can the beetle at 435 W57 be replaced with a jetta or golf?

Sure, some folks might think of beetles as "cute", but the fact is, they have a horendous blind spot and rear passengers are not NEARLY as comfortable as in golf's or jettas.

i know that i would use the zip car at 435 w57 [i live there], a lot more often if it wasnt a beetle, i often think, "screw the bug, i'll catch a cab to 80'th street and get the jetta to go to the 125th st fairway, or to authur ave", but then i think, well, as long as i'm gonna be in a cab anyway, might as well take the cab all the way even if it is more expensive"

and the final argument, look at the TIMING of reservation! sure, on a busy weekend or holiday, all the cars are reserved, but i bet if you checked the timestamps you would find that the beetles were reserved as a last resort, after all the jettas and golfs were already taken. and during the mid week, while you will see jettas and golfs reserved, you will find that the beetles go begging. the signal is clear, folks would prefer to drive golfs and jettas,and go out of thier way to avoid beetles.

regards tony corso

-- Anonymous, January 10, 2003

Answers

I totally agree with you, Tony. Some people may think that the new Beetles are oh so cute and easy to park, but I have found that a Golf will fit in any space that a Beetle can, and is a much safer car, as the blind spot is much smaller, and you can tell where the bumpers are much easier. I understand that expenses are higher in NYC, and so the rates have to be higher, but that is all the more reason to deploy nicer cars throughout NYC. Let's hear from more Zipsters!

-- Anonymous, January 11, 2003

I just think their dinky lookin' cars, but I'll back you up on the safety issues, too...

-- Anonymous, January 11, 2003

I agree that the Golf is a better car than the Beetle. In addition to the previous comments, the Golf has a more useful body shape that allows you to carry large objects, the left side mirror doesn't block the view to the front-left, the assembly quality is better than on the Beetles, and the Golf probably costs less than the Beetle. I've heard the Golf is much easier to service than the Beetle too, which would lower Zipcar's cost to maintain the car. If Zipcar were to standardize on just one vehicle type, the Golf would be a good choice. By the way, I avoid the Beetles too.

Zipcar in Boston has a great variety of cars and some of the other cars are even better in some respect than the Golf, but none has the combination of good, useful features that the Golf has. As long as I've drifted onto the topic of other cars here are some comments about the other cars in Zipcar's fleet.

Toyota Prius: these are wonderful cars for their great fuel economy and if they just had a hatchback, they'd be perfect for Zipcar. Mini: fabulously fast fun car, so much so that they make up for any disadvantages. Provided they prove to be reliable, dependable, economical to run, and are long-lived, this is another car that would be perfect for Zipcar. Honda Civic: great fuel mileage, and a car with a reputation for dependablilty and reliability. Fuel mileage seems to be twice that of a Golf, although that can't be. If it had a hatchback, it'd be another candidate as the perfect car for Zipcar.

Ford Focus. Ummmm. It's a ... Ford Toyota Matrix. Haven't tried one of these, but it appears to be a good overall car. It's a wagon and can carry a lot.

-- Anonymous, January 12, 2003

more car thoughts:

The Ford Focuses (Foci?) are good for moving, they hold a ton of stuff.

Armand

-- Anonymous, January 21, 2003

Add my vote, as well. The Jetta or Golf are, for many reasons already mentioned, much more attractive to rent than are the Beatles. The Beatle rental is a fun novelty, but far inferior over the long run. Thanks.

-- Anonymous, January 26, 2003

Before the Mini Me was added, the Beetle was the closest car to me and I share the feelings of the others here about the Beetle.

The Mini is great, with caveats (see my other Mini post about its strange controls design).

I think the Golf is my preferred car but it is a little far for me (83rd the closest).

-- Anonymous, February 23, 2003

Remember all those good things I said about Golfs?

I take it all back. The latest issue of Consumer's Reports said the Golfs have poor reliability. Doh!

-- Anonymous, March 16, 2003

If there is one thing I've learned from being a 2 year ZipCar vet, it's that if I ever purchased a car, it would NOT be a Beetle. Its funky square frame makes me feel like I could flip over on a dime as I go around a curve; parallel parking is a nightmare; and I can never seem to get the rear view mirror to look directly out the rear window.

For random errands, the Beetle is okay, but I try to avoid booking it for extensive highway driving and/or central city errands where I might be constantly parallel parking.

Sargent's Wharf might be a good location for ZipCar to measure user preference. I know when I utilized it as my main location...if you made a last minute reservation, you were going to get the Beetle. The Civic at the wharf and the Golf at the funeral home were always booked first.

-- Anonymous, April 24, 2003

Hi Zippies! Y'all quit your beetle-bashing! I've owned a Beetle for two and a half years (turbo!) and l-o-v-e it. (we Zip for a second car.)I'm a tall guy--and have only had problems with blind spots when I forgot to adjust the mirrors after my wife drives. The Beetle holds way more than a Jetta (which I got stuck with for a week around Christmas due to dealer negligence) and has a nicer, more intuitive control layout. The Golf is ok too but not as intuitive.

Of course my Zip of preference is the Mini Cooper (bring on the "S", Zipcar!) which is closest to my current residence.

-- Anonymous, August 22, 2003

Let me just speak up for the Beetle; it's a wonderful looking car, and I think many people are keen to drive one, at least once. As a stupid young male, the chance to tool around a little in the bubble was a major factor in signing on. Maybe the joy will wear off, but there's a good bit of nice publicity that comes with zipcar Beetles (not to mention the Minis!) So maybe think of the Beetles as a "loss-leader" for the more practical cars (let's hear it for hybrids, though.)

-- Anonymous, September 04, 2003