I joined zipcar with the best intentions, excited about an alternative to the expensive rental car services in NYC. I hoped for lower cost and more convenience, and thought I¡¯d found that in zipcar, but was ultimately disappointed in the experience.

My boyfriend and I took Matrix McGill for a weekend trip and while we loved the experience of driving this car, the ¡°extra fees,¡± the difficulty in renting a car last-minute, lack of flexibility in changing a reservation, the 125-mileage maximum (which really is a way for zipcar to advertise ¡°free gas¡±), and $500 insurance deductible (so zipcar can advertise ¡°insurance included¡±) makes the $30-50 or so zipcar saved me just not worth it. The concept is definitely a smart one, but needs some refining ¨C namely, lower rental prices or no mileage cap, plus more flexible scheduling.

While the fine print is all included on the website, I still find zipcar¡¯s promises of ¡°gas and insurance included¡± misleading and overpromising. I find it funny that one of the headlines reads ¡°It isn¡¯t smoke and mirrors.¡± I sure thought it was.

Perhaps I¡¯ll rejoin in a year if some improvements have been made to this service.

-- Anonymous, February 20, 2005

Answers

I guess it's a matter of why you join and I think that there is definitely a benefit.

Before I joined zipcar I owned a car that cost me $300.00 a month to park (if I wanted a guaranteed spot), $100 a month in fuel, $100 a month insurance, approx $100 in maintenance. My car was fully paid for so I didn't have a monthly payment. Regardless of monthly payment that's still about $600.00 per month. I found that living in the city, the amount of driving that I did really wasn't worth it.

Since I joined zip car, my expenses have been less than $200 per month for driving fees. I love that cars are all over the place and I can usually get one whenever I need one.

I don't mind the $500.00 insurance deductible, if I have an accident, the $500 I'll be out of pocket is still a lot less than I was paying before.

Renting a car is a hassle - the locations are limited and you have to deal with their staff and paperwork - and when you don't own and have to purchase the insurance ontop of the rental, it is extremely expensive.

I recommend Zipcar to anyone - it's a GREAT business, a wonderful and convenient way to accommodate city dwellers who have occasional driving need.

-- Anonymous, February 25, 2005

Liz,

Let me get this straight... You rented a zipcar for the weekend and saved $30-50, and it wasn't worth it?

On top of that, most users would argue that the primary added value is for short trips--a few hours, rather than a full weekend. And the insurance deductible is tolerable and even avoidable if you have a credit card that covers it.

-- Anonymous, February 28, 2005

The real value in Zipcar is in its convenience. It works with phenominal ease and reliability, maximizing user freindliness, efficiency and overall satisfaction. I often look at it as a public service, similar to public radio. It costs very little to become a member, you can use it as much or as little as you wish, and it doesn't prevent you from using other sources as well. Once a year I use a traditional car rental company to serve me for my family get together for 2 weeks. It doesn't in the least bother me that I can't use Zipcar for this, since if they did allow it, Zipcars would be much less available when I need them in general, and my membership fee is so trivial anyway. What people often put out of their minds too much is just how incredibly expensive and inconvenient car ownership can be.

-- Anonymous, March 15, 2005