Live on Mercer Island: To buy or not to buy a car? (Seattle: rental car, rentals)

[Hemlock140]

There's a new one called Car2Go, which provides one way rides and drop off service which zip does not. There is also a private party car sharing system about to start up.

[RunTheDistance476]

Private party service?

The Car2Go sounds a little better than stupid Zipcar (pay while your car is sitting in the parking lot when you are trying to accomplish things). Can't zipcar pay some jack***** to drive a few vehicles over to spots that ran out? I mean...certainly they could afford it when they charge you $2.50 just to call them (and an annual fee, and the amount a car payment would be anyway).

Sorry, end of that rant. It looks like I will be doing a combination of biking, bus, and using my girlfriends car on the weekends.

[mkarch]

Whether you lease or finance a car you are required to pay for comprehensive coverage. If you do decide to finance a car, do some more research first. Leasing can be functionally equivalent to financing now. I wish I'd known that before I bought my last new car as the lease deals were heavily subsidized making the total cost of ownership lower regardless of how long you kept it.

[RunTheDistance476]

Yeah, I won't be buying for at least one more month... but I am trying to do my best on research. I hear conflicting information everywhere, though.

One thing I noticed is that on some leases, with my college grad discount applied as a down payment...the total payments I will pay plus the down payment and the listed "price of the car" if I purchase it at the end of the lease is actually around $500 less than I would pay (or negotiate) if I were to purchase the vehicle out-right. Its all confusing and I HATE salesmen.

[mkarch]

Yeah - usually the only reason to finance through a dealer are the added incentives. Best to get pre-approved through a credit union or bank so you have something to compare the dealers financing offer to. Plus, you do have the option of re-financing after 3-6 months into a different loan - that way you still take the incentives but avoid an unfavorable loan.

The other thing that's nice about outside financing is it sidesteps a lot of the games dealers play, like changing the term or rates to massage the payment.

[mikebchipper]

I have a car and only use it to go to the grocery store on big trips or to Target in Bellevue; Otherwise, we use the bus to Seattle...you don't really need a car.

[SitoUK]

Originally Posted by wlw2009

Zipcars I think I will pass on. I looked at their website and read some reviews and it seems like they have way too many hidden fees. I realized that a judge ruled them all legal, but are they ethical? Eh... I dont want to pay $2.50 for every time I call for help or have to worry about any of that kind of crap.

Does Seattle have any other carsharing companies anymore?

I use them all the time and have not come across any hidden fees. It's easy, you pay the hourly or daily rate which includes gas and insurance and up to 180 miles of driving. After that you pay $.50 per mile. You can also pay $75 per year extra to reduce your insurance excess to 0. I think there might be a $2.50 fee if you book a car on the phone which you never do cause the whole point of it is doing it on the web or on your smartphone app. If you call them to get info or ask for help or whatever you don't pay anything...at least I never had.

To be honest, in your situation I'd say Zipcar would be ideal for you, at least you could try it out before you'd buy a car. However, there are no Zipcars on Mercer Island, so it's not really anything you need to worry about.

[SitoUK]

Originally Posted by Hemlock140

There's a new one called Car2Go, which provides one way rides and drop off service which zip does not. There is also a private party car sharing system about to start up.

There is also relayride.com

I'd like to try them at some point but they don't have many members/cars in Seattle yet it seems.

[SitoUK]

Originally Posted by wlw2009

Private party service?

The Car2Go sounds a little better than stupid Zipcar (pay while your car is sitting in the parking lot when you are trying to accomplish things). Can't zipcar pay some jack***** to drive a few vehicles over to spots that ran out? I mean...certainly they could afford it when they charge you $2.50 just to call them (and an annual fee, and the amount a car payment would be anyway).

Sorry, end of that rant. It looks like I will be doing a combination of biking, bus, and using my girlfriends car on the weekends.

Really no need for rant. I am not sure where you read all this stuff but zipcar is great for living in the city without a car. Try it first and then rant if you don't like it.

[RunTheDistance476]

I don't think it is economical, because for me, these are the only things I can imagine myself doing and needing (wanting a car):

-Driving into the mountains for various activities (all day/possibly camping)
-Going to the grocery store (can use my girlfriend's car)
-Going to a Seahawks game
-Traveling to other areas
-When it gets super cold

All of these items are going to cause the dumb exclusion of one-way rides to kill all of my money pretty quickly. Besides...most of their cars are around 10-12 an hour, and I would really only be getting between 30-35 hours of ride time for $250, where I can rent a car for a day for $30 and just do that (and they are located down the street).

Thats why I say I can pass on Zipcar for sure.