Pros & Cons of having a car in NYC area? (New York: car rental, apartment) - City-Data Forum

SWV · 11-17-2009, 05:38 PM

I was supposed to be moving to NYC (Brooklyn) area after I finished college in 2011 but I decided I wanted to move sooner, so I made my official moving day in July of 2010.

My dad just bought me a new car like a month ago, and I know having a car in NYC can be very hectic.

So can anyone please tell me the pros and cons of having a car/vehicle in NYC?

Also, I will be asking a lot of questions about NYC so please I hope I won't be getting on any of you guys nerves.

heather347 · 11-17-2009, 06:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SWV

I was supposed to be moving to NYC (Brooklyn) area after I finished college in 2011 but I decided I wanted to move sooner, so I made my official moving day in July of 2010.

My dad just bought me a new car like a month ago, and I know having a car in NYC can be very hectic.

So can anyone please tell me the pros and cons of having a car/vehicle in NYC?

Also, I will be asking a lot of questions about NYC so please I hope I won't be getting on any of you guys nerves.

Cons
Traffic, especially Mahattan is a pain.
Expensive insurance.
Depending on the area of Brooklyn you might have a hard time parking.
Alternate side of the street parking-you have to move your car for street cleaning.

Pros
No waiting for the subway or cabs.
Easy to get around the outer boroughs

Viralmd · 11-17-2009, 06:30 PM

A car in NYC is a money sink. As much money as you can put in, it'll swallow up.

It's not that traffic is SO terrible. But garages in Manhattan START at 400/month. Alternate side of the street parking makes it very difficult to have a car and a full time job and NOT get a ticket at some point. And tickets are costly.

pureistheword · 11-17-2009, 06:43 PM

But for living in Brooklyn, it is helpful and easier. Insurance through, highly costly here.

gvillager · 11-17-2009, 07:07 PM

Car Sharing, an alternative to car rental and car ownership – Zipcar is by far the most cost effective option.

neonwattagelimit · 11-17-2009, 07:24 PM

It really depends on three factors:

1) How much you will be paying for insurance.
2) How difficult or easy it will be to park in your neighborhood.
3) How accustomed you are to big-city driving and parking.

In some parts of Brooklyn - Williamsburg, Sunset Park, Carroll Gardens - parking is not particularly difficult. In others - Park Slope, the Heights - it's a nightmare. Either way you will have to deal with alternate side. However, ease of finding parking plays into that as well - in areas with fairly easy parking, it's a nuisance, but tolerable, in areas with tough parking, it's a huge frustration and an endless stream of tickets.

Also, by "fairly easy parking," I mean "you'll be able to find a spot within a few blocks of your apartment." If you expect to be able to get out of your car and walk into your apartment, well, that's not going to happen much. Some people don't have a problem with this, and some people do. The traffic in Brooklyn can be bad, but outside rush hours it's generally alright. The roads kind of suck, though, and the drivers are aggressive. I don't think much of this because I'm used to it, but it bothers some people. This stuff is what I mean by big-city driving and parking.

Insurance depends on how old your car is. For a new car, it would be a whole lot, but for an older one, it's not too bad.

In general, I would say that having a car in Brooklyn is a) sometimes kind of nice, because you can go out of the way places easily and outer borough to outer borough public transit can be lacking, and b) sometimes kind of a hassle because of alternate side parking rules. I moved to Brooklyn a couple of months ago and may yet decide to get rid of my car, as it's not really necessary, but it's not a noose around my neck, either, so I'm in no rush to make up my mind.

Also, as to Viralmd's post: if for some reason you wind up in Manhattan, get rid of your car. Unless you are independently wealthy, it's just not worth it. In Brooklyn, though, it really depends.

Coney · 11-17-2009, 08:48 PM

A new car on the street is a target for vandalism and theft.

A car alarm is useless and just annoying. It will go off but you will be several blocks away from your parked car and never know.

Even if you can find parking where you live, it may not be easy to find parking where you want to so. You end up just not using it that much.

bmwguydc · 11-17-2009, 10:40 PM

There are many pros to having a vehicle, but the biggest aspect to make it a happy car ownership experience is parking. Parking in Brooklyn is not always the easiest, owing to the way the borough developed. If you're in an area like Park Slope or Brooklyn Heights, or any area dominated by brownstones, you are not going to have the option of off-street parking at your residence in most cases. Street parking can be a true hassle, and difficult to find in such areas as well. If you plan to keep the car, budget for a garage, even if it's a garage in Queens to which you take a bus or subway when you need the car.

Cons, aside from the tickets and parking, would include: maintenance/repairs on the vehicle from pothole/curb strikes; scuffs, dings, and scratches from street parking, or tight parking lot parking; and the need for more frequent regular maintenance because low-speed driving qualifies as severe use, regardless of mileage driven during the service interval. And, for some makes, it can be a challenge to find a good service department, or independent service station that is convenient. It can be a challenge to find a good service provider in many areas of the country, but owing to the costs of garage space in the city, it may not be a ten-minute drive from your front door to a good facility for your particular make/model.

Fred314X · 11-18-2009, 05:33 AM

Despite a lot of screaming and yelling to the contrary, it all boils down to this: if you want a car in New York City, you'll have one. "Need" isn't the issue, because you don't actually need one.

Cyclops99 · 11-18-2009, 08:21 AM

It really depends on where you are going to live in Brooklyn and where you plan on going with your car. You have to be more specific. I have a car and it is a lot more convenient. But I have a parking spot and I use to drive to places that have parking. I generally don't drive to manhattan...only at certain times when traffic isn't that bad.