4 ms·

No it's absolutely not cheaper to drive your family into the city. You said owning+driving a car; did you really take into account ownership costs (maintenance,

by kccqzy 1y ago

No it's absolutely not cheaper to drive your family into the city. You said owning+driving a car; did you really take into account ownership costs (maintenance, insurance etc) and driving costs (tolls, parking)? Just the cost of parking alone dwarfs the cost of the train.

IshKebab 1y ago
Sure but most families need a car anyway, and once you have one the costs of ownership, maintenance, insurance etc. are irrelevant to the costs of individual trips.
- const_cast 1y ago
  Most families in NYC do not need to own a car, and in fact most don't. But even then we have to consider marginal costs. Owning one car is better than two or three. Here in Texas, it's not uncommon to see households with 4 or 5 cars. That's expensive.
  - somecontext 1y ago
    According to this graphic https://www.hunterurban.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Car-Light-NYC-Infographics-May-2024.pdf https://www.hunterurban.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Car-L... 57.3% of children (0--18yo) are in a household with a car. There's a weighting issue here, but I'd still bet that most families in NYC have a car.
    - const_cast 1y ago
      Well 57% is most, although that doesn't account for having multiple kids in one household. Either way it's close, and the closer you get to Manhattan the higher that number goes. Remember, there are over 8 million people in NYC, and over 12 million during the work day.
- Mawr 1y ago
  You want to buy a second-hand car. What's the first thing you check? Yep, the mileage. The cost of a car is basically down to its depreciation, which is basically down to its mileage.
  - IshKebab 1y ago
    It's not only the mileage. Age is very important too. Look at any car advert - it's the age that is highlighted first. Mileage only if it is unusually low. Many components degrade simply due to time, especially things like rubber seals.
aqme28 1y ago
A family of 4 is charged $2.90x2 in subway fares, which is more than the $15 congestion price for a car.

by kccqzy 1y ago

IshKebab 1y ago

Sure but most families need a car anyway, and once you have one the costs of ownership, maintenance, insurance etc. are irrelevant to the costs of individual trips.

const_cast 1y ago
Most families in NYC do not need to own a car, and in fact most don't. But even then we have to consider marginal costs. Owning one car is better than two or three. Here in Texas, it's not uncommon to see households with 4 or 5 cars. That's expensive.
- somecontext 1y ago
  According to this graphic https://www.hunterurban.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Car-Light-NYC-Infographics-May-2024.pdf https://www.hunterurban.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Car-L... 57.3% of children (0--18yo) are in a household with a car. There's a weighting issue here, but I'd still bet that most families in NYC have a car.
  - const_cast 1y ago
    Well 57% is most, although that doesn't account for having multiple kids in one household. Either way it's close, and the closer you get to Manhattan the higher that number goes. Remember, there are over 8 million people in NYC, and over 12 million during the work day.
Mawr 1y ago
You want to buy a second-hand car. What's the first thing you check? Yep, the mileage. The cost of a car is basically down to its depreciation, which is basically down to its mileage.
- IshKebab 1y ago
  It's not only the mileage. Age is very important too. Look at any car advert - it's the age that is highlighted first. Mileage only if it is unusually low. Many components degrade simply due to time, especially things like rubber seals.

aqme28 1y ago

A family of 4 is charged $2.90x2 in subway fares, which is more than the $15 congestion price for a car.