Fri, 18 Apr 2008 23:59:59 -800

Zipcar is the time-sharing car service that I've been using to get around town
since the end of the Accord when I don't feel like taking my bicycle. You sign
up for their service ($25 application fee and either $50/yr or a $50/mo
commitment) and they mail you an RFID card. When you need a car, you make a
reservation and wave the card at the reader to check it out. Supposedly
there's an interlock between the RFID card reader and the ignition so that
it's safe to leave the key tethered to the dashboard. However, I find it
odd to have to use RFID to get in the car when it's locked. The RFID card
doesn't always work on the first try; it will beep to say it recognizes that
there's a card, but the doors don't unlock until you try again. It's also
annoying to have to take the bus to get the car, because there really aren't
any Zipcars in my neighborhood. The car comes with a gas-only card for
filling the tank. Other than that, it's quite nice--$8/hr or $67/day to rent
a car with unlimited mileage and gas. In all honesty the cheapest rate level
($50/yr fee and no usage commitment) might even prove an adequate complement
to owning a car. That said, I'd probably go nuts having to walk 15 blocks to
a car when it's 25 degrees outside. In good weather, Zipcar is less of a pain
than, say, Hertz. Hertz+AAA is cheaper for a full day rental; Zipcar is
cheaper for rentals shorter than about ~8.5 hours per day. Hertz could be
easier if one goes for the "they drop it at your house" option but I'm sure
that makes Hertz more expensive than Zipcar. Also, it's nice that Zipcar
amortizes gas among all the users with the gas card.