Rent your car to strangers...

[Bring_Back_Shantz]

Originally Posted by Fuzz

OK, so a REALLY quick check shows something like a Chevy Cruze goes for like $30 a day. They take 25% of that, so you get $22.50. Lets pretend you can get that leased for $150 a month. Plus $100 insurance. So your "costs" are, ignoring all maintenance, depreciation etc are $250 a month. You would still need to rent it out over 11 days a month just to pay for those costs. Does this in any way sound worth it?

This is what they say about leases:

https://support.turo.com/hc/en-us/ar...-m-leasing-it-

Okay, but what if say I go to the mountains every weekend with my girlfriend and we take her car.
My car isn't getting used, so I could rent it out for the weekend and make $50.

You don't have to pay for the whole vehicle to make this worthwhile, and for some people the value might be there.

I really don't understand why so many people in this thread are so adamant that this is stupid and won't work.

If this really is a company that already exists and is operating, then there is clearly a market, and a supply.

[calgarygeologist]

Aren't there some newer cars now that have valet keys or other abilities to neuter the cars performance? I recall some cars having the ability to set maximum speeds, maximum throttle position, etc so in that case renting out your car wouldn't be too bad because the renter wouldn't be able to fully thrash it.

[burn_this_city]

Originally Posted by Slava

I don't know that I could get my head around it, but if I could I would rent out my truck. There has to be money in renting out a pick-up for people to take loads to the dump or pick things up or whatever. Just not my thing though.

Trucks would get ruined by NFG people carrying massive payloads, towing huge trailers, and offroading. Fill it to the brim with gravel, so long as it gets home who cares?

[DoubleF]

Originally Posted by Bring_Back_Shantz

Okay, but what if say I go to the mountains every weekend with my girlfriend and we take her car.
My car isn't getting used, so I could rent it out for the weekend and make $50.

You don't have to pay for the whole vehicle to make this worthwhile, and for some people the value might be there.

I really don't understand why so many people in this thread are so adamant that this is stupid and won't work.

If this really is a company that already exists and is operating, then there is clearly a market, and a supply.

I think those that are saying it's dumb aren't saying the business model is dumb, but perhaps from their perspective, they aren't willing to risk their personal property for supplementary income.

I wonder if most posters in this thread that said this idea is dumb likely will have a very similar stance on Air BnB. Something along the lines of, "Wouldn't mind using the service, hell no to offering own personal assets into the service pool." sort of idea.

[btimbit]

Exactly. I also think airbnb is nuts from the owners point of view, but people seem to love it

[Looch City]

Even though there are insurance and checks in place, I'd say it takes a "faith in humanity"-belief to be an owner of a listing for Airbnb/Turo.

[Wormius]

Originally Posted by Iggy City

It's ingenious actually. Airbnb for cars.

I actually don't see anything wrong with it if there's proper protection put in place for the car owner (like Airbnb's model).

Ungenious. I think you meant ungenius.

There is so much that could go wrong with this.

[chemgear]

Originally Posted by MattyC

It's not a good or bad thing IMO. Just a different market people can explore if they want to rent a car cheaper, and something drivers can explore if they don't use their car much, want some extra cash, and are OK with the risk.

I'm looking forward to all the crazy stories that will inevitably come with this service.

[Cappy]

I think this type of service won't last. You have rental carriers already, but also car-sharing companies like Car2Go and Zip car. Only a matter of time before Car2Go delves into the idea of renting day cars for trips to banff and etc.

I actually think its possible and pretty cheap to have a Car2Go for the entire day.

[Cappy]

Originally Posted by DoubleF

I think those that are saying it's dumb aren't saying the business model is dumb, but perhaps from their perspective, they aren't willing to risk their personal property for supplementary income.

I wonder if most posters in this thread that said this idea is dumb likely will have a very similar stance on Air BnB. Something along the lines of, "Wouldn't mind using the service, hell no to offering own personal assets into the service pool." sort of idea.

Similar stance. I love AirBnB but for the most part, the majority of people i know that are renting their places on it, and the majority of people i have rented from, are not living at the place at the time.

I guess its the same as me buying a new truck and then keeping my old one around for a bit while i make some rental money on it.

[Calgary14]

If this becomes big I wonder if people who rent out their cars will be able to use the tracking devices All-State uses to track driver behaviour while the car is rented out

[Locke]

Honestly, why in hell would you want to rent some random a-hole's car? Especially when Car2Go, cabs and Uber are pre-eminent?

"No thanks, I'd rather take my chances with Todd McRaperson's 1978 Buick Regal for a few bucks less. Whats that you say? Theres a dead hooker in the trunk? Figures....Not again!"

[chemgear]

Thinking about this more, the service would be a great way for all these millennials to finally learn how to drive stick. Rent out some poor saps car and grind the gears into dust. Like so many things, no one will be able to trace it back to you or blame you for anything like that at all.

[FlamesPuck12]

Originally Posted by Calgary14

If this becomes big I wonder if people who rent out their cars will be able to use the tracking devices All-State uses to track driver behaviour while the car is rented out

Getaround, (Turo's competitor in US) already does this. I have a couple friends that are renting their vehicles on Getaround and you can track routes, speed, etc, using the app.

[FireGilbert]

Originally Posted by MattyC

I don't like this and wouldn't do it myself, therefore it is stupid, will never work and no one should ever do it.

Quoted for being the best post in this thread.

It seems like a great idea to me, but obviously has some risks like Air BnB. Also, it probably isn't well suited to Calgary where you really need to own a car. It is better for bigger cities where you don't need a car for day to day life but occasionally want to run an errand or take a weekend trip.

This is what exists in Sydney and Melbourne. It looks like they have taken steps to eliminate some of the concerns over the service:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Car_Next_Door

[Fuzz]

Originally Posted by chemgear

Thinking about this more, the service would be a great way for all these millennials to finally learn how to drive stick. Rent out some poor saps car and grind the gears into dust. Like so many things, no one will be able to trace it back to you or blame you for anything like that at all.

They have a "clutch policy"
https://support.turo.com/hc/en-us/ar...lutch-policies
and...
https://support.turo.com/hc/en-us/ar...n-owner-s-car-

[Table 5]

Instead of this, I'd much rather Zipcar come to Calgary. Even as convenient as Car2Go is, the lack of car options is a real issue. Zip car has all sorts of different cars, trucks, vans etc.

[Wormius]

How big of an issue is the lack of car options? I would think that those are mostly just one-off needs that would be satisfied by a traditional rental vehicle option. I guess aside from the limited drop off/pick up locations for Car2Go, doesn't that serve almost all of the "I need a vehicle right away" requirements. Wouldn't you need a lot of these different vehicles scattered about town to make it viable?

[pylon]

Ha! Finally a use for all those $500 beaters with bald tires and no brakes we take on trade.

[Table 5]

Originally Posted by Wormius

How big of an issue is the lack of car options? I would think that those are mostly just one-off needs that would be satisfied by a traditional rental vehicle option. I guess aside from the limited drop off/pick up locations for Car2Go, doesn't that serve almost all of the "I need a vehicle right away" requirements. Wouldn't you need a lot of these different vehicles scattered about town to make it viable?

For me, it is huge. The lack of car options with Car2Go is a pain mainly for the fact that you (up until recently) only have cars with two seats. Have kids? You're out of luck. Have something big to carry? You're out of luck. Now that they have the B-Class it helps, but it still isn't ideal for trips with lots of cargo.

And Zipcar is just faster and less of a hassle than a rental agency. I feel like with rental agencies there's always a ton of waiting, hidden fees, and a you never really know what car you're going to get. Getting a Zipcar is as easy as checking your phone and walking to the car. Plus I could rent something for a couple of hours (Ikea or Home Depot run) and not have to pay for the whole day. Yes, not every type of car is everywhere, but I still found it relatively painless to get something.

No ride sharing is perfect, but I found Zipcar to be pretty great (I do like Car2Go as well of course). If they had it in Calgary, I'd probably still use one on occasion if i need to move a couch or something.