I've watched this episode at least 20 times and I never get sick of it. It's got everything that one misses when watching the simpsons of today (although, I must confess, from mid-season 20 to this day, it has been improving it's writing quality). First of all, the plot is engaging and overall well written. The fact that Homer hates NY and has to go there to pick up his car is just fall-down-to-your-knees funny. The story of the rest of the family, is engaging, at best, not being, of course, the backbone of the episode. That part is left for the Homer storyline, and very wheel done, I might add. Homer's freak out towards everything in NY is the funniest thing here, you will smile hundreds of times and laugh out loud another couple of times. I don't give this episode a perfect 10 because I think it has some of the "wtf" moments we have nowadays (like the biker guy that was stuck to the back of that car that screamed at homer)
None the less, this is by far one of my favorite episodes of the simpsons of all time. I just wish that the writing skills that were so brilliantly put here, could be inserted in the simpsons new episodes, if not for at least let it go out with a bang.