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Question about driving from Toronto to New York City

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Newbie
Dec 13, 2002
62 posts
16 upvotes
Toronto

Question about driving from Toronto to New York City

Hi,

I am looking to drive from Toronto to New York city during the Canadian Thanksgiving, and I would like to know if there is any gas station(s) that opens 24 hours. I will be taking the buffalo route and we will start off from TO at about 2am to try to make it to NY in the morning.

Also, if anyone has any tips about driving on this route, please let me know.

Thanks for the help
29 replies
Deal Addict
Mar 29, 2006
3615 posts
51 upvotes
GTA to NYC is 10-hour drive, if you aren't planning on feeding NY State Troopers with your hard-earned dollars in the form of speeding tickets. So, starting at 2 am, you wouldn't be in NYC earlier than noonish time. Most pumps on Interstates are 24 hours, except on the X-Mas night. Most ppl. take I90-I81-I380-I80.
Deal Expert
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Jul 5, 2004
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NYC is not a 10 hour drive. If you do the speed limit, you'll be looking at an 8 hour drive at most. Even as a Canadian, you can get away with going with the flow of traffic and can cut the trip down to about 7 hours.
Deal Addict
Mar 29, 2006
3615 posts
51 upvotes
It is about 800 km. Taking into account at least one refueling stop plus some time spent crossing the border, I wouldn't bet on anything less than 9 hours, and taking I80 in the middle of the night in October at 115 is pretty reckless, if you ask me. BTW, 73 mph (65+"eight is great, nine and you're mine") is 117.5 km/h.
Deal Guru
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Nov 19, 2002
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Even google maps only gives it 8+ hours, and they tend to err on the side of caution.

This weekend just past Iwas at a wedding in High Falls, NY, and it was just about exactly 7 hrs of driving between Mississauga and High Falls. As NY is an hour farther, you could definitely do it in 8-8.5 hrs of driving....it all depends on your pit stops.

And yes, there were troopers all over the interstates, but if you're not an idiot, that won't be a problem.
Deal Guru
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Sep 6, 2002
11547 posts
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Moving target
I 81 can get a bit annoying with fog and animals. Be careful for deer around sun rise and sun set.

I drive this route every year and we stop in Binghamton, theres a 24 hour denny's too.

Other than that fill up the tank in New Jersey before you hit NYC, gas (and parking) is much cheaper.
Autocorrect sucks
Deal Fanatic
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Nov 23, 2005
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We went back in July and took us roughly 10 hours with plenty of stops for food and gas.

The route I took was as follows;
- I90 to Syracuse
- 81 South
- 380 South
- 80 East

We only ended up paying a toll on I90 and @ the Lincoln Tunnel.

There are plenty of gas station stops along the way (like on 401) so you won't have a problem. From my experience, I've found that the gas is the cheapest right before you get into NJ. Around Buffalo, it was 3.11/gallon while in NJ I paid 2.73.

BIGGEST ADVICE - don't speed! I had my cruise set to about 5-10mph over throughout the trip and stuck to the far right lane and haven't had problems with popo's, even though I've passed many.
Deal Addict
Dec 6, 2006
2926 posts
1499 upvotes
Another alternative is to fly from Buffalo - NY with fares as low as $59.00 with Jetblue depending when you travel.
Newbie
Dec 13, 2002
62 posts
16 upvotes
Toronto
thanks for the info, we've booked a car for the long weekend and we will stopping at woodbury first before we head down to NYC.

With the canadian dollar at par now with the USD, the bargin at woodbury should be greater.
Sr. Member
Mar 10, 2004
897 posts
376 upvotes
wamtt wrote: ...we've booked a car for the long weekend.
which car rental company will allow you to drive a car across the border? I m thinking of doing something similar next year...
Deal Addict
Mar 29, 2006
3615 posts
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tempperm wrote: which car rental company will allow you to drive a car across the border?
I know about Avis & Hertz. They're not the cheapest around. Avis's week-long rental for midsize runs for approx. 250 CAD and includes 3000 km mileage.
Deal Addict
Mar 29, 2006
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deep wrote: Even google maps only gives it 8+ hours, and they tend to err on the side of caution.

And yes, there were troopers all over the interstates, but if you're not an idiot, that won't be a problem.
Just returned from the trip to the Washington, DC. Google gave me 9.5 hours for this trip and my actual driving time was about 9 hours. Mind you, I was either going with the traffic or doing 8 miles over the posted limit all the time and traffic was either going well above limit (80 mph on 65 mph highway near DC) or was very light to non-existent. So I think Google's estimate was pretty damn accurate. Unless you know the way how to prevent troopers (which are aplenty there) from nailing you for going 20 mph over the speed limit. I don't. And I've seen 1-2 drivers per hour who (mistakenly) thought they can fool the system.

By the way, I know that NY traffic ticket is as bad for your Ontario insurance as a local one. What about PA, MD, VA?
Deal Addict
Mar 12, 2007
1333 posts
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Kingston
I will fly to Philadelphia and need to rent a full size car there. I will then drive to Washington DC and back to Pila 2 days after. Any recommended rental car company, Avis? Thanks.
Deal Addict
Nov 16, 2007
1157 posts
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Budget will let you drive across the border as well. Most of the US rental car companies generally will.

Avis
Hertz
Alamo
National
Enterprise

I'll be pulling a Canadian resident renting a US car and driving back to Canada - which is illegal.

I'm not sure if there is something similar for American renting a CAN car and driving back to USA.
Deal Addict
Aug 17, 2003
1265 posts
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Toronto
For those driving check out primospot.com it's like monopoly free parking in NYC!
Deal Addict
Apr 2, 2007
1423 posts
64 upvotes
Toronto
Shaner wrote: NYC is not a 10 hour drive. If you do the speed limit, you'll be looking at an 8 hour drive at most. Even as a Canadian, you can get away with going with the flow of traffic and can cut the trip down to about 7 hours.
Google maps do not factor in time for gas, pit stops to eat, washroom breaks, etc...

It can be done in 8.5 hrs if you speed a little and limit to one pit stop.

OP, if you stay on the major highways, the gas stations are open 24hrs so you don't have to worry about running out of gas.

This is the route I take...
From Buffalo, take the I-90 East to Syracuse.
Exit south onto 690
Take 81 south to Binghamton and keep going to Scranton, Pa.
Take 6 south to 380 and go East on 80
Take 280 East towards Jersey City and exit to 95 and they follow the signs to direct you to the Lincoln Tunnel into Times Square.
Deal Addict
Apr 2, 2007
1423 posts
64 upvotes
Toronto
tempperm wrote: which car rental company will allow you to drive a car across the border? I m thinking of doing something similar next year...
Avis... use a corporate AWD and get unlimited Km's.
Search for the thread.

Hertz too, but they won't give you unlimited Km's and may block you from going to NYC. (not all rental places allow the car in NYC specifically [Enterprise])

I'm heading down Thursday in a minivan (unlimited km's) with 3 others hitting Woodbury Commons, Jersey State Gardens and Soho... course some sight seeing along the way.
Deal Addict
Apr 2, 2007
1423 posts
64 upvotes
Toronto
canadien99 wrote: Budget will let you drive across the border as well. Most of the US rental car companies generally will.

Avis
Hertz
Alamo
National
Enterprise

I'll be pulling a Canadian resident renting a US car and driving back to Canada - which is illegal.

I'm not sure if there is something similar for American renting a CAN car and driving back to USA.
Budget is now owned by Avis.

Its the stupidest law... A Canadian cannot rent and drive back an American rental car, but an American can drive back a Canadian rental car.

The other car companies will allow you to enter the US (most only giving you 200 Km's/day) but some of them will not allow you to enter NYC... if you do and something happens to the vehicle, you are not covered as you would have broken the rental agreement. So best advice is to let they rental place know where you are going.

Avis has no issues.
Sr. Member
Nov 13, 2007
881 posts
135 upvotes
Toronto
wamtt wrote: Hi,

we will start off from TO at about 2am to try to make it to NY in the morning.
Be very careful. :!:

Last month, my cousin did the same thing
Deal Addict
Apr 2, 2007
1423 posts
64 upvotes
Toronto
superping wrote: Be very careful. :!:

Last month, my cousin did the same thing … avoided all the line-up but didn't make it to NYC. They ended up in an accident because he fell asleep on the road. That's right .. It was so dark and quiet, he slept behind the wheel and rear-ended a truck.

They got back to Canada (by a rental car) at 1pm to witness the crazy line-up at the border.

The whole car was trashed. Luckily nobody got hurt.

If you take off at 2am, make sure you have plenty of sleep the night before and have a backup driver. Don't push it.
That sucks...your cousin had no one to talk to, that's why he/she fell asleep. My dad did that once, but he got lucky as the tire hit the side of the road and he got woken up by the noise from the tires running over the yellow lane pitted markers. That kept him awake.

How did your cousin cross they boarder in a US rental car?
Canada customs will not allow a Canadian driver to cross back into Canada with a US plated rental. I guess he did some explaining and the checked it with the insurance company.

I had something similar a few years back.. rented a car (from Canada) and it just died on the I-90. I called the rental company (Avis) and they issued me another car (NY plates)... coming back to US/Canada border, I got pulled over and questioned... they wouldn't let me through. So I had to call Avis and explain to them the situation. Avis sent an Ontario plated car to the border to switch it. I got almost the same hassle the last time I went across in a Quebec plated rental with an Ontario DL.

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