dagblog - Comments for "Car Sharing Closer"

CM,Don't get me started, not

Bruce Levine — Thu, 05 May 2011 18:12:42 +0000

In reply to I have been thinking about

CM,

Don't get me started, not about Florida where my folks live too, but about the whole thing!

I have been thinking about

cmaukonen — Thu, 05 May 2011 16:56:26 +0000

In reply to I love my Detroit-made Jeep

I have been thinking about giving it to my daughter, who is moving down to Florida where people drive everywhere,

FLORIDA !!!??? May God have mercy on her soul.

It's a nice place to visit but I wouldn't want to live there. I know. I live there.

I love my Detroit-made Jeep

Bruce Levine — Thu, 05 May 2011 11:51:18 +0000

In reply to Car Sharing Closer

I love my Detroit-made Jeep but I'm in Manhattan and these days I'm only using it like twice a month. I have been thinking about giving it to my daughter, who is moving down to Florida where people drive everywhere, but it's hard to let go. Genghis' description above about going through the process of getting a zipcar is giving me hives just thinking about it.

I never heard of this

Richard Day — Wed, 04 May 2011 19:18:18 +0000

In reply to Car Sharing Closer

I never heard of this before!

Thanks for the report!

I'd never read that story. I

Michael Wolraich — Wed, 04 May 2011 18:51:50 +0000

In reply to Good to know, especially the

I'd never read that story. I love that AC stands for analog computer.

What I would like to ask the AC is why zipcar doesn't set up a graduated cancelation fee. It should cost more the closer to the rental point. Also, if they had a small cancelation fee no matter when you canceled, then fewer people would sit on car reservations just in case they planned to go.

And there is Citywheels in

cmaukonen — Wed, 04 May 2011 18:07:18 +0000

In reply to Car Sharing Closer

And there is Citywheels in Cleveland, Ohio.

Good to know, especially the

Donal — Wed, 04 May 2011 17:01:48 +0000

In reply to Like many New Yorkers, I have

Good to know, especially the penalty part.

Car availability seems in need of Planetary AC to sort it all out. I've walked to the rental office, and had to wait, or then been driven to another location to pick up a car.

Like many New Yorkers, I have

Michael Wolraich — Wed, 04 May 2011 16:38:51 +0000

In reply to Car Sharing Closer

Like many New Yorkers, I have no car, so I use zip car fairly often. I love not having to deal with the rental office. It's also great not to have to deal with refueling the tank to the exact level at which you rented the car. But there are a few disadvantages relative to rentals.

- On the weekends, which is when I most often need a car, zipcars tend to be more expensive than rentals (even after factoring gas & insurance)

- Stiff penalties. You can book a car for free up to 24 hours before you use it, but if you cancel your reservation 23:59 before use, you pay the whole day, regardless of whether someone else rents it. And if you return a car late, you're charged $50 per hour.

- In NYC, zipcars book up. Not just the convenient one around the corner--the whole city. To get a reservation within a week before your trip, you often have to repeatedly ping the site to look for a slot to open. Maybe you finally get one far away or a more expensive model then you prefer, so you reserve it and then keep pinging the site to find a closer cheaper option. Very annoying. On the other hand, I've also suffered from this problem at a rental agency: