This is more of a suggestion than a question....

It would be great to know the features of a car prior to making a reservation. For instance:

-if a car has a CD player I want to know so I can bring CDs with me

-if I'm doing a lot of highway driving, I'd prefer to have a car with cruise control

-if I'm picking up 3 friends, I would prefer a car with 4 doors

Perhaps zipcar can create a feature grid that lets members know at a glance what features each car has and doesn't have.

-- Anonymous, October 14, 2003

Answers

I think the two- and four-door question is already solved, if you squint at the car icons next to the names of the cars.

-- Anonymous, October 16, 2003

I think they all have cruise control. I tried to drive every Zipcar, but I gave up a couple of years ago. Too many cars, couldn't do it, but every one of 'em had cruise control.

New Zipcars added to the fleet seem to have CD players instead of tape drives. Now to determine which cars are new ....

-- Anonymous, October 21, 2003

i second this request. my first zipcar was a ford focus and it had a CD/MP3 player in it. sweet. i then tried a beetle and last night a jetta. both had only tape decks. i hate the radio and don't owe tapes. it'd be nice to at least know if it has a CD player. or maybe they can install CD changers in the VW's?

-- Anonymous, February 17, 2004

I agree that it would be nice to know, at a glance, which cars have cd, cd/mp3, or tape players. This relatively static information should be easy to collect and display on the web. I'm also adding another plea to add the picture/name of the car to the "driving special" page, so that we know without clicking over to every single car which modes have the discount.

However, I absolutely don't think Zipcar should be installing CD changers in cars that only have a tapedeck--how absurd! Zipcar's general policy is a "bring your own": bring your own crate for your pet, if you must bring a pet; bring your own trash bag to dispose of trash you bring; bring your own baby seat if you are transporting a child, etc. When I ride in Zipcars, I bring my own mp3 player and a little FM transmitter. You can buy them for as little as $20-30, and it will allow you to play your own music over the radio in the car, regardless of whether the car has a tapedeck or CD player.

What I _do_ think Zipcar can, and possibly should, do is make a page with member suggestions like these--something cute and light, a "10 things you might not have thought about that will sweeten your zipcar experience" list. Here's an initial stab at it:

1) a small bag for trash: Let's face it, sometimes we all nibble while we drive. A small bag will contain the crumbs, and you won't be leaving trash for the next Zipcar user to find (and fine you for. . .)

2) tapes, CDs, or any music player with an FM transmitter: We all love to listen to music as we Zip, but different Zipcars have different stereo systems. Some are equipped with tapedecks only, and some CDs only, while others have both. To be on the safe side, bring your own player, complete with an FM transmitter. Then, listen to your tunes of choice on any Zipcar radio!

etc. . . .

-- Anonymous, February 18, 2004