San Francisco public transit: the only place we’ve actually seen someone smoke crack.
Sometimes, it’s nice to have a car.
And it’s even better when that car comes with a built-in plan to pay for itself.
Here’s the deal: Getaround is an app that’s basically like Airbnb for cars.
As part of a new, S.F.-only test program kicking off in January, 500 Toyota owners will get to rent their new car (a Prius or the Toyota-manufactured Lexus C200h hybrid) through Getaround.
Those future rentals will be taken into account when working out your financing. Not only that: You’ll also be able to pay off the car through the money they make on Getaround.
You won’t even have to hang around to pass the key off to the renter — Toyota will offer a smart-entry to renters by app.
So:
1. “Buy” a car.
2. Rent it out through Getaround.
3. Pay it off with the monies earned.
We’re pretty sure this means that if you go through the hassle of working out the financing, you could just stick your new car on a lot, rent it constantly, and wake up with a free, slightly used car on your hands.
Getaround says participants can earn “more than $800 a month” through the program — that works out to about three years of renting but … free is free.
There are worse ways to pick up a Prius.
This article was featured in the InsideHook SF newsletter. Sign up now for more from the Bay Area.
