How I Made $1,500 From Renting Out My Sister’s Honda
My younger sister boarded a jet plane last week, bound for Thailand until the end of summer. Along with her well paying job and insert-cliche-reason-for-packing-up-everything-and-going-abr0ad, she left behind her car — a 2010 Honda Civic so devoid of factory options that a Cap’n Crunch box may be better equipped with gadgetry. (Seriously — the car doesn’t even have floor mats.)
When seeking the most suitable option for long term storage of said horseless carriage, traditional logic would suggest to park it somewhere safe, lock it up, and check back in later.
However, as a function of remaining stationary for the nearly two quarters, the car would likely be in poor condition upon her return. The battery would be dead. Small rodents would begin to forward their mail here. The tires would become as under inflated as a New England Patriot’s football during the Superbowl.
A deeply compassionate sibling such as myself always looks for opportunities to help out closest of kin. I stepped up to the plate. “I will be the shepherd of this vehicle during your global expedition!” proclaimed I, index finger aimed straight to the sky. Although this remarkable selflessness would come completely free of charge, I saw no harm in making a buck for my troubles.
My entrepreneurial tendencies are rarely suppressed, even in situations as seemingly mundane as the long term parking of an econobox on wheels. I’m always on the hunt for unique opportunities to add profit to my piggy bank. I couldn’t help but see the sitting vehicle as missed revenue, stacks of bills blowing away in the wind. So what was an ambitious — and don’t forget caring — brother to do?
Enter FlightCar, the airbnb of airport rental cars.
Instead of renting a car from Hertz, FlightCar thinks that you should rent a car directly from another traveler. It’s a wonderfully simple — yet novel — idea. When you visit another city, you often need a car. But when someone else travels to your place of origin, they also need a set of wheels. So why not essentially just switch?
Imagine that instead of paying out both ends — $30 / day for a rental car and $20 / day to store your own — you could actually have zero car related expenses when traveling? That’s the hope with FlightCar. They want you to earn cash from renting your car, and indirectly use that cash to pay for another FlightCar rental while away from your hometown.
When my sister took off for the exotic lands of Thai, her car was in sloppy condition — unfit to be rented. I’m pretty sure the car hadn’t been washed since the iPad was revealed. Thanks to my sister’s lovable fur-factory French Bulldog, the back seats looked like they were upholstered in white astroturf. The tires were as hopelessly bald as George Costanza. In fact, they were so depleted that one of them actually ruptured about 1/2 mile away from the tire shop, where the new rubber awaited.
I made a deal with my sister. If I fixed up the car, I could keep any cash I earned from renting it out. I ordered some basic tires. I dropped it off at a detail shop. I buffed out some scratches. The car received a much needed overhaul, and after a little TLC, it was nearly good-as-new. Total investment? About $250. Drumroll, please — I am about to announce the winners.
Win #1: Flightcar pays me $300 per month, guaranteed. With their monthly rental program, they commit to pay a certain dollar amount, independent of how much the car is actually rented. Over 5 months, I will gross $1,500. Not a bad return. To add icing to the cake, I get a free rental car at the SFO location for up to 4 days per month, which will come in handy for the occasional trip to the city by the bay. (I live elsewhere in California.)
Win #2: My sister is happy. Upon her return from an exhausting global trek, FlightCar is going to pick her up in a black car — free of charge — and bring her back to her trusty steed, which will greet her with fresh tires, a shiny clean exterior, and an engine purring like a kitten. (FlightCar handles basic maintenance free-of-charge.)
Win #3: FlightCar is not a charity or a non-profit. They have bills to pay, employees that need income, and profits to be had. They make a margin off renting out my car, and it’s well deserved in my book. Make that money!
Win #4: For the dozens of folks that will likely drive the car over the next few months, they are getting a reliable, clean set of wheels for significantly less than what they would find at Hertz, Avis, Enterprise, etc. Plus, if they read this story, they are going to feel like they are driving a famous car. (Look out for the silver Honda pictured above at FlightCar SFO, ask for it by name!)
Win #5: This may come as a shock to you — but Ford Fiestas and Kia Optimas don’t grow on trees. They take nonrenewable materials to build — steel, aluminum, rubber, plastic. When we reduce demand, fewer rental cars need to be manufactured. That’s a good thing for the planet and for future generations. Instead of churning out a new car, let’s choose to utilize a perfectly good one that would otherwise be parked in some anonymous lot. On any given day, there are tens of thousands of parked cars across the country that would make terrific rental inventory. Let’s use those.
We can become much better at consuming less resources as a species. And we don’t have to give up our quality of life to do it. A little bit of creative thinking can go along way, and maybe even make a bit of cash money is the process.
Want to try FlightCar out? Here’s a $20 bonus.
