"Voice of C. Montgomery Burns" (voiceofcmb)
07/14/2014 at 10:36 • Filed to: None
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"Voice of C. Montgomery Burns" (voiceofcmb)
07/14/2014 at 10:36 • Filed to: None | 0
| 6 |
I'm going to be going away to Seattle for a wedding in a couple weekends. Flight booked and I'm staying with family but I will be needing a rental car for the weekend (Friday night till Monday morning, if it matters).
Now, I know the good ones are Hertz and Enterprise and maybe some others and you pay for their good names. I'd rather not spend almost $300-400 for a compact car for 2.5 days that I probably won't be using too much anyways.
I've never had a bad experience with a rental car company but I've never rented a car that wasn't paid for by work, so I'm looking at these cheap rental car companies like Thrifty, FOX Rentals, etc and I'm getting nervous by some of these complaints on consumer watchdog sites (BBB, etc.), especially regarding Thrifty.
So I guess I could use some advice, any respectable and cheap rental car companies out there?
yamahog
> Voice of C. Montgomery Burns
07/14/2014 at 10:52 |
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When I was in Seattle a year ago (age 22), I got a rental for under $90/day with no hassle but I cannot for the life of me remember which company I used :/ try shopping around Hotwire or similar and check if you have any discounts through work, alumni associations, etc.
N51fanatic
> Voice of C. Montgomery Burns
07/14/2014 at 10:59 |
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a few years ago, me and wife did the PCH from San Fran to Orange County. She had to have a covertible. This was RIDICULOUSLY expensive with the brand name guys. I searched the budget guys and went with FOX. They were definitely cheaper, had a lower drop off fee, and honestly would recommend them. The only downside was the HARD SELL for insurance when we picked the car up. Literally it took 10 minutes to tell the guy we did not want it. And the dropoff was offsite at John Wayne. For the savings, i was ok with that compromise.
SkaterDad
> Voice of C. Montgomery Burns
07/14/2014 at 11:01 |
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I would recommend going on Priceline and doing the Name Your Price thing. I've done that twice now, and ended up with rental cars for under $25/day (before the BS taxes which vary by state). Once it gave me Enterprise, and once Hertz.
Basically those companies are auctioning off their unallocated vehicles, so it's better for them to accept your lowball than to let them sit on the lot.
If you would rather rent directly, make sure you check Yelp reviews. Those cheaper companies usually have horrible reviews on there, but it could be better/worse where you're going.
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Voice of C. Montgomery Burns
> SkaterDad
07/14/2014 at 11:08 |
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Just checked it out, looks cool. Any idea on how far out is the best time to "name your price"? My flight out is the 25th.
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SkaterDad
> Voice of C. Montgomery Burns
07/14/2014 at 11:16 |
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I've always done in a couple weeks out. From what I read, bidding too early won't give you the best deals since the companies are desperate yet.
My recent experience was bidding last Wednesday (July 9) for a rental starting on July 14. I tried $25/day for a "Full Size" car and it was accepted. Probably could have gone lower. This was for San Diego, CA.
The only bad part is you can't cancel the reservation after its accepted, unless your flight gets changed/cancelled out of your control.
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Voice of C. Montgomery Burns
> SkaterDad
07/14/2014 at 11:20 |
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Awesome, this sounds like my best option. Thanks!