Used Cars in Fairmount, Hackensack NJ

Why buy a used car in Fairmount

Grand, Summit and Prospect are snow emergency routes for their entire length

This is the most practical thing anyone can tell you about owning a car in Fairmount. Under Hackensack’s snow emergency schedule, parking is prohibited on both sides of Anderson Street, Beech Street, Central Avenue, Grand Avenue, Prospect Avenue, South Prospect Avenue, Summit Avenue, Union Street and Passaic Street — among many others — for their entire length, whenever snow has fallen and accumulated enough to cover the street. Three of those run through the middle of this neighbourhood.

If you have a driveway or a garage, that is an inconvenience. If you do not, it is a real problem several times a winter, and it is worth factoring into what you buy: a car that starts reliably in the cold and that you can move quickly is worth more here than a few extra features. Hackensack also requires property owners to clear sidewalks within six hours of daylight after snow stops — stricter than most neighbouring towns.

Most Fairmount households run one car

Census data for Hackensack shows an average of one vehicle per household, with the majority of households owning a single car, and just under 56% of workers driving alone. About 61% of the city rents. What that means practically is that the car has to do everything — commute, groceries, school, the airport run — because there is no second one to fall back on. Reliability and a clean history report matter more here than they do in a two-car suburb.

The hospital is the neighbourhood’s biggest economic fact

Hackensack University Medical Center sits on Prospect Avenue: roughly 800 beds, around 9,000 employees, and one of Bergen County’s largest employers. Hospitals run three shifts, and a shift worker’s car requirements are specific — dependable cold starts, sensible fuel costs, and something that will not strand you at 6:00 a.m. Fairleigh Dickinson’s Metropolitan Campus is just down the road too, with several thousand students between Hackensack and Teaneck.

Getting around

Hackensack has real transit for a city its size. Anderson Street and Essex Street stations sit on NJ Transit’s Pascack Valley Line into Hoboken, with connections to Penn Station New York; New Bridge Landing is just north in River Edge. Buses 144, 157 and 162 through 168 run to Midtown Manhattan and 171, 175, 178 and 182 to the George Washington Bridge, with the Hackensack Bus Terminal as the regional hub. Mean commute is about 29 minutes.

What to look at, by body style

Sedans

The most sensible buy in Fairmount for a lot of people. A used Civic, Accord or Camry runs roughly $14,000 to $22,000 with us, costs less to insure and fuel than anything taller, and fits a narrow driveway or a street space you might have to give up when it snows. If you are running one car and watching the budget, start here.

Compact crossovers

The upgrade most Fairmount buyers actually want. A CR-V, RAV4, Rogue or CX-5 gives you ground clearance for an unplowed street and a hatch that swallows a week’s shopping. Expect roughly $19,000 to $32,000 depending on model and year, with all-wheel drive adding $1,500 to $2,500 over a comparable front-drive version.

Three-row family SUVs

Hackensack’s average household is about 2.3 people, so this is a minority need — but when it is a need, it is a real one. A Pilot, Highlander, Explorer or Sorento carries seven. Check your parking situation honestly first: these are long vehicles and the streets around Fairmount Avenue were not laid out for them.

Trucks and pickups

Hackensack runs a resident permit parking programme and separate overnight rules, and municipal lots and decks are first come, first served even for permit holders. If you are buying a pickup, you want somewhere off-street for it. Check the current permit and overnight rules with the city before you commit.

Distance and directions

From Fairmount to Carz4Us of South Hackensack

About 4.4 miles. River Street south from Hackensack, past the Fairleigh Dickinson frontage on University Plaza Drive, then Main Street and Route 46 — under fifteen minutes most of the day. There is a slightly longer but often faster run via Route 17 south and Route 46 if Main Street is congested.

From Fairmount to Carz4Us of Pine Brook

About 21 miles west, roughly 30 to 35 minutes via Route 80. Call ahead and we will confirm which lot has the vehicle you want before you make the drive.

Why we are closed on Sundays

Bergen County is the only New Jersey county that still enforces blue laws restricting Sunday retail. Both lots are closed Sundays. Weekday evenings are quieter than Saturdays if you want time to look properly.