
Ask HN: I am visiting SFO should I rent or use zipcar? - maxpert
Hey guys,<p>So I am visiting SFO in few days. Staying in a hotel near union square. I was wondering if it would be a good idea to use ZipCar or Rent a car? I am trying to save some money from expensive parking. The cheapest all day I have seen so far is $25&#x2F;day for 3 days it&#x27;s $75 dollars. Assuming I get a really good deal I would pay $200 - $300 for car rental. I am traveling with my baby so having a car is must for me. I saw ZipCar I am not sure about it&#x27;s hourly rate, while I like the fact I can pick a car from Airport and drop it at any ZipCar parking in city, it makes decision hard for me.<p>Any ZipCar customers here? Any recommendations? Should I go for Rental or ZipCar when I am staying there for 3 days?
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nostrademons
ZipCar (actually, Uber is probably even better). Parking is absolutely
miserable in that part of the city - I've heard that at any given moment, half
of the cars in SF are searching for parking. The hotel garages may charge up
to $100/night for parking, while the public garages tend to fill up very fast
and run about $36/day.

I also wouldn't rule out public transportation. Union Square is right by BART
so you can use it & muni for anything in the Market Street/Embarcadero
corridor, and BART will take you straight from the airport to the hotel. By
the time you find a parking spot it may actually be a longer walk to your
hotel than walking from BART would be.

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maxpert
Does Uber/Lyft allow infants with carseats?

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gigatexal
Short answer is yes, long answer: it costs a bit more.
[https://help.uber.com/h/3abcbae1-132b-42a9-8277-0dab00fa3879](https://help.uber.com/h/3abcbae1-132b-42a9-8277-0dab00fa3879)

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andymoe
ZipCar daily rates are terrible compared to subcompact rentals at SFO. Are you
planning to leave SF city limits? If not take the train (BART) to/from your
hotel/airport and use Uber the rest of the time. Parking a car near Union
square will set you back 30 to 40 bucks a day btw.

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maxpert
I am planning to go to Golden Gate bridge, Mountain View to meet some friends,
and probably within city for food and site seeing.

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JamesVI
You probably want to take CalTrain to Mountain View rather drive up and down
101. It's awful at the best of times and right now it is covered in potholes
so there is a non-zero chance that you'll end up hitting one and blowing a
tire.

45-50 minutes if you get on an express. 1hr and 10 for the local trains. It'll
take 47 minutes to drive if there is no traffic and anywhere from 1hr 20 to
2hr in rush hour.

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djsumdog
Does SF have ReachNow or Car2Go? I like the fact you can just pick up and
leave a car without having to block out specific time like with Zipcars.

