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I thought about how much I'm actually paying for car ownership if I were to buy one.. it's pretty much $20,000/year for 5 years, not including maintenance.
$71,000 for the car
$200/month insurance
$200/month parking
$50/month gas
Starting to second guess if it's really worth it now.
Not owning one would allow me to raise my rent budget a bit and invest the savings..
Far more than 20k. Just the number you listed will amount to $450 per month, or 27k over 5 years. Plus the installments on a 71k car. And, you don't want to drive a 71k car in JC. Trust me.
Far more than 20k. Just the number you listed will amount to $450 per month, or 27k over 5 years. Plus the installments on a 71k car. And, you don't want to drive a 71k car in JC. Trust me.
Hmm. That's a good point. Expensive car in the city isn't a good idea..
I guess I will have to postpone the car purchase until I'm in the suburbs.. if it ever happens. In a suburb now and I don't like having to drive everywhere.
If you live close to the PATH or Light rail in Jersey City, you won't need a car that much. Most of the town is walkable. And the PATH can take you to NYC in minutes. Unless you live in one of the big high rises, then parking is a pain.
Save yourself some headache and don't buy the car. Use Zip-car or EWR airport car rentals for short-term excursions.
Second the comments on renting a car when necessary. Say you spend $150 (including gas, marginal insurance, etc) for a car rental twice a month (nowadays, there's different options, even some private car owners are renting out their cars for the weekend, increasing the available supply). That's $300 a month, which might be the cost of a garage alone, never mind insurance, depreciation, etc
Even in areas far from the path, there's usually buses (and even some jitney lines available), and the light rail, so mobility shouldn't be a huge issue for most trips.
My personal opinion on the matter is that it's worth it to have a car, it's not worth it to have an expensive car. Even if you live near the Path, having the option to get out of the city on weekends, or down the shore, or wherever, is a really nice option to have. We moved from TX 10 years ago and are still amazed at all of the interesting places that are within a 2-3 hour drive.
The reason I say it's not worth it having an expensive car is that a) you won't drive it too frequently and b) it's a city so will get ding'd up. It's just a fact of life around here.
So yes the S4 is a great car, but if you're only using it once per week it doesn't make a ton of sense (unless you're swimming in cash, at that point do whatever you want).
I don’t have experience with that, but I would say no. Because you are likely talking about street parking then instead of a garage.
Indeed!
Many years ago, I had to attend a family funeral, in JC. Wound up staying overnight at one of my aunt's houses, and no, she didn't even have a driveway, let alone a garage. I had to park my 2 week old car on the street. It wasn't a fancy car, but still and all, it was brand new. I got up the next morning, to head home, to find that my car was "3rd base" in a game of stickball.............
When I moved back from overseas I was staying with my parents for a few months at their place which was 3 blocks from the light rail. I had been living overseas for 2 years without a car and then 12 years before that in Philly with no car and I didn't find that part of the transition difficult - if anything it was easier because when I came back Uber/Lyft and Instacart were a normal part of everyday life.
The light rail and PATH together form a pretty solid network. You can get to a lot of things. If you have a car in Texas the biggest transition/learning curve is making a mental map of where everything is, what you'll be passing on your way to/from so that you can take care of multiple errands on your way home.
As far as weekends go, the city is going to keep you busy for a long time, you can get to a lot more places on NJTransit, LIRR, and MetroNorth, and when you do need a car to get somewhere off the beaten path, just rent one. It's not worth the hassle and expense of having a car there.
^Agree. And you may find you "need" a car less often than you think. I rent one maybe 3-4 times a year. I use uber/Lyft maybe once a month. PATH, walking, and a bicycle really get me most places I need to go on a daily basis, and the other transit systems get me farther afield when I need to go farther afield.
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