Costs in NYC?

[t02t]

Hey all,
I recently got into grad school and may be moving out to nyc, but am now contemplating whether to sell the car or ship it to ny. I was wondering if you guys can comment on the costs of owning a car over there? insurance, parking,..etc

Thanks in advance!

[propkaPT]

if your interested in keeping the car in Manhattan I hope your independently wealthy. Owning any car here is reserved for the rich, especially if you want to keep it scratch free.

[NYC6]

if you do move the car up here which has be mentioned already and you shouldnt(parking costs are off the charts!), keep the Va ins if you can. NY ins will be much higher.

[Maconer98]

You can park in Williamsburg, Brooklyn for about $175 a month.

[tommy]

Or in Joisey - I pay for parking at Ramsey 17 (one of the stops on NJ Transit, about 45 mins from NYC) for $310 a year, I believe. 24 hour access with a card, completely covered, and safe.

Just another option. Though the best is to either keep the car in VA or sell it; you won't need a car up here (especially factoring insurance rates - be prepared for sticker shock). Especially with grad school, you won't have much time.

[crbalch]

Buy a motorcycle.

I live in Stamford CT which is a train ride from NYC, and I wouldnt even drive my car into the city, let alone park it there. There is both the factor of it being ridiculously expensive, and extremely easy for it to get messed up.

[AlphaBarbie]

It all depends which area of the city you end up living in, especially with regards to insurance (you can expect to pay ~$700-1,500 for 6 months). As far as parking, you do not want to park it on the street as people here love to squeeze into any space because availability is so limited - they will hit you to get into a spot or out. In the outer boroughs you can find a garaged spot for ~150-250/ month. In manhattan a spot can run from $350+/month.

[Dackelone]

Last time I visited the "city" (uptown ~6 years ago!) it cost me 89 dollars to park the car for the day! And that was in some vacant lot with those car racks.

[1speedbike]

I live in jersey, go to school in the city, used to work in the city. It's a pain in the ass. I would NEVER try and commute into the city or navigate the city on a daily basis in my own car. I drive to a park and ride, take the bus, then take the subway.

Whenever I drive in (special occasions, etc), I try to borrow a car if I have to, but it's so much easier to take the subways. Subways are your friend in NYC. When I drive in I'm usually going to Queens or downtown Manhattan, and the routes to both get ridiculously clogged during the week. Well, the routes anywhere in NYC get ridiculously clogged during the week. But when I drive in I make sure it's noon on a weekday and I'm out by 3, it's past 7 or 8 at night, or it's a weekend. Driving around any other times is near futile. It's way faster to take the subway, or even the bus, or even walk depending on where you're headed. And I didn't even get into parking rates lol.

A good choice would be to get a place in Brooklyn, buy a parking spot there, where it's much cheaper, and take the subway into school in Manhattan (I'm assuming that's where your grad school is), and have the car as a weekend thing or when you need to leave the area. Even in Brooklyn where the train lines aren't as close together and their coverage is more limited, it's easier to take the subway or bus than a car.

[t02t]

thanks everyone for the input! looks like i'll have to sell the car if i do decide to take the offer in NYC...

[tpm17]

Avoid NYC at all costs! There isn't a middle class anymore. Its for the ultra rich or ultra poor who scam and steal from hard working tax payers who can barely stay afloat! I hate this city with a passion!

[OAM]

Originally Posted by tpm17

Avoid NYC at all costs! There isn't a middle class anymore. Its for the ultra rich or ultra poor who scam and steal from hard working tax payers who can barely stay afloat! I hate this city with a passion!

interesting viewpoint.

Unless you have an extra $400 per month, on average, and don't mind having your car dinged up it's not worth it. If you are still intent on trying to find a lot for it you can check this site out http://nyc.bestparking.com/index.php Sometimes you can find deals for monthly.

[timhatimay]

Originally Posted by tpm17

Avoid NYC at all costs! There isn't a middle class anymore. Its for the ultra rich or ultra poor who scam and steal from hard working tax payers who can barely stay afloat! I hate this city with a passion!

Says the guy that drives a BMW and lives in the Bronx?? I don't agree with this, but everyone is entitled to their opinion.

NYC is an amazing city, and if you have the chance to move here for a good opportunity, don't let the prices scare you. These people speak the truth that it is expensive to own a car, BUT this can be minimized. I park my car on the street, this is free. Insurance is higher, but depending on where you come from, it probably won't be unmanageable. Also, the public transportation is great, so if you do find a place to leave your car, you can take trains and busses everywhere you need to go.

Manhattan has places to park as well, but it is much more difficult. Your car may get dinged and scratched in any of the boroughs, but if you do park on the street there isn't much you can do. Garages can be had in Queens and Brooklyn for a few hundred a month typically if you have to park in a garage. The cost of living is high in NY, and owning a car can be expensive at times, but its a great place to live, so don't let the price alone deter you.

To answer your question: Having a car in NY is expensive, but can be manageable if you plan appropriately. However, it isn't necessary to have a car, and you can have more money to explore the city if you don't have one.

Good Luck,

Tim

[coco_m3]

PM me if you part out, I have a space grey 135i waiting for some parts... Good luck with the offer by the way!

[RootCanal05]

I've parked in 4 different garages with my 135, prices ranged from $200-$400/month. High prices didn't mean better treatment of my car. I have an obscene amount of bumper guards when I park there but they still manage to find the one spot on the bumper not protected. I tip generously, treat them with respect but stern with them when I see an attendant thinking my car is their toy. I also feed them with tasty treats and this seems to have bumped me up on the "VIP" list--meaning my car is always ready and in the front whereas other customers have to call to request the car. That being said, since 2009 total damage:
Broken driver's side window and damaged driver's inner door panel
New rear bumper and dent removed from trunk lid (idiot backed into a standpipe)
Dented and scratched rear driver's fender (idiot rubbed a building support beam)
1 stray cat marking up the interior
Constantly leaving the windows down causing the interior to be covered in dirt/dust
Someone left their finished breakfast on the driver's seat.
The passenger side is peppered with door dings and scratches.
My personal favorite is during the winter time the ceiling leaks and salt from above drips on your car. One guy thought he was doing me a favor by "washing" it for me which resulted in swirls and scratches. The only time the garage owned up to the damage was when they broke the window and the excuse was that "it just broke." After further questioning, the attendant forgot how to speak English. The garage paid for the repairs but it was a headache. I can only imagine the damage if it was street parked. My poor car.....

[t02t]

^ damn that sucks! but thanks for letting me know bout the garages...I was under the impression that you'd park the car yourself

And thanks for everyone contributing to the thread, I'm 80% going to NY, and most likely will be staying in brooklyn. Also means I'm most likely have to sell the car, pick up a beater if need be when I'm over there.

In the mean time, PM me if you got oem wheels or diffuser, gota unmod the car sigh