Discussion
Andyboy said:
I'm travelling from Vegas to Yosemite park and then on to San Fran in September this year, my question is do I book online in advanced or wait till I'm there? Whats the most cost effective option? Likewise I don't want to get there and not be able to get a car!
Thanks
It varies. Carhire3000 have always been pretty good for me on price, but while there's a lot of choice in models the cars are all pretty 'meh', personally I like having the choice while I'm there. Hertz are pretty damn good and there's some saucier stuff available (vette's, challengers, camaros etc). If you do leave it until you get there, go to Hertz at the airport and not the hotel ones, they're a hell of a lot cheaper normally. Don't be afraid to try and blag an upgrade while you're there, 20 bucks put under the right nose goes a long way if they're quiet...Thanks
The advice I was given was to go through someone like easycar in the UK, pick the cheapest option along with the "zero risk" cover, etc. When you get there, just politely decline all the upgrades offered and optional cover (tyre/screen insurance, etc). Most rental places have either very few or no economy cars at all so you're very unlikely to end up with something tiny.
Worked out well for us on the couple of times we've needed a car in the US, but it's just been two of us so no probs carrying suitcases, etc. This would be a little dicey if I needed something bigger.
I do the same in the UK - just had a few days in Scotland, booked the lowest Clio or equivalent, was given the keys to a high-spec Golf instead.
Worked out well for us on the couple of times we've needed a car in the US, but it's just been two of us so no probs carrying suitcases, etc. This would be a little dicey if I needed something bigger.
I do the same in the UK - just had a few days in Scotland, booked the lowest Clio or equivalent, was given the keys to a high-spec Golf instead.
If when you get to the garage and are faced with a wall of the best of Korea, explain to someone in the garage that it's your first trip to the States and was looking for something 'American' to drive round in . . .
(worked for me and it wasn't my first time - ended up with some 6 cylinder Dodge slush box)
(worked for me and it wasn't my first time - ended up with some 6 cylinder Dodge slush box)
You can take a look at priceline.com where you can name your price. I've done it a couple of times and got a car cheaper. Go with the larger cars as there didn't appear to be any deals on the cheapest cars.
Also, if you don't want to risk priceline always try the rental company direct as Orbitz don't have access to the local deals. This has saved me a fortune in the past
Also, if you don't want to risk priceline always try the rental company direct as Orbitz don't have access to the local deals. This has saved me a fortune in the past
When we were in Florida in May. At Sandford Airport we had a choice of "anything in that SUV line". There were Hyundai's, Ford Flex's, other Japs/easterns that I can't remember.
My 9yr old chose the Dodge, I guess for the American name, not particularly for the looks.
It was a Dodge Journey - a higher than normal people carrier (7 seats). It was bloody awful and I knew I should have changed it even before leaving the Airport car park.
The brakes squealed and over the next two weeks got progressively worse and developed a wobble (warped disks) and I didn't drive fast - it didn't do fast, the choice was slow and quiet or slow with lots more noise but no acceleration. There were only 3 of us, so heaven knows how awful it could get with 7 passengers.
When I got back home, I looked on the Web and found loads of references to brake problems on Dodge Journeys. Don't make the same mistake.
Regards,
Shentodj
My 9yr old chose the Dodge, I guess for the American name, not particularly for the looks.
It was a Dodge Journey - a higher than normal people carrier (7 seats). It was bloody awful and I knew I should have changed it even before leaving the Airport car park.
The brakes squealed and over the next two weeks got progressively worse and developed a wobble (warped disks) and I didn't drive fast - it didn't do fast, the choice was slow and quiet or slow with lots more noise but no acceleration. There were only 3 of us, so heaven knows how awful it could get with 7 passengers.
When I got back home, I looked on the Web and found loads of references to brake problems on Dodge Journeys. Don't make the same mistake.
Regards,
Shentodj
I always rent with Hertz or Alamo, both at LAX and DFW I have had a huge selection of cars and the majority are American. B/C class tend to have a few Japanese cars like Corollas or Nissans. At Alamo LAX you just go to the car park and choose whatever car you want (according to your booked category) and get in and driveway.
Last week in Dallas I asked for an upgrade and got this :
Last week in Dallas I asked for an upgrade and got this :
As SJG said, book the smallest car through a UK agent. I always do this and have never ended up with a small car. They will try and sell you an upgrade at the desk, just politely decline. I ended up with a Ford Escape in March. You also usually get to avoid any hidden charges by paying upfront.
Andyboy said:
I'm travelling from Vegas to Yosemite park and then on to San Fran in September this year, my question is do I book online in advanced or wait till I'm there?
My sister is just back from doing Phoenix - Vegas - San Fran - Phoenix, waited until she got there to hire and got absolutely shafted at the airport car hire counter, it was the mandatory insurances and taxes that bumped up the cost.I usually use www.usrentacar.co.uk or www.uscarhire.co.uk the insurances are included as a package and you don't need to faff about at the counter deciding whether or not you want or need certain covers on offer.
Most of the time you'll find the cheapest rate through avis or hertz uk sites direct, but I've also used usrentacar.com and holidayautos.co.uk with success. Its a lot cheaper to pre-pay in the UK as that will include all of the required insurances etc which don't come as standard with US rentals (its expected you have separate insurance to cover you).
Some credit cards provide you with this insurance (AMEX commonly do), but you should check - in most cases you can still get the full deal cheaper (believe it or not, UK drivers are considered very low risk to US rental companies).
Important things to check are if you get additional drivers for free (I believe Dollar do this), also join up to their "frequent driver" programmes like Hertz #1 Club or the Avis preferred programme - this can often give you a discount code and often additional drivers free.
Also, look around for discount codes, for example continental airlines has a partner discount which is supposed to be for their Onepass members, but I've never had it checked that I'm a member (even though I am) and I've used the codes often: http://www.continental.com/cms/en-US/marketing/cus...
Alternatively look for partner discount codes from your credit card company (amex do a good one which gets up to 25% off).
Also be careful of one-way fees if you're not returning to the same place.
Finally, be careful of not booking the class of car you need - Las Vegas for example frequently runs out of cars entirely, so you may not be able to upgrade to something bigger, or if you do get what looks like an "upgrade" check the fuel economy - something like the Ford Explorer above will be hideous to drive and expensive to run and commonly this is effectively a downgrade.
The best rental car I've every had in the US was a Pontiac G6 GTP - a delightful 6-pot under the hood which gave plenty of performance, was comfortable and handled like a good european car.....the worst I ever had was the bog-standard mustang V6....what a hideous car that is, sure it has the american charm, but once that wears off in the first 5 minutes you've got a gutless wonder with poor handling, loadspace and economy.....whatever you do, don't be tempted by the convertible option, most of the time you get the Sebring and it has zero luggage space.
Some credit cards provide you with this insurance (AMEX commonly do), but you should check - in most cases you can still get the full deal cheaper (believe it or not, UK drivers are considered very low risk to US rental companies).
Important things to check are if you get additional drivers for free (I believe Dollar do this), also join up to their "frequent driver" programmes like Hertz #1 Club or the Avis preferred programme - this can often give you a discount code and often additional drivers free.
Also, look around for discount codes, for example continental airlines has a partner discount which is supposed to be for their Onepass members, but I've never had it checked that I'm a member (even though I am) and I've used the codes often: http://www.continental.com/cms/en-US/marketing/cus...
Alternatively look for partner discount codes from your credit card company (amex do a good one which gets up to 25% off).
Also be careful of one-way fees if you're not returning to the same place.
Finally, be careful of not booking the class of car you need - Las Vegas for example frequently runs out of cars entirely, so you may not be able to upgrade to something bigger, or if you do get what looks like an "upgrade" check the fuel economy - something like the Ford Explorer above will be hideous to drive and expensive to run and commonly this is effectively a downgrade.
The best rental car I've every had in the US was a Pontiac G6 GTP - a delightful 6-pot under the hood which gave plenty of performance, was comfortable and handled like a good european car.....the worst I ever had was the bog-standard mustang V6....what a hideous car that is, sure it has the american charm, but once that wears off in the first 5 minutes you've got a gutless wonder with poor handling, loadspace and economy.....whatever you do, don't be tempted by the convertible option, most of the time you get the Sebring and it has zero luggage space.
its also worth joining the gold or express club that most renters offer for free , you list your preferences for no add on's so no pressure at the desk , and you nearly always get to jump the sometimes massive lines
works even if you book through an agent
you can get hertz gold #1 club for free with a bit of googling
works even if you book through an agent
you can get hertz gold #1 club for free with a bit of googling
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