Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with car and NYC

How can I learn NYC's street repair status?

mhz — Sun, 13 Sep 2009 08:08:30 -0800

How can I learn NYC's street repair status? Is it possible to learn the scheduled start/stop of road repairs in New York City? They're always fixing roads, and every once in a while another stretch is 'scratched' up (whatever it is that they do,) and is a pain to drive on and downright scary to bike on.

Is there a place to find out when these projects are scheduled for? When they're at least supposed to end? All I could find with Google was bridge and tunnel status, nothing about regular street.

Should anyone have specific current information, right now I'm concerned mainly with Bedford Avenue from approximately Willoughby to Flushing, as well as the few blocks of Flatbush Avenue that are currently scratched.

Thanks!

help me thrive with a car in nyc

jak68 — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 20:07:15 -0800

NYC parking filter - I need to know what you know. I'm going to have a car in manhattan around 125th street.

I didnt want to have a car up here but i'm stuck with it now.

Can you help me make my car-in-NY experience a bit more bearable?

I will learn the alternate side of street parking rules in my neighborhood. But -- is it true that once the street cleaner passes by, you can go park your car back where it was, even if the official time slot for no parking (for instance, 8:30-10) isnt over yet? The street cleaner doesnt come back, does it?

Is it true that the street cleaner comes by at around the same time for a given street, each time that it comes by? For instance, if I observe it coming by at 9:30AM on a given street, will it come by around 9:30 AM again the next tues or thurs?

So could I just sit in the car a bit before the expected time, wait to see the cleaner, drive around the block and park once more where I was once the cleaner has left that street?

Is it worthwhile to park waaaay far away like in queens even tho i live in manhattan? I hear the parking rules are much less oppressive there, with alternate side parking only once a week instead of twice.

Is it worth finding out "good parking neighborhoods" along the #1 subway train going uptown, parking up there and taking the subway back?

So what kinds of things did you do to survive NYC parking? Can it actually become bearable?

thanks!

Out of state used car headache

zvs — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 18:44:26 -0800

I'm looking into buying a used car, and found a pretty good looking one from a colleague in New Jersey. I live in Brooklyn. How the heck does this work? Parking and title questions follow... I've never bought a car before, so it's all new to me. If I buy this car, the original owner has to take the plates off -- then I guess I'll need a NY in-state temporary plate to get it to my house.

Problem 1: Do I just leave it in NJ until I manage to get NY plates? Do I have to get title to get a transfer plate, or does that include title? The website is less than clear.

Problem 2: Where the heck do I keep it? Will I get ticketed if it's on the street? Will I get ticketed for moving an unplated car during street cleaning?

Problem 3: Where do I pay sales tax?

Anybody done this before?

It's cheaper in LA.

SLC Mom — Sun, 02 Aug 2009 16:32:20 -0800

Is there a cheaper way to rent a car at JFK? I will be in the New York area Aug. 27-30, and need a car for the 4 days: Thursday Morning to Sunday evening. The cheapest car I can find on line is $72 a day!!! I am more accustomed to paying $20-30 a day (plus gas) in my local airport zone. Is this rate typical for New York? Are there cheaper car-rental options?

Quibbler-filter: 1. I already bought tickets. So it will be JFK.
2. I do need a car, as I will be driving out of the city with huge amounts of luggage.

Zipcar Update?

The Whelk — Thu, 28 May 2009 13:35:30 -0800

Daytrip Dreamin': I've read the previous question about Zipcars in NYC, but it's about a year old and I have some specific questions. I am considering joining, but have heard that the availability is not terrific. What's it like for a daytrips out of the city? Any big problems? Does it make sense if you're only planning to use it 2 or three times a year?

To find a misplaced laptop in NYC?

unknowncommand — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 23:05:13 -0800

My roommate just left his laptop in a car (from a car service) that he flagged down (i.e. he doesn't know what service it was) in Greenpoint (NYC). Is he totally screwed?

Cheap travel from Delaware to NYC?

viewofdelft — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 13:23:54 -0800

What are the cheapest ways to get from Newark, Delaware, to New York City? I'm a research assistant at the University of Delaware and as part of a long and wonkish I-95 corridor project, we've decided to produce a map or informational pamphlet letting students know the cheapest ways to get from here (Newark, Delaware) to New York City.

A few things to keep in mind:
1. Any mode of transportation is fair game (air, rail, highway, seaports, etc.), as is any type of vehicle (plane, train, automobile, bus, shoes, etc.).
2. Be creative, but within reasonable limits of safety (i.e., no airmailing oneself).
3. It's alright if many of the suggested travel methods begin in Philadelphia (and maybe even Baltimore) if these departure points are more familiar to you.
4. Cost is the most important factor, although I don't want to discourage that outlandish teleportation idea you've been waiting to uncork.

After we've completed the map or pamphlet, I'll contact each of the contributors about mailing them a finished product. Thank you.

First-time car seller looking for best way to sell a car in NYC

dcjd — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 08:55:45 -0800

First-time car seller looking for best way to sell a car in NYC? I moved to Manhattan a few months ago, and I brought my car with me. I hardly ever use it now, and its costing me a lot of money and aggravation. I'm thinking that it might be time to get rid of it, however, I've never sold a car before.

What's the best method to get rid of my car and not get ripped off? Should I have the car inspected before listing it, or is that something the buyer would want to do themselves? I'd like to be safe, as I'm sure there are plenty of people on craigslist who might try to scam me out of my vehicle. The car is registered in NY, gets decent gas mileage, and I have the title to it.

Not saving a bunch of money on my car insurance...

kdar — Wed, 12 Dec 2007 19:08:07 -0800

Car in PA, registered in DC, now living (and insured) in NY. Geico wants a LOT of money from me. I don't want to pay NY rates. What can I do? I have Geico insurance. I moved to NYC in August and left my car at my girlfriend's parent's house in Pennsylvania. I have a DC license, a New York address, and DC tags on the car. (Yes, I realize that the DC tags and registration are probably illegal, as is the DC license technically. Please don't lecture me.)

The plan is, and has been for months, to get it out to California for my girlfriend to use while she's in graduate school. Unfortunately, until that happens, Geico picked up my change of address and is charging me for NYC insurance. I think they assume that I've registered the car in NY too. This costs $900/yr more than DC did, and this is something that I don't particularly want to spend money on, if possible. I can afford it, but just barely, and I don't want to spend extra money on insurance for a car that's not and never will be in the city it's insured in.

What are some good options -- other than selling the car, which I'm not prepared to do -- to deal with this insurance nightmare?

Bonus points for good suggestions for getting it out to Cali.

NYC car battery replacement?

ofthestrait — Wed, 24 Oct 2007 10:59:53 -0800

I have a 1995 Ford Thunderbird in NYC/upper Manhattan. I suspect my battery is dead. Where can I get it replaced? Here's the full story: I have a 95 t-bird with an aftermarket alarm system. After moving it for street cleaning the other day, my friend tried to turn the car on and roll down the window. You have to press a green button on the keyfob to disengage the alarm system, and nothing was happening when I pressed the button. However, when we tried to just close the door, the alarm system would start up, but choppily, like it was on a battery that was dead. So we pop the hood and the terminals on the battery are all gunked up with what I assume is acid? I had to run to class, so to solve the problem I just disconnected the portion of the alarm system that makes noise (which is literally a small loudspeaker attached to some part of my engine), closed the door, whatever.

Today I went and cleaned off the negative terminal with some steel wool (although I couldn't get the damn thing off the actual battery). And now when I press the green alarm button, the lock/unlock on the door actually pops up and down, so I think that part is working, but the car still won't start or even turn over and the window won't roll up (it's like halfway). The battery was installed in March 2002 so I guess it's due for a new battery. Problem is, I can't move the car, and I don't really have the tools to get the terminal off so I can't replace the battery myself. Is there some service that will just come over to where I am (116th/Amsterdam) and install a new battery? Or can someone recommend a place nearby that can tow my car and pop a new battery in? Preferably inexpensively, but I'm more concerned about making sure my car works.

Second question: any idea how much it would cost to remove/disable the alarm system? It's really a pain in the ass with how temperamental is, and I'd rather just use the Club or something.

Thanks in advance.

Where to garage a car near Manhattan for a few months at least?

dcjd — Mon, 24 Sep 2007 08:41:40 -0800

ManhattanParkingFilter: I am moving up to Manhattan and I need a garage to keep my car for at least a couple of months, while I decide what to do with it. I don't actually need my car to be in Manhattan, but fairly close would be nice. I would need subway or PATH access to my car. I looked at garages in Hoboken, which I believe are around $300/month for a non-hoboken resident. I do not want to do the opposite-side street parking thing in Manhattan. (My schedule over the coming weeks or months might be unpredictable, so I'm willing to pay something to have my car in a safe location.) I also would like to avoid further vandalism to my car! Thanks!

How to get the most out of driving a car regularly?

lalochezia — Thu, 19 Jul 2007 06:10:45 -0800

How do you deal with or adapt to Car Culture? Tips on driving, things to do in/with the car, strategies to deal with traffic, autos, parking, life-on-the-road in general please. Also: any specific Southern California driving/car advice. So, I'm moving to east-of-LA from NYC. I've lived without a car for nearly 15 years: in those years, I've driven, on average, one day a month, with some years where I've driven once or twice. Now I'll be driving every day, for my commute, errands, social activities, etc.

I've narrowed my list of cars to buy based on Consumer reports and trawling the web, bought a GPS that reads audiobooks to me, have my insurance lined up. I'm a confident and reasonably skilled driver, but will happily take advice from seasoned veterans about techniques for driving. More specifically:

What other things can I do now and what good habits can I get into to make driving efficient, fun, safe and a positive rather than a negative?

I'd be particularly interested if anyone knows of resources/articles on how-to-live-life-behind-wheels-nicely.

Car seats in the city

pomegranate — Fri, 16 Mar 2007 11:31:13 -0800

Car seats in cabs/cars for hire in NYC? We're going to NYC with our two-week old. (Long story, we know it's not recommended to travel so early, we gotta go.) The only time we will be in a car will be from the airport to the city. Do we need to bring a car seat, and if so, do we need to tell the car service about it ahead of time? Do car services have them available so we don't have to drag one with us?

Parking ticket

MrMulan — Fri, 12 May 2006 05:46:13 -0800

I just got a ticket for parking at a commercial meter in NYC. Can I leave the car there for the rest of the day or do I need to move it?

get my mom to park slope

alkupe — Thu, 16 Feb 2006 05:43:59 -0800

hiring a car/limo for my mother in law My mother-in-law arrives today to JFK airport. I live in park slope brooklyn. I've been tasked with hiring her some kind of car so that she won't need to deal with cabs or directions here. I could use a brooklyn car service, but was thinking it'd be cool to have someone waiting for her with a sign. Who do i call for that? is it prohibitively expensive? other ideas? Concern is that if i call a regular car service, they won't be good at finding her.

Stuck with loud car alarms -- help me get sleep!

Vidiot — Wed, 02 Nov 2005 03:41:30 -0800

Do I have any real options in dealing with loud car alarms? (Short of taking a brick to the windshield, which is what I really want to do.) I live in NYC on a usually-quiet residential street, but often at night a car alarm will go off for maybe 20 minutes straight, or a truck will rumble by and set off alarms on five or ten different cars simultaneously.

I'm planning to identify the offending cars and leave polite notes under the windshield wipers...which I'm sure will be ignored. The City Council speaker has specifically ruled out banning loud car alarms, and I doubt I could get the NYPD to enforce the noise ordinance. (Will calling 311 actually do anything?) Am I doomed to waking up several times a night?

Also: has a car alarm ever stopped a thief?

Good car window shop in NYC?

Stynxno — Fri, 30 Jul 2004 14:41:18 -0800

NYC Filter: I need to replace a window on my car and I was wondering if anyone in the NYC area could recommend a good car - window shop; bonus points if they'll come to me rather than having me drive to them.