Help Your Landlord, Win a Year Full of Expensive Hassles

mini.jpg

As car manufacturers again turn to free gas gimmickry to boost sales, New York developers are looking to lure tenants and buyers with — that’s right — free cars. 

Tishman Speyer is offering a one-year Mini Cooper lease to the tenant who can draw the most referrals to Stuyvesant Town. "I suppose it could be worse; it could have been an SUV they’re giving
away," writes our tipster. "But this is still the last thing Manhattan needs right
now — another resident, private car." Joining Stuy Town is Prospect Heights development The Sinclair, which, as seen on Curbed, is giving away Toyota Priuses.

We wouldn’t expect these guys to be so savvy as to put up, say, a Bakfiets, but really — a car? Not a lifetime of MetroCards?

What will be the next ridiculously counterproductive real estate marketing trend? Leave your best guess in the comments — and win a carton of Marlboros!!

  • v

    it is pretty shiny though

  • Brian

    A cop for a best friend to get them out of trouble the next time they decide to attack an elderly cyclist.

  • Free Nets’ tickets?

  • W. K. Lis

    A Mini-Cooper owner has been told her transmission can’t be fixed. It must be replaced, at a cost of $11,000. The 2006 car was out of warranty, but there are no parts to the transmission, the entire transmission must be replaced.

  • MisterBadExample

    Let’s see–some other dumb, counterproductive giveaways? “lifetime retainer for landlord/tenant court–if we sue you, we pick up your legal costs!”.

    BTW, I would guess that parking garage isn’t included, right? In Brooklyn, a car with full collision/fire theft/liability that parks on the street is a minimum of $400/month to insure.

  • Adam

    Playing devils advocate here: What would the reaction of this board be if they were giving away a Smart Car?

  • Adam, huh? Smart Cars are still cars, and still require gas, insurance, parking. They still appropriate public space for private use. In short, they’re no different from Minis. In what way did you think they would be different?

  • Ian Turner

    WKL: Fortunately for the winner here, they won’t have to worry about it because they are not winning the car itself but rather a 1-year lease on the car.

    Adam: A smart car would be a small improvement because of the noise and pollution, but still creates carnage, congestion, honking, and takes up way too much space.

  • Rich

    As a Stuy town market rate tenant, I would like to win this car, I just can’t think of enough enemies to refer to living in this luxury project at sky high prices with a management that has the attitude of a city agency. I have a few enemies, but not enough I fear.

    If it were not for that, I’d win and take the car, and just park it on the streets around Stuy…where it would soon be out priced by the parking tickets sure to be received. ( called in buy Stuy town’s own rent-a-cops who have told me ‘they can’t write tickets or arrest anyone, but they have a good relationship with the local precinct.’)

    I’m glad I’m paying this place for it’s continual assault on common sense. Can’t wait for the day I’m out of here. I won’t miss the trees, even the ones they replace ever 6 weeks.

    r

  • Doug

    In most of these giveaway contests, you can negotiate with the company to get the cash value — or some cash value — instead of the vehicle. I worked for someone who regularly entered sweepstakes — and won — and for cars he would just ask for the $20K or $40K or whatever instead of the car itself.

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