Home › Forums › Open Discussion › Car2go or zip car
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October 29, 2014 at 4:19 am #613045
RaincityParticipantOur family is considering going down to be a 1 car family as our second car is on it’s way out. We want to try car2go or zip car now and wondered what your experiences have been? We’ve decided we just can’t afford a car and still be able to send our daughter to college some day.
Is it easy enough to find a car when you need it for car2go and is the car so tiny it’s scary to drive? For zip car it looks like there is only 4 for all of west seattle – is reserving it tough? We would likely use it for trips around west seattle when a bike won’t work or down town for a meeting to somewhere buses aren’t well connected too. Thanks in advance for sharing your experiences.
October 29, 2014 at 3:09 pm #815571
lazybeardParticipantcar2go:
You can browse the car2go website and see the map of available cars at any time around the city. Driving a Smart car has a level of difficulty as they don’t have the pickup of a car you’re used to driving most likely but after 2-3 times of driving one, you’ll be fine. I’ve been using the service since about when they came to Seattle as another mode of transportation (take the water taxi downtown, then maybe car2go home). You can reserve a car up to 30 minutes using the smart phone app and it provides you the approximate location, license plate and fuel level of said car. You can only fit a maximum of 2 people in the car, as there isn’t a back seat, just a small hatch back. You can end your session anywhere in the car2go zone which is most of Seattle at this point. Other than the initial startup cost (~$35), you only pay as you use it on a per minute basis ($0.41/minute)
My experience with zipcar is very limited (2nd hand actually), so I won’t comment on it.
October 29, 2014 at 4:50 pm #815572
trickycooljParticipantA friend of mine is car free in the Udistrict and uses C2G. He mentions all the time that the transmission shifts very badly on those smart cars but when you’re car free fun to drive isn’t a priority. He has had glitches happen with reserving a car on his block and finding it was never there or being entered someone else when he gets there. He has also mentioned it’s frustrating when people dump the C2G is private lots instead of street parking, I think it makes them unavailable when that happens. Other than that it sounds a little expensive if you have to make a cross town trip at rush hour since its a pay by minute thing so you would probably want to keep track of the monthly cost and whether it would be worth buying a reliable used car with high mpg that wouldn’t be too much to insure. Depends on how you use it. I know my friend is currently looking to buy a car since C2G hasn’t filled all of his needs exactly.
October 29, 2014 at 5:45 pm #815573
helihuParticipantI’ve used both, but rely on neither. Watch for discount offers for joining — I managed to join both for free when they were just launching. C2G offers ways to get free minutes, too.
I’ve only had trouble finding a C2G when I really needed one. We ended up driving one of our cars to pick up the C2G, which is silly. (We were doing our favorite early-morning airport routine: C2G to the SODO light rail.)I’ve tried to envision sticking a bike in the back. Not sure I could make it work and there’s probably a rule about it.
The cars feel rickety and underpowered, but not scary.
The main advantages are being able to leave the cars just about anywhere in Seattle and not worrying about paying for street parking.
I haven’t used ZipCar for a long time, but it was smooth. Just a pain to have to get to and from the parking spot. The variety of vehicles is handy for home improvement.
October 29, 2014 at 9:06 pm #815574
SueParticipantI am a member of both (which I joined during the time I was car free), and there are pros and cons to both.
If you absolutely, must have a car on a certain date/time for a commitment, you will need ZipCar. You cannot ever guarantee that a Car2Go will be anywhere near you. If you live near the Junction, you can almost always find one within 1/2 mile away, but again, no guarantees. Also, unless you leave it checked out to you at your destination (being charged while it sits parked), you also can’t guarantee finding one to come back. The pros to Car2Go are that you can take it one way, which you cannot do with ZipCar. Another pro is that you are not locked into half hour increments with Car2Go; you could take the car and drive for 4 minutes, and you’d only be charged for 4 minutes.
Parking a Car2Go in downtown Seattle can be tricky. I once grabbed one for a lunch errand at 2nd/Seneca to run to Wallingford and spent 40 minutes looking for parking when I got back, all on the clock. I would not use it again if I wasn’t taking it one way out of downtown.
With ZipCar, they often decide to move where they live. Many previous parking spots in West Seattle have been eliminated over the years. The ones near the Junction seem to be pretty long-term, so I’m hoping they’ll stay, but there would be no guarantee. Also, if you pick up a car even one minute early of the time you reserved it, they’ll charge you an extra half hour. Then there’s the issue of whose clock you’re going by, so I end up not picking up cars until several minutes past the reserved time so I don’t get dinged (I did once and they would not reverse it). Also, you end up having to really overestimate how long you’ll need the car. The penalties can be steep if you return a ZipCar late and someone else was waiting for it.
As for the SmartCars with Car2Go, I find them lacking in power. I find them a little frightening on hills, and accelerating onto the highway. Once I get to highway speed they seem fine and responsible, but getting them from 0 to a reasonable speed doesn’t happen fast enough for my taste and for what I consider safe. Also, as someone else pointed out, Smart Cars will only fit 1 other passenger, and limited trunk space.
October 30, 2014 at 12:42 am #815575
AlParticipantAs people have said it depends on what you need the car for. I don’t use C2G because I don’t do many one way trips. I want the car available for a specific amount of time and guaranteed to be there. I have never had an issue with Zip.
They have great and well maintained vehicles (you choose which when making reservation). Always have been clean for me. Location is easy in the junction and I did hear a rumor from them that the are considering adding a site in the Triangle area…to be determined tho. They can be useful for last minute trips but only if a car is available so it’s better to have a plan. And I like the comprehensive no deductible insurance for $9 per month. I know the total cost up front which is also helpful.
October 30, 2014 at 1:17 am #815576
RaincityParticipantThanks for all the good info. It’s helpful to hear the good parts and the challenges. We’ve decided to try both and are waiting for our cards. It’s cool to have these kinds of options. I have also heard that using car2go from downtown in the middle of the day can be tough. Thanks again for taking the time to respond.
October 31, 2014 at 2:37 pm #815577
helihuParticipantPromo code for free membership and 30 free minutes for Car2Go: Car2GoTime. Says “expires soon,” but not exactly when.
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