Rental Car Experiences?

kyfdx

Emerald Aisle at JAX, yesterday.

Picked a Santa Fe Sport. Four adults with luggage. It’s pretty roomy. Then, 1.5 hours in a monsoon to drive 55 miles.

Could have had a Charger or Escape, or an F-150 SuperCrew.

fintail

Spotted an S90 rental today, or at least I assume it was, with basic looking wheels and multiple visible barcodes.

Michaell

I'm going to LA for Memorial Day weekend (mom turns 80!)

I'll be in town about 48 hours - Saturday Morning to Monday afternoon. Silvercar isn't running any specials, so $79/day isn't going to work. Thought on where I can best score a decent rental deal from a major company?

I think Enterprise is still running their weekend specials on their budget cars. Friday to Monday, anywhere from $12.95 to $19.95 a day, 300 mile limit.

fintail

Maybe see if Autoslash has anything?

Holiday weekend in a popular location won't be pretty in terms of price.

Michaell

fintail said:

Maybe see if Autoslash has anything?

Holiday weekend in a popular location won't be pretty in terms of price.

Yeah, I was afraid of that.

But, thanks for the suggestion.

berri

Can you use your corporate rate? Might be your best shot over heavily traveled holiday.

suydam

Go through Costco Travel if you’re a member. Definitely the best rates.

berri

Costco is a good alternative, but I think their rate can fluctuate with demand whereas Corporate rates are usually fixed. Good idea to check both.

tifighter

Rental car over the weekend-

The turbo 3cyl 6sp manual. It is geared TALL...

tjc78

Took a manager’s special from Hertz in a few weeks at Salt Lake City airport.  Who the heck knows what I’ll end up with. 

Michaell

berri said:

Can you use your corporate rate? Might be your best shot over heavily traveled holiday.

I can look into that, as well.

texases

We'll be renting a small (VW Up class) car in Ireland in a few months. Any hints/ideas/recommendations for the rental? We'll be driving all over the country.

berri

You'll probably get a stick even if you asked for an automatic. You'll complain and they will respond that it will be a long time to wait for one. You hold your ground and an automatic shows up in less than an hour. Somehow though, I'm thinking you'll want a stick shift for your journey.

andres3

Golf R maybe?

suydam

Smallest car you all can fit in. Those roads are narrow!

texases

suydam said:

Smallest car you all can fit in. Those roads are narrow!

That's why we're going for the Up. And I started thinking about a manual, like I did in Italy (Naples, etc). But driving (and shifting) on the left, combined with narrow roads and likely rain, has me thinking auto.

suydam

We are going to Dublin for a few days. But public transport only. Sounds like a wonderful trip! Sometimes it’s hard to find AT in Europe. We drove stick shifts all over Mallorca and Northern Spain, in southern France too. At least we were fortunate to drive on the right!

Michaell

Scored a $33/day deal from national for emerald aisle

fintail

Not bad, so maybe $75 after taxes and fees?

I predict a Sonata or Fusion.

suydam

Aren’t the totals supposed to be listed up front?

Michaell

fintail said:

Not bad, so maybe $75 after taxes and fees?

I predict a Sonata or Fusion.

suydam said:

Aren’t the totals supposed to be listed up front?

It's a 3 day rental, so about $150 after taxes and fees.

Given the price of gas in LA, I'll likely pick up a sedan; maybe a smallish SUV

texases

Aw, @Michaell - when you said 'emerald aisle' I thought you had found a cheap rental for my Ireland trip!

Michaell

texases said:

Aw, @Michaell - when you said 'emerald aisle' I thought you had found a cheap rental for my Ireland trip!

Sadly, no.

Though I did have a con call with a lovely co-worker in Dublin, this morning.

I'd love to visit one day, since my ancestors are from there (dad's side)

fintail

My sister went to Ireland on her honeymoon last year - loved it.

Rental was a Focus.

andres3

suydam said:

Aren’t the totals supposed to be listed up front?

Can you get the cable companies to comply with that? I have to remind myself that Cox isn't following the Direct TV model yet of including all fees and taxes in their bottom line advertisement price (or maybe that's just for Costco/Direct TV customers).

suydam

Umm, we are talking rental cars here.

andres3

suydam said:

Umm, we are talking rental cars here.

Ok then, I don't think I know of a company that advertises the "all-in" out the door price.

berri

Hertz always provides an estimate that is darn close to what it costs in total. Same for most hotel chains I use. It comes up in these cases before you execute the actual purchase online.

suydam

Most of the compare sites do, like Expedia and Kayak. So does Costco.

kyfdx

National always gives you the full total price. It's usually within pennies of actual.
Just rented out of JAX for a full week for $209, including all taxes and fees.

Michaell

My ride this weekend:

berri

I've gotten several of those as rentals. Not bad. I think the previous model had a bit more cargo space and a slightly more comfortable seat though.

kyfdx

I passed up an Equinox for a Santa Fe Sport, last weekend. Had four adults and luggage, and needed the space. Otherwise, would have chosen the Equinox.

Michaell

I had a SFS in the Bay Area last year when there were 4 of us. Plenty of space for all of us.

I filled the Equinox with groceries today. Barely got them all to fit, with three of us in the car.

fintail

It's a car. I assume a 4 cyl.

berri

If you want a smaller 4 cyl crossover that has decent cargo capability as well as 4 passengers, probably want to look at a CRV. But I don't think they rent those out.

suydam

The last two people I know who looked at CUVs did not care for the CRV. They liked the Equinox, and ultimately decided to get an Outback.

berri

It is individual, but I was talking about cargo and 4 people room as a priority, which is what the posts were talking about. I've driven both and while the Equinox is nice riding, it lacks space in the cargo area compared to a lot of its competition.. Different buyers have different priorities. The Outback is a nice car, but really a tall wagon with a great 4wd system. They sell lots of them.

fintail

Looking down on the street across from my window, I see a Kia Cadenza, no plate frames, carelessly parked in front of a construction zone. I suspect it is a rental.

Also saw a basic CT6 on the road this morning, I suspect a rental. And a rented Altima making a dumb illegal U-turn - some kind of hat trick.

Michaell

Daughter was involved in a minor fender bender a couple weeks ago. The at fault insurer is setting her up with a car from Enterprise. Was told it could be a Soul or Impreza type vehicle. 

berri

Make sure she checks it out very carefully so Enterprise can't come back and claim some dent or scratch against here. Sometimes I think these remote locations that service repair shops and the like are worse at that stuff than airport locations.

kyfdx

I'm betting on a 2013 Ford Focus with 35K miles..

Michaell

berri said:

Make sure she checks it out very carefully so Enterprise can't come back and claim some dent or scratch against here. Sometimes I think these remote locations that service repair shops and the like are worse at that stuff than airport locations.

Actually, I'll be dropping off the MINI at the body shop and collecting the rental. But, having been down this road with them before, I know what to look for.

andres3

Michaell said:

berri said:

Make sure she checks it out very carefully so Enterprise can't come back and claim some dent or scratch against here. Sometimes I think these remote locations that service repair shops and the like are worse at that stuff than airport locations.

Actually, I'll be dropping off the MINI at the body shop and collecting the rental. But, having been down this road with them before, I know what to look for.

Smart phones have cameras, great for documenting conditions/flaws//blemishes an Enterprise might try and blame on you.

tjc78

Scored an S90 from Hertz booked under Managers Special.   Only drove it a few miles to the hotel but impressed so far.  4 hours or so if driving in it tomorrow in wide open Utah and Idaho.  

tjc78

This is what driving should be.. wide open roads.  80 MPH limits and a great view.  By the way adaptive cruise is fantastic.

andres3

tjc78 said:

This is what driving should be.. wide open roads.  80 MPH limits and a great view.  By the way adaptive cruise is fantastic.

You better state for the record that your display is in KPH instead of MPH in case the Utah or Idaho Patrol is watching.

tjc78

I think I’m relatively safe at only 9 over and on this site.  It isn’t like I’m throwing it on You tube and driving like a hooligan.  Heck I was passed quite a few times 

fintail

I hope you were passing someone

Michaell

Dropped off the daughter's MINI at the body shop this afternoon.

Enterprise put me into a Nissan Maxima SV. Black on black leather with 17,000 miles. Severe curb rash on both rear wheels. But, drives well for FWD and CVT. 300HP overcomes a lot, in a straight line.