🚀 go-pugleaf

In article <3d6ceq$lvf@mars.mcs.com>, Krikket <krikket@MCS.COM> wrote:
>Kyuuketsuhime Miyu (miyu@tyrell.net) wrote:
>
>Note:  My replies reflect that I live and operate a car in the Suburbs.
>Chicago is a little more expensive.
>
>>How much do cars cost up there?
>
>Depends on the make and model of the car...  I bought my 93 Saturn brand
>new (in 93) for a bit over $11K, complete with anti-lock breaks and a 5
>year 100,000 mile warrantee.  (That was about $1500 right there.)
>
>In Chicago, if you buy a car of bring a car into the city that is less
>than 2 years old (or is it 3, I forget) you must pay the City of Chicago
>a 7.5% tax on the price of the car.  (It may have changed since I bought
>my car in '93, but the figure is accurate, I looked it up on my State
>Tax forms.)

I doubt this. No one ever asked me to pay city tax on my new car bought
out of state (had to pay state tax, though).
(Then again, please don't tell anyone anout me in case its true.) ;-)

>>Gas?
>
>In the burbs I pay $1.15 to $1.20 per gallon.  City prices are higher,
>but I don't know how much off-hand.

Around 10 cents more per gallon. (No big sweat -- you'll drive less.)

>>Insurance?
>
>Are you looking for a reliable insurance company (IE: State Farm) or a
>fly-by-night company (IE: Smilie Insurance)?  What kind of risk are you,
>etcetcetc...  I know mine runs about $800 per month, but I'm not in the
>low-risk groups, and I've got full coverage, *BUT* I'm using Smilie
>Insurance.  Yes, that is actually the name of the comany, origionally
>owned by George Smilie.  (The Ins that they sell is Allied American)

That should be $800 for 6 months, I hope. His insurance in the city may be
even less if he has a clean driving record and is over 25.

>>And I find it 
>>interesting that Chicago still uses meters.  I am going to hate having to 
>>run around with a pocketful of change now.

What do you do with your change now? (Just curious.)

>Depends on where you go, and if you're willing to pay more for a parking
>garage.

Most residential areas have lots of parking (if you know where to look --
you'll soon get the hang) and no meters. On the other hand, some places like
Wrigleyville and the Gold Cost have no meters but permit parking instead.
However, even if that is the case, you can usually find a non-restricted
place with a little luck (and provided its not a game night).

>>What about drivers license or car registrations?
>
>DL fees are minimal, I think a $5 charge by the state.
>
>Car registration, I'm not going to guess at in Chicgao.  State
>registration is about $45 I think.

There's no separate city registration but you do need a city sticker ($40).

>>How can I get IL plates?
>
>Stop by the Illinois Dept. of Transportation and ask for 'em, they'll
>giv you full info on it there.
>
>>What do I need to do about my current personalized plates?
>
>Depends on the state you live in.  I'm willing to guess that you'll be
>required to mail 'em back to the state to be destroyed and possibly
>re-issued.  In practice (from what I've seen at any rate) almost no one
>bothers to do this, and no one really cares.
>
>>Do I need to retake a driving test to get a IL license?
>
>Depends on where you're from, if you have a valid licence, etc.  My
>*GUESS* is that you'll have to take the written but not the road test.
>
>(The road test is incredibly easy, most people get 99-100% on it, if
>they have any experience driving anywhere in the US.  The state will
>even provide you with a Rules of the Road booklet to study if you want.
>There is one question on the test though that many people get wrong.  In
>Illinois it is *LEGAL* to pass a stopped schoolbus that is loading or
>unloading children *IF* you are on a two lane highway.  The catch is
>that the bus driver can only let out kids that are going to places on
>that side of the road.

In the city the cops even tell bus drivers NOT to put out those stop sign 
side thingies under pain of death. (There was a story about this on channel 
2 a few weeks back.) It's a motorist's paradise, I tell 'ya. ;-)

>Unless they've changed the law back since I took the test.)
--
______________________________________________________________
Scott Reynolds                              reynolds@ripco.com