Groupon: Collective Buying Power

The rules of the Groupon say that the user must have insurance; is it possible to get some kind of temporary insurance so I can get this as a gift for a friend who doesn’t own a car (and therefore doesn’t have car insurance)?

Thank you!

What constitutes half a day? Half of a 24 hour period, any time? Or might it be from opening to half day?

Hi Zoe, William,

The 1/2 days are :
1. 6pm to 9am (overnight)
2. 9:30am to 1:30 pm
3. 1:45 pm to 5:45 pm

Zoe, unfortunately we don’t have an insurance partner that will offer insurance to our customers. However if you find insurance that works, works for us. Most people that already have a car or a motorcycle have insurance that covers this already.

Steam

1. Is this deal valid for both the cabrio and coupe?

2. What gearbox (manual/auto) are these cars equipped with?

3. Your website does not list NJ as an approved state. Can you confirm that we are not allowed to drive in NJ?

I don’t understand how 4 hours constitutes a 1/2 day.

They are probably only open 8 or 9 hours a day. The overnight option seems like the best, you would get 9 hours. Some of those you’d need to sleep, but you probably won’t be sleeping much having the keys to this car.

Sorry, you get 15 hours, not 9 with the overnight option.

Hi Travis,

1. Yes, it’s valid for both cabrio and coupe. For now in NY location we only have cabrios but we keep addying to the fleet. If this deal goes well we’ll add quite a lot of cars !

2. They are tip-tronic. That means you can use in manual or in automatic. ( High end transmission cars have both options). Google tiptronic for more information please.

3. We are updating the website (sorry about that). Yes, driving in the states around NY is perfectly fine.

Steam

Is this deal available for the Boston location?

I am thinking about getting this. Is there anyway we can extend the reservation to 1 FULL day by paying extra?

Additionally, how many miles are included with the rental? EZPass?

I live in NJ, so can I pick the car up in NY and drive to NJ?

Hi,

I just gifted one to my friend, but if possible I’d like to do a full day for that person. Can you combine two gifts? Also, my friend live in NJ, so I’m assuming that’s a state that he can drive in.

Thanks,

Shannon

I am also interested in buying the full day option … if I see that, I would pull the trigger (assuming similar deal economics). Four hours is great, but hardly enough to make full use of this uniquely interesting offer … lived right in the neighborhood and never knew this kind of place existed.

How many miles would be allowed in a half day rental ( read on the website that for 24 hour rental, 125 miles are allowed)..

Hi Erin,

This deal is not available for Boston location at this time.

you guys show a picture of a new 2011 997 carrera but the rental is for a used 2001 carrera which isn’t even worth 30k?

and your webiste is a little deceiving too. why do you have a picture of a f430 scuderia, a 997 porsche turbo, an lp560, and another 997 carrera? when none of those are available for rent?

Hi Andrew,

I am thinking about getting this. Is there anyway we can extend the reservation to 1 FULL day by paying extra?

Steam : Of course.

Additionally, how many miles are included with the rental? EZPass?

EZPass will be added to the cars shortly, yes.
60 miles are included per 1/2 day. After that a per mile fee applies ( cheaper if you buy them upfront).

I live in NJ, so can I pick the car up in NY and drive to NJ?

You can drive to NJ,however our only pickup location is in Downtown Manhattan.

Hi all,

We are updating our FAQ section, sorry about that.
It should read :

You can drive the cars in any of the following states: MA, CT, VT, NH, ME, RI, NJ, PA, MD, VA, WV, NY and DE. You cannot take the car to Canada, Mexico or any other states. If you do we will declare the car stolen and will inform the police immediately

Hi Shannon,

Yes he can drive in NJ, and yes, you can combine gifts, no problem. If you want more you can ask friends to buy more of them for you.

Steam

Hi Johnny,

At this time the full day option is not a deal.
However you can buy more then 1 coupon and you can ask friends to gift you more of them if you wish.
The full day in New York is $299 if bought outside the Groupon deal. It is a deal after all.

Thanks

Steam

Hi Jitech,

For 1/2 a day we include 60 miles. You can buy extra ones if you wish at a discount price in advance.

Steam

Hi Jasper,

The cars are 2002 or similar models as indicated in the text. Please make sure you read the test of the website.
As many companies we use images on our website for decoration.

We could offer a 2006 or younger model , however the 2006 would have to be rented out for 400$ a day or 200$ for 1/2 a day. If you wish to rent that kind of model at that price please let us know and we will arrange that for you, not a problem at all.

Also our cars have under 30,000 miles or so. They are like new.

And last but not least, we would be happy to reimburse you in full were you to find the cars not to your liking of course.

Steam

If I buy one of these groupons and a friend buys one and gives it to me as a gift, can I use both of them on the same rental and get a 1-day (24 hr) rental? thanks.

Hi Jared,

Yes absolutely.

Steam

Hi steam- The rules state “limit 1 per visit” and there’s really no proof you work for the company, so how do we know that if we buy two gifts for one person that they’ll really be able to use them for a 1-day (24hr) rental? I may be a cynical new yorker but I don’t want to spend 120 and end up with two (too short) rentals :)

Also, if I am buying for someone else, I don’t have to be 25, correct? If the person driving is 25 with insurance, that’s sufficient?

One more question – Is this for the convertible as well?

Hi Shannon,

Yes we have convertible cars.

Steam

Hi Victoria,

Please call us on the phone. Our employee names are on our website.
Regarding age : yes, driver has to be 25 +.

Steam

Hi Steam,

How much are miles beyond the 60 with the purchase?

I think it should be noted on the deal that there is a 60 mile limit and possibly that the 996’s and that the cars are 9 years old. After reading the above comments, I just cancelled my order.

Is this valid for any day of the week?

Steam,

Can we leave our car in your lot we have the rented car in our possesion?

Dear Calvin,

Yes any day of the week.

Steam

Hi Glenn,

We use a garage, I am sure they will be happy to park your own car during the rental too of course.

Steam

steam, can you comment on the “limit 1 per visit” rule. you said I am able to use one I buy and one I receive as a gift on the same rental for a 1-day 24 hr period. Is there no “limit 1 per visit” rule? thanks

This is such a lie. It says on Groupon value of $149 for $59 to drive the porsche. On Steams website it reads “$149/day”. You get getting half day for $59, so this isn’t really much of a deal and Groupon got it wrong, it’s NOT $149 value since this isn’t for 1 day but you get half day!

Sangme,

I am at the website, I see the it being rented @ $249.00 a day. I dont see it on the website listed as 149. Can you clarify where that is shown?

Hi Jared,

We are flexible on the 1 coupon per visit rule.

Steam

Hi Sangme,

The price per day in NY is $299
The price per day in MA is $249

Steam

Steam,

Can the deposit be done via a credit card? Also per your comment earlier on the $400 per day on a 2006 and newer vehicle, does that only relate to the Porche?

Hi there,

2 questions –
1. What days/times is this available?
2. How many cars do you have for this particular deal?
3. Is the expiration date final?

My concern is that there’s already 350 people who have bought into the deal and I’d assume most would want to use the car on a weekend, which limits the amount of times I’d be able to rent the car. Would there be an opportunity to extend the expiration date if there’s enough demand?

Thanks,
Rachel

Hi Glenn,

Yes the 400$ a day is only for a Porsche. A new Ferrari if of course much more as well as the other cars.

The deposit is made only on a credit card, we do not take any other types of deposits.

Steam

Hi Rachel,

All days are available on a 1st come 1st serve basis.

We are extending the expiration to make sure we can deliver to everybody that bought the coupon. We are going to use a 6 months expiration date as of right now.

We have at this point in time at least 2 cars available , we can make more if needed (depending on demand).

Thanks

Steam

the picture is for 997.2 , however you rent 996. 996 worths $30k not $90k. This is deceptive advertisement. i would rent the car untill i see 996 in description . Why don’t you say RENT 2001 model 911 Carrera. ?

So you get to rent a 10 yr old car for a few hours and within a 60 mile range? y is this on groupon??

Its even less than 60 miles considering you have to drive the car from the spot you pick it up from. Bringing the car back and forth to the spot from my house would already be 60 miles.

I’d rather spend an extra $150 and rent a corvette

Hi Aziz,

We offer for 299$ a full day rental for 125 miles.

Steam

Hi Ahmet,

We are not trying to mislead anybody.
As mentioned above, we can rent you a newer car for about 3 times the price.

Steam

Ummm… a tiptronic is an automatic transmission. If it doesn’t involve my left leg, it’s not a manual, no matter what you want to call it.

And the 60 mile limit means you really can’t get to any worthwhile roads like the Saw Mill/Taconic Pkwys or North Jersey. Basically, all you can do is drive around the city like a poser at 35 m.p.h.

I’ll pass.

i’m concerned as huge groupon fan and also use dealgator.com to find the best deals. i found that this company is running 3 deals today in worcester, danvers and new york city and have ran historical deals in boston. how can you get 3 cars to all those 4 different locations to fulfill everyone? plus if you do an analysis, the pricing is totally different. plus, i’ve seen steam car runs deals on bloomspot.com and buywithme.com and they seem desperate for business to keep afloat. their regular pricing changes daily since i’ve seen $599/day, $999/day, $2000/day on their site to support their deal. what gives?

after doing research from a different groupon deal discussion post from the last deal they ran — a lot of unhappy customers voiced their opinion and the owner george popescuiu is in a $40,000,000 lawsuit in a financial scam like Madoff! see this discussion post as its got a lot of bad coments about steam car.

http://www.groupon.com/deals/steam-hot-car-rentals/posts

johnna d. commented 3 months, 10 days, 22 hours, and 59 minutes ago

I just had to do a little research on George and his Steam Car rentals. Seems to me, you could be had by purchasing one of these Groupons.

A quick search on the mass.gov reveals that Steam is less than a year old business having been formed in Feb 2010. It also shows that George was a Manager/Third owner of Devrim A Akyil Holdings, LLC which is now being charged with taking over $40 million from investors.

http://forexmagnates.com/sec-charges-massachusetts-based-forex-traders-and-their-firm-with-fraud/

I think George is trying very hard to stay afloat right now. A little research on the web and you will see that this man has been involved in quite a few business ventures in the past few years and none have been too successful and better yet down right horrible!

I know, I’ll stay clear but you should definitely do your own research. Just google George Popescu boston and see what you come up with.

Renters who they don’t have a primary auto insurance from owning a car and use any American Express card should be covered for accidental damages, correct?
Other credit cards may also offer this benefit. Please confirm.

How will scheduling work now that it is through Groupon? Should we still go and register on the website and so forth – and then how do you relay it is from Groupon?

Steam,

Yes, and for $90,000 i can purchase a new carrera and drive it endlessly. What is your point? its still not a deal.

But its funny you mention the $300 full day price for 125 miles because you said we can combine two of these groupons for a FULL day, making it $120 for a combined mileage of 120. So please tell me how you are offering the same thing to me for $200 more?

unbelievable!

If you go to their website and click on CARS at the top, you can find their original price for this car of $149/ FULL DAY before they changed it to $299 or wahtever they claim. Apparently they forgot to change that one part of their website though. lol.

I’d rather pay full price at another company in the city to rent my cars.

btw,once you click on CARS, navigate thru where there are 4 pictures of their cars and you will find the $149/day price. At the bottom they changed it to $249 but forgot to change the picture area. lol

If I don’t have a credit card, can I have the $1,000 deposit held on a debit card?

Dear Groupon Team

I was given this deal as a gift from someone who is not a motor head and bought the coupon based on the headline and description on the front page. I think you guys dropped the ball by not stating in bold on in the first paragraph that the rental is for 4 hours and 60 miles!

if you rent the car during the day it will take you an hour to get in and out of the city!

Really disappointing!

Groupon needs to add a “thumbs up” or “thumbs down” feature like they have on slickdeals.com.

This deal would be 95% thumbs DOWN

OH SNAP…SH*T JUST GOT REAL

There is a blog post on this deal that is worth checking out before you buy. Its hilarious. http://mysilentlife.com/

and by “its hilarious” I mean I wrote it as a humorous take on the offer – not serious journalism. For your enjoyment only.

so i published my first concern about this deal. and now after reading all the other comments, my concerns were def valid. now i have another concern for future groupon buyers of this deal. the current deal has 592 people subscribed already. today is march 6th which leaves roughly 200 days left till this groupon is expired. so the max number of people that can rent this car during a 24 hour period is 3 people right? 2 people during the day and 1 person overnight? so that mean over the next 200 days times 3 people a day put it at a max available slots of 600 time slots. so shouldn’t this deal be closed down now since there are no more spots left?

all you people who bought this deal better start reserving your times because this car needs to be rented 24hrs/day for the next 200 days for everyone to be able to use their deal. good luck to all

and just to add, this deal has brought in about 35k in revenue. i know there’re costs associated with tear, wear, depreciation, etc, but this deal has already eclipsed the value of the car. i guess i should put up my newer/faster/convertible/manual m3 up for a deal like this and make some money off of my car too….

I just had a half day with their Convertible Porsche, the 6pm-9am option. This Car was beat to crap ! The Windows Rattle constantly with the top down. The brakes Squeak so loud its embarrassing. The description states 1 touch for the top to open or close, not true ! you need to hold down the button and CAN NOT let go for about an entire minute until it is closes or it jams on you and you then need to go through an entire process to get it to be functional again. When returning the car I tried to get the gas back to half of tank but because the meter is so delayed i ended up putting a full tank back in and still the meter was not at half tank. The car also shows a constant engine compartment light that stays on for 90% of the time in the car. Their Custom radio, the screen is supposed to flip up on its own and does not, you have to push it open. Plus the car is delivered disgustingly dirty ! This car was beat to SHIT !

thanks hector P. appreciate the feedback. i feel lied to hear. i dont trust this company.