Tengbt

I've never considered the GX a large suv, but in the NYC area, seems almost every parking garage and car wash so delightfully includes a "large vehicle" fee to the GX. In my case, an extra $50 on top of the crazy monthy garage rate. Even the Buick Park Avenue parked next to me is wider and longer than the GX as well as numberous mini-vans, Explorers, and ironically enough 4-runners dont get hit with a 'large vehicle' fee. Anybody else experience such discrimination? Maybe because GX seems taller, it looks bigger, or the Lexus name itself?
Is there a rule or law regarding classification of what is considered "large vehicle"?

Any lawyers and non-lawyers out there appreciate yr comment/help. Fee waive of course for the GX brotherhood

Sammzway

It goes by what each person sees it as. I pulled into a parking lot in Brooklyn and the guy said $25 all day parking lot due to the fact that it's a "TRUCK".. i pulled out and went to the parking lot down the same block. The guy looks at it and says $10 all day, I was like isn't that the same price as a car? He goes yes, but only large trucks and large suvs pays double not this one. I was like ummmm ok.

So I think it goes by peoples opinion. Some parking lot garages will try to over charge you by saying BS stuff like that but some won't. In NYC, expect to pay cuz ppl are always trying to get a few extra bucks.
By the way, I rode into Brooklyn with my friend in his Hummer H3 and we pulled into the same parking lot that charged me $10 charged his Hummer $20. I told him I paid $10 for my GX, but they told me "Oh yes, but this is a Hummer"... They consider ALL the hummer to be large size SUV... I know it's weird but thats just NYC for you.

Johnny Mo

Dude don't EVEN get me started on this topic....a few years ago I went to WAR with the garage I park at for Ranger games...I flat out told the guy take your oversize charge and shove it. I called the Dept of Cons affairs - completely USELESS - they claimed that as long as they post it they can charge you more money of your car is blue.

Then I called the Metropolitan Parking Association- sounds like a really official title/group right? Wrong - USELESS again - they are a lobbying group/consortium that fights for the garage owners interests - i.e. helping to maintain the monopolistic approach to gouging customers with ridiculous fees. I come to find out after several phone calls that they base it off of length and get this height...now the length thing I understand - but I would've thought width - they don't care that a Mercedes S600 is 8 inches wider than a GX...a GX may not fit in an elevator or low ceiling garage they tell me...well the garage I'm parking and getting charged at a)doesn't use an elevator, and B) doesn't have low ceilings. Doesn't matter this is what we the MPA have dedcided is fair.

When I go to Ranger games now - to avoid the conflict (it got real ugly one evening) I just take my wife's RX.

OHHHHH and forget if it's a really ridiculous event like the auto show at Javits etc - then they just bend you over completely and throw in the special event charge.

This only happens in NYC by the way - the co. I work for owns a bunch of parking garages 300 or so all outside of NY, and NONE of them charge an oversize charge.

Tengbt

Ok, im not alone and oddly enough glad to know others share my agony. Funny how you mentioned 'height' cuz that's what the garage boss said as well. And yes, there is no elevator and the ceiling is high enough to fit a winnebago. And his old 80s mercedes s-class is longer and wider too. I thought he was crazy to even mentioned height, as it's just nothing but dead space.

Im very familiar with the msg area, and agree all rip-offs garages. That goes for the car washes around the city too. yeah, i know it's only $1 more for the car wash, but the principle of it when the bigger mini-van in front of me pays car rates.

I was searching online, but couldn't find any consumer protection/definition regarding oversize vehicle classification.

Anybody else hv similar stories?

cwalker7

Everytime I come into the city I get hit with that fee, the garage stating that the GX is and extra large vehicle because of the third row bull. And it also happens at the car wash, just another way to screw New Yorkers....

Tengbt

Third Row? haha, now that's a new one! boy, those new Rav4 w/3rd row NY owners in for a shock...

lonewolf69

Hence one of the MAIN reasons why I NEVER EVER drive into the city anymore... I was born and raised here in NYC but moved out to Long Island and let me tell you right now, if some schmuck told me I would have to PAY extra because of my GX....

... well, lets just say, I won't go there!!!

I work everyday down in financail district right next to Ground Zero but on the weekends I just want to avoid the city altogether... After 25 years of grinding it out here in Manhattan, I deserve some R&R in the suburbs!!!!

*getting off soapbox now*

Sorry about the rant, but it infuriates me too, but I've seen that DAMNED sign/clause in garages for MANY MANY years now so it wasn't a surprise to me, so far, we've been lucky that we haven't needed to drive the "family" GX into the city yet, although I do dread that day...


-Alex

DavidsGX

Johnny, doesn't the RX charged the same as GX??
Gosh! Our GX is even shorter than most mid-size sedans(Acura TL, Lexus GS...) But we are charged more!! No fair!!
Our GX Overall length is 188.2 in compared with my old TL 193 in.
I mean, we only take up one of their parking spaces, but we pay extra!

SilverLady

My solution is to take the train into NYC proper.

I have this thing about driving in NYC and it has gotten only worse over the years. I only do it if I absolutely have to, and then as little as possible.

I'm also born and raised there, but moved out two days after I graduated CCNY. I don't mind visiting - in fact, I even do fun overnights with my daughter - hotel, dinner, Broadway show, museums - but we take the train.

Tengbt

As david mentioned, so many cars are longer and some wider than the GX (thousand of crown vic nyc cabs). But what pisses me most is the how these garage guys arbitrarily lump GX as oversized, while grand caravans, odyssey, 4-runners, pathfinders, grand cherokees, and many other similar sized suv get regular rates. Not that i want those vehicles to get hit with any charge..., but the GX is not big and not small. Just right!

As for my garage guy and the height of the GX, i showed him how it lowers 3". He hardly noticed and wasn't very impressed cant win...

lexguynj

I too get hit with the overcharge when I drive the GX into the city and park in the garages. It's definitely the visual affect of how tall these trucks are that make them look too huge to fit in garages.

Funny thing happenned several months ago when I was parking in a Philly garage, the attendent stopped us at the entrance and said we could park only on the first level because the GX was too large and would get stuck if we went down any further (of course we got the oversize charge). We parked next to this huge Chevy Tahoe and weird thing is that the GX height-wise looked like it was going to scrape the pipes in the ceiling area whereas the Tahoe seemed to have plenty of space to clear it.

It's the GX's height that is it's downfall in city parking garages.

Johnny Mo

No the RX gets charged a regular car fee. Thankfully once I get my IS I won't have to deal with that anymore.