what I'm surprised about is that travelling in a lincoln town car is considered luxurious! This is the standard livery cab service in NYC (which is used a lot by people who aren't considered wealthy).
As an aside, there are different schools of thought for how to pay radio cars since they don't have meters. A friend always waits until getting dropped off to negotiate price. He figures he holds the power at that point since he is already at his destination. I always ask how much before getting in. My girlfriend just hands them money when she gets out, whatever she thinks is fair, and has never had anyone give her a hard time.
EDIT: I should add that all three of us find the cost of the radio cars to be about the same as yellow cabs. Our different negotiating techniques don't really make a difference.
You are not insured in a radio car unless the trip was booked. Yes, I stand next to the car and phone in, just in case. The drivers are cool with that.
For one thing, if you make a complaint against a driver in NYC, there is going to be some action taken. Not so in DC.
That said, I used Uber almost exclusively in both locations.
In DC, you're guaranteed almost the exact opposite.
In NYC, Uber is a nice-to-have. In DC, Uber is almost your only option.