3 Ways a Car Subscription Service Can Elevate Your Boston Summer—And Beyond

Summer in Boston is all about ease—gone are the days of hauling our puffer jackets onto the T and stepping over patches of black ice. And besides nature doing its part to make our summer smoother, many of us make our own moves to optimize the season, like (friendly reminder) having our air conditioners installed or serviced before the heat strikes.

In addition to your annual checklist, maybe this summer you’re feeling like your current car situation isn’t going to cut it. Maintenance issues and long calls with insurance companies (you know the ones) can take away from sunny days; not enough cars for at-home college kids can cause family drama; the list goes on. The good news is there’s a flexible option for those in this boat: a car subscription.

With car subscription services like Flexcar, you can pay by the month for any available car of your choice. The company deals with all maintenance and insurance, and Bostonians, well, you just drive—to the Cape, to the mountains, to summer jobs, to the future of car ownership in Boston. Need more inspiration? Here are some ways you can use a car subscription this summer.

A Car In Your Back Pocket

Boston families with licensed teenagers and college students likely know the struggle: All of a sudden, your kids are home every day, and you find yourself having to share your vehicle with someone who always seems to need it—to drive a friend’s house, to the beach, to work, to checkups and appointments before the school year starts back up.

Car subscriptions like Flexcar fill this need with satisfying precision. Whether you’re in need of a second car while your college student is home for a few months or you’re looking for another option to drive when you need more cargo space, Flexcar is here to be your solution. And it’s flexible: When your needs change, you can return your car anytime without any penalties. Simply enter the Flexcar website, choose a car and a mileage plan that works for you, schedule your pickup or delivery, and you’ll be behind the wheel in just a few days.

It certainly beats looking for used or new cars, which requires time researching options, waiting weeks to months for the car itself, and fielding hefty down payments. Take it from real Flexcar user Andrew Zimmer, who subscribed to Flexcar for his daily work commute.

“The anxiety of looking at cars online and shopping at dealers—it’s overwhelming,” he says. “It’s kind of a no-brainer to take away the stress of looking for a car.”

Less Money Spent, More Memories Made 

Saving money on a car means more money in your pocket for other possibilities. This summer, that can mean more beach trips and outdoor adventures—but year-round, it can mean opportunities to put money into other (and more fun) ventures.

That money-saving value is a key part of what drew Zimmer to Flexcar. When he was initially looking into buying a new car, he was facing a hefty down payment of $4,000. When he saw the $550 payment for a Flexcar, he was sold.

That’s $3,450 Zimmer would’ve had to allocate to a large, unplanned purchase, freed up by a much more flexible option. And, not only that, but he no longer pays for car insurance.

“It’s all inclusive,” he says. “They take care of maintenance and insurance, and I really only have to pay for miles and gas.”

Especially if you’re looking into car options for your college kids, the added task of insuring a young driver (or adding a new driver to your insurance) can often be an inconvenience. But with Flexcar, your college-aged drivers can get more comfortable behind the wheel without parents worrying about touching their existing insurance.

More Choices, More Possibilities

Zimmer also likes that he was able to choose between different makes and models for the look, size, and features he wanted in his next car. Many Flexcar users become long-term patrons because of that freedom of choice: They can swap out cars to change with the seasons, finding the vehicle that suits their needs for different phases of life.

And seasons doesn’t refer only to spring, summer, fall and winter—sports practices, after-school activities and hobbies can fluctuate throughout the year and drastically change the amount of time you spend driving back and forth. That’s why flexible mileage packages enable you to have a custom Flexcar experience. Maybe soccer season has you commuting up and down New England for soccer tournaments every weekend, but the winter finds you cuddled up at home—you can opt in to higher mileage plans for when you need them, and then lower your mileage plan when you know you won’t be needing as many. (But things can change, and don’t worry: If you don’t use all your miles one month, they’ll roll over into the next month.)

Ultimately, whether you’re a weekly road tripper, a commuter, or have somehow ended up the designated driver for groups of excited kids going to camps and sporting events, you should be in charge of how you spend your time behind the wheel—and you shouldn’t have to spend it worried about your car situation. That’s why Flexcar could be the perfect solution all year long, bringing more ease to each day. Get your first Flexcar for those summer weekends, but who knows, maybe you won’t want to say goodbye come fall—then you’ve got a sidekick-on-wheels for life.

Flexcar is pleased to offer Boston magazine readers 100 free miles ($50 value) with promo code BOSMAG. To take advantage of this opportunity and learn more about a Flexcar membership, visit flexcar.com.

This is a paid partnership between Flexcar and Boston Magazine