Smart Cars are my Prozac

A quick living situation update: still no official word, but we've been told that our pre-delivery inspection is going to be November 2nd, and we'll move in a week later on the 9th. Cross your fingers for us.

Moving on...

We moved (temporarily) back to the suburbs knowing full well that not having cars there, would be a challenge. Living in the 'burbs was easy a couple years ago - because Michelle and I both had our own cars, and could come and go as we pleased (we also had our own rooms, with all our own stuff, but that's been covered, and beaten to death), but now - we were literally, and figuratively, trapped.

We gave it a go for the first month - not knowing how long the delay would last - commuting all week via miWay, YRT/Viva, and the TTC - and then on weekends, using the GO system, and a combination of all of the above to get around and enjoy ourselves - but it was harder than we anticipated. We needed cars...

So - we looked into renting, until the delay was over...

...and we came close - after checking prices with every company we could find, from the big guys, to the guy renting out older, used cars out of his mom's garage, but we just couldn't bring ourselves to spend the money.

We looked at monthly rentals - but it was going to cost us around $1,000 for the month, and that didn't include the gas we'd use! Sure - we were getting paid by our condo builder, but was this the best use of the money? We decided that it wasn't, and went for a bit of a compromise.

We'd already resigned ourselves to commuting to and from work in the suburbs, so we continued on that path, and decided to just rent cars on weekends - and went from there. We again visited the top rental guys above, thinking that for longer term rentals, they'd be best, but we found that it just didn't work for us for a lot of reasons: you had to pick up the car on their terms, during their hours, which meant usually returning the car on Monday instead of Sunday (an extra day of rental), insurance always doubled the price of the rental (fair but crappy), and KM were almost never included. We did find some better deals through work, and friends, but still came with the inconvenience of getting to the place.

Then it hit us - why change something that's worked so well for us in Toronto so far - car sharing (specifically Zipcar and Car2Go, of which we are both members). We did the calculations on both, and figured that in terms of weekend rentals, Car2Go is the cheapest option ($72.99 per day, including gas, insurance, and 200 KM). The rental price is probably a little more than you'd spend to rent a car from Thrifty or Discount, but even if you don't consider the gas (which SHOULD be a huge deciding factor), the convenience of being able to pick up a car in any downtown Green P lot with the tap of a card (and no paperwork!), was the real kicker.

Since then, we haven't looked back - we've had a Car2Go nearly every weekend for the past month - and it's been great. We can head downtown for the day and not worry about parking (they park free in most municipal lots), and drive to and from our parents' without worrying about the gas. At the end of the weekend, even if it's 10 PM on Sunday, we drop off the car, end our rental, and say goodbye, wherever it's convenient for us.

So - although I don't need to sit here and review your options when it comes to car sharing (I did that here, last year, when we signed up for Zipcar) - I do urge you think about the intangibles (convenience, gas, etc.) the next time you, or someone you know, needs a way to get around the city. Car sharing might be a better option for you. **Note - you do need to sign up for a membership in advance for Car2Go, but memberships are a one-time fee, and are often waived if you find their booth at festivals and events. More information can be found here**