Rentin’ Cars Superthread

[RootSkier]

I rented a mid-size to drive 130 miles to buy a new minivan today and they gave a brand new Tacoma. Fuckin' 15mpg. I should've gone back but it was at the airport and a bunch of people were in line.

[XXX-er]

A few years ago touring northern portugal the rental agency talked me into upgrading form a Fiat to a BMW, i never regretted spending the extra $

[old goat]

Rental cars scarce and expensive.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/trave...erprise-hertz/
Apparently the companies sold a lot of their cars at the beginning of the pandemic and now can't replace them because of the semiconductor shortage.

[Flyoverland Captive]

I just rented a car for 24 hours at the end of April; $130-ish was the cheapest thing I could find, except for commercial cargo vans, which were oddly half the price. My wife nixed the obvious play.

[Peruvian]

I'm trying to rent a car from Budget RAC via their app and get all the way to the end and get an error that the 'country code' is required. I go back through and there is no such field. I then check the website and the price was 15% higher, so I use the chat. The chat drops mid conversation the first time and then the bot tells me it can't help and to call the 1-800 number. So I call and a guy with the same name as the bot answers. He tells me there is no way to override the system to get the price on the appl and that the app must be going through an 'update'.

Seriously, if you are going to have multiple platforms, make sure they work and have the same fucking price.

I think I'll book through Avis.

[Obstruction]

Oddball auto rental situation offered for your advice or entertainment.

So I’m looking to do a 3 month auto rental on Oahu starting in Aug. 1. Regular search (Expedia etc.) turns up about a $5500 price tag for a basic shit box. The thought of this makes me want to puke.

Starting the rental after Labor Day drops the price from $50 ish per day to $35 so I could do two rentals and cut the price for the second two months and save a little. Although that price is Through Sixt and I seen a lot of hate for them (never used them myself).

Another thought is to buy a beater for a couple of grand or less and sell/donate it when I’m done with it. I mean how many miles do I need out of it anyway. 2000 maybe 2500? (Daughter lives there so registration and ins can go through her.)

Option 3 is an on island rent a wreck for about 450 per month for an 07 Cavalier or Dodge Neon. Same theory on not driving much.

Thoughts?

[m2711c]

How much “not much driving” are you actually gonna do? Why not just Uber?

[Obstruction]

Fair question. Wife and I are going to be up on the North Shore so getting anywhere without wheels will be a little tough and I like to be able to go when it suits me. If I was In Honolulu though Uber would be the sensible thing to do.

[westoxified]

wife and i are headed to the northeast for a month and driving a minivan with dogs and bikes. surprisingly, super cheap pricing with unlimited miles through enterprise. like $1300. seems too good to be true. fine print reveals nothing alarming.

haven't scanned the full thread but anyone slap a hitch mount on a rental with any luck? already have a quiver of roof racks so a roofbox should be easy (dodge caravan clips at the ready) but hate the idea of shipping bikes almost as much as bikes on the roof.

[BmillsSkier]

I find myself needing to rent a car from DEN for a week through New Years all of a sudden and am less than enthused.

Haven't done Turo yet, worth it or too much pain in the ass/risk in the environment?

[Name Redacted]

I find myself needing to rent a car from DEN for a week through New Years all of a sudden and am less than enthused.

Haven't done Turo yet, worth it or too much pain in the ass/risk in the environment?

I have a friend who's getting into Turo in Breck. I hadn't really thought about it, but seems viable to get a shuttle to the mountains then just rent while here and avoiding I70 from Denver.

If you come up to the mountains, please just do everyone a favor and get one with awd and good snow tires. Not being a dick at all, and will happily meet and buy you a beer if you come up, but there's a lot of banana peels round these parts right now.

[BmillsSkier]

I have a friend who's getting into Turo in Breck. I hadn't really thought about it, but seems viable to get a shuttle to the mountains then just rent while here and avoiding I70 from Denver.

If you come up to the mountains, please just do everyone a favor and get one with awd and good snow tires. Not being a dick at all, and will happily meet and buy you a beer if you come up, but there's a lot of banana peels round these parts right now.

Word I appreciate that. Absolutely would not consider not getting something proper and not one of the X5s or sedans I’m seeing on there that clearly have summer tires on. Last thing I’d want is to end up on I70things. I make fun of those people.

Shuttle and Turo in town may be a viable option, thanks for the suggestion.

[Meadow Skipper]

I find myself needing to rent a car from DEN for a week through New Years all of a sudden and am less than enthused.

Haven't done Turo yet, worth it or too much pain in the ass/risk in the environment?

Why are you less than enthused - cost, selection of vehicles, availability?

I was gonna suggest Audi On Demand. I’ve used them, not the cheapest or most convenient, but the cars are more fun than some Kia.

[Cruiser]

My buddy had used turo twice here in Denver and had good experiences both times. He needed 4wd to get to a couple trailheads in pursuit of some 14ers but the traditional rental car agencies won't allow their cars to be used "off road" so it ended up being a better fit for him anyway in addition to being cheaper.

[GeoMatt]

I rent vehicles for work and travel on average 180-220 days a year, and I'm not easy on them. At first I was skeptical of the program, but I've now used Turo in Denver, as well as other cities in the US. I like being able to pick out the exact car I want, but you do have to be pretty vigilant when going through the descriptions and photos. I've rented alot of different rides - Camaro SS 1LE, Porsche 911 GTS, Jeep Gladiator, etc. I've only had one bad experience. Based on what I have seen, and where I see risk with it, here are my perhaps obvious recommendations:

For 4wds, stay away from anything with an after-market lift. The maintenance on those is usually less than ideal, as anyone who truly appreciates their off-road vehicle is not renting it out through Turo. Look for relatively stock vehicles, with upgraded tires. Stay away from anything that has odd visual/functional modifications, as those usually indicate other issues of a more mechanical nature.

Read all of the reviews. It's the only way you can verify anything in the listing prior to seeing it in person.

The renters who have multiple vehicles on the app are generally much more professional in service than the single vehicle renters.

Make sure you know what mileage is included, and what the fee is per mile for going over that. It is highly variable.

Avoid anyone who is putting cameras in their car.

Photograph everything. It's your protection from an owner making a fraudulent claim on you.

If the renter can't communicate well through the app, then avoid them. Cancel the trip.

I'd stay away from anything more than 2 to 3 years old. Alot of people just don't take good care of their vehicles.

When possible, go to where the car is as opposed to having it delivered. Much easier to control your schedule, then to depend on someone else to meet their time commitments.

If you plan on being semi-stupid with it (it's a rental, right?), just pony up for the full coverage through the app. Pricey, but much easier should something arise than dealing with private party claims.

I'm sure there are more than couple be added to the list, but those are the ones that I think about when going through what is available on Turo.

[BmillsSkier]

Why are you less than enthused - cost, selection of vehicles, availability?

I was gonna suggest Audi On Demand. I’ve used them, not the cheapest or most convenient, but the cars are more fun than some Kia.

Less than enthused because I had a ride already with a family member and now I don’t and am stuck trying to rent something that isn’t crapstastic a week before Christmas in ski country.

Anyone know if a 190+ cm ski bag fits in the bed of a Tacoma quad cab?

[neufox47]

^^ diagonal it should. My 202cm 138s have fit in small pickups.


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[Name Redacted]

Less than enthused because I had a ride already with a family member and now I don’t and am stuck trying to rent something that isn’t crapstastic a week before Christmas in ski country.

Anyone know if a 190+ cm ski bag fits in the bed of a Tacoma quad cab?

My 188cm skis fit diagonally in my short bed Tacoma. You can put the tips up on the wheel wells and the 190s should fit, just maybe not lay flat.