This is a brilliant idea that's directly analogous to time-share condos: car sharing. Just like time-share owners don't need a condo in Aspen 52 weeks a year, many people don't need a car every hour of every day. People who have to commute to work by car can carpool, but what about others who only need a car once or twice a week to go to the store, or one weekend a month for trips? Owning your own car can be convenient, but every second it sits idle, unused, is a waste of your money. Car sharing is intended to reduce that idle time, reduce the number of cars per capita, and thereby reduce the cost of car use for suitable travelers.
Marc Bovee is committed to not using his car -- and that's quite a commitment in wheels-crazy Los Angeles.Bovee's Jeep Wrangler has been garaged since August 2005, in part because he uses a vehicle-sharing service called Flexcar.
Whenever the bus or subway won't get him where he needs to go, Bovee, 43, visits the Flexcar Web site to find and reserve cars, which are parked in designated lots and garages around L.A. Once he arrives at his chosen vehicle -- often a hybrid, although sometimes just a fuel-efficient Honda Civic -- Bovee opens the door by placing his membership card over a reader installed on the windshield. He gets the keys from the glove compartment and drives off, returning the car when he's done buying groceries, running errands or taking a weekend trip. ...
Flexcar, which is based in Seattle, says its average member spends $80 a month on the service, a far cry from the typical $863 monthly cost of maintaining a midsize car in Los Angeles.
Such a commercial operation is not a great option for suburbanites who don't have mass transit available and a high enough population density to make car sharing profitable, but non-profit cooperatives like Dancing Rabbit might be viable alternatives for friendly neighborhoods.
Yet another new economic model made vastly more practical by internet technology.
It sounds like taxicabs without the cab drivers. The trouble with taking out the cab drivers is that no single person will be responsible for keeping the cab in good condition. Somebody has to fill it up with gas, change the oil, avoid potholes, and fix whatever breaks. The person driving it needs some incentive to avoid sticking gum under the dashboard, leaving french fries on the floor, etc. I wouldn't want to drive a car that nobody owned.
BB: In the corporate case, the company that provides the scheduling service also appears to do most of the maintenance. In the commune case, yes, there would be difficulties unless some person wanted to get paid to do the job.
Sounds good, but also sounds similar to ZipCar, which has been around for a while. I've been a ZipCar member for four years, and I do recommend the service for anyone who drives less than a couple of times per week.
For those who drive every day, as I started to do recently, I also recommend my own car, a Mazda6 GT. The four cylinder version gets a conservative 24 MPG in the city, while still pumping out a liberal amount of Zoom, Zoom. :-)
DD: I test-drove the Mazda 6 when I was shopping for cars a couple years ago.. and I liked many things about it, including the handling and power of the 6-cyl.. but then I went back and test-drove an Accord for the second time, and it reinforced my final decision. The Accord felt more refined and better put-together.. and it didn't have the somewhat annoying red illuminated gauges/interior lighting. At the time, I also needed a car with great resale value, because I had a lot of negative equity to bury from my previous car.. so the Accord was a natural choice.
I'm at a break-even point on my Accord now, so I'll have no negative equity for the next car. I'm looking at an Acura TSX or maybe a slightly used TL.. sometime in 2007, perhaps.
Mark: It's true that the Accord is more refined, and it will retain its value well. But, you're also paying a bit more up front (Honda doesn't negotiate as much as Ford). The gas mileage is equivalent if you compare 4-cyl models. So, I would say it comes down to styling. Now let's see ... this is the newly redesigned Mazda6 in an outstanding color (my car's color). And this is the Accord in light gray. Maybe that's not fair, but the typical Accord out there on the highway just blends in with traffic. I suppose the Accord can look good, but you gotta choose a rare color and get it with all the expensive options or it's, well ... boring.
I've been a member of CityCarShare in San Francisco for the past 5 years and can't recommend it enough. Its really convenient. To answer some concerns..they did a drivers license check as well as credit check before letting me join which ensures that the cars remain reasonably clean and well taken care of. Car Sharing is basically the same as renting from Avis, except that in a couple of clicks you can reserve and then you just pick up the car without any paper work. The rates work out for using a car for a few hours, but if you want a car for days, you are better off renting from Avis or Hertz.
Regarding the red-light instrument panel, there is a reason for it: it's supposed to save your night vision when driving at night. I bought a car several years ago with a red-light instrument panel even though I really didn't like it. In fact, the instrument panel was almost enough to keep me from buying the car. But I bought it, and within a few days, the instrument panel didn't bother me at all. And I do think it makes night driving easier.
DR: True, plus red panel lights look hot with black interior.