Super-Luxury Cars for the Commitment-Phobic
That's because he belongs to San Francisco's Club Sportiva, one of a handful of car-sharing clubs that let well-heeled consumers drive super-premium vehicles whenever they want.
 |
"If I feel like taking out an Aston Martin for the weekend, I drive it around, get it dirty, then drop it off Monday morning on my way to work," Newman says. "Feel like arriving in the Audi R8, with its sleek lines and rumbly raw power? No problem."
More Headlines
New York, San Francisco and a few other cities around the world have car-sharing clubs that offer members the chance to drive everything from $278,000 Ferrari 458 Italias to $120,000 Tesla(TSLA) Roadster electric sports cars.
"We're an authentic group of car guys who have fun driving fancy cars and doing other cool stuff," says Zac Moseley of New York's Classic Car Club Manhattan.
Many car-sharing clubs folded during the Great Recession, but a few remain.
Members typically pay anywhere from $1,000 to more than $10,000 to join, plus around $150 a month in dues. That usually gives you "points" to use toward borrowing different exotic cars.
The fancier the vehicle and the more popular the rental period (summer Saturdays trump winter Wednesdays), the more points you'll need.
For example, borrowing a 1969 MGC for a winter weekday costs 8 points (worth around $72) at Classic Car Club Manhattan. But driving a Ferrari for a two-day summer weekend will set you back 288 points -- equivalent to about $2,600.
If you want more points than your membership allows, clubs often let you buy extras for an additional price.
Some groups also let non-members rent exotic cars without joining the club, while many sell special day trips that let you test several cool cars in one shot.
Classic Car Club Manhattan calls its $600 outings "autogasms." Typically, six clients will take out a half-dozen super-premium vehicles -- stopping for an upscale lunch and switching cars now and then so everyone gets to drive everything.