I'm just wondering why it's not possible for Zip Car to buy cheaper cars like the Civic to cut down the hourly rates? It'll make a big difference if the hourly rate is $1-2 less than what it is now. I find myself resorting to online shopping, riding my bicyle or public transportation because zip car is not that convenient or cost effective for me. If I need to move or pick-up large items, one of the few times I might need a car, I will just rent a cargo van for $30 or less a day.

-- Anonymous, December 31, 2003

Answers

My sentiments as well. The lower cost of Zipcar was one of the original advantages over a conventional rental car, but now, with the more expensive Zipcars, the cost is close to a rental car, and the rental cars I got were in better condition. I dont' care about driving BMWs or other status symbols. I won't impress anyone with a BMW with a company logo, and MINIs or BMWs with auto transmissions arent as much fun.

Cars are just transportation to me and I'd be just as happy renting a Hyundai hatchback as any of the current Zipcars. At least the Hyundais would lower the cost to Zipcar and ultimately to members.

Does Zipcar publish the cost of operation for each of its cars? Zipcar's fleet is now large enough for the cost of operation to be meaningful. Do the VWs and BMWs have as bad a reliability record as the magazines say? Are these costs being evenly distributed over the entire membership, or are the repair costs factored into the hourly rate for each type of car?

-- Anonymous, January 01, 2004

What happened to Robin Chase?

I just noticed she no longer gets an alert in response to an email. Did the VCs or investors completely take over Zipcar? If so, that's not much of a reward for hard work and a good idea.

-- Anonymous, January 01, 2004

Please share: where can I rent a cargo van for $30 or less a day. Much appreciated.

-- Anonymous, January 02, 2004

Try U-haul for a cargo rental. Not particularly convenient, of course.

Tim Riker has a very good idea here. Dropping the price by a dollar or two would be a very good thing; putting a few Honda Civics in place of these high-end cars in order to drop the price is smart.

-- Anonymous, January 03, 2004

There's no single-car solution, which is why Zipcar is great--it's good to have a diverse selection of cars to choose from. Personally, I _only_ drive Minis, as everything else (Civics, Bugs, and all) feels just too big and floppy of a car for me. My husband will drive anything _but_ a Civic, as he finds them much too small and cramped inside. Going down to fewer, more boring cars is not the solution I hope Zipcar takes.

-- Anonymous, January 04, 2004

Different zipcar users have different needs--some do zipcar purely because of the cost issue (vs. owning a car), some do zipcar because they just don't need a car but like having the option to drive different types of cars, and some do zipcar because they're environmentally conscious.

There's a significant portion of membership in each of those categories and it wouldn't be fair for one or two of those groups to be shafted for the preferences of another. I think you'll find that even with the current zipcar rates, it's still much cheaper than owning your own car.

-- Anonymous, January 08, 2004

I had the opportunity to get a free 1990 Ford minivan. Why did I not get it? I have only had my license for 2 years. The insurance company told me 1 year of liability, $3600.00. Zipcar are newer and a lot cheaper for me than owning a car right now.

-- Anonymous, March 28, 2004

I'm sure it's cheaper to rent ZipCar than it is to own an old used car and pay so much money on the premium. However, it could be even cheaper if ZipCar offered Honda Civics and other economical cars-- that's the point I was trying to make. Although it's nice to be able to drive a VW or BMW, I find most of the time there are scratches, dents, or impact damage on the ZipCars anyway. It's embarassing to drive damaged cars with company advertisements on them.

-- Anonymous, March 29, 2004