What to get for the person who has everything? Well, if that person lives in New York City, he or she might still be missing one item: a car. I’m not suggesting you buy someone a car. Even if the thought crossed your mind (Hey, big spender!), you’d also be giving the not so welcome gift of parking predicaments, skyrocketing gas prices, and insurance costs. As any New Yorker knows, owning a car in the city can be as much — or more — of a curse than a convenience.

The perfect gift for a New Yorker is a membership to Zipcar. Founded in 2000, Zipcar offers the ideal arrangement for a citydweller who has the occasional need for a vehicle more user-friendly than a cab but less permanent than a private car.

In September, I borrowed a Zipcar with three friends to attend a wedding in the outskirts of Connecticut. We selected a four-door sedan online three days before we needed to leave, and picked up the car the morning of the event. It was spotless, stocked with a gas card, and resulted in a six-hour total, round-trip to Connecticut that cost each of us $40.

Using the service is simple. Members go online to zipcar.com and select a car located within blocks of their apartment. The types of cars include Mini Coopers, BMWs, Volkswagon Jettas, and Ford Escape Hybrids. The company houses its cars in hundreds of spots around the city. Once the member picks the car, he waves his Zipcard over the vehicle’s windshield to unlock it, and takes off. That’s it.

Payment can be arranged by the hour (from $10, depending on the car) or by the day (from $69). Either way, fees include insurance (with a $500 deductible), gas (the company provides a preloaded gas card in every car), XM satellite radio, and 125 free miles. There’s no dealing with car rental agents, no waiting on lines, no hidden costs.

Recent college graduates can benefit from the company’s minimum age for rental: 21, as opposed to the standard rental minimum age of 25. And there are no extra fees or restrictions for younger drivers. And as the frugal first-time apartment furnisher is outfitting a new pad, borrowing a Zipcar for a few hours eases the task considerably. Bring a Prius to Ikea and you’ll avoid both the $100 delivery fee and the need to wait for the delivery itself.

So how much will a membership set you back? Zipcar gift certificates are available in any denomination, but plans range in price. The best option for infrequent drivers is the Occasional Driving Plan: A yearly membership with no minimum driving commitment costs $50 for the annual fee, plus a $100 refundable deposit and $25 application fee. A $300 gift certificate would cover the base fees, as well as roughly two days of rental costs. Returning the car late results in a $50 per hour charge.

If you’re looking to splurge, though, the company’s Extra Value Plans offer 10% or 15% discounts on driving rates in exchange for monthly commitments of between $50 and $250 (plus the application fee and deposit listed above). A $725 gift certificate would cover a year of the minimum Extra Value Plan, while $3,125 would buy your favorite driver the max.

Just to be on the safe side, as a giver of a Zipcar membership, you need to know a few things about the recipient. Applicants to the Zipcar program need a valid driver’s license and must have no alcohol or major traffic violations in the past three years. They must also have had no more than two moving violations or accidents in the past three years.

Sure, you or your gift recipient may not need a car more than a handful of times a year — especially when driving means slogging through slush. But when you do happen to need a vehicle, it’s a supreme convenience to have one at your disposal. So for a few hundred dollars, give the gift of a car without imposing the burden of owning one.