Zipcar

[rethcir.livejournal.com]

Being so close to the T and Shaws I'm thinking of selling my ghetto hooptie and getting into zipcar. I very occaisionally drive to NH to visit my parents, and sometimes go to like home depot and things like that, but no more daily commute, so I figured I might try and save some cash. Any zipsters on this board who can offer opinions, or referal bonus codes?

Comments

[eclecticavatar.livejournal.com]

I *love* being a member. The new website has proven a little tricky to navigate, but in the long run, I think it's probably better.

$25 for a year as an "ocassional driver" is all that I need. They give you 125 miles per 24 hour reservation, so Southern NH would be no problem. Over mileage is not unreasonably priced, either.

Especially for things like groceries and home depot, it's perfect!

[damsel-ophelia.livejournal.com]

Heck, even for long trips it can be worth it! I recently took a trip with a Zipcar to upstate NY (650+ miles in 48 hours! I'm insane!), which cost $336 and change. Mind you, that's with ALL of the gas covered (I did wind up having to fill up in an area where the gas card that comes with the Zipcar was not accepted, but they refunded the money to me within two business days.) The customer service is friendly, and I've only twice had issues with any of the rentals (once was not being able to get out of the garage the car was housed in due to a faulty parking pass - I was refunded for an hour's worth of driving!). The two things I can suggest are to overestimate your mileage if you know it will be a long trip so you don't get sticker shock after. If you pass along your email address I'll pass along a referral! (looks like they have you do it through the website)

[marphod.livejournal.com]

For occasional in-city driving, certainly the ZipCar is worth it. Included insurance and gas, it makes sense.

For longer trips, you need to work it out specifically. Generally, my impression is once you hit the daily rate, renting a car is possibly better. It used to be the case that for long-term rentals, Zipcar had a corporate rate for rental companies, and you'd be covered under ZipCar's insurance. I don't see that as an option anymore on the ZiPCar website, so you might have to cover insurance yourself, so it may be less of a savings.

[znhoward.livejournal.com]

When I signed on for an annual membership, I used coupon code HARVEST for $50 in free driving.

[schpahky.livejournal.com]

Zipcar is awesome. It's all the benefits of having a car (well, most) and none of the stress. They do repairs. They pay for gas and insurance. They have parking spaces so you're not circling the block for an hour when you're done. And for a hop up to NH, you can get a 24-hour Zipcar booking with 125 miles included.

Their site usually has alluring coupon codes for new members. www.zipcar.com

I had the "occasional driver" plan where you pay a modest annual fee to keep your membership active. When my current (old, old) car goes to the great garage in the sky, I am totally going back to Zipcar.

[plumtreeblossom.livejournal.com]

I work for Zipcar in their corporate office! Come on aboard!

(Ironically, the only reason I don't use Zipcars is because I'm hard-core carfree and have never had a driver's license.)

[lonely-squirrel.livejournal.com]

You know, for $25 a year you can get zipcar just to have the insurance to have a car available at a moment's notice even if you don't plan on driving it. I wish I had it when I had a car. My car was a POS and I was always worried that I would need it and it wouldn't start.

I think it's cheaper than a rental car up until about the rental places' weekly rates. Rental car companies have a lot of fees, plus their insurance is not cheap, and the rates they quote are always per week and single days are more.

[cold-cold-water.livejournal.com]

i concur with everyone else's thoughts on zipcar, although i do think their customer service leaves much to be desired since you often have to email people instead of just being able to call with billing etc questions. they seem to be responding more quickly lately than in the past though.
i used a healthworks referral coupon to get a discount. if you want $50 in free driving you can also use code "TKCSAOQT" from me.

[ron_newman]

OK, but wouldn't that trip have cost a lot less with Enterprise or some other conventional rental-car company?

[damsel-ophelia.livejournal.com]

When you're rebuilding your credit, it's a godsend to find a way to get a car without having a $500 hold put on your bank account.

[veda815.livejournal.com]

$336 sounds outrageous! I rented a car for a week last summer on vacation in California for much less than that. Is it the insurance that makese is so expensive?

[damsel-ophelia.livejournal.com]

I suddenly find myself feeling sorry for having said anything! It's the extra miles - 125 a day are included, but you're charged per mile over that.

[trtls.livejournal.com]

Zipcar is awesome. We've been members for something like 6 years. Sure, it's got it's flaws, but overall, the cars are in good condition and accessible and you can always get to someone if you have an urgent problem. Definitely cheaper than owning a car and certainly better for the environment. Also, you never have to worry about where you'll park it when you return!

[rethcir.livejournal.com]

I read somewhere that it's a good idea to get supplemental insurance (IE for collisions and stuff). Can anyone speak to that?

[mattdm.livejournal.com]

Don't forget to factor in insurance.

[marphod.livejournal.com]

If you don't have a car, you don't have car insurance.

Insurance, per day, at the most basic level for rental cars is about 20$/day. More if you want more than collision insurance. And more if you're under 25 (and can rent at all).

and this included gas. Which, at 650 miles is probably 60$, at today's rates (20 gallions @ 30 miles/gallon and 3$/gallon).

So, the cost of the car itself is closer to 270$.
Still REALLY expensive for a 2 day rental, at 135$/day. But if you include insurance in that, its closer to 80-100$/day plus insurance.

(and, IIRC, car rentals are 24 hour slots, but insurance is by calendar days.)

[marphod.livejournal.com]

http://www.zipcar.com/how/faqs/faq-28

You might want to get supplemental. They have state-mandated minimums.

[ron_newman]

Does Zipcar sell supplemental insurance? If not, where do I get it?

[ukelele.livejournal.com]

1) When we were Zipcar members, Zipcar offered a deal on rental cars for longer excursions (dunno if they still do).

2) For part of the time when we were Zipcar members, we were under 25. That makes Zipcar work out way better than Enterprise, etc.

(For the OP: we stopped being Zipcar members only because my work commute eventually necessitated a car, and there wasn't really a need for the membership once we had the car. But it was pretty awesome while we had it -- we were mostly bike/walk/T people, but it was great to have a car for the occasional big grocery trip, event out of town, Home Depot, etc.)

[heliopsis.livejournal.com]

I had thought that a rental would be cheaper, but when I rented a car to drive down to a wedding in January, I found I was wrong. I rented from Enterprise, and had to get a mid-size car because I was carrying several people. I don't remember how much it came to in the end, but by the time I had paid for the car, insurance and gas, I realised I would have saved a few bucks by using Zipcar instead.

[heliopsis.livejournal.com]

I've been a zipcar member since their inception, and I love it. These days, there are enough Zipcars within walking distance of my apartment that I can almost always get a car when I want one: even during the Memorial Day long weekend! And I like their customer service. I've never had any trouble reaching someone when I needed help, and they've got a good, informative design on their website. I've even booked Zipcar in DC when I was visiting there.

[sissychrissy1.livejournal.com]

Same thing happened to me, even using Enterprise's weekend special. By the time I factored in insurance and fuel, I would have actually paid less using Zipcar and I could have picked it up a block from my house without doing any paperwork.

[sissychrissy1.livejournal.com]

I have had Zipcar for almost three years now, and I love it. It's convenient, it's financially practical, and it's ecologically sound. And with gas prices what they are these days, I feel like Zipcar has worked so hard to keep their prices reasonable in spite of things.

[rethcir.livejournal.com]

I think i'm gonna do it. I can always take the Downeaster for like $20 to see my parents.

[koloratur.livejournal.com]

Maybe I'm not looking in the right place...but the cheapest yearly rate we've ever been able to get is $50.

[eclecticavatar.livejournal.com]

well, I did join 4 years ago. The yearly fee is automatically debited for me, so I don't notice how much it is, anymore. To join, though, I remember I only paid $25.

[eclecticavatar.livejournal.com]

A-MEN!