Subject:  Zipcar experience?

Comment:  I got free Zipcar membership through the NYC ID scheme so thought - why not. We use it for day trips (upstate apple picking, the zoo, etc) and for that it's generally good and often quicker to pick up than a rental car although I'd say we've had a 20% rate of issues including the previous driver not returning the car in time, or it not being in good condition. As others have said, I'd use Avis for longer trips because of these issues. The latest zipcar we picked up had a VERY strong smell of weed and it would have driven us mad for a whole weekend. And we had a recent experience where we had booked a car weeks in advance and got the whole family ready for a day trip, only to find the key was broken and we couldn't use it. To be fair to zipcar they are good about refunding and giving credits in compensation, but it's still annoying.

Subject:  Zipcar experience?

Comment:  We only tried zip car for a month and didn’t like it. As far as pricing, and distance limits it seems to me like it’s good if you want to run to Costco, or some other errand that’s a couple hours. We mostly rent a car for weekend trips, and the cost of renting for 2 days is cheaper in a regular rental agency, and you don’t need to book so far in advance. We just never figured how it would fit into our life so we canceled right away.

Subject:  Zipcar experience?

Comment:  I hated zip car. They charge you the full amount when you book the car, if you changes dates they billed you twice until after those days had passed. To book for the holidays Thanksgiving/ Christmas, we had to book in August or go to the airport to pick up. The milage allowed was a 100 a day so a two day journey further than that was always quite expensive. The conditions of the cars varied and were usually were quite grubby. Once while a two day trip that we booked months before , we were charged the two days but had mixed up ( they said) 12 am/ pm return. Twelves hours is the same as a day rental so the charge is the same. As a result we we were fined for being late and charged the extra hours. The upshot of that incident was zip car telling us that their services were not for people like us. They said it was designed for city people doing day trips. So for that maybe they are great but out of state trips to Connecticut not so much.

Subject:  Zipcar experience?

Comment:  We have had a Zipcar membership for years and have found it useful, especially now that we have a child (2.5 years old). We still don't need a car (or want to deal with owning one) but we use Zipcar for excursions as needed.

Subject:  Zipcar experience?

Comment:  We have a zipcar membership and I love it. There’s usually a car nearby if you book a little bit in advance (and you can always change or cancel reservations) and it ends up being about the same or less than a regular rental car. Plus you don’t have to pay for gas which is nice. Also there’s a discount with your PSP membership which pretty much takes care of the yearly fee. There’s often an issue with non zipcars being in the designated parking spots when you get back which can be a pain, but in those cases I’ve just called them and they say to park as close as you can to the spot and they’ll take care of it.

Subject:  SUMMARY: ISO updated car sharing advice

Comment:  I got a request to post what I heard from yall so here it is:ZIPCAR LOVE (or something like love)We are big fans of Zipcar, and in fact just used one yesterday. Have used it for about four years and only once did we have any problems (something with the car, got reassigned at the last minute and had to hike to get to it). All in all, we’re very happy with it!We've been using zipcar for years and it's been pretty good. Once or twice we've had to wait for a car that the previous renter was late in returning, but we called zipcar and they gave us extra time for free. There's convenient locations around Park Slope. You do need to plan in advance as cars get booked up, and the weekend daily rate isn't great (like $150 - but includes gas and insurance) but it's better than any of the traditional rental carcompanies (Hertz, Enterprise, etc.).We had pretty good luck with Zipcar over the years. It's not cheap but it was convenient. One risk is that they can suspend your membership if they don't like something you have done. This never happened to us but I heard about it from others.ZIPCAR DISLIKESorry to respond only with the negative but I want to warn you that we’ve had very bad experiences with zipcar recently. After using them off and on without problem for 10 years, all three trips we’ve booked in the past six months have been a disaster. Whether we reserved the car weeks in advance or the day before, every time we got a message on the eve of the rental saying our chosen car wasn’t available and we had been switched to another vehicle miles away (Manhattan, the Navy Yard, etc). Each time, we ended up using Uber family or Arecibo instead. They always reimbursed us but still - useless.I’ve not had great experiences with Zipcar. We are on PPW and the two cars directly outside our apartment are never there when we book, as random cars just park in the designated spots, and never get a ticket for it... they’re often let pretty dirty/untidy as well. I was going to try Enterprise but sounds like they might not be much better.

Subject:  Zipcar/Car rental summary

Comment:  We use zipcar often and have had an overall positive experience. It's not the cheapest it's true, but it's still a lot cheaper than owning a car and keeping it in a garage full time, so we're on board. The fact that we can pick up and drop off 24 hours very close to our home is really great for us, especially on shorter trips when we have less flexibility on departure time. Having the gas paid for and the availability of the EZ pass is also very nice. For longer trips however we have saved a bunch of money by going over to Jersey City and renting a car there - I've also heard about folks getting good deals at the airports. If we are going to be gone more than a few days and / or have time to get out there and back without curtailing our trip then we will do that to save the money, otherwise we use zipcar for the convenience and ease. We actually have found lately that there are so many spots in the neighborhood that we haven't had much trouble getting one when we needed it - that was for sure an issue when they first started but it hasn't been a big one recently - we were able to book the summer weekends that we wanted with a little advance planning, and have done non-peak weekends on pretty much last minute notice with no issues.

Subject:  Zipcar/Car rental summary

Comment:  Every time we rent a zipcar we have an issue! From the car not being there, to no gas, to issues with the car. I leave an extra hour before we go anywhere and sometimes that is still not enough. I also think they outsourced their customer care in the last year or so which doesn't help.

Subject:  Zipcar/Car rental summary

Comment:   I've been with ZipCar for a long time, about 10 years now, in both New York and London and I can honestly say it's a great solution. The company has shown signs of "maturity", i.e. they've begun adding large logo signs to more of their cars and after a major theft of lux model cars here in Brooklyn they've been reluctant to restock certain models, but when it comes to convienence (reserve from app in minutes and unlock at the car via card), wide range of automobile types (flat-bed trucks to convertible mini coopers), and support on the big things, like accidents, insurance, and gas, they're a solid company. No problem! If we're going away for a long time we actually use Dollar in Jersey, much cheaper!

Subject:  Zipcar/Car rental summary

Comment:  Zipcar was an affordable option when they started. Then they were acquired and their hourly rates doubled or tripled. Also, there's a distance limit that can bite you if you exceed it. And cars are seldom available when you want them (such as on the weekend). If you only need a car to move something like a sofa, or do an Ikea run, then renting a pickup or small van from U-haul or Home Depot are better options.

Subject:  Zipcar/Car rental summary

Comment:  I've been really happy with zipcar. We've been using it for about 9(?) years since they moved cars across the street from us. Sometimes the parking garage people can be slow at getting the car out but otherwise it's been great. So I give it a thumbs up. I also like that you can get cars of different sizes and shapes.BTW--We have a Park Slope Parents discount for $35 off a ZipCar membership which helps with the membership fee. Check it out on the membership discounts page.

Subject:  Most Inexpensive Park Slope Car Service??

Comment:  We use zipcar too but it's not practical for all occasions. (December 2012)

Subject:  Re: [PSP] Re: do you need a car in park slope?

Comment:  We have two kids and a Zipcar account and get along fine. I used to have a car in Park Slope back in the days (early 90's?) when alternate side of the street was every other day not just 1-2 days a week and that was a PITA. In terms of the Thanksgiving question David raises below, I just reserve my Zipcar months in advance for the widest window possible and then can refine my reservation closer to the date so long as I know I have my car reserved -- I already have my reservation for November 2013! As someone else mentioned below, they have a lot of locations around the area. (Feb 2013)

Subject:  Re: Getting to the beach for the day

Comment:  Zipcar!!!(July 2013)

Comment:  Zipcar is great for shorter rentals but usually you need to book a bit more in advance.

Comment:  I was an avid Zipster for years when I lived in Manhattan and continued when I moved to Park Slope two years ago. However, upon moving to the Slope I had varying success getting cars when I needed them, despite the number of locations nearby. If I reserved a weekend slot over a week in advance it was usually ok, but if I looked for a car on say a Tuesday for that upcoming weekend I'd often be disappointed. Also I wouldn't get a Zipcar for a multi-day rental, I think there's a limit to how many days you can have it and it isn't cost effective. I rented from Enterprise (I think - the one on Union St) once and had no problem, but I can't speak for their regular availability. Bottom line, if you plan significantly in advance, it might work for you very well. There certainly are enough Zipcar locations. Maybe you could see if they'll give you a trial membership so you can see for yourself. Btw for holidays, you need to book over a month ahead. Last year I booked my car for Thanksgiving around Halloween - this year I checked for my Thanksgiving rental around the same time and all cars were gone.