RIT on TV News: College Driver (1st segment)

There's a Web site created to help people under 25 years old find a car for under $25,000 called College Driver. 13WHAM-TV interviews the Web site's founders, Rochester Institute of Technology students Corey Mack and Zeid Nasser.

Norma Holland: We first met you back in the spring when Holly was actually live out at RIT. There was a green car competition, and you both were involved in that. Did you launch the Web site then or were you already working on it at that point.

Corey: We launched the Web site a few months before that. We launched it in September of 2008, but it wasn't exactly what we wanted it to be, so we didn't start publicizing it and working with other blogs.

Norma: Okay, and we're getting a look at the Web site right now. It's called College Driver.com. Zeid, where did you get the idea for this? How did you conceive of this?

Zeid: Both of us have always loved the auto industry, love automobiles, and we've seen the issues that other car Web site have had. They don't focus on the cars that we would buy.

Norma: And you're saying 'cars we would buy' meaning people under 25.

Zeid: Yes, and cheaper cars. So, that was a big issue. They were always reviewing very expensive, luxury automobiles and always criticizing these lower priced ones, and that's what most of us can afford.

Norma: When I asked you earlier, I said the $25,000 mark- maybe it's just me- but I try to find a car that's under $20,000, but you're saying $25,000 is the max. At that point, anything over that is just way over your price range.

Corey: Exactly. So we try to stay realistic with it, again focusing on cars under $25,000- new and used. The used cars will take a little while to get online because we're the only two writing right now.

Norma: Okay, and that's the thing, this is a small operation. You're young entrepreneurs. You're engineering students at RIT?

Zeid: Engineering technology, yes.

Norma: So now that you're doing this, and it takes up quite a bit of your time I assume, is that right? What do you hope to do with this? Where do you hope to go with it?

Corey: Pretty much what we hope to do is make this site more useful to college students- as far as adding more features, as far as social networking- and start proliferating it throughout college campuses. Starting next quarter we'll be working on a feature that will help college students post their cars for sale for free. So pretty much just trying to make this site a one stop resource for everything- you don't know what car you're looking for and then your actually purchase.

Norma: Zeid, are people over 25 invited to use this site too?

Zeid: It's for everybody because I think a large portion of the American consumer are looking for cars that are cheaper, especially now that we're in a recession. I think our site is critical. I think our philosophy is critical. So it's for everybody.

Norma: You've hit the nail on the head, and we're going to learn more about this Web site- College Driver.com- when we come back on CW16 at 7:15, so make sure you tune in then because you're going to show us some of the features, right?

Corey and Zeid: Yes, absolutely.

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Education

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• RIT