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Great article, except it ends on such a short-sighted note: > To be sure, Helsinki is not proposing to go entirely car-free. (Many people in Finland have a summ

Great article, except it ends on such a short-sighted note: > To be sure, Helsinki is not proposing to go entirely car-free. (Many people in Finland have a summer cottage in the countryside, and rely on a car to get to it.) I've never understood why people are so hung up about renting vehicles (not hourly rental; traditional, daily rental). Considering the cost of buying, maintaining, depreciating, and parking a car it is SO much cheaper (and easier) to simply rent from a traditional rental company for these long road trips. Need a 4x4? Rent it! Want a convertible for that coastal road trip? Rent it! Want to race on a track? Rent it! (this last one is still prohibitively expensive though). In fact, some companies (Enterprise) will even pick you up at your home, making the rental process that much easier. If you have a good credit card it often includes insurance, which reduces the cost considerably (making daily rental competitive with hourly-rental services over a few hours of use). Combine daily-rental vehicles with this sort of Helsinki plan and I literally can't see a reason why anyone would want a car.

walshemj 12y ago
You do know how car rental places are renowned for rip off's and scams? And for country's like finland that have very cold winters having a 4x4 is not an affectation if you don't live in the centre of a small number of cities its a requirement.
prawn 12y ago
I think it's because the typical car rental process can be so time consuming and pedantic. Choosing and booking, the pick-up and drop-off, checking for damage, signing a load of terrifying legal documents, avoiding the upsells, etc. Once booked a car in Scotland, arrived and was stuck waiting for 1-2 hours for the car to be returned. When I returned that same car in London, I showed up and the guy in the office told me where to park it in the underground carpark. I was gone 5 minutes and by the time I got back, he'd closed for the night and they charged me a late fee. Wish there was some sort of rental broker intermediary that knew you were reliable and signed general waivers, and vetted you for all the various rental companies.
daphneokeefe 12y ago
I hesitate to rely on being able to rent a car to go to my cottage in the country on the weekend, because everyone else will be doing the very same thing at the same time. The possibility that I show up for my rental and there isn't one available is really discouraging. The number of rental cars available in the fleet would approach the number of cars we have now.
- zxcdw 12y ago
  You are making two assumptions. First, everyone goes to their cottage every weekend. Second, none of those wouldn't own their own car. I can see no reason to believe these two to be even remotely true, hence why I see no argument there. Of course, it's your own point of view, but I think you are exaggerating here by a large margin.
carowner 12y ago
> I've never understood why people are so hung up about renting vehicles (not hourly rental; traditional, daily rental). Considering the cost of buying, maintaining, depreciating, and parking a car it is SO much cheaper (and easier) to simply rent from a traditional rental company for these long road trips. I do not know what country the parent comment is supposed to refer to, but in Finland it is simply too expensive to rent a car compared to owning one. Furthermore relying solely on public transport outside of a few urban areas is impossible. In other words, if you have no transportation needs then you don't need a car. If you do, then you need a car.

walshemj 12y ago

You do know how car rental places are renowned for rip off's and scams? And for country's like finland that have very cold winters having a 4x4 is not an affectation if you don't live in the centre of a small number of cities its a requirement.

prawn 12y ago

I think it's because the typical car rental process can be so time consuming and pedantic. Choosing and booking, the pick-up and drop-off, checking for damage, signing a load of terrifying legal documents, avoiding the upsells, etc. Once booked a car in Scotland, arrived and was stuck waiting for 1-2 hours for the car to be returned. When I returned that same car in London, I showed up and the guy in the office told me where to park it in the underground carpark. I was gone 5 minutes and by the time I got back, he'd closed for the night and they charged me a late fee. Wish there was some sort of rental broker intermediary that knew you were reliable and signed general waivers, and vetted you for all the various rental companies.

daphneokeefe 12y ago

I hesitate to rely on being able to rent a car to go to my cottage in the country on the weekend, because everyone else will be doing the very same thing at the same time. The possibility that I show up for my rental and there isn't one available is really discouraging. The number of rental cars available in the fleet would approach the number of cars we have now.

zxcdw 12y ago
You are making two assumptions. First, everyone goes to their cottage every weekend. Second, none of those wouldn't own their own car. I can see no reason to believe these two to be even remotely true, hence why I see no argument there. Of course, it's your own point of view, but I think you are exaggerating here by a large margin.

carowner 12y ago

> I've never understood why people are so hung up about renting vehicles (not hourly rental; traditional, daily rental). Considering the cost of buying, maintaining, depreciating, and parking a car it is SO much cheaper (and easier) to simply rent from a traditional rental company for these long road trips. I do not know what country the parent comment is supposed to refer to, but in Finland it is simply too expensive to rent a car compared to owning one. Furthermore relying solely on public transport outside of a few urban areas is impossible. In other words, if you have no transportation needs then you don't need a car. If you do, then you need a car.