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I currently do the reverse commute daily from my apt. in NY up to CT, and after 2 years on the train (and shuttle bus) have had enough. Over the last month, I borrowed a car and have discovered that the drive is MUCH more enjoyable (and shorter) than the train. And after a couple of tickets, I think I finally have parking on the street down to a science.
So my only concern now is that I was planning on purchasing a small convertible of my own to complete my daily trek, but have heard from several people that the car is surely going to be vandalized (top cut open and broken into). None of these people have ever lived in the city, so I'm not 100% sure they know what they are talking about, but they have put the idea into my head . Does anyone have any experience parking a convertible on the streets of NYC (East Midtown area)? Any advice is greatly appreciated!
A convertible on the street daily??? A new convertible on the street daily??? Yikes, I would not want the insurance premium on that car! If parking on the street, I'd seriously look into a retractable hard top convertible, either that or get a garage in which to park.
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All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players: they have their exits and their entrances; and one man in his time plays many parts, his acts being seven ages.
~William Shakespeare (As You Like It Act II, Scene VII)
Not only are convertibles with soft tops easy targets, they're FREEZING in the winter.
Actually I have to disagree! I have only owned convertables (2 to be exact) my whole life and I have never been cold in the winter as long as the heat is on. I think they get a little warmer than SUVs since the roof is lower and it makes a little cosier. They actually heat up very fast and stay pretty warm. And I lived in the artic tundra of the NE ohio snow belt. I commuted to school and work every day in my convertable
Forget the convertible..... How on earth are you going to find parking in Midtown on the street...????? Better start working overtime for a garage! I can't even stop to drop my granny off at the doctor's office by Park Row. I TRY to avoid stopping/parking in midtown!
I'm not concerned with the cold weather (I've owned convertibles before). Also, I'm unfortunately unable to afford a hard top convertible, although that would be nice! Currently I'm looking at MR2 spyders (they go for around $9k) and I'm not overly concerned with getting it dinged up.
As I said before, I borrowed my brothers car for a month and found parking surprisingly easy (as long as you park between the hours of 7pm and 8am weekdays. I unfortunately never get out of work much before 7, and am always out of the city by 8.
When you think about it, is there really that much of a difference between cutting open a convertible top and breaking a window to get into a car?
My friend recently (last year) had her early 1990s beige Toyota Corolla's window broken so that they could steal her non-functioning radio/CD player. This was in the lower east side (teens). the same car had it's trunk broken into & contents stolen when parked in Chinatown.
Friends of mine mine used to park a Cabrio on the street, since they only had one garage space, and they had an ignition immobilizer, Lo-Jack, and a removable radio. They left absolutely nothing in the vehicle save for some change, and left the doors unlocked. The strategy worked as the top was never cut, and the car was never stolen, but the "tip" they left in the form of the change kept the car intact. It used to be common to see "No Radio" signs in windows of parked cars all over the city, especially Volkswagens that were notoriously easy for a thief to grab a radio in seconds.
There's little that one can do to stop a professional thief from getting the car, but it's the joyrider and/or the property thief that you need to combat. I would upgrade to a detachable faceplate stereo and recommend a Lo-Jack be installed, since many insurance companies give a discount for theft recovery systems. You might also consider a good alarm system that includes pressure sensors, tilt sensors, and a proximity motion sensor (a must for a convertible). The better proximity sensors send out a pre-warning alert to indicate that the car alarm is armed and the perimeter has been breached. This could be annoying in the city, however, if the sensors are too sensitive, hence why a two-stage system might be best that sounds a warning first. One thing, though, with an aftermarket alarm, be sure that you're dealing with a competent installer, not an electronics super store. There are places in Westchester and Fairfield that are competent.
__________________
All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players: they have their exits and their entrances; and one man in his time plays many parts, his acts being seven ages.
~William Shakespeare (As You Like It Act II, Scene VII)
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. Does anyone have any experience parking a convertible on the streets of NYC (East Midtown area)? Any advice is greatly appreciated!
Better start working overtime for a garage!
I can't even stop to drop my granny off at the doctor's office by Park Row. I TRY to avoid stopping/parking in midtown!
depends
