Relayrides. Anyone use it?

"Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)" (rduncan5678)
07/28/2015 at 11:31 • Filed to: None

I probably saw this in an Oppo comment somewhere, but I have been fascinated by relayrides.com. They are a rental car service that functions sort of like airbnb but for cars. So basically people list their own personal cars for rent and then you find them on the website and pay them directly to rent it. I assume the company makes money in the same way airbnb does with house/apartment rentals (renter and landlord fees; sort of like a middleman). Anyways, I am really curious if anyone has tried this and how it worked out. There are some manual cars on there so this is definitely what I want to do the next time I rent a car. There were even NA Miatas on there (not many but a few)!

DISCUSSION (30)

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
07/28/2015 at 11:33

Unfortunately you can't sort by transmission choice, so you have to wade through crap to find something with a manual. By searching Miatas in LA, you will definitely turn up a few manual NC cars though so its definitely possible to find them.

JGrabowMSt > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
07/28/2015 at 11:35

Dear lord the insurance I would require of someone else wanting to drive my cars....I should open up a direct hotline to the Lords of London.

Justin Hughes > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
07/28/2015 at 11:37

A guy in my local FR-S/BRZ group rented out his car through Relayrides. It got crashed and totaled. Relayrides compensated the owner for his loss, but it turns out the renter’s regular car insurance doesn’t cover this type of rental, despite it covering “normal” rentals. Somehow it falls into a similar category as Uber/Lyft cars being classified as livery vehicles, not regular passenger cars. I don’t quite understand how that applies here, but in any case Relayrides is going after the guy who crashed the car for reimbursement.

This isn’t a reason not to use the service. Just make absolutely sure that either your own insurance really covers it, or buy theirs.

Sn210 > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
07/28/2015 at 11:39

I almost used this for a trip last year, but then I didn’t.

I’m sure this comment doesn’t help you at all.

XJDano > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
07/28/2015 at 11:53

I wonder if I could rent my metro. I don't use it when I'm out of town. Park at airport. But I wouldn't be able meet and hand over the keys.

Tohru > JGrabowMSt
07/28/2015 at 11:53

From their website:

“We keep your car safe. All drivers are prescreened, and we provide $1 million insurance on every rental.”

Your boy, BJR > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
07/28/2015 at 12:01

My local relay rides has a G8, M4, couple of Challengers, GTR, X5M, S2000, GT500, ELR, and a DTS on Vouges.

Tohru > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
07/28/2015 at 12:02

I checked the selection at the nearest airport (MSN - Dane County Regional):

2003 Xterra - $26/day - 19 trips

2008 Prius - $27/day - 4 trips

2009 Accent - $28/day - 0 trips

2004 Explorer - $31/day - 5 trips

2010 Fusion - $32/day - 0 trips

2012 Jetta - $34/day - 0 trips

2011 Corolla - $35/day - 0 trips

2010 xD - $35/day - 6 trips

2015 Accord - $56/day - 0 trips

2014 Cooper Roadster - $61/day - 0 trips

2008 Escalade ESV - $85/day - 3 trips

2014 Cadenza - $96/day - 0 trips (Ed. note- $96 a day for a f*$%ing Kia?!)

2015 A4 - $97/day - 0 trips

2001 Boxster - $109/day - 7 trips

2011 Z4 - $195/day - 0 trips

Sam > Tohru
07/28/2015 at 12:10

The Cadenza is nicer than an A4, though. You should know better than to judge it based on being a Kia.

Tohru > Sam
07/28/2015 at 12:14

I know, I know. Modern Kias are actually pretty nice. I just can’t fathom paying $96/day to rent one.

CompactLuxuryFan > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
07/28/2015 at 12:19

I’ve rented a ton of cars through them, including long term (2+ months). Had a manual E39 528i (incredibly well-maintained, like 237K on the clock!) for a week when my 3 series got totaled. Also had a manual, practically brand new Sonic turbo when I was in NYC in March. It’s been great every time! Definitely makes sense if you stick to the listings that are cheap enough to beat out any rental agency.

Plan on using it again in December to road trip from Austin to New Orleans with my family.

Shouldn’t be any surprises as long as you read the reviews. My only gripe is some owners don’t respond.

CompactLuxuryFan > CompactLuxuryFan
07/28/2015 at 12:22

As for renting my own car on there, I wouldn't do it unless I drove something extremely reliable and already beat up, like a 90s Camry or something. The extra abuse and mileage on some of the cars on there probably cancels out any profit.

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > XJDano
07/28/2015 at 13:36

Attach a lock box with the key in it. One of those with the number buttons that people use instead of leaving a key under the mat at their house. I imagine that would work the same for a car. Better question would be if someone wants to rent a Metro lol. Also not sure how popular the service is.

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > Your boy, BJR
07/28/2015 at 13:37

that seems like it would be fun to rent a few of those just for kicks.

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > Justin Hughes
07/28/2015 at 13:38

that is a good point to consider. one of those times where buying additional insurance would be good then. Duly noted!

XJDano > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
07/28/2015 at 13:40

True, similar to what realtors use. I would pay $20 to rent a car for a day, as long as it doesn't break down. I saw a couple beater S-10 trucks so I guess any things possible.

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > Tohru
07/28/2015 at 13:40

Pretty sure no amount of money could replace a car for some people. I could never imagine willingly renting out my car to someone random. I would certainly treat one of these rentals way way better than a regular rental though.

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > Tohru
07/28/2015 at 13:41

Are any of them manual? I couldn’t find any manuals in my local area

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > XJDano
07/28/2015 at 13:47

what is nice is that most of the time on there, older cars tend to be cheaper. The age of a car has no bearings on anything if its a rental for a few days anyways. I would have to think these people maintain their cars but yeah having the rental break down would be pretty horrible.

Tohru > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
07/28/2015 at 14:09

I didn’t check the transmissions.

Your boy, BJR > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
07/28/2015 at 14:14

Aren’t you in Lakewood-ish? This is in Shrewsbury, which isn't super far:

https://relayrides.com/car-rental/shr…

Tapas > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
07/28/2015 at 14:21

I’m thinking of using RelayRides, but I’m hesitant.

1. I want to rent the new Corvette or something similar. But a lot of exotics are available only to 30+ y/os. This is the biggest deal breaker for me, because I’m under 30.

2. Mileage limitations. Yes, a lot of renters have decided the number of miles you can drive per day. These people are usually the ones that rent out exotics. Also a possible deal breaker.

3. Insurance options are weird and expensive. Basic insurance is 15% of daily rental every day. Premium insurance is 40% of the daily rental free every day. You’ll need this, because RelayRides is not a rental car agency, in the eyes of any insurance company. So if something happens, you will be on the hook for the damage.

4. You need a friend/uber to drop you off and pick you up from the renter’s location. Or you pay a fee that the renter decides to drop the car off.

Tapas > Justin Hughes
07/28/2015 at 14:25

Exactly this. Also, their insurance is expensive.

Basic insurance costs 15% of the daily rental fee of the car. Your exposure is limited to $3k of damage, they cover everything above that.

Premium insurance is 40% of the daily rental fee and your exposure is limited to $500.

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > Your boy, BJR
07/28/2015 at 16:37

Yup that is pretty close, nice find. I had not looked too hard lol. I have always wanted to see what driving an s2000 is like. Not really sure how 100 miles would be of any use though. I could easily burn through that in like 2 hours let alone a full day.

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > Tapas
07/28/2015 at 16:41

Well that could get rather pricey.

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > Tapas
07/28/2015 at 16:45

Ahh this is good information that I was looking for! Sounds like there are quite a few catches so I wouldn’t want to use it unless I can get unlimited miles, insurance is not ridiculous, and have an easy way to get to the location. The main place I had looked was LAX since that is where I have rented cars most frequently from. Relayrides had quite a few with free pickup from LAX. I will definitely have to weigh in the cost of insurance though since I had not thought of that.

Your boy, BJR > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
07/28/2015 at 16:54

There’s also a manual 350z roadster in Lakewood.

Tapas > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
07/28/2015 at 16:56

Yes. That and people under 30 can’t rent a lot of the exotics.

So I thought I’d settle for a 2013 Mustang 5.0. for $75 a day.

To get the premium coverage, thats $30 a day. And even that insurance covers everything after the first $500. Other rental car places let you go scot free if you pay $15/day.

But if you’re over 30 and get a 2013 911 for $400/day, you’d be paying $160/day for insurance. And you’d want to get insurance too, cos you don’t want to be on the hook for $100k if something happens...

Tapas > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
07/28/2015 at 16:58

That’s cool.

When you look at the quoted prices, mentally add 40% more to that number.

You want to get their best insurance. Because even with that, you have a $500 deductible if something happens. The cheaper 15% insurance covers everything after a $3000 deductible.

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > Your boy, BJR
07/28/2015 at 20:35

It’s an entertaining game playing how many manual cars can I find lol