In my third week of the low-car diet, I enjoyed Flexcar's convertible, caught up on a book club book on the bus, and had no need for my own car.

When I lived in Corvallis, I tried without success to set up a car-sharing co-op. Insurance companies run from the idea, even if all the participants are great drivers. Luckily, Flexcar exists in Portland, with all the benefits that we sought from the car share arrangement.

One of the best things about Flexcar is the variety of cars you can use. When buying a car, most people are stuck with the challenge: do I buy what I need for 90% of my trips, or what I need for 10% of my trips? My friend bought a mini-van large enough for seven, because twice a year, that might be useful. All the rest of the time, however, she's stuck paying for poor gas mileage for space she's not using. Similarly, people often buy pick-up trucks, for the five to ten times a year that'll be helpful.

Flexcar offers an easy way out of this dilemma — and justifies its name. Most of the time, you'll want their basic car. But you can also grab their minivan, their pickup, or — yes — their sportscar (a Miata). During the heat wave this past weekend, I wanted to try driving a convertible. So I reserved the Flexcar sportscar and had fun driving to Mt. Ranier and back for an overnight trip. Note to backpackers: convertibles don't have a lot of trunk space.

For whatever reason (sigh), my calves hurt a bit after that minor trip, so I wasn't thrilled to bike to work. Luckily, I live a block from a frequent-service bus line, and I was behind in my book club book (The Line of Beauty), so I took the opportunity to get 20 minutes of reading done to and from work. Yay for the bus!

My car remains sitting in the driveway, lonely. Another low-car diet participant, Com. Adams' staff member David Gonzales, has apparently decided to sell his car. Who knows — perhaps I'll be next!

A final note: on Monday Flexcar called about a previous blog post I made noting their inability to adjust existing reservations (you have to cancel and make a new one). They heard my concern, and are apparently working hard to get it fixed. That's customer service for ya!

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