Zipcar!!!

[sportyaccordy]

Yes!!!

I have figured it all out!!!

Me + the gf were out with some friends tonight who live in the city, and they all use Zipcar. Perfect! $75/mo and we get 10 hours of usage on a car, plus whatever time we don't use gets rolled over, and whatever we go over is $7/hr.

Plus, they have a decent assortment of cars and trucks available for various uses, from a Yaris to a BMW 328i!

Gas + insurance = included!

And there's a drop off station near us

So I'd be going from paying $325/mo for insurance + $40-50/mo on gas + w/e on parts to paying like $38/mo!!! I'm so freaking pumped. Can't wait to dump this heap and go with Zipcar. There are absolutely no advantages to owning a car with this available (for my situation).

[mzziaz]

If the pricing is right, I guess it's only a matter of convenience.

Are the cars located close to you?
How about availability of the car you want/need?

[Rich]

I think you were looking at having an automatic in your next car, so this would work out great

I was going to say "oh noes! I bet they are all autos!!!" before I remembered that

[sportyaccordy]

If the pricing is right, I guess it's only a matter of convenience.

Are the cars located close to you?
How about availability of the car you want/need?

They have a range of cars from BMW 328i's to small pick up trucks... and the service is large enough that stuff is always available

Aside from having to walk a few short blocks to get the car (which I can either bike or bus depending on the time of day and car) it's super convenient, apparently. For about what I pay for cable I can have access to a car! I'm pumped.

[ifcar]

How many different cars are physically accessible to you at any given time? My concern would be I'd be paying for this service but that there wouldn't necessarily be a car available to me at a specific time I needed it.

[Tave]

What sorts of things would you use it for?

[Payman]

What sorts of things would you use it for?

Ice racing! duh

[Tave]

I just ask because $50/month in gas is a lot of driving. That could be well over 500 miles. I spend $50/month in gas and I would blow through the first 10 hours in two days, just going to school.

I'm trying to wrap my head around what you could do with it. You couldn't drive to a ball game. You couldn't go out for a night on the town, unless you could drop it off at the destination, or didn't plan on using it anytime else during the month. I guess it'd be nice for errands, but again, it seems like that would add up quickly. A couple hour-and-fifteen minute trips and suddenly half your time is gone.

[MrH]

Don't you still need your own insurance?  Something tells me their provided insurance is shit...

[Tave]

And holy crap, $325/month on insurance!?!? How many tickets do you have, sporty?

[Payman]

Insurance info here:

http://www.zipcar.com/how/faqs/one-faq?faq_number=28

[ifcar]

And holy crap, $325/month on insurance!?!? How many tickets do you have, sporty?

If he has a lot, that may be a problem. Zipcar rule: "[drivers must] have had no more than two 'incidents' (moving violations PLUS accidents) in the past three years and no more than one incident in the past 18 months"

[Payman]

Yep. He must submit a driver's abstract as part of the application process.

Well... good idea while it lasted. 

[Gotta-Qik-C7]

And holy crap, $325/month on insurance!?!? How many tickets do you have, sporty?

Your forgetting that he lives in NYC! 

[Tave]

That's still close to $4,000/year.

[sportyaccordy]

And holy crap, $325/month on insurance!?!? How many tickets do you have, sporty?

I have 2 tickets. But my gf has none :)

[giant_mtb]

Wait...$75 a month and you can only use the service for 10 hours per month?

[Payman]

Wait...$75 a month and you can only use the service for 10 hours per month?

Includes gas and insurance. If you spread that out over 10 days... an hour a day that you need it... and considering you could get a different make of car each time (comparos!)... it's actually a pretty sweet deal.

[ifcar]

Wait...$75 a month and you can only use the service for 10 hours per month?

You can use it more, you just pay more. If you don't rely on your car to get everywhere -- which you shouldn't have to in the city -- it works out financially, and puts you in a newer car than you'd otherwise be driving.

[Tave]

You can use it more, you just pay more. If you don't rely on your car to get everywhere -- which you shouldn't have to in the city -- it works out financially, and puts you in a newer car than you'd otherwise be driving.

This program may well be advantageous to sporty, and if he's interested, he should look into it. All I'm saying is that it's good to be sceptical of services that purport to "save" you money in exchange for you paying them. Sometimes they do, sometimes they don't; but someone is making money off of it, they wouldn't do it for free.

I suggest that before sporty sells his car and jumps in head-first, he set aside a few months and create a "driving-log" to itemise his potential costs. 10 hours of driving sounds like a lot of time, and it is, but 10 hours of simply possessing a car really isn't much time at all. He might find that although he doesn't drive often, he still needs his car in his possession for a lot longer than 10 hours.

Think about some of the hidden costs: simply taking a trip out of town for 2 days to see some friends would cost upwards of $400 just to rent your own car.

[Cookie Monster]

I agree with Tave. 10 hours of just keeping a car is nothing.

Plus it can be an inconvenience to return the car. What if it's an emergency and you have to take someone to the doctor or something? You'd have to go all the way to the Zipcar location, get the car, come back, then do whatever you need to do.

And forget about taking trips anywhere.

[MX793]

You pay 325 a month (3900 a year) for insurance?!  On an old Accord?  Is your driving record horrid?

[GoCougs]

What happens if you rack up too many tickets, or there's an emergency like another terrorist attack or an impending hurricane, and you need to vacate the area pronto?

Just so long as you realize what it is you are truly (not) paying for, I guess it's fine; to me personally it sounds like an abject nightmare.

[Rupert]

What happens if you rack up too many tickets, or there's an emergency like another terrorist attack or an impending hurricane, and you need to vacate the area pronto?

You make it sound like having a car is a necessary part of life, or you'll die!

[sportyaccordy]

This program may well be advantageous to sporty, and if he's interested, he should look into it. All I'm saying is that it's good to be sceptical of services that purport to "save" you money in exchange for you paying them. Sometimes they do, sometimes they don't; but someone is making money off of it, they wouldn't do it for free.

I suggest that before sporty sells his car and jumps in head-first, he set aside a few months and create a "driving-log" to itemise his potential costs. 10 hours of driving sounds like a lot of time, and it is, but 10 hours of simply possessing a car really isn't much time at all. He might find that although he doesn't drive often, he still needs his car in his possession for a lot longer than 10 hours.

Think about some of the hidden costs: simply taking a trip out of town for 2 days to see some friends would cost upwards of $400 just to rent your own car.

I have pretty much itemized my costs. $325/mo for insurance, $30/mo for gas, maintenance varies... but lets say for this year it's been significant.

Looking at the grand scheme of things, say I spend $6000/yr to own this car. (Wow that puts things in perspective). With the Zipcar deal, I pay $450/yr assuming I don't go over. In the off chance we have an emergency, cabs around here are quick and a hospital is a mile away. If I want to leave NY, a couple hundred dollars for a rental pales in comparison to what I would be saving. Plus odds are there will be Zipcar locations wherever I go, so I could just take a car from here to out wherever and use it as necessary. For example me and my gf want to go down to DC after Xmas. W/Zipcar we'd just drive down and use the subway or whatever they have. I have family there as well so we could either Zipcar out to them or impose a little bit and maybe get a ride one way. Either way it wouldn't be much less convenient than taking a car I own, which I have to fuel, insure and pay to store ($$$$$$$$$)

5 days a week the only time I get in my car is to park it. I think that is hard for you guys who drive to work/school/whatever to get. It's been a big waste. I didn't know there were any alternatives till last night.

Plus, I can link up with friends and do our shopping together + save minutes + the environment or w/e. I don't really leave NY that much anyways. Biggest change will be not having something to tinker with...

And as far as insurance... I have a speeding and red light ticket over the past 3 years. Red light ticket was recent so that jacked up my rates; also I had the car registered at my parents address, but after the red light ticket they finally caught up with me. So my rates went from $220 to $325 because of that. Insurance for young NYC drivers is high anyways, for good reason around here- people drive crazily & dangerously, and the roads are terrible.

As far as terrorist attacks or w/e... I didn't have a car when 9/11 hit, and I lived. Plus if SHTF, a car would be useless here anyway. All it takes is one or two lanes closed on some major streets to completely jam the whole neighborhood up. Plus they shut down all traffic in and out of Manhattan. All major roads would be at a standstill. Best bet in the Cougspocalypse would be a bike.

Gonna be weird not having a car for the first time since 2003... but it makes sense... and is something I probably should have done a long time ago. Looking back I would have saved thousands. W/o the car (and CC debt, which I will pay off w/proceeds from selling the car) my monthly expenses on paper will be about 1/3 my take home... not bad for a relatively meager salary in the most expensive city in the US...

[ifcar]

I have pretty much itemized my costs. $325/mo for insurance, $30/mo for gas, maintenance varies... but lets say for this year it's been significant.

Looking at the grand scheme of things, say I spend $6000/yr to own this car. (Wow that puts things in perspective). With the Zipcar deal, I pay $450/yr assuming I don't go over. In the off chance we have an emergency, cabs around here are quick and a hospital is a mile away. If I want to leave NY, a couple hundred dollars for a rental pales in comparison to what I would be saving.

5 days a week the only time I get in my car is to park it. I think that is hard for you guys who drive to work/school/whatever to get. It's been a big waste. I didn't know there were any alternatives till last night.

Plus, I can link up with friends and do our shopping together + save minutes + the environment or w/e. I don't really leave NY that much anyways. Biggest change will be not having something to tinker with...

I think the bigger question to consider is whether you'd need even the Zipcar. What sort of driving would you be using it for that's worth the $450/year?

[MrH]

You make it sound like having a car is a necessary part of life, or you'll die!

That's why I have my car.  When the Cougspocolypse hits, I want to be a survivor.

[Tave]

I'm saying itemise your costs as if you were driving a zipcar. Keep track of the time, and therefore the money you would spend on the program. Don't just assume that you would use the minimum.

[SVT666]

What happens if you rack up too many tickets, or there's an emergency like another terrorist attack or an impending hurricane, and you need to vacate the area pronto?

Good point.  I would definitely continue to pay $4000 a year for insurance on an old Accord in the off chance that someone might attack New York again in 15 years.  I agree with Cougs.

[Cookie Monster]

Good point.  I would definitely continue to pay $4000 a year for insurance on an old Accord in the off chance that someone might attack New York again in 15 years.  I agree with Cougs.