even on what you have paid.

They're sneeky buggers

[WezV]

oh, i know its not quite the great deal they sold it to us as... but its still not worth stressing about, not for what you get from it

[gwEm]

ask advice about motorbikes, get a discussion on student loans

thanks guys ;)

[WezV]

should have asked about swimming pools - i am sure it somehow would have found its way round to motorbike talk ;)

[ToneMonkey]

In that case, I had an Aprillia RS 125, don't buy one.  They're awesome fun, but my god, they're expensive when they blow up.

ha ha - back to bikes.

And remember - you're not a real man until you've fallen off a motorbike  :lol:

[Philly Q]

And remember - you're not a real man until you've fallen off a motorbike  :lol:

Ah, no wonder I'm such a flop with the ladies. 

Still, nothing I can do about it now - if I bought a bike at my age it would be construed as a midlife crisis.  :?

[ToneMonkey]

My mum and dad didn't buy bike until into their 50's.  They went all the way down to Spain on them.

[FernandoDuarte]

midlife crisis.  :?

It IS your friend Philly! You have no children, no wife, I guess your house/apartment isn't rent... So the money is just to have fun :D

[Johnny Mac]

These student loans are  way too much! Paying them off until your 40 would make me turn to something else to make money. Its no wonder some people  turn to crime!

[Oli]

I'd love to get a bike, but an old classic looking bike, rather than modern superbike style :) I'd just like to sit back and enjoy the world go by, rather than hunched forward, bombing it along ;)

[ToneMonkey]

Have a search round for a bikecall Road Creature.  I think it was built by Paul Scott, so stock that in google too.  It's my favorite bike.