Split topic: Zipcar
it's never much fun getting visitors to/from the airport... i think that the next time i have guests, i'll have to set up a Zip Car account- they have a lot of vehicles in the neighborhood. Anybody have any experience with Zip Car yet?
Comments
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nybt wrote: it's never much fun getting visitors to/from the airport... i think that the next time i have guests, i'll have to set up a Zip Car account- they have a lot of vehicles in the neighborhood. Anybody have any experience with Zip Car yet?
zip car rocks!!
my girlfriend and i have been members for 6 months. use it all the time. day trips...short trips...long trips. free gas...resonable prices ($65/day or $8/hr.) worth it for the freedom. renting a car cost that much if you buy full insurance (which is included in your membership fee...$50.00)...oh and did i say gas was free!!!
plus it's a community based thing...not some corporate entity like car rentals.
love the zip! tons of cars in the area too! -
I have a close friend who really loves zipcar, but we've never signed up because we mostly only take trips for the whole weekend, and I'm not sure zipcar is the most economic way of doing that (particularly since we often borrow my sister-in-law's car...which is FREE). I'd be interested to know if people have used zipcars for weekend trips and made out better than renting from a normal rent-a-car place. Don't they require a deposit of $300 or so?
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EmilyM wrote: I have a close friend who really loves zipcar, but we've never signed up because we mostly only take trips for the whole weekend, and I'm not sure zipcar is the most economic way of doing that (particularly since we often borrow my sister-in-law's car...which is FREE). I'd be interested to know if people have used zipcars for weekend trips and made out better than renting from a normal rent-a-car place. Don't they require a deposit of $300 or so?
there are a couple of different plans that you can join under- if you do the "pay as you go" kind of option, you'll have a slightly higher start-up cost- i think that it comes out to about $175, $100 of which is refundable... i think... you can check out the fine print for yourself, though- http://www.zipcar.com/index
i've thought about the long trips, the no paying for gas thing would be nice, but there's a limit to the daily miles that you can put on the thing- they're not clear (not that i've found) on what happens when you exceed those miles... so if anyone has personal experience with exceeding the mileage, i'd love to hear about it! -
i think it's a dime/extra mile. not that bad. most rental cars have mileage limits too. they used to all be unlimited but recently only a few offer that...
we just got back from a 3 day trip in montauk...gas cost $34.00 to fill the tank (which zip car pays for). total bill $200.00 and change. and like i said in an earlier post, insurance is included. plus you get a EZ pass (which you pay for later), plus they off a reinbursement for maintainece if needed while you have the car up to $25 (wiper fluid, oil, car wash, garage parking)
yeah if you rent a car you can skip the insurance but not a chance i would take anymore...(after an accident in a rental...rear ended...airbag...ambulance costs...etc.)
last time i checked rental prices were around $35-$49/day (depending on day) plus insurance, usually $12-14/day.
so it's about the same give or take $5. but dudes the EZ pass thing coming over the GW bridge on a Sunday evening is key!!!!!
oh and they have satellite radio.
does it sound like i work for Zip car? just love it. -
oh and you get 125miles/day.
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I've been thinking about ZipCar, but that 125 miles per day is a little under where I want to visit...sounds like a great deal for 2 hours of lugging stuff around tho.
WHERE THE HELL do you rent a car for $35 - $50/day in NYC, dear Guest? -
pitu wrote: WHERE THE HELL do you rent a car for $35 - $50/day in NYC, dear Guest?
I was thinking the same thing... i trek out to newark and still pay 60 bucks... -
Subject: Convenient but not really cheaper
What I like about zipcar is that cars are in nearby lots and that gas, insurance and ez-pass are included (though they'll bill you for tolls later). Also, it's nice to be able to completely reserve the car of your choice without dealing with a reservationist.
It's not really cheap though. If you get a full day rental you'll still end up spending between $85-115 depending on which car you rent. Also, it seems like their supply of cars isn't too great - weekends and especially holidays sell out way in advance.
Nonetheless, the cars are easy to get to and return, the ez-pass is a real time saver, there is no insurance to worry about, and you can try out cars that the major car rental agencies do not offer. -
pitu wrote: I've been thinking about ZipCar, but that 125 miles per day is a little under where I want to visit...sounds like a great deal for 2 hours of lugging stuff around tho.
new jersey (enterprise) or rent-a-wreck. but i haven't rented in more than a year...
WHERE THE HELL do you rent a car for $35 - $50/day in NYC, dear Guest?
the mileage is cummulative. so if you take a trip for 5 days...you have a total of 625 miles free. so far it's been good for me... -
I got a zipcar for the first time last night... at the risk of sounding like a shill, I must say... it's great.
I think that the most remarkable thing about the experience is that it was totally uneventful. Walk a block or two, get in the car and go, drop it off when you're done. It's nothin'... which is great, compared to the normal rental routine of spending hours getting to/from the rental location, standing in line waiting to get your car, debating whether or not to get the additional insurance, driving around to fill it up before returning the car...
and the car was nicer than I've seen from most conventional rental places. I just got the little $10/hour Mazda 3 hatch- peppy enough, good brakes, sporty suspension- tad harsh, but what do you expect with these streets? (Oh, thanks to the cyclist that alerted me about the not having the headlights on! I was contemplating chasing you down and beating you within an inch of your life in an attempt to gain entry in my favorite gang, but none of my boyz were present to witness anyway...
)
Anyway... I got the car so that I could pick up my wife at the airport. It was cheaper than car service, faster, and more fun... IMO it's the best way to get an out-of-town guest to/from the airport.
I have a feeling that I'll be zipping frequently. Next up, Home Depot or Ikea... -
I concur. We joined two months ago and it's delightful. And with the price of gas these days, not a bad deal!
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bluedove wrote: I concur. We joined two months ago and it's delightful. And with the price of gas these days, not a bad deal!
Really? Who's your car/garage of choice?! I was really temped to get the volvo, just for gits and shiggles... maybe when I have guests! -
I have used two cars so far, both in Park Slope. One was kind of far away on 12th Street ("Millie") because we needed something big enough to move some furniture and that was the closest available at the time. The other was the Volkwagen Golf on Union ("Gustavo") which we loved--I would definitely rent that one again. Although there were lots of grapes under the seat.
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bluedove wrote: Although there were lots of grapes under the seat.
WTF?
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nybt wrote: [quote=bluedove]Although there were lots of grapes under the seat.
WTF?
Yeah but I didn't mind so much because there was also a $5 bill! I took it as my payment for cleaning up the grapes
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Zipcar is totally excellent.
Only problem is scheduling a car, they are usually all booked up on the weekends, except for strange hours. -
Miguel2 wrote: Zipcar is totally excellent.
True- spur of the moment doesn't seem to work on the weekends... we need more cars!!!
Only problem is scheduling a car, they are usually all booked up on the weekends, except for strange hours. -
bluedove wrote: I have used two cars so far, both in Park Slope. One was kind of far away on 12th Street ("Millie") because we needed something big enough to move some furniture and that was the closest available at the time. The other was the Volkwagen Golf on Union ("Gustavo") which we loved--I would definitely rent that one again.
Me too - those exact cars - except no grapes.
Millie had 1/2 a bar of chocolate in the glove box, suspiciously Ikea-like. And the temporary plates had just expired...
I also got the Scion at 405 Flatbush, which looked to me like a little Irish hearse.
The Scion is a little too narrow when you're moving furniture, imho.
Overall, I'm lovin' the Zipcar thing. Next week I'm booked for two hours to get someone at LaGuardia -- am I being overly cautious by renting it for that long?
For a long weekend it's still cheaper to rent at Speedy's or one of the other local places tho. Or maybe because I was renting the Volvo...I just released it for the weekend of Nov 11 if anyone is looking! -
pitu wrote:
I always use speedy's, too, when I travel outside the city. I'll have to give zip a try some day.
For a long weekend it's still cheaper to rent at Speedy's or one of the other local places tho. Or maybe because I was renting the Volvo...I just released it for the weekend of Nov 11 if anyone is looking! -
pitu wrote: Next week I'm booked for two hours to get someone at LaGuardia -- am I being overly cautious by renting it for that long?
When I picked up my wife at LGA the other day, I had it booked for two hours (Thursday night 9pm-11pm). I left the garage at Underhill at the same time that my wife's plane landed (she called as they were pulling in to the gate). The traffic was fast moving, and we both got to the pick-up area at the same time. When I got back to the garage, it had been just over an hour, but I really consider this a best-case scenario... If your guest isn't familiar with LGA, or you hit a little traffic, you'll need the two hours. -
nybt wrote: [quote=pitu]Next week I'm booked for two hours to get someone at LaGuardia -- am I being overly cautious by renting it for that long?
When I picked up my wife at LGA the other day, I had it booked for two hours (Thursday night 9pm-11pm). I left the garage at Underhill at the same time that my wife's plane landed (she called as they were pulling in to the gate). The traffic was fast moving, and we both got to the pick-up area at the same time. When I got back to the garage, it had been just over an hour, but I really consider this a best-case scenario... If your guest isn't familiar with LGA, or you hit a little traffic, you'll need the two hours.
thx!
did she check luggage?
I'm meeting a domestic flight, on a Friday night at 9p, carry on only, and I booked for 1/2 hour before the flight is sked'd to land. I think I like your version better.
I'm more used to JFK myself... -
Subject: zip car
i find zip car great. but i would like there to be more cars availible on the weekend. right now you really have to plan ahead...but it's still better than other rental car companys. -
Agreed. It's not a bad deal on the weekend if you have at least three people splitting it, but otherwise it's kind of pricey. Still a great service, though. The airport idea is great
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pitu wrote:
No, she didn't check any luggage.
thx!
did she check luggage?
I'm meeting a domestic flight, on a Friday night at 9p, carry on only, and I booked for 1/2 hour before the flight is sked'd to land. I think I like your version better.
I'm more used to JFK myself...
I tracked her flight here, just to be sure her flight wasn't diverted to JFK or EWR or something stupid, and I left for the garage 10 minutes before landing... It worked out pretty well. The flight was in the air for 2 1/2 hours, so I had enough time to cancel the zipcar reservation if it was delayed, etc. -
nybt wrote: When I picked up my wife at LGA the other day, I had it booked for two hours (Thursday night 9pm-11pm). I left the garage at Underhill at the same time that my wife's plane landed (she called as they were pulling in to the gate). The traffic was fast moving, and we both got to the pick-up area at the same time. When I got back to the garage, it had been just over an hour, but I really consider this a best-case scenario... If your guest isn't familiar with LGA, or you hit a little traffic, you'll need the two hours.
Can you recommend the best route to LGA from Prospect Heights? I went this morning and the driver took what seemed to be a really odd way, and it seems in the last couple months every time I go there the driver takes a different route. Since I don't ever drive in NYC I don't have enough knowledge to recommend a particular route, but I'd feel better if I could... -
Take the BQE (I-278) to Exit 38/Northern Boulevard; then
Take Northern Boulevard east to 94th Street; turn left onto 94th Street (north) directly to the airport.
On a good day, it could take about 15minutes. -
I just get on the BQE and follow signs...
On the way back, I usually take the exit before Tillary (I always forget the name), follow the little frontage road straight until I hit Washington, take a left, go straight 'til PH/CH. -
nybt wrote: I just get on the BQE and follow signs...
hmm... today was the Jackie Robinson Parkway to Grand Central Parkway... seems an odd and out of the way route. perhaps he could tell I was clueless.
On the way back, I usually take the exit before Tillary (I always forget the name), follow the little frontage road straight until I hit Washington, take a left, go straight 'til PH/CH. -
nybt wrote:
Flushing Ave exit
On the way back, I usually take the exit before Tillary (I always forget the name), follow the little frontage road straight until I hit Washington, take a left, go straight 'til PH/CH. -
The Washington Avenue exit is Wythe. Take it, then keep going straight, alongside the BQE. Eventually, near the navy yards, you can turn left on Washington. We just took a Zipcar to Boston, returning during the blizzard, and this is how we got home. The car was great, although it was totally devoid of wiper fluid. But, Zipcar reimbursed us the whole $2.11!
It probably wasn't the cheapest way to get to Boston, but Brookline to Charlestowne isn't a convenient T ride, and I originally had to be back by 1:30 on Sunday for a gig with my band, happy fun smile, at the New York Buddhist Church, but that was cancelled, so we stuck around in Boston. It was really easy to extend our Zipcar reservation online, even only a few hours before we were supposed to return the car. And the EZpass thing!
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