Comments on: New Car Sharing Service Hertz Zipcar

By: kamm

kamm — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 05:50:15 +0000

Here in Park Slope (Brooklyn) I have TWO Zipcar stables in TWO neighboring (parallel) streets: one on my corner, another on the next one – I highly doubt Hertz will be able to beat Zipcar anytime soon in my area… :D

By: ZCline

ZCline — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 22:08:07 +0000

I use zipcar here in Portland, OR. It is great for someone like me- lives downtown, generally walks or bikes everywhere, not adverse to public transportation, but sometimes needs a car. Its great for something like say, a job interview, doctor’s appointment, or a rare trip to a mall/home depot to pick up something big. No need to pay for a big truck!

Those are probably the best and most common use cases though. The daily rates are really high, probably cheaper to rent something cheap from Hertz. You can’t do anything one-way, as each car has its own dedicated spot. So if you just want to get home, you’re calling a cab.

I got a pretty good deal, where they waived the first year’s fees and even gave me $50 in credit, which paid for my first two rentals. I like the service, I hope it doesn’t go away.

Also as nudave mentions, the cars are generally higher quality than most rentals. Mini’s, convertibles and coupes, although sadly not the S model. Miatas, lots of Hondas, and recently a BMW 328!

By: jerseydevil

jerseydevil — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 21:38:55 +0000

I use PhillyCarShare in Philadelphia. Lots of different cars,from Prius to Lexus, pick-ups, suv’s etc. Its nice u can get exactly what u want, i ocasionally take a miata ot a mini convertable just to play with. ALso, the pick up is nice to get things bought from craigslist and the like. I told people that I was not just getting rid of my car, I was was getting about 200 others. Imagine deciding when you wake up what kind of car u are in the mood for, just as you would decide what to have for breakfast.

I like this service, I heard that Hertz was getting into the business. My impression of Hertz is that they dont really like cars, they could have just as well be renting lamps, one is as good as another, they all produce light. I expect they will fail – but in case they dont, good. I beleive this kind of service will be the shape of the future. I applaud their greedy little hearts.

By: allerton

allerton — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 19:03:02 +0000

I’m a happy Zipcar user in Vancouver, and I own a car (actually when I joined I owned two.) I use them mainly because I can borrow a pickup truck in my neighbourhood at relatively short notice.

10 lots in midtown doesn’t seem like great coverage for NYC. Here in Vancouver (and I imagine other Zipcar locales) the lots are distributed over a wider area, not just downtown. As others have mentioned, they have a wider selection of cars too.

Also, one Zipcar membership can be used worldwide. In contrast, the Hertz site says “Each country has its own membership plans and rate schemes.” Fail.

By: lawmonkey

lawmonkey — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 17:47:59 +0000

I checked their website – in Manhattan/NYC, where I live, they have about two dozen cars available. You get your choice of a MINI, a Camry, a Mazda 3 sedan, an Escape, or a Prius. Prices are about on par with Zipcar, but Zipcar has a much broader car base, at least at the moment – 328i, Tacoma, xB, S40, etc.

By: RedStapler

RedStapler — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 17:41:24 +0000

Its a good idea for Urban Areas. Now from a branding perspective they should have something by Hertz with the Hertz in small writing.

Yes, they are both renting cars but its a different service targeted at a different audience.

Sort of the same way McDonalds purchased and built-out and spun off Chipotle.

By: nudave

nudave — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 17:11:38 +0000

Please remember that Zipcars are Minis and such. Enterprise Car Rental consists mainly of Cobalts and Calibers.

This is same difference as getting laid compared to getting kicked in the balls.

By: John Horner

John Horner — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 16:52:00 +0000

Hertz will probably bungle it, and those 40,000 Hertz cars in the NYC area are certainly not in the loop for this experiment.

Blockbuster should have been able to kill off Netflix, but still lags.

Barnes & Noble should have been able to nip Amazon in the bud, but didn’t.

IBM should have ruled the PC universe, but doesn’t even play there anymore.

Sears should have kicked upstart Wal-Mart’s butt back to the small towns of Arkansas, and we know how that story ends.

GM’s Vega should have sent the Japanese cars swimming back across the Pacific. Instead we have Death Watch 999.

The funny thing about branding is that it can be a two edged sword. Yes, everyone knows Hertz … but Zipcar is fun, new and cool while Hertz is for traveling salesman. What young hipster is going to ditch their Zipcar membership for Hertz?

By: autonut

autonut — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 15:53:10 +0000

Although Enterprise service is handy in burbs, the real value of Zipcar in Manhattan is parking: you don’t need to look for one near your appt. building. You can park zipcar in garage you picked it from, it run home and pick up whatever you forgot. Alternative is expensive as hell in the City.

By: OldandSlow

OldandSlow — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 15:47:10 +0000

Unbeknownst to the world, Enterprise has been in this business for years. The difference is that pick you up at your door and drop you off again. You do pay for a full day’s or week’s worth of rental – but there is no yearly fee. I find them convenient to use when the need arises.