{"id":4589,"date":"2017-02-28T13:45:37","date_gmt":"2017-02-28T21:45:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/turo.com\/blog\/?p=4589"},"modified":"2025-03-31T08:17:25","modified_gmt":"2025-03-31T15:17:25","slug":"mardi-gras-the-price-is-right-a-fiat-500","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/turo.com\/blog\/community\/mardi-gras-the-price-is-right-a-fiat-500\/","title":{"rendered":"Mardi Gras, the Price Is Right, & a Fiat 500"},"content":{"rendered":"

New Orleans resident and Mardi Gras aficionado <\/span>Erin W.<\/span><\/a> didn\u2019t choose the Turo life, it chose her. <\/span><\/p>\n

The price is so right<\/span><\/h3>\n

Rewind to last February when she was out in Los Angeles visiting her family, whom she convinced to come along to a taping of <\/span>The Price Is Right<\/span><\/i>, because, why not? Little did she know that her name would be called, and she\u2019d make her way to the coveted stage to rub elbows with host Drew Carey. She played a game called \u201cLine \u2018em up\u201d where she had to line up the prices of three products \u2014 a year\u2019s worth of car washes, a car stereo system, and jumper cables \u2014 to create the price of a <\/span>brand new Fiat 500<\/span>. She nailed it, and she heard those magic words that every game show contestant longs to hear \u2014 \u201cGo get your BRAND NEW CAR!\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

Except when it\u2019s not<\/span><\/h3>\n

And the rest is history. Well, almost. \u201cOne thing they don\u2019t tell you when you win a car is that you have to pay taxes on it,\u201d she notes. As a car-owning artist and musician in New Orleans, she neither really needed the car, nor did she have the extra scratch to pay the taxes on it. So after transporting the car from LA to NOLA, she did some recon to look into selling it. But, true to form, the brand new car with all of 50 miles on it, initially valued at $25,000, had already depreciated to $10,000 according to some used car dealerships she visited. \u201cIt was highway robbery!\u201d she lamented.<\/span><\/p>\n

Having been a seasoned sharing economy enthusiast with Airbnb and other services, Erin googled around and discovered Turo. She listed the Fiat in October, and just four months in, she\u2019s already netted between $500 and $600 each month, enough to pay off the taxes and help her with her monthly expenses. \u201cIt\u2019s a great side hustle,\u201d she explains, \u201cbecause tourism is such a huge industry for this city.\u201d And interestingly, \u201ca good chunk of my repeat business comes from locals who just need a car for a few days. There are 10\u00a0universities in New Orleans, so college kids are always looking to get out and explore on the weekends.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The Big Easy: Ready for lift-off<\/span><\/h3>\n

\u201cNew Orleans has many, many tourists coming into the city and staying at Airbnbs, and those individuals need cars. Turo could have a big impact on this market,\u201d she muses. \u201cWhen the only other option is Enterprise, there\u2019s a lot of opportunity to really stand out.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Especially when your car radiates novelty value. \u201cEveryone loves <\/span>The Price is Right<\/span><\/i> story. Just like how people love Airbnb for \u201cconcept\u201d rentals, they love my Fiat as a \u201cconcept\u201d car.\u201d I mean, who wouldn\u2019t want to drive a game show car instead of a boring rental car? She even got some <\/span>good press on the local NOLA blog<\/span> to flaunt her local celebrity cachet.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/h3>\n

Mardi Gras tips from the inside<\/span><\/h3>\n

Erin has lived and performed in NOLA for the last 10 years, and is a well-versed <\/span>Mardi Gras<\/span><\/a> vet. Granted, the city has been masquerading, parading, and partying for the last month, but today is \u201ca sacred day in the city\u201d. Here are her pointers from someone who knows:<\/span><\/p>\n

DON\u2019T DRIVE.<\/span><\/h4>\n

It\u2019s just not worth it. The parade routes shut down streets all around town, so your best bet is to walk or bike. Not only will you spare the grief of gridlock, but you\u2019ll be much safer to enjoy the festivities.<\/span><\/p>\n

CHECK OUT THE PARADES.<\/span><\/h4>\n

The Zulu parade is the big one du jour, but her favorite is St. Anne\u2019s Parade. \u201cIt\u2019s a beautiful morning parade around the Marigny neighborhood. Everyone\u2019s in costume, and it\u2019s quite spiritual.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

GET TO COSTUMING.<\/span><\/h4>\n

It\u2019s just what you do. Proper Mardi Gras costumes make the day all the more special, and they add to the magic already enchanting the thick Southern air.<\/span><\/p>\n

Next time you\u2019re in New Orleans, <\/span>take Erin\u2019s Fiat 500 for a spin around the Bywater<\/span>. If you\u2019re celebrating today in the Big Easy, happy Mardi Gras!<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

New Orleans resident and Mardi Gras aficionado Erin W. didn\u2019t choose the Turo life, it chose her. The price is so right Rewind to last February when she was out…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":4596,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[60],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4589","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-community"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t