Car share services?

[matsuki]

I know there are a few of them in Tokyo, anyone used them or have any comments on any of them. The car I really want has a super mega extreme turbo version coming out at the end of next year so I'm debating either continuing to rent cars, use one of these car share services, or buy something I can beat on until then.

[wagyl]

I have never used them, and they were not well developed (if at all) back when I used to live in Tokyo. I did have a car in Tokyo, and really it was a complete luxury, and the fixed costs like parking space rental and insurance were ridiculous when you consider the amount of use it got. On top of that there were times when I would rent a car because I needed more passenger space/luggage space/winter road capability. If I had my time again and didn't own a car I loved too much to sell, I would definitely go for a car share service (or maybe just the occasional rent-a-car: I haven't done the sums).

However: points to consider....

Are there enough cars available out where you live? I haven't checked, but I can imagine that they can be pretty sparse once you get out to Tama. And the whole concept of taking a train to pick up a car would get old quickly.

There is the chance that the nearest car is already booked when you want to use it: you need to plan ahead, and spur of the moment drive sessions are more difficult.

I don't know if any of the care share services here offer it, but I understand that some systems give you fleet discount at a normal rent-a-car chain for longer term hires, which could be convenient and also give you more flexibility as to type of car you can use. That feature can be one to consider when you choose which service to use.

Your decision whether to just use car rental or sign up for car share will depend on how much you will be using the car, and whether it is mainly longish periods of use or short periods of use. Only you can advise yourself about that.

In conclusion, if it were me, I would give it a go, so long as they don't make you sign up to too long a contract if you are not sure whether you can bear it for the year or so you are waiting for the car of your dreams. I would definitely try it rather than going to the hassle of buying and selling a car just for one year use in a big city, but then again, I get the feeling that you might enjoy the car buying and selling process.

[matsuki]

I have never used them, and they were not well developed (if at all) back when I used to live in Tokyo. I did have a car in Tokyo, and really it was a complete luxury, and the fixed costs like parking space rental and insurance were ridiculous when you consider the amount of use it got. On top of that there were times when I would rent a car because I needed more passenger space/luggage space/winter road capability. If I had my time again and didn't own a car I loved too much to sell, I would definitely go for a car share service (or maybe just the occasional rent-a-car: I haven't done the sums).

However: points to consider....

Are there enough cars available out where you live? I haven't checked, but I can imagine that they can be pretty sparse once you get out to Tama. And the whole concept of taking a train to pick up a car would get old quickly.

There is the chance that the nearest car is already booked when you want to use it: you need to plan ahead, and spur of the moment drive sessions are more difficult.

I don't know if any of the care share services here offer it, but I understand that some systems give you fleet discount at a normal rent-a-car chain for longer term hires, which could be convenient and also give you more flexibility as to type of car you can use. That feature can be one to consider when you choose which service to use.

Your decision whether to just use car rental or sign up for car share will depend on how much you will be using the car, and whether it is mainly longish periods of use or short periods of use. Only you can advise yourself about that.

I'm in "Nishi-Tokyo"....parking is about 12,000円/月, just close enough to downtown to still be pricey but nothing like the insanity I've heard of closer down the line. My buddy in Tokorozawa is paying 6,000円/月 for his spaces. There are a few lots near me and I remember that at least one of the supposedly had one of the car share service vehicles at it but it's been months since I saw that and I can't remember which service it was. I'm mostly looking at weekday shopping/dining (few times a month) and weekend trips for pleasure/work. Rental car only makes sense for the occasional weekend trip so I figure the lack of reliability of the car share seems worth it if the pricing is reasonable and there are cars lots close by. (If one lot is empty, it may delay your plans to find an available car but if the price is right...)

In conclusion, if it were me, I would give it a go, so long as they don't make you sign up to too long a contract if you are not sure whether you can bear it for the year or so you are waiting for the car of your dreams. I would definitely try it rather than going to the hassle of buying and selling a car just for one year use in a big city, but then again, I get the feeling that you might enjoy the car buying and selling process.

That's my biggest hangup with buying a "for the moment" car....I have plenty of connections to pick one up cheaply but the hassle involved in buying/registering/insuring/maintaining/selling it makes this the least likely of my choices UNLESS it's gonna be 2 years+ before the car I want it released...at which point the "for the moment" car becomes a "ok, I can beat on this for awhile" car.

[Coligny]

Crap, that's cheap, we wuz paying 1 man for the parking of Berta in Nagoya... (to have the bumper scratched )

[matsuki]

Crap, that's cheap, we wuz paying 1 man for the parking of Berta in Nagoya... (to have the bumper scratched )

Don't you own a parking lot? Was this before moving into the bunker?

[wagyl]

I don't know how up to date this is but I think you are in a carshare desert.
http://carsharemap.jp/#map

[Samurai_Jerk]

Crap, that's cheap, we wuz paying 1 man for the parking of Berta in Nagoya... (to have the bumper scratched )

Well, Nishi Tokyo is almost as bad as living in Nagoya. Monthly parking in central Tokyo would probably set you back the cost of renting a 1LDK in your neck of the woods.

[wagyl]

I'm mostly looking at weekday shopping/dining (few times a month) and weekend trips for pleasure/work. Rental car only makes sense for the occasional weekend trip so I figure the lack of reliability of the car share seems worth it if the pricing is reasonable and there are cars lots close by. (If one lot is empty, it may delay your plans to find an available car but if the price is right...)

There is of course another option available: rent-a-car for the weekend trips, and for those rare shopping and dining trips you can get a car almost at a whim, where you don't have to park it while you dine and shop, hell you don't even have to drive it yourself. The young hip folk these days are calling this service "a taxi." It may be a reasonable option considering the time charges in car sharing: you are paying for the use of the car while you park it at the shop or outside the restaurant.

[matsuki]

I don't know how up to date this is but I think you are in a carshare desert.
http://carsharemap.jp/#map

Hmmm, I'll have to check with the actual service website....maybe I won' have a choice Fucked if you do, fucked if you don't...TIJ

I'm mostly looking at weekday shopping/dining (few times a month) and weekend trips for pleasure/work. Rental car only makes sense for the occasional weekend trip so I figure the lack of reliability of the car share seems worth it if the pricing is reasonable and there are cars lots close by. (If one lot is empty, it may delay your plans to find an available car but if the price is right...)

There is of course another option available: rent-a-car for the weekend trips, and for those rare shopping and dining trips you can get a car almost at a whim, where you don't have to park it while you dine and shop, hell you don't even have to drive it yourself. The young hip folk these days are calling this service "a taxi." It may be a reasonable option considering the time charges in car sharing: you are paying for the use of the car while you park it at the shop or outside the restaurant.

LOL, how lazy do you think I am? If I was talking that local, I'd walk. I'm talking about Costco and odd trips mainly...for the cost to hire a taxi for Costco alone, I could probably hunt down a pair of lemurs and ride them there.

[wagyl]

I'm talking about Costco and odd trips mainly...for the cost to hire a taxi for Costco alone, I could probably hunt down a pair of lemurs and ride them there.

Proving once again how much we internalize and thus ignore the costs of car ownership. Of the cheaper car share options, you are looking at 3900 yen for six hours up close and personal with a car like the Colignymobile. That probably is cheaper than train one way taxi return. And it is cheaper than having a parking space for a month and a month worth of insurance/shaken costs, and that is ignoring the costs of fuel and wear and tear on the car which you would bear if you owned your own.

Of course the next question is whether a Costco run saves you 3900 yen a pop. Once again, only you know your shopping habits.

[Coligny]

Crap, that's cheap, we wuz paying 1 man for the parking of Berta in Nagoya... (to have the bumper scratched )

Don't you own a parking lot? Was this before moving into the bunker?

before moving. The clinic can stack 7-8 cars in the parking lot.
And a chopper on the roof... (certainly)...

[Samurai_Jerk]

I don't know how up to date this is but I think you are in a carshare desert.
http://carsharemap.jp/#map

Hmmm, I'll have to check with the actual service website....maybe I won' have a choice Fucked if you do, fucked if you don't...TIJ

I'm mostly looking at weekday shopping/dining (few times a month) and weekend trips for pleasure/work. Rental car only makes sense for the occasional weekend trip so I figure the lack of reliability of the car share seems worth it if the pricing is reasonable and there are cars lots close by. (If one lot is empty, it may delay your plans to find an available car but if the price is right...)

There is of course another option available: rent-a-car for the weekend trips, and for those rare shopping and dining trips you can get a car almost at a whim, where you don't have to park it while you dine and shop, hell you don't even have to drive it yourself. The young hip folk these days are calling this service "a taxi." It may be a reasonable option considering the time charges in car sharing: you are paying for the use of the car while you park it at the shop or outside the restaurant.

LOL, how lazy do you think I am? If I was talking that local, I'd walk. I'm talking about Costco and odd trips mainly...for the cost to hire a taxi for Costco alone, I could probably hunt down a pair of lemurs and ride them there.

Take the train to Costco. They deliver.

[GomiGirl]

Sorry to hijack the thread but really the Costco delivery service is a nightmare to deal with. It takes forever for them to check each item in the basket against the receipt etc.

It is almost worth renting a car to do a costco run.

[matsuki]

I'm talking about Costco and odd trips mainly...for the cost to hire a taxi for Costco alone, I could probably hunt down a pair of lemurs and ride them there.

Proving once again how much we internalize and thus ignore the costs of car ownership. Of the cheaper car share options, you are looking at 3900 yen for six hours up close and personal with a car like the Colignymobile. That probably is cheaper than train one way taxi return. And it is cheaper than having a parking space for a month and a month worth of insurance/shaken costs, and that is ignoring the costs of fuel and wear and tear on the car which you would bear if you owned your own.

Of course the next question is whether a Costco run saves you 3900 yen a pop. Once again, only you know your shopping habits.

Ehhhhh, who needs 6 hours to shop at Costco? Usually I go on weeknights after work which means I only have an hour before closing when I get there. Probably would need the car about 2~3 hours.


Nice melons!

[wagyl]

I just used six hours because they have a six hour package which offers the same price as about four and three quarter hours. And remember you will have to overestimate your time use because these systems always penalise for late return with about double hourly rates. Anyway, even though we are all a bunch of cyberstalkers here I do not have recent data on your shopping habits, so I was just throwing out some examples for you to consider. A bit of reading comprehension would indicate that even if I grossly grossly overestimate the time you need to get across town to Costco and back as well as shopping there, even say two times a month, that option is much cheaper than owning a car in Tokyo and probably cheaper than train to Costco taxi back.

Of course, if that help is not appreciated, I don't actually have to give it.
Maybe it is me who is at fault for thinking that you wanted to hear "any comments" like you said in the OP.

Anyway, I am sure you have some pointers now to know where to look for answers to your questions, and some ideas about what these services cost. I know that my work here is at an end.

[Samurai_Jerk]

Sorry to hijack the thread but really the Costco delivery service is a nightmare to deal with. It takes forever for them to check each item in the basket against the receipt etc.

It is almost worth renting a car to do a costco run.

I never go to Costco so I wouldn't know but my friend uses the delivery service and says it's great.

[GomiGirl]

To complete the thread hijack:

There are some enterprising guys that have a personal shopping service for Costco and Ikea.

Yoyo Market
http://yoyomarket.jp/

I haven't tried them but it seems an interesting idea.

[Coligny]

Good stuff... Ikea don't deliver in Toyohashi... Everytime we go with the whip we end up wondering if it's really a good idea to try the highway with few coach on the roof and drawers in the backseat...