Car storage in New York City

[Hitch]

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So I'll be travellin' to NYC for residency. I won't be using my car much but I still want to keep it so I can get out of the city from time to time. Does anyone know of any decently priced car storage options in or close to the city? Thanks.

 

[chicamedica]

As a soon to be newyorker, I too would like to find out. I just got a car last year and would be sad to part with it so soon 🙁

 

[stumpjumper94]

Its going to be tough. I felt the same way and have a sweet car that I really do not want to part with. I will be starting my residency in nyc in July and after calculating the costs, there's just no way of keeping it. For me, it'll probably cost me around an extra $340/month (parking + out of state car insurance) for a car I might use twice a month. You can do a lot with that extra money. Your only hope is to find super cheap housing or find outside income such as moonlighting.

 

[Hitch]

I'm not sure what you mean about "out of state" insurance. Are you on a family policy or something? I got an in-state quote for $1000 per year or thereabouts for insurance. Concerning the physical location of the car, I'm definately not talking about "parking" as such. That's definately out of my budget. I'm asking about storage/housing. So far I saw an ad for a "garage system" for $160 a month. That seems reasonable but I'd like to go lower. Maybe $100 or less. I don't mind if the storage is in the boroughs or even NJ. Does anyone know of anything?

 

[APACHE3]

Your question is why I did not apply to any NYC hospitals...residency is tough enough without spending extra brain power and ($) on where to park my car!!! geez. I know the hospitals have reputations, but really. Ok, I'll put some more salt to the wound, I close on my 3 BR, 2 bath, hardwood floors, front yard and fenced backyard home next week, with no money down doctor loan..and I'll get to decide which side of my 2 car garage I will park. hmm tough decision. Just kidding. GL!

 

[Danger Man]

As a soon to be newyorker, I too would like to find out. I just got a car last year and would be sad to part with it so soon 🙁

I would check craigslist nyc.

 

[Dr.Nick Riveria]

So I'll be travellin' to NYC for residency. I won't be using my car much but I still want to keep it so I can get out of the city from time to time. Does anyone know of any decently priced car storage options in or close to the city? Thanks.

I'm in the same situation. I am thinking of looking in NJ- specifically jersey city 'cause you could just take the path and it's proably cheaper than NYC.

 

[chicamedica]

I'm in the same situation. I am thinking of looking in NJ- specifically jersey city 'cause you could just take the path and it's proably cheaper than NYC.

"the path". . .is that like a huge highway or something? 😀

 

[Dr.Nick Riveria]

"the path". . .is that like a huge highway or something? 😀

"the path" = Port Authority Trans-Hudson Corporation (PATH) is a rail transit system that serves as the primary transit link between Manhattan and neighboring New Jersey urban communities and suburban railroads. It's fast and cheap($1.50)!

 

[irrka]

they definitely have tons of parking lots around path stations; i just dont know if any of them are long-term/storage type lots, since mostly it seems like they're for commuters

 

[captaincrunch]

The cost of car storage in Manhattan is very expensive (it can reach $400/month), depending on the neighborhood. If your residency program offers parking at their hospital (some offer it if you don't live in their housing), you may get lucky, but your best bet is probably to get rid of the car. I live in Manhattan, and almost never need one. Insurance is also very expensive in New York, thanks to difficult driving conditions, high robbery rates and many lawsuits. This will only add to your expense. When you add all of the costs together, it would be cheaper to rent a car for those moments when you want to escape from the city. Getting to NJ or an outer burough will be a big hassle.

If you plan on driving to your residency site, you can consider street parking in New York. Just remember that alternate-side parking requires cars to be moved multiple times/week, so if you aren't driving to work it won't be possible to do this. Also, street parking takes a lot of time, your car will be progressively more damaged and there is a good chance your car will eventually be robbed. Just my two cents.

 

[geekOCD]

As a native new yorker whose family had a car for many years and then gave it up, I'll second the general inconvenience and expensiveness of having a car in the city. If you're outside of Manhattan, it can be worth it just for commuting purposes (though of course, not necessary). But within Manhattan? You'll be waking up before 6am to move your car to the other side of the street every other day, not to mention circling a 5 block radius around your apartment for 20min. to find a spot (if you're unwilling to pay the $200+/month garage fees), plus concerns like theft (our car battery was stolen at least 4 times, in front of a police precinct!), damage, etc. That said, plenty of people DO have cars in manhattan (hey, the competition for parking comes from somewhere) so it's doable. If you want to get out of the city sometimes, find cool places to go on the various trains (path, metro north, etc.) or the daily china town buses which go to other N.E. cities (boston, philly, D.C., etc.) for nearly nothing.

 

[ExtraCrispy]

As others have said, I wouldn't recommend a car if you plan to live IN Manhattan. That said, if you live in one of the boroughs, a car could actually be pretty helpful - and doable.

I live in Riverdale, a neighborhood at the tip of the Bronx. For me to get to the hospital every day via public transportation would take an hour and involves waiting at a bus stop in a sketchy area ofthe Bronx - and this is during daylight hours when the buses run frequently, without mention of the early hours of the morning on a surgical service.

Driving, however, takes just twenty minutes. So, I drive. I live in an apartment complex witih a free lot out back, and when that's full I do my best parking on the street. Street parking in Manhattan is a nightmare, but it's much more doable in my neighborhood.

When I get to the hospital, I park in a garage beneath one of the residence halls. The rate is $135/month.

Basically, I think it's important to weigh which is more important to you - having the car, or living in the hub of Manhattan? If it's the latter, you should probably opt to sell the car or have a family member hold it for you. If the former is true, and you can't bear to part with the car, I'd advise looking into housing in Jersey or in one of the boroughs and commuting into the city each day.