Apartment Review for Camden - Costa Mesa, CA

I signed a 7 month lease at the end of my first semester of law school, so that i'd be closer to campus (Whittier). I have mixed feelings towards Camden. First off, I'd have to say the prices here are pretty steep for the size of the rooms and what you get. Granted, Costa Mesa is expensive in general (who knows why; it's not that great), paying a little under $1200/mo for a studio puts a dent in the pocket book. As other people have mentioned, the walls here are very thin. Although people have warned me about Bldg C and F being the worst (A and B being the best because they are right next to the leasing office); I haven't had any really problems w/ loud music or neighbors. Also, my balcony overlooks Harbor Blvd. and is right behind the Honda/Infinity dealership so it does get very annoying with the alarms and general noises that come from that, but i've become accustomed to it. As for Management, something about them seems insincere. They are friendly, but I get the impression they will tell you what you want to hear, but as long as it's not in the lease, it's not binding. (Ex: I was told I could let friends park in my garage spot; but later got a warning notice from the towing company they hired, stating that my friend's car is not permitted to park there and that her car's license plate was recorded and would be towed the next time. When i asked management, they just said, "oh, must be a new rule," and left it at that. Also, after going through my initial inspection, i noticed several minor problems which I immediately notified management about. Maintenance came to fix my front light approx. 2 1/2 months later, and never bothered w/ any problems w/i my unit. Finally, one of my classmates had his car broken into and his laptop stolen from the underground parking lot in Bldg C. Apparently, he was told by CM Police that they are here routinely for car break-ins in bldgs C and F. However, I have never witnessed any break-ins in F (but I do take all valuables w/ me every time). Overall, I would recommend Camden, even though all the negatives things I mentioned, it is very convenient location wise to Whittier and OCCC; and I feel the apartments are fairly nice. However, value wise I would argue it's not worth the $, but most other places are just as expensive.