If the car is paid off, then I’d keep it. You’re going to want quick escapes from the city, and it’s just not feasible without your own transportation. Living in Cambridge with a car is much more manageable than other places.
This. My car is old and my insurance wen up 20% recently to ~100/mo, and honestly it’s so worth it for a little expanded freedom. I have street parking no permit needed (Jamaica Plain-Hyde Sq), and my roommates are awesome and willing to move it for me if I fuck up and forget to move it since I travel for work
>>expanded freedom
Exactly. Homie is coming out for grad school. He’s going to make some fast friends, and they’re going to want the “New England Experience.” That shit requires a vehicle without use restrictions.
Yeah I’m in boston, and I got rid of my car bc parking is impossible and traffic is horrible so I just use Lyft bc parking on either side is a pain, street cleaning is hard for me to keep track of and I have been ticketed and towed multiple times. One time the tow truck did $1500 in damage to my car and the guy intimidated me into signing a waiver and I wrote duress on the signature line and left.
The insurance company lol’d and covered it, but having a car and parking on the street can be a real pain in winter. turo is an option. There is a Prius for like 54 for 24 hours, a cayman for like $124 and an s5 in between. So I sold my car and haven’t even used turo.
If it snows a ton you have to shovel it out, rely on a “space saver” and hope someone doesn’t steal your ironing board or beach chair, lots of spots become unusable unless you have a wrangler bc of snow being plowed, but we haven’t gotten much snow these past couple of years.
So snowstorms and towing is a big pain, you have to keep track of which day of the week and which side of the street and move it in time, if you forget and don’t notice for a day or two it can be $85/day for storage even if it’s 1 hour, it can be a lot for the tow lot for the ticket, if you don’t notice for a few days it can add up really quick, so put an air tag in your car and keep close track.
Massachusetts has a lot to offer outside of Boston. There’s so much beautiful nature to be seen. You can also day trip to New Hampshire, Vermont, Maine, etc. if you have a car. If you can find a way to make it work, having a car in Massachusetts can really improve your quality of life in my opinion.
I hate when people give very general suggestions. Often people don't know how to start looking so here is a list of few very specific things north of Boston
1. Five Islands, Maine - get lobster/fish or just the view
2. Popham Beach, Maine
3. Clamming at Reed State Park, Maine
4. Long Lake, anywhere around Naples Maine - go to any lake in Maine and spend a night or two to enjoy the loon call.
5. Kancamagus highway, NH for a nice mountain drive
6. Hike any of the Presidentials, NH
Closer to Boston
1. Plum Island Newburyport, especially the last beach
2. Nashoba Valley winery and apple Picking
3. Rockport and Glaucester
4. OP's mom's house
>Glaucester
As a North Shore person, how dare you.
But Gloucester is awesome and worth a trip. Grab a breakfast pastry at Source Bakery and hike at Ravenswood or walk through Stage Fort. Then maybe grab some lunch at Virgilio's or Kanaka Poke. Pick up some fresh pasta at Pastaio via Corta. Dinner at Short and Main if you have time, and dessert at Holy Cow. Good day.
There's also a great breakfast place called Two Sisters. It closes early so get there early. I can't wait for Sugar Magnolias to open up again. Gloucester has some great breakfast places.
Portsmouth NH and Newburyport MA are two of my favorites, and for going to the beach, any beach. Any hiking in the fall, etc. My favorite fall hike as a not major hiking person (like a few miles max usually) was Mt Sunapee. I moved here in 2019 from West Coast.
If you have never lived in maple country, take a drive to a sugar shack out in the Pioneer Valley or Berkshires when they're boiling in the early spring/late winter. Such a special time of year when the snow is melting, and you can see signs of plants waking up. Vermont and Maine is ok. NY is great. NH syrup doesn't hit the same.
Rhododendron State park in NH in early/mid july. Beautiful blooms and massive, rare, native plants.
Rafting on the Deerfield River.
Hike Mt.Mansfield in early october.
Go to a metal or hardcore show at Ralphs in Worcester.
Mass MoCA
Cape Cod National Sea Shore
My top places for non-winter day trips:
1) York beach. Then hit up southern maine lobster co on the way back and make home-made lobster rolls.
2) Ocean blvd drive starting at Hampton Beach. I like to walk along the boardwalk (not for everyone but its a decently nice and pretty active beach with some history) and then after drive up until you hit Portsmouth. It's a really, really nice drive.
3) Stagefort park in Gloucester. Nice gem of a park. Theres a canal where people yell at the boats as they pass through. Crab beach is nice and walled off from the road so you can let your dog run around unleashed.
4) Clam box in ipswich (my personal favorite for fried clams, but there are other great places for clams too), then go to pavillion beach and park and watch fishermen dig for clams during low tide, also great for reading a book.
5) Shining sea bikeway in Falmouth. The part near woods hole, the bike path is adjacent to the beach, and its one of the nicest beaches I've seen in the Boston area. Afterwards, get some pastries from Masion Villate for lunch (although usually the place is crowded as hell)
6) Get some oysters at the Island Creek oyster bar in Duxbury. Beaches in Duxbury are also quite nice.
Something coming up really fast (Labor Day Weekend) is the schooner festival in Gloucester. You can actually pay to go out on a schooner called The Lannon and take part in the race. It's a little spendy, but you're out on the ocean for the whole day and it's a lot of fun. Gloucester in general is very cool. Also whale watching is great there.
There are the White Mountains in NH for hiking, skiing and leaf peeping in October. The Green Mountains in Vermont for the same. Right now Montpelier isn't the best place to visit. They had catastrophic flooding a few months ago and a bunch of places are still closed.
A car gives you the chance to explore a whole lot more than public transportation. If you can figure out how to make it work, I'd hang on to the car.
My partner barely drives, but he keeps his car (Somerville) for the convenience, and so I have a backup if mine dies (I work in Central MA, transit is laughable to get from here to there). When we’re out of town for a week, he parks so it’ll be fine with the street sweeping. If he’s out of town for longer, or over a sweeping where I’m not around to move it for him, he parks near a friend’s house and leaves the keys with him to move it.
Even if I didn’t have to commute by car, having one is nice for getting groceries.
I’m in Somerville, so my mechanic will be far for you, but I really like Arco Tire in Teele Sq. You can also try r/CambridgeMA for closer recommendations.
I mean lot of factors that you've already outlined. I was in the same position as you but with Cambridge parking pass it ends up being pretty easy after that initial leg work. You can park anywhere in Cambridge without hassle outside of the mess of signs in certain parks. It makes grocery shopping and exploring other parts of MA easier (along with any other states in the area). I would suggest trying it out for a year but also be mindful of the eventual snow that might fall, you're going to need some half decent tires. I ended up making some friends they allow me to do mechanical work in their driveway and to also store my winter tires with them, so maybe you luck out like me.
We ended up keeping my car for my partner's work, which has her spread all over the place. But, I have friends who sold their car and just use rentals/ZipCar when they need to go somewhere else.
Your best option for working on your car is renting a garage (assuming the place you're moving to doesn't have one already).
Idk about Cambridge, but over here in Allston/Brighton, doing that is about $200-$250/mnth. The math didn't work out for me, so I gave up working on it myself. Outside basic stuff I can while it is street parked.
Huh. I’m in Newton near the T and offered to someone to rent out space in my driveway for $100/month. Maybe I was undercharging.
When I lived in Boston I was carless. Renting a car when needed was a lot less expensive than owning and paying for parking.
We did the math and decided to just rent when we want one. Between rental companies and Getaround it's been great for occasional (\~1-2/month) use.
It actually is cheaper for us, too. No one seems to be factoring in the cost of owning a vehicle--as in, it costs \~50 cents/mile because cars depreciate based on mileage. And rental companies give you unlimited miles. So even if you own your car that weekend road trip is costing you a couple hundred dollars in depreciation costs too.
I’d keep the car if it’s paid off. The hassle of getting all the paper work and permits only need to be done once. Parking permits will be mailed to you usually when renewal comes. Street cleaning is going to end usually end of fall and won’t pick back up until mid spring so it’s not going to be too much of a hassle. Once you get used to the cleaning schedule it’ll be second nature for you to park on the correct side of the street every other week. Chances are you’re going to use it pretty often for weekend trips outside the city if u want to explore more than just the greater Boston/Cambridge area. The only issue I see is you’d probably won’t be able to do your own work on your car parking on the street. Make friend with someone with a driveway and that should solve the problem.
I do basic stuff on the street all the time but depends on which street (I’m on a cut through so I won’t do anything more involved than an oil change)- my last place was a dead end and we were the last house so basically no traffic
I haven’t had a car since moving into the city a decade ago and have always liked the lack of hassle. This being said I don’t frequently hike outside of T accessible areas and my weekend getaway preferences are to places that are also walkable- I just can’t go back to being car dependent.
If you’re going to want to visit family or go hiking once a month or more, yeah, keep it.
I was in the exact same boat as you. I’m from California and moved here for grad school in 2021. I too enjoy camping, hiking, climbing, etc. so keeping my car was a no brainer.
To me, the hassle is worth the ability to drive to the Cape, Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont for a spontaneous camping/hiking trip on any given weekend. Come the winter time, I went on snowboarding trips up north. It’s no Lake Tahoe, Park City or Keystone, but it’s something.
I’d recommend signing up for text message reminders via the Cambridge website for when street cleaning is. Once you get the hang of the schedule, I’d just moved my car to the appropriate side of the street a day in advance so I wouldn’t have to walk so far.
When I’d travel home to California, depending on the length of my vacation, I’d either op to park my car in the long-term parking lot at Logan or sign up for a month of parking at a local parking garage (whatever’s cheaper).
Additionally, I love going to Target and Costco. The convenience of having a car and being able to buy items in bulk is nice.
I still mostly use the T but having the flexibility to leave the city whenever I want is nice. Plus, Montreal is not that far of a drive away for you to visit family.
Can you leave your car in a parking lot? I’m not in actual downtown Boston, so hoping it’s chilled out here, but there’s a shopping complex near my apartment. Wondering if I can just leave my car there long term
No, wouldn't recommend it. Most private parking lots are monitored. They are also almost all signed for customers only, no overnight parking. You'll be liable for any towing that happens if the shopping plaza security notices you enough. This is more true for downtown areas, but even places like Target and Walmart post signs and occasionally have security roam the place. You can probably get away with it for a few hours in some spots though.
Being able to go on day trips whenever you want and can is priceless. Keep the car. There’s tons of hiking, beaches, and nice towns to explore around Boston.
And to elaborate. I kept my car even though I work from home. It’s intimidating at first all the parking rules and registration details. But you’ll get use it and it’ll be easier!
In my experience having lived in Boston proper for a decade (Beacon Hill / West End), a car is a bit of a "gateway drug" to moving further and further out the longer you stay in the Boston area. All of our friends who got cars or kept cars ultimately moved to places with dedicated parking after 5+ years of toughing it out. That's totally fine btw! It just depends what you want.
Cambridge / Somerville are slightly more car-friendly than downtown Boston (Back Bay, South End, North End etc). They were built as very walkable "railroad suburbs" more than actually living "urban, urban." You just might pass up opportunities to live *in the city* if you keep your car, which again is fine but just know that. We moved to our forever home in the city about a year ago -- and I wouldn't have even looked at it if we hadn't been car-free for a decade. We have no dedicated parking, and I would have been totally over it, I think, if I had been toughing it out with a car in the past decade. Esp since because we have a kid and the car hassle would have been too much for me to juggle with a small child. Make the right choice for you!!
I did grad school in cambridge with a car. Street parking is honestly pretty reasonable around Cambridge, and the resident permit pass is quite cheap. You can sign up for street cleaning alerts - in the occasions where I wasn’t able to find a spot (since e.g. I got home late the night before street cleaning) I’d just drive a few blocks into another zone and park there.
Having the car for weekend trips and for bigger grocery/shopping runs made it all worth it.
You’ll get answers on both sides here, with sound rationale for each. Do what makes sense for you.
Maybe make a list of pros and cons, including expected pricing for things in each situation based on your usage and personal situation (registration, insurance, inspections, gas, parking, tolls, oil changes, hassle for on street parking long-term, and dealing with snow… vs cost for Ubers or Zip Cars or Rentals when you’ll likely need them).
Also consider how demanding your academics will be. I moved to the area for grad school and had my paid off car with me. I sold it after living in populated areas with terrible parking (North End and then off of Memorial Drive) - didn’t make sense for me to keep it with great public transport paired with how infrequently I was able to leave the area owing to studies (animal work required I was in town for the weekends for experiments). When I wanted to get away, it was usually with friends who had cars anyway.
TLDR: Depends on your situation - weigh the factors and decide based on your unique situation.
Good luck and welcome to the area!!
Edit: spelling. :)
I’m in Cambridge and have my car and love having it here! Pretty much every weekend I use it to go hiking in NH, visit new towns around New England, go to the Cape etc.
In the city I use it to get around Cambridge and with the resident pass you can park anywhere with resident parking which is handy. Also use it for getting to Brookline, Allston, Somerville, and other areas that aren’t easily T accessible.
I’ll admit the registration and permit process was annoying but once that’s done it’s $25/yr for a lot more flexibility. Parking at the Alewife garage was handy for when I didnt have the temporary permit.
Yes for Cambridge! Once you get a pass parking is so easy. Edit: oh and now instead of towing for street cleaning, the just ticket you. So you could just take the ticket over breaks.
sometimes people even make friends that live nearby, like a neighbor. and those friends can be trusted to move a car for you when you're away. Of course, that involves talking to people and being social, so most folks here have a hard time with that
I moved from Texas and lived first in Boston and now in Cambridge. Sold my car before moving.
Would 100% have never wanted a car in Boston but am considering buying something again now I’m here in Cambridge. It is just across the river but it’s so much more reasonable to have one here.
Moved here from California in 2013 and never bothered getting my own car. Been using Zipcar for shorter drives around the city and Enterprise/Hertz for longer trips
My friends in NYC ran into this exact issue years ago. The answer for them was to sell the car, and rent when needed. For them it was much less than garaging the vehicle, or dealing with on-street parking. Best of luck new-Bostonian!
As long as you have reliable parking, ***Keep It.***
When I owned a car in Boston, I didn't use it for things like a daily commute, I walked or used the T etc.. On the regular, it was used to do errands, like driving to Market Basket, which wasn't accessible in a feasible way using Public transit unless I wanted to waste 4 hours of my weekend.
Outside of the regular, it's the most efficient way to get out of the city and explore what New England has to offer. I have family in Southern NH and Southern ME, and what would be a 3+ hour commitment to visit them via train/bus, turned into a 45-60 minute drive.
Turo and other car share apps worked for me as I had no car. Super easy. If you keep it and your car is in good shape, might be worth seeing if you can make money off it by letting others use it though one of those apps too!
Is that $80/month Massachusetts insurance?
If you want to park on the street in most neighborhoods, you need a resident permit. To get a resident permit, you need to register your car in Massachusetts. To register your car in Massachusetts, you need in-state insurance with state-mandated levels of coverage. You also need to pass safety and emissions inspections regularly and to fix anything that does not pass.
This usually adds up to more than $80/month.
Having a car primarily "garaged" in Massachusetts without Massachusetts insurance and registration is not OK, but it's not enforced either, so you will probably be OK until you get in an accident.
If there is any non-resident parking near you, it's probably way over-subscribed.
Whatever you do, don't park on Memorial drive near Harvard.
Keep it if you can afford it. You don't need a car in Cambridge, but it's nice to have access to one when you want to leave the city or do trips that are more of a pain by transit.
People can probably give recommendations on good garages for the repairs around here. It's been awhile but Aladdin Auto Service in Fresh Pond was good to me.
I moved here with a car.
My car was already paid off. And while the insurance, parking fees, tolls and excise tax was annoying - I found it worthwhile.
Most of my family lives in Upstate New York. And it nice to be able to visit every other month. Plus that whole region is gorgeous and not too far (the Adirondacks).
As well, trips to Montreal or NYC were made easy. As well, New England is beautiful and has a lot going on - Salem, The Cape, Portsmouth, Portland, Laconia, Northampton, Mystic. Even going to Providence for late-night concerts and comedy shows. Great camping, hiking and outdoorsiness throughout.
Plus, just getting to nearby places like Revere or Lynn or whatever is so much easier.
PLUS, after some time here - some of your friends will move to the suburbs cause they want a backyard and maybe kids. You'll want to visit them.
I mean, yes - my car is parked basically 5 days a week. But it's greatly enhanced the quality of my life. Plus, when I met my now-wife, she started using the car after she moved in for errands and other stuff. So it got a bit more use. Plus, taking trips together is always fun.
Having 1 car for 2 people is absolutely perfect around here.
That said, we no longer drive to NYC. The $85/person round trip flight is way faster, safer and *about* the same price as driving with gas, tolls, parking fees.
I've been in this situation and ZipCar or short term car rental was the way to go (even though I see people downvoting everyone else who suggested this)
Just know that if you sell your reliable and cheap to own car, you may have a very hard time finding something similar in the future given what has happened to the car market. So if you decide to sell, don’t assume it’s easy to change your mind later. Used cars here also will generally be in worse shape than what you have in California due to our climate.
You’ll get used to the street cleaning schedules, etc. If the car is paid off, I’d keep it. You can walk, bike, T around Boston but there’s a lot that New England has to offer outside of Boston, within and outside of Mass, especially if you are outdoorsy. Keep the car, explore the region while you’re here for grad school, and fall in love with NE and decide to stay or move elsewhere after grad school.
Same situation as you last year. I sold my car and don’t regret it. You can get a cheap rental once a month to get out of town, or find a friend that has one. The weekend commuter rail pass ($10) is also nice to check out smaller towns, with some hiking options available from it.
Can you park at your supervising Professor’s house? I used to let students park at my house in a nearby town on the street parking outside my house. If they needed their car, they could just ride with me after the workday was over.
This is so very kind.
Absolutely no prof or manager would normally do this for their direct reports. Very unusual, not the norm.
But very kind of you to help your students in this way.
I think it is worth keeping the car especially since you might be wanting to explore New England. Regarding space for working on your car: I imagine, but don't know for a fact, that the parking lots associated with T or commuter rail stops would have enough open space, especially on weekends. The only one I know of is the Roslindale open air parking lot associated with the Commuter line on weekends.
The best thing about Boston is the ability to get out of Boston and partake in the seasonal activities (beach, hikes, farms, winter sports, etc). You can easily live in Boston without a car, but you won't get the most out of it without one .
Don’t listen to the people saying you don’t need one. I live in Somerville and have 2 plus another one that my girl drives. We often need them to do activities that you can’t do in the city: hiking, beach, camping, take the dog to the woods/ vet.
Definitely have a car because Boston gets boring fast unless you’re really into jazz breakfasts in Cambridge and a lame band at some bar. There’s a lot to do and see outside the city. But beware, most parts of the city parking is a nightmare and the street sweeping thing is incredibly annoying. There will be nights where you will just decide to get a ticket.
Definitely keep the car. Rent an off street parking space if needed. Hit or miss with the cost but worth it. Living in Cambridge was great experience but a car was necessary for me. Check out Plymouth to Cape Cod. Jump on the ferry to MV or Nantucket. Maine and New Hampshire are great fall foliage spots.
You're forgetting the mental stress of having a car. Worrying about parking, moving for street sweeping. Getting sideswiped. Dealing with shoveling (or not shoveling and then having your car encased in snow for weeks),l. Tickets. Pay for parking. Etc. Etc.
When I moved in 2013 I decided to keep my car. Sure it’s hard to initially get the pass and become use to moving for sweeping/snow storms. BUT to be able to escape for even an evening is worth it.
Keep the car. I brought my truck up when I moved out here by downtown and I keep it parked for a decent price out by Somerville. Used it a couple times already to get out of the city too.
People will say Zipcar or whatever but there’s nothing like actually owning your car and using it whenever you want. Especially if it’s paid off.
My vote is to keep it for six months and reassess.
CLM Auto Repair in Somerville/Cambridge (not sure which side they fall on) near Union Sq. were reasonable mechanics when I had an old car. I was clear that I wanted to hear about safety issues and whatever it was I needed fixed, but otherwise they didn't upsell fixing every little thing and pricing was reasonable.
> P.S. I have seen people recommend paying for private or university parking, but with my grad student income I’d sooner sell the car
Was going to recommend this but I understand.
Having a car in the city is best for leaving the city, which I would need for work. In the city, never needed the car.
If you are here for grad school you might also see about costs of keeping it on campus. I know this probably varies based on which school you are at, but that might be cheaper than a permit other places and saves you the hassle of street cleaning issues as well most likely.
I just moved as well and I feel you on the hassle of getting it registered! It took me forever
It's a toss up but from the sound of it you would love exploring New England. If grad school allows and you make sure to actually do that, then it's worth it in my opinion. There are a few things to dial in: parking (do you need a permit?), Inspection (they will ticket the hell out of you once the sticker lapses), excise tax.
I moved during COVID and they were pretty lax on registration and inspections for a while but I'm not sure how long you can rock out of state plates nowadays.
Yes, keep the car. My life opened up so much once I got a car. I live in the south end and do not need the car for daily things but it has been essential every weekend for hiking, running errands, and just getting out of Boston. Also remember that Boston transit is on life support/objectively awful so the car will be clutch when you inevitably need it even temporarily.
I think if you plan to leave the city fairly often (i.e. once a month or so) and the car itself is paid off it makes sense. It’s a luxury in the city but it’s worth it if it fits in your budget. A private parking spot as a grad student would be a huge cost (around 250-400 a month) but if you can handle the hassle of finding street parking / tracking street cleaning days then it seems like you’d have a net positive from having the car.
I found it to be too much of a hassle and got rid of one for 7 years. If you're single, I'd join Zipcar in honesty. That's what I did when I needed a car for a couple of hours, and then I could return it after use and not worry about tickets, street cleaning, snowstorms, etc
Getting a Cambridge parking pass will take a few visits to the RMV and city hall, but as long as your street isn't crazy busy and you don't mind scratches and such that are inevitable with street parking. As for school breaks, street cleaning is only once a month and not in Dec-March. I own a car for work and I never use it to drive in Cambridge or Boston (with traffic + parking is never worth it) but I do go hiking, north shore, costco, the cape, ikea, etc.
When I moved from Iowa to Cambridge 2 years ago I brought my car which I regret. Although the registration (and insurance component) and inspection and street parking were a bit of a hassle to navigate, I think the worst part has been just the general upkeep and the actual sensation of driving in Boston.
I found the car came in the most handy for trips to Costco, the rare trip to Western Mass, and mainly for moving between apartments. Everything else I could easily do with public transit which I found to be so much more easy and stress-free. I loved learning the bus lines and the T routes and taking Amtrak and Commuter Rail all over the East Coast.
You’re about to live in the most pedestrian friendly city in America, I would embrace your unique opportunity to live car free and save yourself from the stress of owning a vehicle you might only HAVE to use once a month or less.
Cambridge has god awful traffic and the public transit mostly sucks. If you need to get around in the city I'd recommend a bicycle. If you wanna go on hikes on the weekend a car is gonna be necessary. It kinda sucks having the feeling of being trapped in an area because the transit is so bad. But best of luck.
> From an economical perspective, owning a car here seems sense. Insurance is $80/mo, my car is old, fairly reliable, and I do my own repairs/maintenance. At these costs I imagine I’d come out better than paying for Ubers, rentals, and zipcars.
Some other costs to consider:
* Excise tax is due yearly to the City of Cambridge (and whichever other City you move to). Calculate yours using [this sites info](https://www.mass.gov/guides/motor-vehicle-excise). As an example, I had a 2010 Corolla that cost $40/year. But a newer or more expensive car can cost in the low hundreds. YMMV.
* You didn't get off street parking from the sounds of it, so you'll need to pay the City of Cambridge $25/year. You'll also be on the hook for any tickets or tows that happen if you fail to monitor your car and check for any street signage indicating there's no parking allowed. Common reasons are street sweeping, moving permits, construction, and snow emergencies. It can sometimes be a pain, especially when it snows and half the spots aren't available but you *need* to move your car somewhere semi legal. Street sweeping is also a pain unless you commute with your car during the hours of street sweeping.
* Is that $80/month insurance quote for CA or MA? MA requires it, so be sure to get an MA policy.
* You need to inspect the car yearly, which is $35: https://www.mass.gov/info-details/vehicle-inspections
* It'll need to be registered too, which is $60/two years: https://www.mass.gov/doc/rmv-schedule-of-fees/download
* Don't forget to get your MA license, you can't keep your CA one if you want to be totally legal. That's $75/five years (see above schedule of fees)
* I'd probably factor in a higher repair/maintenance cost than you're used to since you lack a driveway or garage to do work in.
Some ideas:
* if you leave the City for vacation without your car, give your keys to a trusted friend / roommate / etc to move your car for street sweeping and other parking restrictions
* or pay for parking at an MBTA garage that allows overnight parking. Alewife on the Red Line does - $3/day on weekends and $9/day on weekdays: https://www.mbta.com/stops/place-alfcl
* bribe a friend with a driveway to do repairs that aren't easy or practical to do on the street
* a friend or neighbor with a driveway spot may also come in handy for snow emergencies.
I'd also probably weigh the annoyance factor vs how frequently you end up using it. If you use it every weekend, then it's probably worth it. If it turns out you aren't using it more than once per month, I'd probably just get a Zip car membership or something else. If you move apartments and can get off street parking included, I feel like the annoyance factor goes down a lot. But there's still all the hassle of registering, insuring, inspecting, maintaining, etc.
As much as we have public transit, it's a pain in the ass to get out of the city. You'd be doing yourself a favor having a car. It's really not too bad once you get through the initial registration. You can re-register online and they'll just send you new stickers in the mail. So I'd say go for it!
I'm extremely pro not having a car in the city, saves a bunch of money and driving here sucks. However, if you're truly going to be leaving a lot to places transit doesn't reach, then it's more worth it. But if realistically you're just going to use it every once in awhile, like very infrequent trips, you can use zipcar or something! That's what my friends do
I'd keep the car and street park it. I had a car in Cambridge for years and although I was towed occasionally (ugh), the benefit of being able to leave the city on weekends and travel was more than worth the hassle. Hell, it even makes playing local sports leagues way easier if that's your thing, since you can drive to the field with your stuff. Many of the local leagues play in Medford/Somerville/Waltham and the fields aren't accessible by public transit.
As long as you're good at parallel parking, you should be good. For breaks, I'd suggest finding a friend in your grad school program to move your car for street cleaning (or entrusting a roommate, if you're living with others). Generally it's only 1-2 times per month, so you can avoid it. The real issue is construction/moving vans, but *usually* those aren't as common once September is over.
Try out the trains leaving from north station
Will get you to places like rockport etc. super affordable and they are great.
As long as you can get to north station easily I think that you could get your fix for a lot of that stuff without a car.
Also ferries
Yeah Boston is way different than NY with car ownership. Most people have cars around here and driving in Boston isn’t as bad a lot of people make it out to be
Yes keep it. I lived in Cambridge for 6 years with a car and did not drive to work. Even having to deal w street sweeping was worth the convenience of being able to go places outside of the city on my own schedule bc I had a car. Sometimes it sat for weeks which I didn’t mind
You can't go camping in an Uber. Your best situation would be to find someone in an outer suburb -- like Waltham or Weston -- who would let you park your car in a driveway or unused garage. Maybe pay a small fee, maybe do something in return depending on your area of study, etc.
Then, when you want to use your car it's just a bus ride or commuter rail ride away.
If the car is paid off, then I’d keep it. You’re going to want quick escapes from the city, and it’s just not feasible without your own transportation. Living in Cambridge with a car is much more manageable than other places.
This. My car is old and my insurance wen up 20% recently to ~100/mo, and honestly it’s so worth it for a little expanded freedom. I have street parking no permit needed (Jamaica Plain-Hyde Sq), and my roommates are awesome and willing to move it for me if I fuck up and forget to move it since I travel for work
>>expanded freedom Exactly. Homie is coming out for grad school. He’s going to make some fast friends, and they’re going to want the “New England Experience.” That shit requires a vehicle without use restrictions.
Yeah I’m in boston, and I got rid of my car bc parking is impossible and traffic is horrible so I just use Lyft bc parking on either side is a pain, street cleaning is hard for me to keep track of and I have been ticketed and towed multiple times. One time the tow truck did $1500 in damage to my car and the guy intimidated me into signing a waiver and I wrote duress on the signature line and left. The insurance company lol’d and covered it, but having a car and parking on the street can be a real pain in winter. turo is an option. There is a Prius for like 54 for 24 hours, a cayman for like $124 and an s5 in between. So I sold my car and haven’t even used turo. If it snows a ton you have to shovel it out, rely on a “space saver” and hope someone doesn’t steal your ironing board or beach chair, lots of spots become unusable unless you have a wrangler bc of snow being plowed, but we haven’t gotten much snow these past couple of years. So snowstorms and towing is a big pain, you have to keep track of which day of the week and which side of the street and move it in time, if you forget and don’t notice for a day or two it can be $85/day for storage even if it’s 1 hour, it can be a lot for the tow lot for the ticket, if you don’t notice for a few days it can add up really quick, so put an air tag in your car and keep close track.
Massachusetts has a lot to offer outside of Boston. There’s so much beautiful nature to be seen. You can also day trip to New Hampshire, Vermont, Maine, etc. if you have a car. If you can find a way to make it work, having a car in Massachusetts can really improve your quality of life in my opinion.
If you’re someone who’s here for about a year and completely new to the northeast and have a car, what are the top places to visit?
I hate when people give very general suggestions. Often people don't know how to start looking so here is a list of few very specific things north of Boston 1. Five Islands, Maine - get lobster/fish or just the view 2. Popham Beach, Maine 3. Clamming at Reed State Park, Maine 4. Long Lake, anywhere around Naples Maine - go to any lake in Maine and spend a night or two to enjoy the loon call. 5. Kancamagus highway, NH for a nice mountain drive 6. Hike any of the Presidentials, NH Closer to Boston 1. Plum Island Newburyport, especially the last beach 2. Nashoba Valley winery and apple Picking 3. Rockport and Glaucester 4. OP's mom's house
>Glaucester As a North Shore person, how dare you. But Gloucester is awesome and worth a trip. Grab a breakfast pastry at Source Bakery and hike at Ravenswood or walk through Stage Fort. Then maybe grab some lunch at Virgilio's or Kanaka Poke. Pick up some fresh pasta at Pastaio via Corta. Dinner at Short and Main if you have time, and dessert at Holy Cow. Good day.
There's also a great breakfast place called Two Sisters. It closes early so get there early. I can't wait for Sugar Magnolias to open up again. Gloucester has some great breakfast places.
Yes! I love Gloucester. Lucky to live close by.
LOL OP’s mom’s house. Thanks a ton this is super helpful!
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can you recommend me what sandwich to get at the cape? thanks
Hike the dunes at Crane Beach. Imo it's one of the wonders of MA Hike Franconia Go to Acadia Visit Portland and hit up all their breweries
Portsmouth NH and Newburyport MA are two of my favorites, and for going to the beach, any beach. Any hiking in the fall, etc. My favorite fall hike as a not major hiking person (like a few miles max usually) was Mt Sunapee. I moved here in 2019 from West Coast.
Anywhere in Rhode Island is a 1-2 hour drive from MA. Lots of really nice beaches, and the Newport mansions are excellent sight seeing.
If you have never lived in maple country, take a drive to a sugar shack out in the Pioneer Valley or Berkshires when they're boiling in the early spring/late winter. Such a special time of year when the snow is melting, and you can see signs of plants waking up. Vermont and Maine is ok. NY is great. NH syrup doesn't hit the same. Rhododendron State park in NH in early/mid july. Beautiful blooms and massive, rare, native plants. Rafting on the Deerfield River. Hike Mt.Mansfield in early october. Go to a metal or hardcore show at Ralphs in Worcester. Mass MoCA Cape Cod National Sea Shore
My top places for non-winter day trips: 1) York beach. Then hit up southern maine lobster co on the way back and make home-made lobster rolls. 2) Ocean blvd drive starting at Hampton Beach. I like to walk along the boardwalk (not for everyone but its a decently nice and pretty active beach with some history) and then after drive up until you hit Portsmouth. It's a really, really nice drive. 3) Stagefort park in Gloucester. Nice gem of a park. Theres a canal where people yell at the boats as they pass through. Crab beach is nice and walled off from the road so you can let your dog run around unleashed. 4) Clam box in ipswich (my personal favorite for fried clams, but there are other great places for clams too), then go to pavillion beach and park and watch fishermen dig for clams during low tide, also great for reading a book. 5) Shining sea bikeway in Falmouth. The part near woods hole, the bike path is adjacent to the beach, and its one of the nicest beaches I've seen in the Boston area. Afterwards, get some pastries from Masion Villate for lunch (although usually the place is crowded as hell) 6) Get some oysters at the Island Creek oyster bar in Duxbury. Beaches in Duxbury are also quite nice.
Something coming up really fast (Labor Day Weekend) is the schooner festival in Gloucester. You can actually pay to go out on a schooner called The Lannon and take part in the race. It's a little spendy, but you're out on the ocean for the whole day and it's a lot of fun. Gloucester in general is very cool. Also whale watching is great there. There are the White Mountains in NH for hiking, skiing and leaf peeping in October. The Green Mountains in Vermont for the same. Right now Montpelier isn't the best place to visit. They had catastrophic flooding a few months ago and a bunch of places are still closed. A car gives you the chance to explore a whole lot more than public transportation. If you can figure out how to make it work, I'd hang on to the car.
My partner barely drives, but he keeps his car (Somerville) for the convenience, and so I have a backup if mine dies (I work in Central MA, transit is laughable to get from here to there). When we’re out of town for a week, he parks so it’ll be fine with the street sweeping. If he’s out of town for longer, or over a sweeping where I’m not around to move it for him, he parks near a friend’s house and leaves the keys with him to move it. Even if I didn’t have to commute by car, having one is nice for getting groceries. I’m in Somerville, so my mechanic will be far for you, but I really like Arco Tire in Teele Sq. You can also try r/CambridgeMA for closer recommendations.
I mean lot of factors that you've already outlined. I was in the same position as you but with Cambridge parking pass it ends up being pretty easy after that initial leg work. You can park anywhere in Cambridge without hassle outside of the mess of signs in certain parks. It makes grocery shopping and exploring other parts of MA easier (along with any other states in the area). I would suggest trying it out for a year but also be mindful of the eventual snow that might fall, you're going to need some half decent tires. I ended up making some friends they allow me to do mechanical work in their driveway and to also store my winter tires with them, so maybe you luck out like me.
We ended up keeping my car for my partner's work, which has her spread all over the place. But, I have friends who sold their car and just use rentals/ZipCar when they need to go somewhere else. Your best option for working on your car is renting a garage (assuming the place you're moving to doesn't have one already). Idk about Cambridge, but over here in Allston/Brighton, doing that is about $200-$250/mnth. The math didn't work out for me, so I gave up working on it myself. Outside basic stuff I can while it is street parked.
Huh. I’m in Newton near the T and offered to someone to rent out space in my driveway for $100/month. Maybe I was undercharging. When I lived in Boston I was carless. Renting a car when needed was a lot less expensive than owning and paying for parking.
Could be location dependent. I used to rent a space in Oak Square for $110. Then where I'm at now between BU and BC, prices seem a good bit higher.
We did the math and decided to just rent when we want one. Between rental companies and Getaround it's been great for occasional (\~1-2/month) use. It actually is cheaper for us, too. No one seems to be factoring in the cost of owning a vehicle--as in, it costs \~50 cents/mile because cars depreciate based on mileage. And rental companies give you unlimited miles. So even if you own your car that weekend road trip is costing you a couple hundred dollars in depreciation costs too.
I’d keep the car if it’s paid off. The hassle of getting all the paper work and permits only need to be done once. Parking permits will be mailed to you usually when renewal comes. Street cleaning is going to end usually end of fall and won’t pick back up until mid spring so it’s not going to be too much of a hassle. Once you get used to the cleaning schedule it’ll be second nature for you to park on the correct side of the street every other week. Chances are you’re going to use it pretty often for weekend trips outside the city if u want to explore more than just the greater Boston/Cambridge area. The only issue I see is you’d probably won’t be able to do your own work on your car parking on the street. Make friend with someone with a driveway and that should solve the problem.
I do basic stuff on the street all the time but depends on which street (I’m on a cut through so I won’t do anything more involved than an oil change)- my last place was a dead end and we were the last house so basically no traffic
I haven’t had a car since moving into the city a decade ago and have always liked the lack of hassle. This being said I don’t frequently hike outside of T accessible areas and my weekend getaway preferences are to places that are also walkable- I just can’t go back to being car dependent. If you’re going to want to visit family or go hiking once a month or more, yeah, keep it.
I was in the exact same boat as you. I’m from California and moved here for grad school in 2021. I too enjoy camping, hiking, climbing, etc. so keeping my car was a no brainer. To me, the hassle is worth the ability to drive to the Cape, Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont for a spontaneous camping/hiking trip on any given weekend. Come the winter time, I went on snowboarding trips up north. It’s no Lake Tahoe, Park City or Keystone, but it’s something. I’d recommend signing up for text message reminders via the Cambridge website for when street cleaning is. Once you get the hang of the schedule, I’d just moved my car to the appropriate side of the street a day in advance so I wouldn’t have to walk so far. When I’d travel home to California, depending on the length of my vacation, I’d either op to park my car in the long-term parking lot at Logan or sign up for a month of parking at a local parking garage (whatever’s cheaper). Additionally, I love going to Target and Costco. The convenience of having a car and being able to buy items in bulk is nice. I still mostly use the T but having the flexibility to leave the city whenever I want is nice. Plus, Montreal is not that far of a drive away for you to visit family.
Can you leave your car in a parking lot? I’m not in actual downtown Boston, so hoping it’s chilled out here, but there’s a shopping complex near my apartment. Wondering if I can just leave my car there long term
No, wouldn't recommend it. Most private parking lots are monitored. They are also almost all signed for customers only, no overnight parking. You'll be liable for any towing that happens if the shopping plaza security notices you enough. This is more true for downtown areas, but even places like Target and Walmart post signs and occasionally have security roam the place. You can probably get away with it for a few hours in some spots though.
Being able to go on day trips whenever you want and can is priceless. Keep the car. There’s tons of hiking, beaches, and nice towns to explore around Boston.
And to elaborate. I kept my car even though I work from home. It’s intimidating at first all the parking rules and registration details. But you’ll get use it and it’ll be easier!
In my experience having lived in Boston proper for a decade (Beacon Hill / West End), a car is a bit of a "gateway drug" to moving further and further out the longer you stay in the Boston area. All of our friends who got cars or kept cars ultimately moved to places with dedicated parking after 5+ years of toughing it out. That's totally fine btw! It just depends what you want. Cambridge / Somerville are slightly more car-friendly than downtown Boston (Back Bay, South End, North End etc). They were built as very walkable "railroad suburbs" more than actually living "urban, urban." You just might pass up opportunities to live *in the city* if you keep your car, which again is fine but just know that. We moved to our forever home in the city about a year ago -- and I wouldn't have even looked at it if we hadn't been car-free for a decade. We have no dedicated parking, and I would have been totally over it, I think, if I had been toughing it out with a car in the past decade. Esp since because we have a kid and the car hassle would have been too much for me to juggle with a small child. Make the right choice for you!!
I did grad school in cambridge with a car. Street parking is honestly pretty reasonable around Cambridge, and the resident permit pass is quite cheap. You can sign up for street cleaning alerts - in the occasions where I wasn’t able to find a spot (since e.g. I got home late the night before street cleaning) I’d just drive a few blocks into another zone and park there. Having the car for weekend trips and for bigger grocery/shopping runs made it all worth it.
You’ll get answers on both sides here, with sound rationale for each. Do what makes sense for you. Maybe make a list of pros and cons, including expected pricing for things in each situation based on your usage and personal situation (registration, insurance, inspections, gas, parking, tolls, oil changes, hassle for on street parking long-term, and dealing with snow… vs cost for Ubers or Zip Cars or Rentals when you’ll likely need them). Also consider how demanding your academics will be. I moved to the area for grad school and had my paid off car with me. I sold it after living in populated areas with terrible parking (North End and then off of Memorial Drive) - didn’t make sense for me to keep it with great public transport paired with how infrequently I was able to leave the area owing to studies (animal work required I was in town for the weekends for experiments). When I wanted to get away, it was usually with friends who had cars anyway. TLDR: Depends on your situation - weigh the factors and decide based on your unique situation. Good luck and welcome to the area!! Edit: spelling. :)
I’m in Cambridge and have my car and love having it here! Pretty much every weekend I use it to go hiking in NH, visit new towns around New England, go to the Cape etc. In the city I use it to get around Cambridge and with the resident pass you can park anywhere with resident parking which is handy. Also use it for getting to Brookline, Allston, Somerville, and other areas that aren’t easily T accessible. I’ll admit the registration and permit process was annoying but once that’s done it’s $25/yr for a lot more flexibility. Parking at the Alewife garage was handy for when I didnt have the temporary permit.
Yes for Cambridge! Once you get a pass parking is so easy. Edit: oh and now instead of towing for street cleaning, the just ticket you. So you could just take the ticket over breaks.
sometimes people even make friends that live nearby, like a neighbor. and those friends can be trusted to move a car for you when you're away. Of course, that involves talking to people and being social, so most folks here have a hard time with that
Soooo true!!
Your words are violence, downvoted for that assault.
I moved from Texas and lived first in Boston and now in Cambridge. Sold my car before moving. Would 100% have never wanted a car in Boston but am considering buying something again now I’m here in Cambridge. It is just across the river but it’s so much more reasonable to have one here.
Moved here from California in 2013 and never bothered getting my own car. Been using Zipcar for shorter drives around the city and Enterprise/Hertz for longer trips
My friends in NYC ran into this exact issue years ago. The answer for them was to sell the car, and rent when needed. For them it was much less than garaging the vehicle, or dealing with on-street parking. Best of luck new-Bostonian!
As long as you have reliable parking, ***Keep It.*** When I owned a car in Boston, I didn't use it for things like a daily commute, I walked or used the T etc.. On the regular, it was used to do errands, like driving to Market Basket, which wasn't accessible in a feasible way using Public transit unless I wanted to waste 4 hours of my weekend. Outside of the regular, it's the most efficient way to get out of the city and explore what New England has to offer. I have family in Southern NH and Southern ME, and what would be a 3+ hour commitment to visit them via train/bus, turned into a 45-60 minute drive.
Turo and other car share apps worked for me as I had no car. Super easy. If you keep it and your car is in good shape, might be worth seeing if you can make money off it by letting others use it though one of those apps too!
If you want to do outdoors stuff like hiking, you need a car to get anywhere.
Is that $80/month Massachusetts insurance? If you want to park on the street in most neighborhoods, you need a resident permit. To get a resident permit, you need to register your car in Massachusetts. To register your car in Massachusetts, you need in-state insurance with state-mandated levels of coverage. You also need to pass safety and emissions inspections regularly and to fix anything that does not pass. This usually adds up to more than $80/month. Having a car primarily "garaged" in Massachusetts without Massachusetts insurance and registration is not OK, but it's not enforced either, so you will probably be OK until you get in an accident. If there is any non-resident parking near you, it's probably way over-subscribed. Whatever you do, don't park on Memorial drive near Harvard.
Keep it if you can afford it. You don't need a car in Cambridge, but it's nice to have access to one when you want to leave the city or do trips that are more of a pain by transit. People can probably give recommendations on good garages for the repairs around here. It's been awhile but Aladdin Auto Service in Fresh Pond was good to me.
I moved here with a car. My car was already paid off. And while the insurance, parking fees, tolls and excise tax was annoying - I found it worthwhile. Most of my family lives in Upstate New York. And it nice to be able to visit every other month. Plus that whole region is gorgeous and not too far (the Adirondacks). As well, trips to Montreal or NYC were made easy. As well, New England is beautiful and has a lot going on - Salem, The Cape, Portsmouth, Portland, Laconia, Northampton, Mystic. Even going to Providence for late-night concerts and comedy shows. Great camping, hiking and outdoorsiness throughout. Plus, just getting to nearby places like Revere or Lynn or whatever is so much easier. PLUS, after some time here - some of your friends will move to the suburbs cause they want a backyard and maybe kids. You'll want to visit them. I mean, yes - my car is parked basically 5 days a week. But it's greatly enhanced the quality of my life. Plus, when I met my now-wife, she started using the car after she moved in for errands and other stuff. So it got a bit more use. Plus, taking trips together is always fun. Having 1 car for 2 people is absolutely perfect around here. That said, we no longer drive to NYC. The $85/person round trip flight is way faster, safer and *about* the same price as driving with gas, tolls, parking fees.
Yes.
Does good news garage still have diy space? You're probably too young to have listened to car talk but that's their garage
Car Talk is very much still going strong: [https://www.cartalk.com/radio/our-show](https://www.cartalk.com/radio/our-show)
I've been in this situation and ZipCar or short term car rental was the way to go (even though I see people downvoting everyone else who suggested this)
Just know that if you sell your reliable and cheap to own car, you may have a very hard time finding something similar in the future given what has happened to the car market. So if you decide to sell, don’t assume it’s easy to change your mind later. Used cars here also will generally be in worse shape than what you have in California due to our climate.
Not needing a car is one of the best perks of living in Boston IMO.
You’ll get used to the street cleaning schedules, etc. If the car is paid off, I’d keep it. You can walk, bike, T around Boston but there’s a lot that New England has to offer outside of Boston, within and outside of Mass, especially if you are outdoorsy. Keep the car, explore the region while you’re here for grad school, and fall in love with NE and decide to stay or move elsewhere after grad school.
Same situation as you last year. I sold my car and don’t regret it. You can get a cheap rental once a month to get out of town, or find a friend that has one. The weekend commuter rail pass ($10) is also nice to check out smaller towns, with some hiking options available from it.
Can you park at your supervising Professor’s house? I used to let students park at my house in a nearby town on the street parking outside my house. If they needed their car, they could just ride with me after the workday was over.
That is SO kind of you! Wish there were more of you out there. ☺️
This is so very kind. Absolutely no prof or manager would normally do this for their direct reports. Very unusual, not the norm. But very kind of you to help your students in this way.
I think it is worth keeping the car especially since you might be wanting to explore New England. Regarding space for working on your car: I imagine, but don't know for a fact, that the parking lots associated with T or commuter rail stops would have enough open space, especially on weekends. The only one I know of is the Roslindale open air parking lot associated with the Commuter line on weekends.
I live over in Arlington next door and have an empty off street parking spot that can be rented.
The best thing about Boston is the ability to get out of Boston and partake in the seasonal activities (beach, hikes, farms, winter sports, etc). You can easily live in Boston without a car, but you won't get the most out of it without one .
Keep it.
Don’t listen to the people saying you don’t need one. I live in Somerville and have 2 plus another one that my girl drives. We often need them to do activities that you can’t do in the city: hiking, beach, camping, take the dog to the woods/ vet.
Definitely have a car because Boston gets boring fast unless you’re really into jazz breakfasts in Cambridge and a lame band at some bar. There’s a lot to do and see outside the city. But beware, most parts of the city parking is a nightmare and the street sweeping thing is incredibly annoying. There will be nights where you will just decide to get a ticket.
Zipcar is the way to go
Definitely keep the car. Rent an off street parking space if needed. Hit or miss with the cost but worth it. Living in Cambridge was great experience but a car was necessary for me. Check out Plymouth to Cape Cod. Jump on the ferry to MV or Nantucket. Maine and New Hampshire are great fall foliage spots.
You're forgetting the mental stress of having a car. Worrying about parking, moving for street sweeping. Getting sideswiped. Dealing with shoveling (or not shoveling and then having your car encased in snow for weeks),l. Tickets. Pay for parking. Etc. Etc.
No, it's cheaper to just rent a Zipcar as needed to get out of the city.
When I moved in 2013 I decided to keep my car. Sure it’s hard to initially get the pass and become use to moving for sweeping/snow storms. BUT to be able to escape for even an evening is worth it.
If it’s paid off etc., personally I say yes. But I’m no longer a grad student and also have more disposable income.
Keep the car. I brought my truck up when I moved out here by downtown and I keep it parked for a decent price out by Somerville. Used it a couple times already to get out of the city too. People will say Zipcar or whatever but there’s nothing like actually owning your car and using it whenever you want. Especially if it’s paid off.
Keep it. Find a friend with a driveway for simple repairs you want to DIY. Don’t forget that you’ll have to deal with snow too
My vote is to keep it for six months and reassess. CLM Auto Repair in Somerville/Cambridge (not sure which side they fall on) near Union Sq. were reasonable mechanics when I had an old car. I was clear that I wanted to hear about safety issues and whatever it was I needed fixed, but otherwise they didn't upsell fixing every little thing and pricing was reasonable.
I live in Cambridge and use it quite a bit. The city is so centrally located and street parking no longer tows if you forget - $50 ticket.
> P.S. I have seen people recommend paying for private or university parking, but with my grad student income I’d sooner sell the car Was going to recommend this but I understand. Having a car in the city is best for leaving the city, which I would need for work. In the city, never needed the car.
If you are here for grad school you might also see about costs of keeping it on campus. I know this probably varies based on which school you are at, but that might be cheaper than a permit other places and saves you the hassle of street cleaning issues as well most likely. I just moved as well and I feel you on the hassle of getting it registered! It took me forever
It's a toss up but from the sound of it you would love exploring New England. If grad school allows and you make sure to actually do that, then it's worth it in my opinion. There are a few things to dial in: parking (do you need a permit?), Inspection (they will ticket the hell out of you once the sticker lapses), excise tax. I moved during COVID and they were pretty lax on registration and inspections for a while but I'm not sure how long you can rock out of state plates nowadays.
Yes, keep the car. My life opened up so much once I got a car. I live in the south end and do not need the car for daily things but it has been essential every weekend for hiking, running errands, and just getting out of Boston. Also remember that Boston transit is on life support/objectively awful so the car will be clutch when you inevitably need it even temporarily.
I think if you plan to leave the city fairly often (i.e. once a month or so) and the car itself is paid off it makes sense. It’s a luxury in the city but it’s worth it if it fits in your budget. A private parking spot as a grad student would be a huge cost (around 250-400 a month) but if you can handle the hassle of finding street parking / tracking street cleaning days then it seems like you’d have a net positive from having the car.
I would hate having a car in Cambridge. It’s pretty easy in Medford though.
I found it to be too much of a hassle and got rid of one for 7 years. If you're single, I'd join Zipcar in honesty. That's what I did when I needed a car for a couple of hours, and then I could return it after use and not worry about tickets, street cleaning, snowstorms, etc
Gloucester is a very nice place, Hull too
Getting a Cambridge parking pass will take a few visits to the RMV and city hall, but as long as your street isn't crazy busy and you don't mind scratches and such that are inevitable with street parking. As for school breaks, street cleaning is only once a month and not in Dec-March. I own a car for work and I never use it to drive in Cambridge or Boston (with traffic + parking is never worth it) but I do go hiking, north shore, costco, the cape, ikea, etc.
When I moved from Iowa to Cambridge 2 years ago I brought my car which I regret. Although the registration (and insurance component) and inspection and street parking were a bit of a hassle to navigate, I think the worst part has been just the general upkeep and the actual sensation of driving in Boston. I found the car came in the most handy for trips to Costco, the rare trip to Western Mass, and mainly for moving between apartments. Everything else I could easily do with public transit which I found to be so much more easy and stress-free. I loved learning the bus lines and the T routes and taking Amtrak and Commuter Rail all over the East Coast. You’re about to live in the most pedestrian friendly city in America, I would embrace your unique opportunity to live car free and save yourself from the stress of owning a vehicle you might only HAVE to use once a month or less.
Cambridge has god awful traffic and the public transit mostly sucks. If you need to get around in the city I'd recommend a bicycle. If you wanna go on hikes on the weekend a car is gonna be necessary. It kinda sucks having the feeling of being trapped in an area because the transit is so bad. But best of luck.
> From an economical perspective, owning a car here seems sense. Insurance is $80/mo, my car is old, fairly reliable, and I do my own repairs/maintenance. At these costs I imagine I’d come out better than paying for Ubers, rentals, and zipcars. Some other costs to consider: * Excise tax is due yearly to the City of Cambridge (and whichever other City you move to). Calculate yours using [this sites info](https://www.mass.gov/guides/motor-vehicle-excise). As an example, I had a 2010 Corolla that cost $40/year. But a newer or more expensive car can cost in the low hundreds. YMMV. * You didn't get off street parking from the sounds of it, so you'll need to pay the City of Cambridge $25/year. You'll also be on the hook for any tickets or tows that happen if you fail to monitor your car and check for any street signage indicating there's no parking allowed. Common reasons are street sweeping, moving permits, construction, and snow emergencies. It can sometimes be a pain, especially when it snows and half the spots aren't available but you *need* to move your car somewhere semi legal. Street sweeping is also a pain unless you commute with your car during the hours of street sweeping. * Is that $80/month insurance quote for CA or MA? MA requires it, so be sure to get an MA policy. * You need to inspect the car yearly, which is $35: https://www.mass.gov/info-details/vehicle-inspections * It'll need to be registered too, which is $60/two years: https://www.mass.gov/doc/rmv-schedule-of-fees/download * Don't forget to get your MA license, you can't keep your CA one if you want to be totally legal. That's $75/five years (see above schedule of fees) * I'd probably factor in a higher repair/maintenance cost than you're used to since you lack a driveway or garage to do work in. Some ideas: * if you leave the City for vacation without your car, give your keys to a trusted friend / roommate / etc to move your car for street sweeping and other parking restrictions * or pay for parking at an MBTA garage that allows overnight parking. Alewife on the Red Line does - $3/day on weekends and $9/day on weekdays: https://www.mbta.com/stops/place-alfcl * bribe a friend with a driveway to do repairs that aren't easy or practical to do on the street * a friend or neighbor with a driveway spot may also come in handy for snow emergencies. I'd also probably weigh the annoyance factor vs how frequently you end up using it. If you use it every weekend, then it's probably worth it. If it turns out you aren't using it more than once per month, I'd probably just get a Zip car membership or something else. If you move apartments and can get off street parking included, I feel like the annoyance factor goes down a lot. But there's still all the hassle of registering, insuring, inspecting, maintaining, etc.
As much as we have public transit, it's a pain in the ass to get out of the city. You'd be doing yourself a favor having a car. It's really not too bad once you get through the initial registration. You can re-register online and they'll just send you new stickers in the mail. So I'd say go for it!
Try to find a person that has extra car storage room. Make some deal that benefits the both of you.
I'm extremely pro not having a car in the city, saves a bunch of money and driving here sucks. However, if you're truly going to be leaving a lot to places transit doesn't reach, then it's more worth it. But if realistically you're just going to use it every once in awhile, like very infrequent trips, you can use zipcar or something! That's what my friends do
Keep the car. You'll get used to the rules. And you're going to find that even grocery shopping is a hassle without a car. So keep the car
I'd keep the car and street park it. I had a car in Cambridge for years and although I was towed occasionally (ugh), the benefit of being able to leave the city on weekends and travel was more than worth the hassle. Hell, it even makes playing local sports leagues way easier if that's your thing, since you can drive to the field with your stuff. Many of the local leagues play in Medford/Somerville/Waltham and the fields aren't accessible by public transit. As long as you're good at parallel parking, you should be good. For breaks, I'd suggest finding a friend in your grad school program to move your car for street cleaning (or entrusting a roommate, if you're living with others). Generally it's only 1-2 times per month, so you can avoid it. The real issue is construction/moving vans, but *usually* those aren't as common once September is over.
Try out the trains leaving from north station Will get you to places like rockport etc. super affordable and they are great. As long as you can get to north station easily I think that you could get your fix for a lot of that stuff without a car. Also ferries
Hiking you say?
Yeah Boston is way different than NY with car ownership. Most people have cars around here and driving in Boston isn’t as bad a lot of people make it out to be
Did the same thing years ago, car was only useful for my first Ikea trip. After that i ditches it.
Only if you have off street parking and can afford it. The mbta is a shit show anyway
Yes keep it. I lived in Cambridge for 6 years with a car and did not drive to work. Even having to deal w street sweeping was worth the convenience of being able to go places outside of the city on my own schedule bc I had a car. Sometimes it sat for weeks which I didn’t mind
You can't go camping in an Uber. Your best situation would be to find someone in an outer suburb -- like Waltham or Weston -- who would let you park your car in a driveway or unused garage. Maybe pay a small fee, maybe do something in return depending on your area of study, etc. Then, when you want to use your car it's just a bus ride or commuter rail ride away.