<p>I know that UNC Chapel Hill doesn't allow freshmen to bring their cars with them, and I'm not really willing to rent a place nearby for a parking spot. I also know that if I want to go somewhere in the Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill Area to shop, explore, or vist my friends at NC State, I can always take public transportation.</p>
<p>However, I'm not really sure what to do though if me or my freshmen friends don't have cars to occasionally come back home to visit family and friends, and that's something that I'm really considering whenever I'm looking for college choices.</p>
<p>I heard something about the Zipcar service at UNC; is that any good? If I want to visit family or close friends in the Triad area an hour and a half away either weekly, biweekly (every other week), or monthly, would that be a good option to look into?</p>
<p>I used Zipcar my first two years at Carolina, and am still actually a member though I have had my car here on campus since last year.</p>
<p>Zipcar to me still makes a lot of sense, for a variety of reasons. First, it gives me the ability to rent cars nationwide, an opportunity that I normally would not have until I turn 25. </p>
<p>As far as my experience goes with it, I had good experiences. I actually used it to go to a couple of concerts and it was worth it to me. The question for you is going to be would it make sense for you economically to rent Zipcar’s fairly frequently, or to bring your own car and park it off campus. You can find cheap spots decently close. I live a 15 minute walk away from the School of Public Health, and my landlord has some land that he rents out for pretty cheap a semester (I’m blanking on the exact number, since I don’t have to pay for parking). If you are really going to visit family or friends weekly, I might consider getting a parking spot. But if it is going to be a more occasional thing, I would go Zipcar. All told, it will probably be cheaper since you would never have to pay for gas, since you would just be doing short trips.</p>
<p>Just my two cents.</p>