I need an advice from New Yorkers! Should I sell my car?

Question

I am moving to Manhattan in few weeks (from NJ)...
I still have to commute to Teaneck-NJ (About 10 miles to Manhattan) at least 3 days a week for school,
It would be easier and cheaper (i think so) to go there by car but parking is gonna be a problem in Manhattan.
So what do you think?
Should I sell my car and commute by bus or path?
or keep the car and find a cheap parking garage or park it on the Manhattan streets?

Answer 1

That totally depends on where you will be staying and timing. If you usually come back in the evening, after 6:00PM, most places in Manhattan will have parking spots. That is because most streets in commercial locations open up for parking after that time, or 7:00 PM. Problem is, these same spots will become restricted 12 hours later. So by 6 or 7 AM, you have to move your car out. If you go to school around these hours, that should not be a problem. There are spots in residential areas that can allow you to park for over 24 hours, but you will have to observe street cleaning regulations. On a certain day at a certain time, one side of the street must be free of parked cars for the city sweeper to go through.

When I lived in Manhattan and work in Elizabeth, NJ, I did not have a problem finding parking. I lived in a residential area just outside of Chinatown. My schedule was leaving at 8:00 AM and coming back between 5:30 PM and 6:00 PM. It was near a few schools, some of the staff and faculties who stay behind leave at those times. Which meant parking. Since I leave early in the morning, I never had to worry about street cleaning regulations, which happens around noon, and never on weekends. On weekends, I just leave my car in the spot.

Aside for parking, keep in mind of rush hour in Manhattan. If you are leaving Manhattan during the morning rush and coming back during the evening rush, then you should not have a problem. In the morning, everybody is trying to enter the city, so going out is a breeze, vice versa in the evening.

Check out the area of where you will be moving into. If you are comfortable with the timing, so that you will not get stuck in traffic and be able to find parking, then keep your car. If it becomes a hassle, then sell it and take mass transit.

Answer 2

If you think you will be registering the car in the city, check out the insurance rates and the cost for parking it. The figures should convince you to sell the car. You could also buy a membership in Zip cars or something like that so you would still have access to the rare times you might need one.

Answer 3

If your car is less than 5 years old, IMO: sell it and use the money for commuting costs. Too dangerous to try to park it on the streets - unless you don't care about dents and stuff. (That's also assuming you find a parking spot on the street.) Ditto for "cheap parking garage".

Answer 4

You should sell the car. But you should also know that the PATH train runs nowhere near Teaneck, it's going to have to be a bus commute.

Answer 5

you should sell your car. Not to mention
that nothing is ever really cheap in manhattan plus
by parking on the street your car could get dented and
the traffic is horrible. And it will be hard to find parking

Answer 6

I think you should sell your hard. It's very hard to drive around in Manhattan because there is always traffic and hard to park your car.

Answer 7

parking fees and the hassle of getting people to validate parking could be more trouble than it is worth. I would keep the car for the weekends and emergencies but uses other forms of mass transit to reach your destinations in the city.

Answer 8

I don't know how anyone could drive in Manhattan. It's not only parking, but also lunatic cab drivers. Jay walkers. Street construction.

Answer 9

no