Imagine buying a car in New York City and then finding out you had a parking spot potentially available right outside the building where you live. Now imagine that parking spot suddenly costing far more than the car you recently bought, which sounds like a truly preposterous thought.
But that is what happened to a young woman called Charisma, who goes by @charismastev on TikTok. Having recently bought a Toyota, she then found out she could utilize a parking spot outside her New York apartment building as the previous user had vacated it.
This would do away with the complexities of trying to use on-street parking and eliminate the need to park several blocks away in a different garage or parking lot. But Charisma was in for a shock.
You can only imagine her surprise when she learned she nearly ended up paying $150,000 just to park her Toyota outside her building. Unsurprisingly, she decided this wasn’t the best use of her money.
Why Did Charisma Suddenly Have a Parking Spot To Use?
@charismastev This is a real email mind you… I’ve already found a garage but was considering returning the car 😂😂😂😂 #nyc ♬ original sound – charisma
Charisma said in her TikTok that she wanted to cut out her use of public transport and be more independent when it came to getting out and about. She said she bought her Toyota to “drive to the grocery store, or maybe go to a nearby state for fun.”
Parking in New York City can be a nightmare, but she got good news that a parking spot was opening up at the building in which she lived. These spots are often hired by residents of the buildings while they live there, and the fact that one was now available was simply perfect.
“This would be monumental,” she said on TikTok. Parking in the Big Apple can be a nightmare, due mainly to how restrictive on-street parking can be. Having to always deal with Alternate Side Parking is often the biggest headache.
This involves moving a vehicle to the other side of a street for cleaning purposes, or even off the street entirely if street cleaning is needed on both sides of a road. Leaving your car in the way of workers can land you in trouble, but moving a car at a moment’s notice isn’t always easy for residents in New York. So having a parking spot where she lived was perfect for Charisma.
The Parking Charge Shocked the New Toyota Owner
Charsima inquired about the parking spot and had to wait for a confirmation email for whether it was available, and what the price would be. That email did arrive, but what shocked her was the fact that it would cost $150,000 for her to use the parking spot, not what you would expect to just park a car.
“It had to be one hundred and fifty thousand human dollars,” she said in her TikTok. That money could buy many things, ranging from a supercar to a small house or six of the Toyotas that she had recently bought.
According to Charisma, where she lives has a few condos in her building, which helped to drive the price of the parking lot up. For her, as she just rents, spending that much money to park simply isn’t viable. However, for those who actually own the condos, it makes a bit more sense, even if it is a lot of money.
Parking in New York City Just Got Harder for Charisma
That has left the Toyota owner with quite a dilemma when it comes to what to do with her new car. Some viewers of her video even commented on how it would be cheaper for her to just get parking tickets every day than pay $150,000 to park outside her building. Of course, that isn’t a recommended option, but it highlights the plight Charisma has found herself in.
Thankfully, she said she had a backup parking plan available, which doesn’t involve paying the equivalent of six daily drivers. She didn’t say whether that was another parking spot a few blocks away or if she’d have to resort to on-street parking, the biggest nightmare for anyone living in New York City.