Are You Worried Avis Will Change Zipcar?

Car rental giant Avis will buy local car-sharing service Zipcar for $500 million. Avis and Zipcar both said the car sharing company will remain in the area (Zipcar has plans to move from Cambridge to the Boston Seaport), and that the start-up culture remains an important aspect of Zipcar.

Zipcar users are famously loyal and protective of their service, which allows users to rent cars for as little as an hour at a time. Zipcar users hold their membership card over a card reader when they pick up a car and drive off. That's a far cry from the time-consuming, paperwork-heavy method of traditional car rental services.

Are you a Zipcar user? Are you worried that Avis will ruin the service? Or do you think the marriage of car sharing and traditional car rental will give you more options? Will ownership by a stable, traditional car rental company provide Zipcar with the financial stability to grow in Boston? Tell us your thoughts in the comments below.