There are many good things about Zipcar, far more positives than negatives. If you live, work, and usually play downtown, it’s the environmentally friendly and fiscally sensible choice. Zipcar’s marketing works hard to make sure we all know know that, and they’re quite right.
Changing cars often is also fun. The fleet is quite varied and locations are very accessible. In my particular area, there are about 9 kinds of cars, and using the subway to get to other cars is quite reasonable when using cars for longer periods.
Despite all the benefits of Zipcar and being pleased with the experience these last two years, I’m looking at getting my own car anyway. Here are three of the reasons, although the theme is essentially “convenience”:
A “Tattle-tale” reporting system
Members are expected to report problems with the car at the start of the rental, e.g. dirtiness or damage. This ensures the next person doesn’t blame it on you, if he/she finds the state of the car worth reporting in.
A couple times, I got blamed for some aspect of the car that I didn’t notice or didn’t bother reporting. Zipcar didn’t apply any fines, just sent me an email warning. A minor annoyance; thankfully, most people don’t seem too picky.
Punctual scheduling is important
I am terrible at estimating how long something will take me to do. That used to be OK, as I would simply extend the reservation if it became apparent I wasn’t going to make it back in time.
Zipcar has done a great job of selling themselves, however, and I’ve noticed it’s becoming harder to extend a reservation on busy days, namely Friday and Saturday. This means stress about making it back in time, paying late fees, and making someone else wait.
The “little things” in life
Back when I owned a car, I would arbitrarily get in and go out for a snack, or some other trivial desire, if the mood struck me. Perhaps drive somewhere a little out of the way just to have new scenery when skating.
With Zipcar, there’s a small, but perceptible, “mental obstacle” such minor activities. Economically, taking a Zipcar out for such “spontaneous” events is definitely superior to owning a car, but the “hassle” of deciding how long one will take, finding a car that’s available for that window, and trekking the extra “X” minutes to the Zipcar parking lot compared to one’s own… laziness kicks in at that point. Laziness is a very subjective trait, though; I may just be particularly lazy.
It’s about spoiling myself
In the end, I’m tired of planning and scheduling. It’s minor in the grand scheme of things, but it happens often, and like the daily 9-5 workday grind, it wears away at me. Owning or leasing a car has its own kinds of problems, not the least of which is cost, but at least it means when making plans, transportation availability is not something I need to wonder about. Besides… not wondering where that stain or smell is from? Priceless.
