[max6spd]

So, my wife and I are toying with the idea of commuting into Manhattan for work everyday. We work blocks from each other and the cost of taking mass transportation is about even with driving in and parking the car in a lot. Go figure.

Problem is we don't really want to add another car to our stable and have to pay insurance for another car, but my wife can't drive my FSXT because its a stick. We have the Honda Pilot, but that's the kid-mobile and we both agreed not to put the wear and tear on that.

I hope I can find someone with a similar year, mileage, condition Forester as mine. I may be able to find someone who has an AT and is missing a MT. Although I don't think I can find anyone with the same mileage, but we can work something out. I'd want to keep some of my mods though (wheels, seats, and preferably lights), but everything else would pretty much stay.

Or I can find someone with an SG5 XT or SH XT and give or take some $$$. Or because it would be a daily driver to go NA?

Or do I just sell it outright and get something completely different. I'd like to stay with Subaru or at least something AWD.

What do you think?

 

[damu0703]

I am confused...you are toying with the idea of commuting into the city
every day. I imagine you are both going in together in the same vehicle?
If so, why don't you just drive? Why do anything different? Unless I am
missing something?

 

[pleiad7]

Hmm... I'd probably keep the miles off both cars and take public transport if it's conveniently available. :shrug:

 

[Canonshooter]

LIRR to Penn Station. The hassle of taking a car into Manhatten just isn't worth it.

 

[max6spd]

Well, while we always go in together in the morning, we can't always leave at the same time. Sometimes one of us has to stay late (usually me once or twice a week), but one of us has to leave on time to relieve my mother-in-law who watches our toddler during the day. Yes, we could continue to take mass transportation, but the fares are going up and the service is going down. Less trains means overcrowding. Budget cuts means trains are getting dirtier. And if we drive in together and drive home together, we can enjoy each other's company because when we're home, our daughter is in charge. :biggrin:

 

[Immerkuhl]

Teach your wife to drive a stick?

 

[funkymonkey1002]

Should have kept the old XT!

 

[SubaruGirl]

Teaching her to drive a stick is a very good idea! Plus if something ever happened where she actually may need to drive your car it is a really good set of skills to have. Just be patient and start off in a big parking lot.

 

[Peaty]

Yes have her learn a stick but do yourselves a favor, have someone other than you teach her. Trust me on this

It's harder on a marriage than wallpapering together, and that's saying something...

 

[Immerkuhl]

Teaching her to drive a stick is a very good idea! Plus if something ever happened where she actually may need to drive your car it is a really good set of skills to have. Just be patient and start off in a big parking lot.

My wife hasn't driven a stick since high school, but she already picked it back up in the FXT. The 5 speed is pretty forgiving to first timers, IMO. PLus if you have hill holder thats la huge weight off a beginners mind.

 

[Immerkuhl]

Yes have her learn a stick but do yourselves a favor, have someone other than you teach her. Trust me on this

This too. :lol:

 

[Arthrogrian19]

I hate it when (able-bodied) people say they can't drive a stick... If I can do it, it's just a matter of learning and practicing.

Public transit is always a great option, if it works with your schedules.

 

[stan_t]

If someone does not want to drive a manual, forcing them to learn isn't a good solution. It can be a very stressful chore in a big city for someone who is not into it. You'll pay for it in the end with arguments and clutch replacement costs. If she doesn't mind driving it, it's a different story.

Assuming you don't want to sell the car, only other options are taking public transportation, driving the Pilot, or picking up another beater commuter car for under $2,000 -- something like a Civic would fit the bill nicely, wagon if you could find one.

Stan

 

[CapeAnn]

I work a lot in Manhattan. Some subway lines in Queens are going to get the axe. And yes, the commute often stinks. Saw a guy today peeing through his pants on the subway platform at 42nd st.

That being said - public transit often gets you there faster and is certainly better for the environment. The last commute had me going out to JFK where I was stuck for 1.5 hours on the Belt Parkway wasting gas in the Foz with the other stuck motorists. This seems to happen a lot and it bites. If I had taken the E/F and Air train I would have done that entire route in less than an hour from midtown. While I don't like smelling armpit this time of year, I'd rather do that than burn gas and run the motor for very limited transportation returns.

Final note - while the NYC subway may suck - it is far more efficient and cleaner than it was in the 80's. The subway then was one magnificent hybrid of mechanical & human swill.

CapeAnn

 

[rick55]

My vote is to stick with public transportation. I drove the 45 miles for years from Stony Brook in to Queens, & everyday was an adventure. A truck on the parkway, rain or snow, accidents, all contributed to adding minutes or hours to the commute. I now take the LIRR, & listen to folks complain about the railroad, but they probably haven't tried the alternative. Going in to Manhattan only will add to the adventure (and cost) when you use the mid town tunnel or one of the east river crossings.

Save the wear & tear on the car, your pocket, & your mental health ( a lot of nuts are on the road in NYC), & stay with mass transit.

 

[max6spd]

Teach your wife to drive a stick?

Not that easy. To add what StanT said before, its difficult to teach someone to drive stick when that person has no desire to learn whatsoever. Plus, it would be YEARS before she would be comfortable enough to drive in the streets of Manhattan.

 

[max6spd]

Should have kept the old XT!

Yes, in hindsight, that would have been the right solution. But who would have known that mass transportation costs would be so expensive nowadays? We pay $2.25 for a one way fare. To get home, that's another $2.25. Then, add the commuter parking lot which is $4. That's $13/day for the both of us. Parking here in the city is $12/day. The MTA is talking about raising fares to $2.50 by next year.

 

[max6spd]

If someone does not want to drive a manual, forcing them to learn isn't a good solution. It can be a very stressful chore in a big city for someone who is not into it. You'll pay for it in the end with arguments and clutch replacement costs. If she doesn't mind driving it, it's a different story.

Assuming you don't want to sell the car, only other options are taking public transportation, driving the Pilot, or picking up another beater commuter car for under $2,000 -- something like a Civic would fit the bill nicely, wagon if you could find one.

Stan

Thanks Stan. Yes, its easy for a lot of people to just say "teach her to drive stick" but they live in Denver or Kansas. Nice wide open roads with minimal traffic. Driving in Manhattan can be nerve wracking.

Picking up a beater is an option albeit a more costly option. My brother-in-law offered to sell me his AWD Toyota Matrix next year when he's ready for the minivan. Really good price, but more than the $2000 I'd be willing to spend. Then there's the insurance costs. I pay $2k/yr now for two cars. Adding a third car would add a couple of hundred a year.

 

[max6spd]

I work a lot in Manhattan. Some subway lines in Queens are going to get the axe. And yes, the commute often stinks. Saw a guy today peeing through his pants on the subway platform at 42nd st.

That being said - public transit often gets you there faster and is certainly better for the environment. The last commute had me going out to JFK where I was stuck for 1.5 hours on the Belt Parkway wasting gas in the Foz with the other stuck motorists. This seems to happen a lot and it bites. If I had taken the E/F and Air train I would have done that entire route in less than an hour from midtown. While I don't like smelling armpit this time of year, I'd rather do that than burn gas and run the motor for very limited transportation returns.

Final note - while the NYC subway may suck - it is far more efficient and cleaner than it was in the 80's. The subway then was one magnificent hybrid of mechanical & human swill.

CapeAnn

CapeAnn, yes, it does make sense environmentally. And yes, in the summertime, you get stinky armpits in your face. And the wintertime, you get people with ginormous parkas trying to squeeze by you or sit next to you. What if we got a hybrid as our commuter?

 

[max6spd]

My vote is to stick with public transportation. I drove the 45 miles for years from Stony Brook in to Queens, & everyday was an adventure. A truck on the parkway, rain or snow, accidents, all contributed to adding minutes or hours to the commute. I now take the LIRR, & listen to folks complain about the railroad, but they probably haven't tried the alternative. Going in to Manhattan only will add to the adventure (and cost) when you use the mid town tunnel or one of the east river crossings.

Save the wear & tear on the car, your pocket, & your mental health ( a lot of nuts are on the road in NYC), & stay with mass transit.

I would love to find a job in LI and do the reverse commute. Maybe not as far as Stony Brook, but maybe as far as the Nassau/Suffolk border. Even the LIRR is ridiculously priced. My brother-in-law pays $269/mo for his LIRR pass AND he has to buy a $89 Metrocard. That's $358/mo in commuting. His wife is looking for a job, and when she goes back, that's over $700 for the both of them. And he lives only 20 min from me.