I don't own a car so we are pretty frequent zip car users. For certain situations it works really well - going somewhere for a few hours or something similar. About ten years ago my son had appointments with a medical specialist every other week for six months that we had to drive to. The appointment took about 15 minutes so we needed the car for 2-3 hours. Zip car worked perfectly. There are certainly challenges with it but it is a great resource in urban areas. I wouldn't be surprised if the recent surge in rental car prices has helped them.
Pretty encouraging NY Times article today about lumber prices moderating...last year price per thousand board feet went from $400 to $1600...as more people stopped buying as much wood (including home builders) the price is down to $900...stimulus money is not as plentiful (for individuals), not as much DIY activity, so it looks like this should continue.