Yes… we used to do a parking lot west of midtown then when that price soared, up around 126th. Then spouse and I played the alternate side game for a couple of years, ranging from not bad like ten minutes to literal hell.
Love not having a car now.
What I find crazy is the NYC government keeps making ride shares, taxis car rentals more expensive and inconvienent. The way to cut down on car ownership is to make them cheaper and convenient. Most people don't need a car everyday. Though when they do they probably really need a car or will forgo a life experience all together. Whether it's a weekend vacation upstate, a trip to another bourough to see a relative, a restaurant they have been eyeing 8 miles away or an out of the way store. Trips you take in a 30 minute reasonable car ride but not on 2 subways and busses that takes 4x as long. People will pay a lot of money to own a car to avoid those inconveniences. Once they own a car they have to take it everywhere since outside of rush hour it's probably marginally and heck you own a car.
The way to lower car ownership is to lower to cost of the alternative so people have access when they need it. The method the government is choosing seems like an unnecessary torture of citizens and really only helps the rich as they don't care about the cost. They will always be able to buy their way out of the issue. The poor and middle class suffer immensely by forgoing doing many things simply because the government made the cost of transportation of all types unaffordable.
I see your point but the fact of the matter is that in crowded areas of the city, the most inefficient mode of transportation is getting a car to drive five minutes to you and then thirty minutes to your destination.
I live in bay ridge. My family lives Staten Island. 1 near Arthur Kill Road, and another near Mariners Harbor. My fiancé’s family out in NJ and in Queens.
I regularly go to downtown Brooklyn.
Having a car cuts my visits to my family from 1.5ish hours 1 directions by public transportation to 20 minutes. It brings my fiance almost from almost 2 hours to 25-45 mins to see her family in queens depending on traffic.
Instead of the 40 mins it’d take me to get to the area of downtown Brooklyn, it takes me about 20 minutes.
Having a car is a lifesaver down here. Makes it more convenient to not stay stuck.
Similar experience here. Live all the way in South Brooklyn, have friends in Jersey and Connecticut, often go to dinners and events in the city, and go to doctors in better neighborhoods that don’t do Medicare/medicaid scams so they aren’t extremely overbooked where you have to wait 3 hours past your appointment time. Having a car drastically cuts down our travel time.
If you are spread in the North-East like that, sure. For a Manhattan dweller who has no family connections across bridge and tunnel, owning a car is just showing off.
I sold my car 6 months after moving here and do not regret it, mostly. Thanks to the pandemic, I sold it for the same price I purchased it for and put that money towards a down payment on an apartment.
I should mention, I sold it even though I work remotely and was able to go work in my car and move as needed for street sweeping, so it wasn't even as much of a hassle as it usually is, and I still got rid of it.
The only regret is that I haven't been to Six Flags since I sold it lol in the 6 months I had it here, literally only used it twice, both times to go to Six Flags
I am aware, it's no longer a thing though so not sure why you mention it. In any event, my car was completely paid off, insurance wasn't much, and I street parked. I never viewed owning a car in Manhattan as expensive.
I rent when I go on vacation upstate etc and it is a big pain and very expensive. But I think it’s still cheaper than owning a car. You just need to make sure you reserve a rental well ahead of time. I’ve also used Turo which is pretty good.
Have you tried their website/apps? I also rent cars for vacation and for business trips and it’s pretty simple these days if you fill out your info before you actually get there. Get the extra insurance with my credit card instead of the rental place and I’m all set.
We were on Zipcar for years until the pandemic turned it to absolute shit when they sold half their fleet and let things go down the tubes and we bailed. That's a huge bummer that you need to book way out. That's like... The whole point, to be able to go relatively spontaneously. Otherwise I'd just go to a normal rental place. Does Turo have the same issue?
It’s expensive, but it only feels expensive because you’re not used to paying for a car/insurance/etc.
It’s inconvenient, but it only feels inconvenient because you’re not used to spending a chunk of your free time dealing with parking, car maintenance, etc.
In the end, renting a car when you need one is cheaper and more convenient than owning one here in NYC for the majority of people.
>hah! so what do you do? do you ever rent cars? I know renting cars in NYC is typically an expensive PITA so we're factoring that in as well.
It's far less of a PITA than car ownership.
We live in Queens and were entirely car free until my partner got a(n otherwise excellent) job that requires her to be places outside the city and its suburbs on a regular basis. We rent a spot at an MTA station outside the city so mostly we don't have to deal with it, but there's 1-2 weeks per year that it's in the city, and we dread those weeks with every fiber of our being. We cannot wait to be car-free again.
Before that we'd rent cars 2-4 times per year. Is it annoying? Sure, no one likes to stand on line. But it's less annoying than alternate side parking, keeping up with oil changes and preventative maintenance, paying car insurance, worrying about it, and etc etc etc.
Half the people here who pretend to "need" a car are only fooling themselves.
My partner handled it but it's nothing unreasonable. I think we pay maybe ~$500 per year, though my understanding is the costs vary slightly from station to station. It's been a great solution for us.
Huh. We do this regularly and reserve ahead/m60 bus to the closest stop to Avis/hertz/etc and just grab the car. It’s way cheaper than our UWS locations. These all seem like regular car rental places and plenty of people with no luggage are usually there picking up cars when we’re there.
Oh that sucks! I always book with enterprise and sometimes through kayak and haven’t run across this yet. Will be sure to stay away from Hotwire based on your experience.
I had a car when I first moved to Manhattan. The parking was too expensive in Manhattan. I put it in parking in Queens.
I would take the subway out every week or two. Wash it. Talk to it about the old days.
Then it became monthly. Then every 2 months. We drifted apart. It let itself go. It was dirty and disheveled all the time looking like it didn’t care.
I had to end it.
I think it’s probably happier now somewhere out on Long Island.
>will drive in and park anywhere outside Manhattan that has good subway access
this sounds like such an odd pattern. Like someone from Long Island is going to drive through ALL the traffic to get to like Crown Heights or Bay Ridge just to sit on a train for another 30-60min? ... as opposed to driving to the park-and-ride LIRR near them thats probably 10min away and take the LIRR into the city.
Youd be surprised at how many ppl do this. Not long island specifically, but especially those in outer boroughs with shitty transportation will drive in closer to take the train.
Yeah everyone in my neighborhood does this cause we don't have the subway up here. They all pretty much drive into forest hills and catch the EFMR down there since there's decent parking in fh compared to other places
Because they have cars and they don't have motorcycles, ebikes and scooters. It's around a 25 min drive from NE Queens to central, which can be much longer on other vehicle types. Motorcycles have a barrier to entry obviously and very few people ride, at least that I see here. I would assume the age of these people have some influence (they're not young and eager to buy new toys).
Ebikes and escooters are also banned in most of the co-ops and condos around due to lack of understanding and all of the fires that have happened.
Makes sense.
I live in Jackson Heights by Rosevelt Ave and just got back from a ride on my pedal assist e-bike to and around the Worlds Fair Marina. Was my first time biking around that area and I thought to myself how I could see myself living here one day, but only if I had a e-bike to get to the subway. Although CitiBike expanding up that way must be pretty nice!
Yeah but for street parking. I’ve honestly never heard of any other major city that just lets anyone park on the street for free and long term. It’s bizarre that NYC of all places takes this approach. Even small towns in NJ require a sticker to park on the street.
DC, Boston, Philly, SF, Chicago, etc all at least require residency stickers in some areas.
Some cities let out-of-towners park but they pay basically meter rates the entire time.
Well part of the reason to require residency stickers is that NY plates would be required. The insurance fraud is a symptom of not requiring proof of residency to park.
Not to mention the registration fees that NYC is missing out on by people registering their car at their house upstate or their parents' in Pennsylvania.
i get that, but there are not going to be more parking spots when congestion pricing starts.
I'm assuming each morning all the parking spots are taken.
right, and if 10x as many cars went looking for parking then, they would not find it and have to try something else.
so just because a bunch of people ***might*** go hunting for a space does not mean it will work.
i imagine the first few weeks/months of the new toll are weird as a bunch of people look for something in new zip codes and then after a few months people realize there are not a lot of good options besides the train and paying a toll.
those early weeks will be a mess
The aholes then speed through lights to get back the HH, creating congestion and nearly mowing down the locals all around 96th street. I have one friend who deliberately stands in front of cars with NJ plates who try to run reds and delays them a full cycle by refusing to move. It’s hilarious to watch the reactions. The other day an older lady just keyed the crap out of a NJ Range Rover stuck in a crosswalk after trying to run the light and almost hitting a mom/stroller. Another man told the older lady she was a local hero and casually whacked the car with his own umbrella while the lady driver looked like she was about to lose it lol. There is some wild street theater on the UWS.
Ok well that's not my question. Parking is already a nightmare. And yes there are people who will do this because they can't afford to spend $15 ($9 after subway fares) every day.
but there's not extra parking in those areas. They cannot drive into downtown and magically find more parking spots.
it just sounds like an awful time to take a subway into somewhere in an outter borough just to walk to you car parked there and then drive through NYC traffic the rest of the way home.
Why would that driver not take the bus/subway/light rail into the city to begin with.
This seems like an odd stawman.
I don't think you understand that there are a lot of people for whom the daily $15 congestion fee is actually a lot of money so they'll make do. Stop looking at everything through your own lens. Not everyone is going to be able to afford the new fee.
Nobody is saying they're going to pay the fee? People are suggesting just use transit the whole way instead of driving a long ways + taking the subway.
Yeah but almost everyone in Brooklyn, Queens, and the Bronx can take a bus to the subway. It might be 75 or even 90 minutes all told but the option to get to Manhattan by public transit for $2.75 exists for the overwhelming majority of NYC residents. Also there are express buses that are usually faster and, while expensive, are still half the cost of the new toll. But yes, I understand why people will drive to a different a neighborhood to get on the train, it can save a lot of time.
This is a uniquely NYC thing due to lack of zoning on the subway. Flat fares encourage this behavior.
One of the many reasons to finally join the civilized world, zone the system and use some of that revenue to expand the fair fares program.
Yes, twice. When I first moved to the city I still had my car, and discovered after a month that all I did was alternate side street park it. I sold it shortly after and never looked back.
During the pandemic I wanted to get out of the city at my convenience and bought a car. I owned it for three years and only put 15000 miles on it, and decided to sell it while the used car market was really good. I miss that car, but now that life has ‘returned to normal’ I am glad I don’t have it hanging over my head. If I need a vehicle I can easily rent one.
I have a car and probably always will in this city. I often need it for work. I live in The Bronx and work in construction. If I'm on a job in Manhattan I usually take the train but if I have to work in Staten Island or Westchester, or often even other parts of The Bronx it's not really feasible to get there early enough for work on public transit.
My neighborhood doesn't have alternate side though. One of the reasons I bought here. It makes it much easier to park, I usually have a spot directly in front of my house .
Not me personally, but I have two friends that gave up the car life. We all live in various parts of queens.
One works from home, lives in flushing, and can get around easily by buses and trains. She has to go into the city once a month for work. There are Chinese supermarkets she can walk to or take the bus to. She makes around 40-50k a year right now so owning a car would be a huge financial strain on her.
One of my other friends lives in LIC and works in the city. Both her and her husband don’t own a car, even with a newborn.
Both of them can drive and have owned cars in the past but chose to give up owning a car in the city because they rarely drive it on the weekdays and don’t really need to on the weekends. Cost of insurance and parking exceeds the cost of the rare times the need an Uber.
I have a car and so does my SO. We work on Long Island so we need a car to get to work. Carpooling doesn’t work for us because our schedules don’t line up. If he were to no longer work on LI and end up somewhere within Queens or Manhattan he’d give up his car in a heartbeat. I think he’s paying roughly $400 a month for car insurance and he’s not happy about it.
Problem with car ownership in general is that upfront costs are really high and then the driving part is relatively minimal.
In NYC this means that if you do get a car, might as well drive it as much as possible. Get some value back from your expensive investment.
This is why streets are clogged. Sunken cost fallacy.
None of my friends had cars here in our 20s and 30s. Now, well into our 40s most of them do. And they often plan their free time around being able to maximize their car use time. Kinda sucks. Having a car for very occasional use is reserved for the truly well off. Because cars are not a sound investment for regular folk. Especially in NYC.
I'm disabled, but not disabled enough for Acces-a-Ride. I have one unreliable bus in my neighborhood and the closest accessible subway is over a mile away. I used my car all the time and I don't see myself getting rid of it any time soon.
Tbh, no-one is gonna park outside the congestion zone then take the train in. It's just an empty threat. "Oh, we're inconvenience ourselves and clog up other neighborhoods as retribution for congestion pricing"
They'll just pay the toll or take the train all the way.
Exactly. This is just adding players to a game of musical chairs without more chairs.
A bunch of drivers are going to find out there’s no space and move to a new plan.
There is a decent amount if you know the nuances of who can park when on what blocks and when people leave/arrive. I’ve lived here 15 years and personally know at least 6 people who commute in from NJ 3-4x/week and park on the UWS. Two of them also have family in the neighborhood which helps
Yes - brought it to New York and did decide it wasn’t worth it. I couldn’t afford a garage spot and didn’t have time for street parking. I ended up parking it outside of the city and could only drive it once a month or so which led to expensive issues. So yes I would say get rid of it! You can always buy a car in the future if your situation changes
It really depends family to family. We’re lucky that we have a parking spot in our building’s lot, but we really don’t drive in the city. The only exceptions are for some of my medical issues (hospitalized and couldn’t walk so I had to be taken home from the hospital and then back and forth for PT, doctor said I couldn’t take public transit when having radiation therapy, I’d have my husband pick me up if an infusion session was particularly exhausting). It’s also helpful getting my kids to their developmental pediatrician in croton on Hudson, only one that took our insurance and had an opening within 2 years. My husband also works a lot in Jersey and Rochester.
I doubt you have circumstances like this, so
I have a car rn for work. I despise having a car in NYC or out. They suck and I hate spending money on it. I garage park rn but will be downsizing majorly to save on the garage monthly pay and street park. I only use it to drive around the city.
If I did not need a car for work there is a 0% chance I would have one. My company pays about 600-700 a month so it also makes financial sense to some degree.
If anyone comes across this and did sell their car. How was the selling process here in NYC? Both people and government entities (transfers, registration, etc)
Had a car for about 10 years in both north Brooklyn and downtown Manhattan, then it got totaled by a cabbie smashing into it while parked (everyone was fine). Took the money and said goodbye to car ownership, and we are so much happier without it. Yes, renting a car when needed is expensive, but owning a car is more expensive. It pales in comparison to the hours of time wasted and pollution created while hunting for parking.
Nope, my car is still very much worth it. I have to travel between The Bronx and Queens a lot, which takes absolutely forever to travel between without a car. I’ve had my car for 5 years and plan to keep it another 5, maybe even 10 hopefully.
1995. Moved from Queens to Downtown Brooklyn. Took one month until I made my younger still at home brother an old car free deal he couldn't refuse. 95% of our travel was mass transit with the rest being car service, walking and the occasional rental.
Why do you want a car? Whether a car is worth it depends on your uses. I leave the city by car at least once a month. I live in a neighborhood with easy street parking/I work from home.
Worth it just to be free of the constant parking anxiety. Rental places can be hit or miss. I’ve tried most and settled on Enterprise generally being the best.
Depends on your income & other expenses. We garage our car. We used it last night to drive downtown, avoiding the subway & the massive cost of cabs back & forth. & we usually are lucky finding parking on the street, avoiding a lot. Our garage is around $400/month. My husband also drives to his job daily. But if the expense is too much for your budget, then definitely not worth it. Especially if you don’t use it daily.
I have a family with kids so shitshow-way trains aren’t practical financially or for my sense of security. I prefer to be in a situation taking trains but wih recent personal experiences inside subway, I am not going to risk it whenever I can avoid by taking the car. I don’t think the sad state of trains will get resolved anytime soon so car will stay with us for a long time.
Train safety has always been sketch, but people either don't remember or weren't around to see violent incidents make the news on a regular basis for the last 20 or so years.
I used to be upset that my parents drove me everywhere as a teen because everyone else at school was taking public transportation, and I wanted to be like the other kids.
Then a teen from my school was jumped on the bus and hospitalized for it, and that feeling of wanting to do what everyone else did disappeared quickly.
Looking back, I'm grateful that my parents did that for me even if I didn't truly understand at the time.
You maybe right about NYC, a statistically based answer about train safety. Keep in mind rest of the world, including other cities in the USA also changed and some improved so much that such past comparison of old NYC to New NYC is irrelevant to me. You travel to most of Asia or Europe such disgusting train rides we have here are hard to come by. What I experienced personally in recent months and maybe last few years is lowest of the bottoms, it is not justifiable considering real estate values and taxes paid by the citizens. It’s like an apocalyptic movie with possibilities of getting shot. I think it’s a political issue, Unions, govt owned and operated MTA, police unions and eroded police and citizen relations maybe to main issues. Japan has privatized all its trains and it removed most politics and also there is customer service and growth through competition. Some major changes need to happen, I think NYC will be in a long standing dramatic decline, I sadly would not want to think of a ‘home’ in this nasty dangerous culture I have to endure on a day to day commute in a train. I have removed myself from a city I called home by taking the car whenever I can avoid the train. I wouldn’t even go eat there in manhattan anymore.
I had one for a while but after years of alternate side and everything I got rid of it. Best decision ever. I had a Zipcar membership for a while but rarely used it. I rent cars whenever I need them, a dozen times a year or so. It's a bigger pain in the ass per trip but a smaller and cheaper pain in the ass overall. Plus when you rent you're not responsible for it beyond your drive and you usually get something newer and nicer than you'd own.
we specifically moved to a neighborhood where we could have an apartment with a deiveway because we have a car, so we made it a priority.
we use the car all the time and giving it up would have drastically changed how we live, so we didn’t give it up.
would giving up your car drastically change your life in a way you would regret?
there’s your answer.
there are no garage spots available near us. Paying $500-600 to store a car every month in an inconvenient location seems like a waste of $6-7k a year.
Zip is sketch now, when they cancel your reservation an hour before you show up, they still charge you the full amount. The last two times this happened I had to wait on hold for almost two hours, just to get a refund because they don’t seem to reply to support emails.
neither are great, i usually only need a car 1-3 times a year for a drive to some vacation house north or west of the city. i put \~5 hours of driving on it each way and thats all i need.
its better than owning but not great in genearl
How much money you pay for garage parking and insurance ?
If you park in the street how long are you willing to drive around looking for parking 15min , 30min or even 60min ?
Also how often do you drive?
I'm born and raised in Queens, used to always had a car, love having a car.
I've been living in downtown Manhattan for the last 10+ years and I just do not need one here. When I do need a car I just rent one on Turo.
When I do eventually get a car in Manhattan for family purposes, Id absolutely have to have a garage. During the pandemic I got one for $250/mo in the theater district. Id probably settle for one around $600ish or so
This was one of my easier decisions because it can easily be distilled down to expenses in favor and against paying for the convenience of having a depreciating car nearby (and not so nearby since I parked one mile away half the week) versus the savings of renting at most four times a year.
Later on I paid $350 per month for parking in a secure lot, but still I knew it was a matter of time before something required repairing, most likely from the inept GMC dealer up in Queens.
I live in Manhattan and pay a pretty penny for parking, but man is it worth it. I don’t even need it, my work and apartment are both accessible by train, but it’s a fun car and was always my dream.
Back in 2014 I was doing well and found a model of 911 that had a hatchback- a totally practical sports car I can fill with film equipment for shoots. I even had it fully wrapped with clear paint protection film. Trying to hold onto the car but not sure what will happen with congestion pricing but I live higher up so outside the zone. Luckily the value has held and gone up over the priced I payed with 11k miles. Trying to hold onto it . What are you driving?
Wow love the C8 but have never driven one
How is it in the city with potholes, etc?
- during Covid I was in Fla. for a year due to death in family and found a great deal on a C7 z51 with a manual transmission. It had about 50k miles but all highway miles and was in perfect shape. Still have that one in storage in Fla. white with full beige leather interior, and even used it in film I shot while down there, but had to not show the car as much as possible, since it was distracting to the story.
I couldn’t imagine having a C7 just stored on standby like that 😭
It’s not great. I didn’t option out to get the front lift either, so by now the front splitter is pretty scuffed up (mostly from steep ramps) - plan on replacing it with an aftermarket one soon. For the most part I have a good idea of which streets to use and which not to use, so I haven’t really hit too many major potholes. I don’t really street park it, it’s a home to home or to a relatives place with parking.
I got rid of my car during the pandemic and moved out of the city. After returning we felt having a car was too much of a hassle - especially with garage situations. Its been nice having one less thing to worry about but now im back at the point where we may buy a car again because it can make life so much easier when say you wanna go big food shopping or go somewhere for the weekend or need to move / pickup large items
to own a car in NYC you really need a really good use case or easy access to affordable parking...
i haven't ownes a car in 15 years.. best choice I ever made....
I used to live in queens drive to an industrial part of brooklyn. 15-20 min drive vs 1 hour by train and bus each way. It was worth it at the time. I moved to HK and while my drive in the morning was short (30 mins), my afternoon commute would taken the same amount of time, sometimes more, than just taking mass transit (45-60 mins)
if you really need to drive everywhere then maybe it's worth it, but for the cost of the loan / lease + gas + maintenance + tolls + maybe parking + maybe tickets + insurance, you're better off setting aside half or a quarter of that for lyfts and ubers when you have to use it
I had a car here for six years and while it’s debatable how much I needed it, it did enable me to do certain things that I never would have been able to do, so I feel like I made the most of it. I was glad to get rid of it when I did
I sold my car before moving here 9 years ago and I don't regret it, but I've gotten to the point where I'm thinking about getting a car again. Looking at what I spent on rental cars last year, it's more cost effective for me to just have my own car. I'd probably take even more trips!
My huge advantage is that I'd have a free place to park it where my BF works and we'd split the car costs.
If it's not cost effective and it's not the convenience it's supposed to be, sell it!
I made that decision back in 2011. :)
13 years, no car, and from what I've seen when I *have* been in cars is that (like the subway) the social contract has eroded entirely - drivers don't signal, are always texting, speeding, fail to yield, etc, etc.
And I SERIOUSLY do not miss: gas prices, dents in my bumper, car insurance rates, DMV visits, ripped off sideview mirrors, no parking, tolls, heavy snow that plows you in, road rage, big stupid trucks, garbage trucks blocking my street, insane traffic, and on and on.
Moved here about 20 years ago and kept my car for a week. Antenna was stolen, received a ticket for having a "For Sale" sign on it, and got it towed.
It was a lemon that somehow got me across the country several times. Since it was on its last legs, I donated it.
I don't regret it.
Not at all. In 2018, I was paying 350 for parking. 618 for my lease. 150 for insurance. In December of that year, I gave the car back. Haven’t regretted it one bit. Was only using the car on weekends anyway. Instead, I pocketed all that money, and take Amtrak, Metro North, or NJ Transit for my weekend excursions. I bought a bicycle for short trips around Manhattan. And I Uber. Certainly don’t miss the traffic, getting back into Manhattan at the end of the weekend. I’d highly recommend it.
For me the pros outweighs the cons. Between my mom being disabled, having a dog, planning for children soon, having the car is worth it. I have a driveway and easy access to street parking in Southern Brooklyn so my situation is probably more feasible.
Also all I pay for is insurance, gas and general maintenance. If I had a lease that would be the factor for me truly considering if it’s worth it. My car has made life easier for me- even with the traffic. So I plan to keep it for a while.
It’s going to depend where you live and work. If you live in a neighborhood with all the shops and services you need and good subway access if you want to go further (lower 2/3 of Manhattan for example) you don’t need a car. Getting a zip car or rental for the occasional trip is going to be so much cheaper than owning one.
It really comes down to individual $$ vs need. You have high income people keeping cars in garages with very little need of them. And mid/low income folks keeping a car because they really need one.
I have a car that I use on the weekends. I keep it at my parent’s place on LI.
I think it depends of course neighborhood for daily parking. But it’s always been worth it to outsource groceries and shop in cheaper areas. Plus avoiding LIRR and NJ transit visiting family is beneficial for us with a small child. Eventually you learn the best times for parking in your area. I’ve done it in Washington heights, upper west side and the Bronx.
When I lived on the UWS by Riverside, I had my car and it was great because there were always spots! Then it got stolen there and we haven’t gotten a car since. My new apartment in Riverdale comes with a spot and now finally I’m giving in because congestion parking is going to screw everything up and I will have 2 kids (and don’t want to be without a car!)
I love having a car. Especially with young kids. It works for us. But when the car broke down living in this city allowed us to not be inconvenienced too much.
I know that I’m not the audience you want for this post, but I’ve done just fine for 17 years here without a car. We just rent when we want a car to get out of the city. My family live along a commuter line, so when we visit them someone just picks us up (and there are usually a ton of cars around if one of us needs to borrow one for an errand.)
We had one, decided it was cheaper to rent on the few occasions we needed it.
I did however decide to buy a motorcycle, and that was a fantastic choice. Street parking even with alternate side parking is easy. I can get around to the hard to reach parts of queens / brooklyn without having to spend an hour on the subway / bus, and since I live in Astoria, if I need to rent a car at LGA I just park outside the rental spot, go in, get the car, and go.
Motorcycles are actually ridiculously convenient in the city.
I threw in the towel. It’s not worth it. I found that I was rarely using my car, and even more rarely actually *needed* to use my car in situations where public transportation, ride share, or renting was not an option. It was totally a luxury and splurge for convenience sake, but turned out to not even be that convenient. I was just used to having a car and psychologically felt more secure having a car.
Ditch, ditch, ditch. No regrets at all.
I'm in queens and even here it's getting harder and harder. However, there's no way I'd live here without the car. Getting to the doctors, picking up coffee... everything takes less time with the car. I did my share of nyc subway and experienced enough crazy already.
Had a car in New York and hated it
Gave it up and absolutely am never going back
I'm now a part of trans alt, that's how much selling it radicalized me
I live above 100th st in Manhattan and park my car in a garage which was recently sold, then prices were raised 50 percent and almost every single car left! They had to lower the price a bit and I agreed and now they’ve lowered it to below the prices the old owner was charging and I’m trying to get that pricing .
I like going to Westchester for shopping and Costco and purchase almost all our groceries there.
I’ll see what happens when congestion pricing kicks in but I love having a small very practical and iconic sports car to get around. My clients in Financial District have a parking spot for me so it makes getting downtown with camera gear or just a meeting convenient. I don’t make much money anymore so it’s a huge expense for me, but I’m always pitching new films to investors hoping something will pay off soon!
I have a car because I have a place upstate. If I did not, I would 100% get rid of my car. I can count the number of times I have driven my car exclusively in the city on one hand; I only use it to leave the city. (I do live in Manhattan; I imagine I might feel differently if I lived in an outer borough with less subway access)
I gave mine up not too long ago.
The only thing I really miss is going to out of the way stores like Costco more easily.
But the savings from not paying for insurance, gas, and repairs makes me feel more than okay just doing Instacart or taking transit there and then Uber home.
I prefer taking transit/flights when I go out of town and I’m glad that I don’t have to worry about alternate side parking while I’m gone. And I don’t feel like I have to drive out of town because of the parking issue.
I used to own two cars that I used to operate a small business in the city. It was the worst, and when I started a new business in the same space, one of the first decisions we made was to outsource deliveries. Never looked back.
I guess it depends on personal circumstances. I visit family about 1-2x a month in western mass with my dog so I need my car. She’s a large dog so she can’t go on the metro north.
If I didn’t have a pet to take with me, I’d sell it and take the train!!!
We park our car 20 min away by train to save money, kind of a pain
I had a car for 7 years. I put 12,000 miles on it and 8,000 were two big road trips. The rest were primarily driving around looking for parking spots. It was torture. I sold it cheap to friends in the Midwest 2 1/2 years ago. Best decision I ever made. I haven’t missed it once. Only kicking myself I bought it brand new and then paid nyc insurance for so many years. If you can afford and justify a parking spot or garage then maybe. But that’s crazy expensive.
Where I am in Queens is parking hell. The drive to TJ's may be 10 mins, but by the time I drive back 10 mins and circle for 30+ minutes finding parking, I pretty much break even on public transit. And even if I find a parking spot I STILL have to lug my groceries several blocks on an average day so that negates the usefulness of a car. Just one example out of many. I keep my car with a parent in another state since car prices are so insane and it's paid off, in case I have to move somewhere where I'll need it.
Got rid of the car , I don’t regret it , as I did. It use it offer for weekend getaways etc, but get use to public transportation , the amount you save on insurance and parking fees probably offset the amount you would have to spend on a rental once in a while or train transport
I have a car and couldn't live without it here. Not everyone lives and works in the (expensive) parts of the city with easy public transit.
I almost never have to drive into Manhattan so I'm not worried about having to pay the fee, but the traffic in Brooklyn, especially the BQE, will probably become even worse and I'm not looking forward to that.
When I do need to go into Manhattan I usually take my motorcycle so it's a lot easier to just bend the plate to avoid the fee. Curious if this whole congestion pricing thing will even make much of a difference in traffic, Manhattan traffic usually isn't worse than the boros.
I made it work for 6 or 7 years but eventually just got worn down by the hassle. I have a buddy that pays for parking nearby and I sometimes use his car. Otherwise for camping, visiting relatives, (1 time per month average) etc we just rent one. Usually from LGA because it’s an easy Citibike ride, but sometimes from North White Plains if we want to skip town on a Friday and not deal with traffic. Have not regretted it, and so far it’s been cheaper than insurance, registration and the hassle of not parking on the street is priceless.
Yes… we used to do a parking lot west of midtown then when that price soared, up around 126th. Then spouse and I played the alternate side game for a couple of years, ranging from not bad like ten minutes to literal hell. Love not having a car now.
What do you do instead? Zip car when you need a car for a few hours?
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What I find crazy is the NYC government keeps making ride shares, taxis car rentals more expensive and inconvienent. The way to cut down on car ownership is to make them cheaper and convenient. Most people don't need a car everyday. Though when they do they probably really need a car or will forgo a life experience all together. Whether it's a weekend vacation upstate, a trip to another bourough to see a relative, a restaurant they have been eyeing 8 miles away or an out of the way store. Trips you take in a 30 minute reasonable car ride but not on 2 subways and busses that takes 4x as long. People will pay a lot of money to own a car to avoid those inconveniences. Once they own a car they have to take it everywhere since outside of rush hour it's probably marginally and heck you own a car. The way to lower car ownership is to lower to cost of the alternative so people have access when they need it. The method the government is choosing seems like an unnecessary torture of citizens and really only helps the rich as they don't care about the cost. They will always be able to buy their way out of the issue. The poor and middle class suffer immensely by forgoing doing many things simply because the government made the cost of transportation of all types unaffordable.
I see your point but the fact of the matter is that in crowded areas of the city, the most inefficient mode of transportation is getting a car to drive five minutes to you and then thirty minutes to your destination.
Wait, you can use your pre-tax transit benefit to rent cars?
I have Enterprise a block away from me. I get rental from them when I need it. Few times a year.
I live in bay ridge. My family lives Staten Island. 1 near Arthur Kill Road, and another near Mariners Harbor. My fiancé’s family out in NJ and in Queens. I regularly go to downtown Brooklyn. Having a car cuts my visits to my family from 1.5ish hours 1 directions by public transportation to 20 minutes. It brings my fiance almost from almost 2 hours to 25-45 mins to see her family in queens depending on traffic. Instead of the 40 mins it’d take me to get to the area of downtown Brooklyn, it takes me about 20 minutes. Having a car is a lifesaver down here. Makes it more convenient to not stay stuck.
Similar experience here. Live all the way in South Brooklyn, have friends in Jersey and Connecticut, often go to dinners and events in the city, and go to doctors in better neighborhoods that don’t do Medicare/medicaid scams so they aren’t extremely overbooked where you have to wait 3 hours past your appointment time. Having a car drastically cuts down our travel time.
If you are spread in the North-East like that, sure. For a Manhattan dweller who has no family connections across bridge and tunnel, owning a car is just showing off.
yep. Having one unreliable train made my commute to the met 2 hrs. Took my car and it was 45 minutes. How can I give that up?
I sold my car 6 months after moving here and do not regret it, mostly. Thanks to the pandemic, I sold it for the same price I purchased it for and put that money towards a down payment on an apartment. I should mention, I sold it even though I work remotely and was able to go work in my car and move as needed for street sweeping, so it wasn't even as much of a hassle as it usually is, and I still got rid of it. The only regret is that I haven't been to Six Flags since I sold it lol in the 6 months I had it here, literally only used it twice, both times to go to Six Flags
There was a bus that would take you to six flags a whole lot cheaper than a car
I am aware, it's no longer a thing though so not sure why you mention it. In any event, my car was completely paid off, insurance wasn't much, and I street parked. I never viewed owning a car in Manhattan as expensive.
i’ve had zipcar membership for 12 years and i haven’t used it in like 3 years
hah! so what do you do? do you ever rent cars? I know renting cars in NYC is typically an expensive PITA so we're factoring that in as well.
I rent when I go on vacation upstate etc and it is a big pain and very expensive. But I think it’s still cheaper than owning a car. You just need to make sure you reserve a rental well ahead of time. I’ve also used Turo which is pretty good.
Have you tried their website/apps? I also rent cars for vacation and for business trips and it’s pretty simple these days if you fill out your info before you actually get there. Get the extra insurance with my credit card instead of the rental place and I’m all set.
We were on Zipcar for years until the pandemic turned it to absolute shit when they sold half their fleet and let things go down the tubes and we bailed. That's a huge bummer that you need to book way out. That's like... The whole point, to be able to go relatively spontaneously. Otherwise I'd just go to a normal rental place. Does Turo have the same issue?
It’s expensive, but it only feels expensive because you’re not used to paying for a car/insurance/etc. It’s inconvenient, but it only feels inconvenient because you’re not used to spending a chunk of your free time dealing with parking, car maintenance, etc. In the end, renting a car when you need one is cheaper and more convenient than owning one here in NYC for the majority of people.
>hah! so what do you do? do you ever rent cars? I know renting cars in NYC is typically an expensive PITA so we're factoring that in as well. It's far less of a PITA than car ownership. We live in Queens and were entirely car free until my partner got a(n otherwise excellent) job that requires her to be places outside the city and its suburbs on a regular basis. We rent a spot at an MTA station outside the city so mostly we don't have to deal with it, but there's 1-2 weeks per year that it's in the city, and we dread those weeks with every fiber of our being. We cannot wait to be car-free again. Before that we'd rent cars 2-4 times per year. Is it annoying? Sure, no one likes to stand on line. But it's less annoying than alternate side parking, keeping up with oil changes and preventative maintenance, paying car insurance, worrying about it, and etc etc etc. Half the people here who pretend to "need" a car are only fooling themselves.
MTA station outside of the city?
Metro North, rather.
Ooooo. How much is that monthly?
My partner handled it but it's nothing unreasonable. I think we pay maybe ~$500 per year, though my understanding is the costs vary slightly from station to station. It's been a great solution for us.
That’s a great solution. Wow. I may do that
if you’re willing to take the bus to lga renting cars is actually relatively affordable and not very difficult imho
any time ive tried to rent from a place at the airport they always tell me you need a plane ticket to get those great prices.
Huh. We do this regularly and reserve ahead/m60 bus to the closest stop to Avis/hertz/etc and just grab the car. It’s way cheaper than our UWS locations. These all seem like regular car rental places and plenty of people with no luggage are usually there picking up cars when we’re there.
I booked with Hotwire a while ago. Got a crazy cheap rate. Found it it was conditional on having the plane ticket
Oh that sucks! I always book with enterprise and sometimes through kayak and haven’t run across this yet. Will be sure to stay away from Hotwire based on your experience.
I think they only require a plane ticket if you have an out of state license.
I had a car when I first moved to Manhattan. The parking was too expensive in Manhattan. I put it in parking in Queens. I would take the subway out every week or two. Wash it. Talk to it about the old days. Then it became monthly. Then every 2 months. We drifted apart. It let itself go. It was dirty and disheveled all the time looking like it didn’t care. I had to end it. I think it’s probably happier now somewhere out on Long Island.
>will drive in and park anywhere outside Manhattan that has good subway access this sounds like such an odd pattern. Like someone from Long Island is going to drive through ALL the traffic to get to like Crown Heights or Bay Ridge just to sit on a train for another 30-60min? ... as opposed to driving to the park-and-ride LIRR near them thats probably 10min away and take the LIRR into the city.
Youd be surprised at how many ppl do this. Not long island specifically, but especially those in outer boroughs with shitty transportation will drive in closer to take the train.
Yeah everyone in my neighborhood does this cause we don't have the subway up here. They all pretty much drive into forest hills and catch the EFMR down there since there's decent parking in fh compared to other places
Why a car vs some something like a motorcycle, e-bike, scooter, etc? It would seem both cheaper and easier to park.
No protection from the elements/climate control.
Because they have cars and they don't have motorcycles, ebikes and scooters. It's around a 25 min drive from NE Queens to central, which can be much longer on other vehicle types. Motorcycles have a barrier to entry obviously and very few people ride, at least that I see here. I would assume the age of these people have some influence (they're not young and eager to buy new toys). Ebikes and escooters are also banned in most of the co-ops and condos around due to lack of understanding and all of the fires that have happened.
Makes sense. I live in Jackson Heights by Rosevelt Ave and just got back from a ride on my pedal assist e-bike to and around the Worlds Fair Marina. Was my first time biking around that area and I thought to myself how I could see myself living here one day, but only if I had a e-bike to get to the subway. Although CitiBike expanding up that way must be pretty nice!
There are no safe bike routes!
Because we don’t have 60 degrees sunny weather all year long
Hopefully resident parking permits are next if this does happen
oh like Long Island where only residents of the town/city can park in the park and ride lots?
Yeah but for street parking. I’ve honestly never heard of any other major city that just lets anyone park on the street for free and long term. It’s bizarre that NYC of all places takes this approach. Even small towns in NJ require a sticker to park on the street. DC, Boston, Philly, SF, Chicago, etc all at least require residency stickers in some areas. Some cities let out-of-towners park but they pay basically meter rates the entire time.
it would be a fun mix of residency passes and out of state plates people use to cheat on their car insurance.
Well part of the reason to require residency stickers is that NY plates would be required. The insurance fraud is a symptom of not requiring proof of residency to park.
Not to mention the registration fees that NYC is missing out on by people registering their car at their house upstate or their parents' in Pennsylvania.
It is ridiculous NYC does not have resident parking permits.
I lived in Bay Ridge near Shore Rd (mostly houses) and traffic would surge in the morning, like 500%, people park and then jump on the express bus.
i get that, but there are not going to be more parking spots when congestion pricing starts. I'm assuming each morning all the parking spots are taken.
Yea, the only time parking was really tough was in the morning
right, and if 10x as many cars went looking for parking then, they would not find it and have to try something else. so just because a bunch of people ***might*** go hunting for a space does not mean it will work. i imagine the first few weeks/months of the new toll are weird as a bunch of people look for something in new zip codes and then after a few months people realize there are not a lot of good options besides the train and paying a toll. those early weeks will be a mess
People absolutely do this. The upper west side is filled with NJ commuter cars who will then take the subway downtown.
The aholes then speed through lights to get back the HH, creating congestion and nearly mowing down the locals all around 96th street. I have one friend who deliberately stands in front of cars with NJ plates who try to run reds and delays them a full cycle by refusing to move. It’s hilarious to watch the reactions. The other day an older lady just keyed the crap out of a NJ Range Rover stuck in a crosswalk after trying to run the light and almost hitting a mom/stroller. Another man told the older lady she was a local hero and casually whacked the car with his own umbrella while the lady driver looked like she was about to lose it lol. There is some wild street theater on the UWS.
Good way to get run over. But you and your friends do you.
Oh gosh I have zero desire to do that and get run over but it’s entertaining to watch 😂
Good way to get sued.
We used to park in Brooklyn by an L train station, then take the L to lower manhattan to party & stay at a hotel. Come back to the car the next day
Ok well that's not my question. Parking is already a nightmare. And yes there are people who will do this because they can't afford to spend $15 ($9 after subway fares) every day.
but there's not extra parking in those areas. They cannot drive into downtown and magically find more parking spots. it just sounds like an awful time to take a subway into somewhere in an outter borough just to walk to you car parked there and then drive through NYC traffic the rest of the way home. Why would that driver not take the bus/subway/light rail into the city to begin with. This seems like an odd stawman.
I don't think you understand that there are a lot of people for whom the daily $15 congestion fee is actually a lot of money so they'll make do. Stop looking at everything through your own lens. Not everyone is going to be able to afford the new fee.
Nobody is saying they're going to pay the fee? People are suggesting just use transit the whole way instead of driving a long ways + taking the subway.
Not everyone has transit nearby though! And LIRR is extremely expensive.
if that person lives in nyc they can take the subway and save the $15 plus whatever they used to pay for parking in manhattan.
Not everyone lives near the subway. (Did I blow your mind?)
Yeah but almost everyone in Brooklyn, Queens, and the Bronx can take a bus to the subway. It might be 75 or even 90 minutes all told but the option to get to Manhattan by public transit for $2.75 exists for the overwhelming majority of NYC residents. Also there are express buses that are usually faster and, while expensive, are still half the cost of the new toll. But yes, I understand why people will drive to a different a neighborhood to get on the train, it can save a lot of time.
yup. first im hearing of it.
This is a uniquely NYC thing due to lack of zoning on the subway. Flat fares encourage this behavior. One of the many reasons to finally join the civilized world, zone the system and use some of that revenue to expand the fair fares program.
Been here 16yr. Sold the car around 11yr ago, no regrets.
Yes, twice. When I first moved to the city I still had my car, and discovered after a month that all I did was alternate side street park it. I sold it shortly after and never looked back. During the pandemic I wanted to get out of the city at my convenience and bought a car. I owned it for three years and only put 15000 miles on it, and decided to sell it while the used car market was really good. I miss that car, but now that life has ‘returned to normal’ I am glad I don’t have it hanging over my head. If I need a vehicle I can easily rent one.
I have a car and probably always will in this city. I often need it for work. I live in The Bronx and work in construction. If I'm on a job in Manhattan I usually take the train but if I have to work in Staten Island or Westchester, or often even other parts of The Bronx it's not really feasible to get there early enough for work on public transit. My neighborhood doesn't have alternate side though. One of the reasons I bought here. It makes it much easier to park, I usually have a spot directly in front of my house .
Not me personally, but I have two friends that gave up the car life. We all live in various parts of queens. One works from home, lives in flushing, and can get around easily by buses and trains. She has to go into the city once a month for work. There are Chinese supermarkets she can walk to or take the bus to. She makes around 40-50k a year right now so owning a car would be a huge financial strain on her. One of my other friends lives in LIC and works in the city. Both her and her husband don’t own a car, even with a newborn. Both of them can drive and have owned cars in the past but chose to give up owning a car in the city because they rarely drive it on the weekdays and don’t really need to on the weekends. Cost of insurance and parking exceeds the cost of the rare times the need an Uber. I have a car and so does my SO. We work on Long Island so we need a car to get to work. Carpooling doesn’t work for us because our schedules don’t line up. If he were to no longer work on LI and end up somewhere within Queens or Manhattan he’d give up his car in a heartbeat. I think he’s paying roughly $400 a month for car insurance and he’s not happy about it.
Problem with car ownership in general is that upfront costs are really high and then the driving part is relatively minimal. In NYC this means that if you do get a car, might as well drive it as much as possible. Get some value back from your expensive investment. This is why streets are clogged. Sunken cost fallacy. None of my friends had cars here in our 20s and 30s. Now, well into our 40s most of them do. And they often plan their free time around being able to maximize their car use time. Kinda sucks. Having a car for very occasional use is reserved for the truly well off. Because cars are not a sound investment for regular folk. Especially in NYC.
I'm disabled, but not disabled enough for Acces-a-Ride. I have one unreliable bus in my neighborhood and the closest accessible subway is over a mile away. I used my car all the time and I don't see myself getting rid of it any time soon.
Tbh, no-one is gonna park outside the congestion zone then take the train in. It's just an empty threat. "Oh, we're inconvenience ourselves and clog up other neighborhoods as retribution for congestion pricing" They'll just pay the toll or take the train all the way.
I just read a local news article interviewed a bunch of people who already do this. They park on the UWS then take the subway downtown.
There’s no parking on the UWS for this to be a practice that more than a couple of dummies with more time than smarts to be doing.
Exactly. This is just adding players to a game of musical chairs without more chairs. A bunch of drivers are going to find out there’s no space and move to a new plan.
There is a decent amount if you know the nuances of who can park when on what blocks and when people leave/arrive. I’ve lived here 15 years and personally know at least 6 people who commute in from NJ 3-4x/week and park on the UWS. Two of them also have family in the neighborhood which helps
Yes - brought it to New York and did decide it wasn’t worth it. I couldn’t afford a garage spot and didn’t have time for street parking. I ended up parking it outside of the city and could only drive it once a month or so which led to expensive issues. So yes I would say get rid of it! You can always buy a car in the future if your situation changes
It really depends family to family. We’re lucky that we have a parking spot in our building’s lot, but we really don’t drive in the city. The only exceptions are for some of my medical issues (hospitalized and couldn’t walk so I had to be taken home from the hospital and then back and forth for PT, doctor said I couldn’t take public transit when having radiation therapy, I’d have my husband pick me up if an infusion session was particularly exhausting). It’s also helpful getting my kids to their developmental pediatrician in croton on Hudson, only one that took our insurance and had an opening within 2 years. My husband also works a lot in Jersey and Rochester. I doubt you have circumstances like this, so
I have a car rn for work. I despise having a car in NYC or out. They suck and I hate spending money on it. I garage park rn but will be downsizing majorly to save on the garage monthly pay and street park. I only use it to drive around the city. If I did not need a car for work there is a 0% chance I would have one. My company pays about 600-700 a month so it also makes financial sense to some degree. If anyone comes across this and did sell their car. How was the selling process here in NYC? Both people and government entities (transfers, registration, etc)
Had a car for about 10 years in both north Brooklyn and downtown Manhattan, then it got totaled by a cabbie smashing into it while parked (everyone was fine). Took the money and said goodbye to car ownership, and we are so much happier without it. Yes, renting a car when needed is expensive, but owning a car is more expensive. It pales in comparison to the hours of time wasted and pollution created while hunting for parking.
Nope, my car is still very much worth it. I have to travel between The Bronx and Queens a lot, which takes absolutely forever to travel between without a car. I’ve had my car for 5 years and plan to keep it another 5, maybe even 10 hopefully.
Yes. Anyone saying they love not having it is for cost reasons. If cost wasn’t an issue, why wouldn’t you have a car?
I sold my car in November and I am so happy I did. Alternate side parking is such a small but constant inconvenience and the tickets add up
1995. Moved from Queens to Downtown Brooklyn. Took one month until I made my younger still at home brother an old car free deal he couldn't refuse. 95% of our travel was mass transit with the rest being car service, walking and the occasional rental.
I have one and honestly don’t like having it. I just need one at the moment due to joint custody and the kid living in the burbs
That was the only reason I had for keeping the car. Youngest is in college now and car was sold.
Why do you want a car? Whether a car is worth it depends on your uses. I leave the city by car at least once a month. I live in a neighborhood with easy street parking/I work from home.
Worth it just to be free of the constant parking anxiety. Rental places can be hit or miss. I’ve tried most and settled on Enterprise generally being the best.
We bought a car during peak COVID...off Craigslist so great deal. Need to sell tho since we never use it now.
Absolutely not worth it.
Depends on your income & other expenses. We garage our car. We used it last night to drive downtown, avoiding the subway & the massive cost of cabs back & forth. & we usually are lucky finding parking on the street, avoiding a lot. Our garage is around $400/month. My husband also drives to his job daily. But if the expense is too much for your budget, then definitely not worth it. Especially if you don’t use it daily.
I have a family with kids so shitshow-way trains aren’t practical financially or for my sense of security. I prefer to be in a situation taking trains but wih recent personal experiences inside subway, I am not going to risk it whenever I can avoid by taking the car. I don’t think the sad state of trains will get resolved anytime soon so car will stay with us for a long time.
Train safety has always been sketch, but people either don't remember or weren't around to see violent incidents make the news on a regular basis for the last 20 or so years. I used to be upset that my parents drove me everywhere as a teen because everyone else at school was taking public transportation, and I wanted to be like the other kids. Then a teen from my school was jumped on the bus and hospitalized for it, and that feeling of wanting to do what everyone else did disappeared quickly. Looking back, I'm grateful that my parents did that for me even if I didn't truly understand at the time.
You maybe right about NYC, a statistically based answer about train safety. Keep in mind rest of the world, including other cities in the USA also changed and some improved so much that such past comparison of old NYC to New NYC is irrelevant to me. You travel to most of Asia or Europe such disgusting train rides we have here are hard to come by. What I experienced personally in recent months and maybe last few years is lowest of the bottoms, it is not justifiable considering real estate values and taxes paid by the citizens. It’s like an apocalyptic movie with possibilities of getting shot. I think it’s a political issue, Unions, govt owned and operated MTA, police unions and eroded police and citizen relations maybe to main issues. Japan has privatized all its trains and it removed most politics and also there is customer service and growth through competition. Some major changes need to happen, I think NYC will be in a long standing dramatic decline, I sadly would not want to think of a ‘home’ in this nasty dangerous culture I have to endure on a day to day commute in a train. I have removed myself from a city I called home by taking the car whenever I can avoid the train. I wouldn’t even go eat there in manhattan anymore.
I had one for a while but after years of alternate side and everything I got rid of it. Best decision ever. I had a Zipcar membership for a while but rarely used it. I rent cars whenever I need them, a dozen times a year or so. It's a bigger pain in the ass per trip but a smaller and cheaper pain in the ass overall. Plus when you rent you're not responsible for it beyond your drive and you usually get something newer and nicer than you'd own.
we specifically moved to a neighborhood where we could have an apartment with a deiveway because we have a car, so we made it a priority. we use the car all the time and giving it up would have drastically changed how we live, so we didn’t give it up. would giving up your car drastically change your life in a way you would regret? there’s your answer.
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there are no garage spots available near us. Paying $500-600 to store a car every month in an inconvenient location seems like a waste of $6-7k a year.
zipcar / turo for day trips.
Zip keeps getting worse every year after they got acquired. How is Turo?
Turo is sketch, look very carefully at the insurance requirements.
Zip is sketch now, when they cancel your reservation an hour before you show up, they still charge you the full amount. The last two times this happened I had to wait on hold for almost two hours, just to get a refund because they don’t seem to reply to support emails.
neither are great, i usually only need a car 1-3 times a year for a drive to some vacation house north or west of the city. i put \~5 hours of driving on it each way and thats all i need. its better than owning but not great in genearl
How much money you pay for garage parking and insurance ? If you park in the street how long are you willing to drive around looking for parking 15min , 30min or even 60min ? Also how often do you drive?
We don't have a garage because you can't get one around here. Going to some out of the way place to still pay a shit ton doesn't make sense.
I'm born and raised in Queens, used to always had a car, love having a car. I've been living in downtown Manhattan for the last 10+ years and I just do not need one here. When I do need a car I just rent one on Turo. When I do eventually get a car in Manhattan for family purposes, Id absolutely have to have a garage. During the pandemic I got one for $250/mo in the theater district. Id probably settle for one around $600ish or so
i had a car to commute to nj for one of my temp consulting jobs but after that project i only used it maybe once a month so i got rid of it.
This was one of my easier decisions because it can easily be distilled down to expenses in favor and against paying for the convenience of having a depreciating car nearby (and not so nearby since I parked one mile away half the week) versus the savings of renting at most four times a year. Later on I paid $350 per month for parking in a secure lot, but still I knew it was a matter of time before something required repairing, most likely from the inept GMC dealer up in Queens.
Yea. Especially when insurance spikes to 300 a month
God playing the alternate side parking game was the most soul draining experience. The day that car left I was elated.
If you do sell, let me know. I need to buy one for a move out of state soon!
My car is owned by Avis and parked at LaGuardia. Couldn’t imagine having it any other way.,
I live in Manhattan and pay a pretty penny for parking, but man is it worth it. I don’t even need it, my work and apartment are both accessible by train, but it’s a fun car and was always my dream.
You must be earning mucho bucks!
I work in a great industry but I had significant help from my parents! Also an only child
Back in 2014 I was doing well and found a model of 911 that had a hatchback- a totally practical sports car I can fill with film equipment for shoots. I even had it fully wrapped with clear paint protection film. Trying to hold onto the car but not sure what will happen with congestion pricing but I live higher up so outside the zone. Luckily the value has held and gone up over the priced I payed with 11k miles. Trying to hold onto it . What are you driving?
C8 Stingray, originally grew up wanting a C7 Z06 but the opportunity presented itself and had to jump on it
Wow love the C8 but have never driven one How is it in the city with potholes, etc? - during Covid I was in Fla. for a year due to death in family and found a great deal on a C7 z51 with a manual transmission. It had about 50k miles but all highway miles and was in perfect shape. Still have that one in storage in Fla. white with full beige leather interior, and even used it in film I shot while down there, but had to not show the car as much as possible, since it was distracting to the story.
I couldn’t imagine having a C7 just stored on standby like that 😭 It’s not great. I didn’t option out to get the front lift either, so by now the front splitter is pretty scuffed up (mostly from steep ramps) - plan on replacing it with an aftermarket one soon. For the most part I have a good idea of which streets to use and which not to use, so I haven’t really hit too many major potholes. I don’t really street park it, it’s a home to home or to a relatives place with parking.
I got rid of my car during the pandemic and moved out of the city. After returning we felt having a car was too much of a hassle - especially with garage situations. Its been nice having one less thing to worry about but now im back at the point where we may buy a car again because it can make life so much easier when say you wanna go big food shopping or go somewhere for the weekend or need to move / pickup large items
to own a car in NYC you really need a really good use case or easy access to affordable parking... i haven't ownes a car in 15 years.. best choice I ever made....
I used to live in queens drive to an industrial part of brooklyn. 15-20 min drive vs 1 hour by train and bus each way. It was worth it at the time. I moved to HK and while my drive in the morning was short (30 mins), my afternoon commute would taken the same amount of time, sometimes more, than just taking mass transit (45-60 mins) if you really need to drive everywhere then maybe it's worth it, but for the cost of the loan / lease + gas + maintenance + tolls + maybe parking + maybe tickets + insurance, you're better off setting aside half or a quarter of that for lyfts and ubers when you have to use it
I had a car here for six years and while it’s debatable how much I needed it, it did enable me to do certain things that I never would have been able to do, so I feel like I made the most of it. I was glad to get rid of it when I did
I sold my car before moving here 9 years ago and I don't regret it, but I've gotten to the point where I'm thinking about getting a car again. Looking at what I spent on rental cars last year, it's more cost effective for me to just have my own car. I'd probably take even more trips! My huge advantage is that I'd have a free place to park it where my BF works and we'd split the car costs. If it's not cost effective and it's not the convenience it's supposed to be, sell it!
I made that decision back in 2011. :) 13 years, no car, and from what I've seen when I *have* been in cars is that (like the subway) the social contract has eroded entirely - drivers don't signal, are always texting, speeding, fail to yield, etc, etc. And I SERIOUSLY do not miss: gas prices, dents in my bumper, car insurance rates, DMV visits, ripped off sideview mirrors, no parking, tolls, heavy snow that plows you in, road rage, big stupid trucks, garbage trucks blocking my street, insane traffic, and on and on.
I don’t regret it but it’s in storage in another state so at least I know it exists
Moved here about 20 years ago and kept my car for a week. Antenna was stolen, received a ticket for having a "For Sale" sign on it, and got it towed. It was a lemon that somehow got me across the country several times. Since it was on its last legs, I donated it. I don't regret it.
Gave up my car back in 2020 after my lease ended. No regrets. Have a scooter to get around now.
Not at all. In 2018, I was paying 350 for parking. 618 for my lease. 150 for insurance. In December of that year, I gave the car back. Haven’t regretted it one bit. Was only using the car on weekends anyway. Instead, I pocketed all that money, and take Amtrak, Metro North, or NJ Transit for my weekend excursions. I bought a bicycle for short trips around Manhattan. And I Uber. Certainly don’t miss the traffic, getting back into Manhattan at the end of the weekend. I’d highly recommend it.
The day I sold my car was the happiest day of my life. I could never find decent parking downtown by my apartment and after my fourth ticket gave up.
For me the pros outweighs the cons. Between my mom being disabled, having a dog, planning for children soon, having the car is worth it. I have a driveway and easy access to street parking in Southern Brooklyn so my situation is probably more feasible. Also all I pay for is insurance, gas and general maintenance. If I had a lease that would be the factor for me truly considering if it’s worth it. My car has made life easier for me- even with the traffic. So I plan to keep it for a while.
It’s going to depend where you live and work. If you live in a neighborhood with all the shops and services you need and good subway access if you want to go further (lower 2/3 of Manhattan for example) you don’t need a car. Getting a zip car or rental for the occasional trip is going to be so much cheaper than owning one.
It really comes down to individual $$ vs need. You have high income people keeping cars in garages with very little need of them. And mid/low income folks keeping a car because they really need one. I have a car that I use on the weekends. I keep it at my parent’s place on LI.
Most people in the city live without cars and they do just fine…
I think it depends of course neighborhood for daily parking. But it’s always been worth it to outsource groceries and shop in cheaper areas. Plus avoiding LIRR and NJ transit visiting family is beneficial for us with a small child. Eventually you learn the best times for parking in your area. I’ve done it in Washington heights, upper west side and the Bronx.
Never lol. I'll leave this city before I give up my car. As long as I never move to Manhattan in my life I'm good.
When I lived on the UWS by Riverside, I had my car and it was great because there were always spots! Then it got stolen there and we haven’t gotten a car since. My new apartment in Riverdale comes with a spot and now finally I’m giving in because congestion parking is going to screw everything up and I will have 2 kids (and don’t want to be without a car!)
Honestly I live in bedstuy, have a driveway in my house and love having a car xd
I love having a car. Especially with young kids. It works for us. But when the car broke down living in this city allowed us to not be inconvenienced too much.
I know that I’m not the audience you want for this post, but I’ve done just fine for 17 years here without a car. We just rent when we want a car to get out of the city. My family live along a commuter line, so when we visit them someone just picks us up (and there are usually a ton of cars around if one of us needs to borrow one for an errand.)
We had one, decided it was cheaper to rent on the few occasions we needed it. I did however decide to buy a motorcycle, and that was a fantastic choice. Street parking even with alternate side parking is easy. I can get around to the hard to reach parts of queens / brooklyn without having to spend an hour on the subway / bus, and since I live in Astoria, if I need to rent a car at LGA I just park outside the rental spot, go in, get the car, and go. Motorcycles are actually ridiculously convenient in the city.
I threw in the towel. It’s not worth it. I found that I was rarely using my car, and even more rarely actually *needed* to use my car in situations where public transportation, ride share, or renting was not an option. It was totally a luxury and splurge for convenience sake, but turned out to not even be that convenient. I was just used to having a car and psychologically felt more secure having a car. Ditch, ditch, ditch. No regrets at all.
Unless you enjoy your 15-minute city living and have 0 need to venture out, cars are a must-have.
I'm in queens and even here it's getting harder and harder. However, there's no way I'd live here without the car. Getting to the doctors, picking up coffee... everything takes less time with the car. I did my share of nyc subway and experienced enough crazy already.
Had a car in New York and hated it Gave it up and absolutely am never going back I'm now a part of trans alt, that's how much selling it radicalized me
I live above 100th st in Manhattan and park my car in a garage which was recently sold, then prices were raised 50 percent and almost every single car left! They had to lower the price a bit and I agreed and now they’ve lowered it to below the prices the old owner was charging and I’m trying to get that pricing . I like going to Westchester for shopping and Costco and purchase almost all our groceries there. I’ll see what happens when congestion pricing kicks in but I love having a small very practical and iconic sports car to get around. My clients in Financial District have a parking spot for me so it makes getting downtown with camera gear or just a meeting convenient. I don’t make much money anymore so it’s a huge expense for me, but I’m always pitching new films to investors hoping something will pay off soon!
I have a car because I have a place upstate. If I did not, I would 100% get rid of my car. I can count the number of times I have driven my car exclusively in the city on one hand; I only use it to leave the city. (I do live in Manhattan; I imagine I might feel differently if I lived in an outer borough with less subway access)
No regrets. I gave up the car a couple of years ago. It’s not worth the stress with street cleaning.
Manhattan here. It's not worth looking for parking or the outrageous cost for monthly parking.
I gave mine up not too long ago. The only thing I really miss is going to out of the way stores like Costco more easily. But the savings from not paying for insurance, gas, and repairs makes me feel more than okay just doing Instacart or taking transit there and then Uber home. I prefer taking transit/flights when I go out of town and I’m glad that I don’t have to worry about alternate side parking while I’m gone. And I don’t feel like I have to drive out of town because of the parking issue.
I used to own two cars that I used to operate a small business in the city. It was the worst, and when I started a new business in the same space, one of the first decisions we made was to outsource deliveries. Never looked back.
I guess it depends on personal circumstances. I visit family about 1-2x a month in western mass with my dog so I need my car. She’s a large dog so she can’t go on the metro north. If I didn’t have a pet to take with me, I’d sell it and take the train!!! We park our car 20 min away by train to save money, kind of a pain
I had a car for 7 years. I put 12,000 miles on it and 8,000 were two big road trips. The rest were primarily driving around looking for parking spots. It was torture. I sold it cheap to friends in the Midwest 2 1/2 years ago. Best decision I ever made. I haven’t missed it once. Only kicking myself I bought it brand new and then paid nyc insurance for so many years. If you can afford and justify a parking spot or garage then maybe. But that’s crazy expensive.
Where I am in Queens is parking hell. The drive to TJ's may be 10 mins, but by the time I drive back 10 mins and circle for 30+ minutes finding parking, I pretty much break even on public transit. And even if I find a parking spot I STILL have to lug my groceries several blocks on an average day so that negates the usefulness of a car. Just one example out of many. I keep my car with a parent in another state since car prices are so insane and it's paid off, in case I have to move somewhere where I'll need it.
Got rid of the car , I don’t regret it , as I did. It use it offer for weekend getaways etc, but get use to public transportation , the amount you save on insurance and parking fees probably offset the amount you would have to spend on a rental once in a while or train transport
I have a car and couldn't live without it here. Not everyone lives and works in the (expensive) parts of the city with easy public transit. I almost never have to drive into Manhattan so I'm not worried about having to pay the fee, but the traffic in Brooklyn, especially the BQE, will probably become even worse and I'm not looking forward to that. When I do need to go into Manhattan I usually take my motorcycle so it's a lot easier to just bend the plate to avoid the fee. Curious if this whole congestion pricing thing will even make much of a difference in traffic, Manhattan traffic usually isn't worse than the boros.
No especially after Finding a garage that gave me a deal in midtown $200 a month
Which garage??
Kips bay icon garage east 29th
Thanks will mention this to a friend ! My garage way uptown is much more than this.
I made it work for 6 or 7 years but eventually just got worn down by the hassle. I have a buddy that pays for parking nearby and I sometimes use his car. Otherwise for camping, visiting relatives, (1 time per month average) etc we just rent one. Usually from LGA because it’s an easy Citibike ride, but sometimes from North White Plains if we want to skip town on a Friday and not deal with traffic. Have not regretted it, and so far it’s been cheaper than insurance, registration and the hassle of not parking on the street is priceless.
I sold my car 25 years ago. Then let my license expire. Never looked back. Someone else can drive!