Living in the Big Apple is not easy, but many dream of the day when they will be able to call New York their home. Given the number of people in this big city and the lack of space, you will eventually ask yourself if it’s worth owning a car in NY. The iconic image of transportation in this city is the yellow cab, but there are also people who do own a car. Before you decide which option is the best one for you, here are some facts about car ownership in NY.
You are prone to tickets
If you hate cops you probably should sell your car for cash and rely on the cab. New York is famous for the number of tickets given by police each day. These guys are very serious about their job and there is a reason for this: the number of cars in the city. When there are so many cars, people do need to obey the rules, so the cops are very severe, even with the smallest mistake.
And because parking spaces are so hard to find, the tickets for parking violations are really expensive.
Insurance
Where there are many cars and the traffic is crowded, the number of accidents is big. Few car owners get away without dents or scratches on their cars, especially because you will probably park it on the streets, as there are few garages in the city. This means the insurance companies are going to ask for high policies. Another reason for this is the fact there are many car thieves in NYC and the number of thefts is considerably bigger than it is in other cities.
Traffic problems
Every big city has its own traffic problems and New York is no different. Traffic jams, lots of accidents, lots of missed appointments are all part of the daily routine. This is also the reason many people choose to travel on the subway.
The gas price
One of the highest expenses for car owner is the gas, which is significantly higher in New York, compared to other cities. There are car owners who choose to drive all the way to the next city in order to fill their tank because the total cost is lower than filling up the tank in New York. But NY is not the only big city where the price of the gas is higher, so you just need to do your calculations and see if driving your own car is worth the cost.
Before you decide if you need to get a car, you have to put down all the costs involved in owning a car. When you see the costs of renting a car, you instantly get scared, because they seem to be so high, but after calculating all the costs involved in car ownership, you might change your mind.
Take into consideration the fact you can always take a Lyft or Uber if you need to travel by car. At the end of the day, it might be significantly cheaper to rely on public transportation and car sharing services instead of owning a car.
