Question for NYC M5'ers - The Unofficial BMW M5 Messageboard (m5board.com)

Jimmy Hill · 28th May 2002, 19:39

Allo All

this goes out to the M5 ers in the NYC area - There was another post about M5's in NYC but i didnt want to get lost - if u know what i mean

I am looking into NYC for my masters. 1 BIG PROBLEM - i have my beast and buy the time i hit school i will have two bikes.. I have never lived in NYC but i know i will want to live in town. WHAT IS THE DEAL WITH PARKING. No way in hell my beast and its little brothers will be on the streets.

Does a parking spot in an apartment double the rent - of course it is a case to case deal but what should i expect?? how much do i have to bribe the doorman etc???

what could u suggest - many have told me to get rid of my babies and live with out car, bike and garage payments. BUT I AM A ROAD GUY if i dont get out and drive i will go nuts

. Sure i can rent a car and i will not use my beast for day to day driving around town but i would rather keep it OF COURSE

any advice will help. Before i get lectured -I KNOW education is more imortant than cars - but i am just trying to have a plan of attack. if i get into a good NYC school i will go - regardles of the wheels.. but i know u all understand what is running through my mind

Thanks chaps

M5Mark

2001's X5/Z8 · 28th May 2002, 19:59

dependig upon where you live........parking 1 car in NYC can run from 250 to 800 a month.......but the 250 places you would not park a ford escort there......so it all depends upon where you are.....you should PM my brother "ZMAN" he lived in nyc for many years, he knows all the spots....

NYC_M5 · 28th May 2002, 20:47

I've been living in Manhattan a long time, and I share your perspective on needing "appropriate" transportation. I had a Porsche 911 for many years here in town, followed by a 540i and now the M5. In my opinion, once you know where you'll be living, it is well worth spending some time going into a lot of garages and determining which ones you like. Pricey locations bring with them very high costs as you might expect - some approaching $1,000 per month

It's worth it to walk a few blocks to save. You should also try to find someplace that will let you park yourself - my suggestion is that you only speak with the garage managers ( not the managing company, but the on-site mgr ), make it clear to them that you only need the car on weekends so they can bury you Mon - Fri, and make it clear that you're willing to give the guy $50 or if necessary $100 to close the deal. This will allow you to cover your car and put some protective padding around it ( even refrigerator boxes will work ). I do suggest you ditch the bikes. Finally, the cheaper alternative is to simply park outside Manhattan such as in Queens or Jersey City - you'll save money, but it will add to the hassle factor and risk. PM me when you sort out your location and I can get more specific.

TheBigGooch · 28th May 2002, 22:39

If you park in a garage you will need it to be covered of course. Aside from which they will **** up your bumpers like you wouldnt believe so expect to pay at least another $100 a year in tips to the garage manager to put your car in its own spot so it dosent get knocled cuase they pack the cars in. Other then tha ti will also tell you to expect dings and nicks in NY. Good luck.

zoom · 29th May 2002, 07:44

Having spent many years in the parking business while going to school, regular $$$ talks. Check out the lot for other good cars-- Porsche, Bentley, RR, as regulars. Befriend the manager and the attendant, and a regular medium tip is worth much more than a large occasional tip. Lack of turnover in attendents is also important. The manager may talk a good game but it is the attendant who drives you car, touches bumpers and opens all of the doors in tight spots. A good lot will treat its regular clients as well any professional service organization. I know many a manager who put several children through college and grad school, and have saved a lot on "tips"...no financial aid. Speak clearly about the service you want, what you will pay and look at the other cars as a reference. If you see many well kept, good, regular cars that is great (it will cost you). See none--beware. But if you keep a car in NYC, becareful when you use it ot go to dinner of somewhere else--- it only takes a second to get a ding.

sfm5 · 29th May 2002, 08:41

It's funny I had the same questions when I was moving back to NYC.

Now I am here, with Beast, and doing ok.

The occassional pothole and the characteristic poor roads make each shot a punch to the stomach (literally), but aside from the increased stress to the chassis (and losing the vault feeling), the M5 holds up quite well on the NYC roads.

I had the same concerns about garages, but ended up doing my research and walking around the neighborhood. I'm a bit of a schmoozer so ended up having conversations with a bunch of the garage managers. Ended up with a garage that I felt had good people, and then called the Management company (which usually has no idea about the actual location), and bargained my way down to a price that was lower than what the on-site manager had propositioned.

A couple of tips: Stay away from the icon parking guys. They all ask you "what kind of car is it?" reply: "midsize sedan." The minute I said BMW, the price shot up $300. These are the guys who wear the cheap shirts with black bowties and speak with broken english. After having one of the representatives reply with the impromptu $500 estimate, I wrote these guys off completely.

I would run with the GMC parking garages: they speak perfect english, know the city, and have so far treated me right. I got lucky and got a good price (under $300) for an indoor garage with valet parking. I have gotten to know the guys very well, and they even wash the M5 for me (water restrictions in NY!) in the basement for $20. Very upstanding gentlemen. Perhaps it was the following that impressed me the most: the manager says to me, "any place that says they won't ding your car is lying to you -- but we will try our best to take care of your baby." Bingo. The truth.

So far, no major dings, and I use the car of weekends to (like you), satisfy my motor-head-inklings

.

More info, send me a PM and we'll exchange emails. Always willing to help out a fellow M5'er.

Good luck.

Danish · 29th May 2002, 10:31

sfm5,
you mention that your M5 has lost its vault feeling? I take it you mean that the chassis has lost stiffness and rigidity? Is that due to large potholes or just generally uneven roads? How many miles did it take before it lost that feeling of being milled out of one solid block of metal? I am interested in this since I think I can feel a difference in my cars today compared to how they felt two years ago. We don't have large potholes over here though.

Michael

sfm5 · 30th May 2002, 06:29

I only have about 13k on my car, but living in SF and NYC, the roads are pretty uneven. In NYC, especially of course. It still has a vaultlike feeling, but I've noticed some more creaking lately. Only takes a few major potholes to make it happen. Of course the roads are VERY uneven in NYC, so the creaking is more apparent on these roads. On the NJ Turnpike, though (Smooth), the car is still as solid as a rock!

TheBigGooch · 30th May 2002, 06:42

Quote:

Originally posted by sfm5
. On the NJ Turnpike, though (Smooth), the car is still as solid as a rock!

Especially southbound on the eastern spur going towards exit 17 once you pass the vince lombardi. During off hours you can easily hit 130...then you run out of room. But its a VERY nice stretch of road.