Rental Car Companies?

[Sam Barricklow]

Which are the best and which are the worst rental car companies, and why?

Rates?
Service?
Insurance?

 

[Tim Vasquez]

Well... in my experience they're pretty much all the same as far as level of service. I tend to use Alamo as I've heard the least number of horror stories about them. Never had any trouble with them yet.

I will say that earlier this month I used Enterprise at Atlanta Hartsfield and it appeared the whole lot was fixated on getting customers in their cars quickly and with unusually courteous service. I don't know if this is something new or if it's just something they do at that particular airport, but it made an impression.

This might be a good topic to go to Consumer Reports for. I don't trust JD Powers or any of those other metrics.

Tim

 

[Steve Miller]

Sam, I'm starting to think it changes monthly.
I used to travel a lot on business and primarily used Dollar/Thrifty. They always had the best service and when it came to me showing up and actually getting in the vehicle I had reserved, they were 100%. For vacation I generally use Hertz because they have "exotic" cars and when I vacation, I really like to vacation. No Lambo's or anything like that but a nice Infiniti or Land Rover is always a fun departure from my daily driver. Hertz generally has good rates although their reps are not all that nice when ordering or picking up - Dollar generally has similar rates with less hassle.
Today while I was planning a long weekend getaway next month in Colo, I checked with several rental companies, the ones mentioned above included.
I was floored to find a Thurs evening til Monday afternoon rental for a standard SUV was over $800 with everyone but Alamo who was only $248. I know they price based on availability but getting an SUV in Colo has never been a problem at DEN.
By the way, the exotic line with Hertz was nearly $1500 for an Infiniti M45.
I've rented from Alamo before with little problem so this is the route I'll take.
The only problems I have experienced have been with Enterprise. They are probably the least prepared to handle a shuttle bus full of anxious travelers and you are least likely to drive off the lot in what you reserved. They are probably the most likely to give you an upgrade for free though since they never seem to have a good mix in their selection. Don't plan on it being clean though.
The rental companies are experiencing quite a low period when it comes to public backing through investments. I believe this must be the reason for the higher prices.
I have rented vehicles for a whole week (7 full days) for $230 in the past and hope to again some day.

All of this said, I guess I should have asked if the rental was for chasing purposes. You would have gotten a helluva different response from me if it were since I'm a staunch opponent to using these for chasing.

Hope the info above helps a little.

 

[Dennis Sherrod]

Sam,
One thing I have found consistently at most any airport is that the prices are usually considerably lower at off airport sites for rental rates of a week or more in duration. This is especially true overseas. I have found prices as much as $175.00 less per week on certain models when picked up at off airport sites in the states. This turns into a pretty good deal if you look around some. A cab ride may only be $10-15 dollars each way and the savings are up to 175 per week. Not a bad savings for an extra hour's worth of time each way.
If you have several people or a lot of luggage it may not be worthwhile.

Insurance - This depends on your own personal vehicle insurance you have. Or at least as far as mine it does. I have a policy that covers any rental vehicle as if it is my own and all I am responsible for is my normal deductible if there is any damage. Some rental companies will try to tell you otherwise, but it is clearly stated on my policy. Check your policy and see before paying any extra for coverage from the rental company.

 

[Steve Miller]

Yeah, Dennis is correct on the insurance thing. I forgot to touch on that.
A lot of the major credit card companies insure you for catastrophic incidents if you pay for the rental using their card. Might check into that too.

 

[Tim Vasquez]

A lot of the major credit card companies insure you for catastrophic incidents if you pay for the rental using their card. Might check into that too.

I actually checked on that, and the fine print says you have to exhaust all of your available insurance, which would be your car insurance, before their benefits kick in.

I always suck it up and get the LDW, as when I turn in the rental car I want everything to be a done deal, right then and there.... no bogus damage and being "discovered" weeks later, no massive charges against my credit card, no claims on my clean insurance record. To me it's an acceptable convenience fee for not having to deal with that BS and having to go over a car with a fine toothed comb when I pick it up. I know people who decline the LDW and have no problems, and I've known a handful of others who decline the LDW and gotten hit up for false damage, so I guess it's just a matter of how we all want to play the odds.

Tim

 

[cedwards]

Be careful with the LDW. It does NOT cover everything. One place I rented from had LDW and accident insurance. I guess the LDW was for everything outside of an accident. I didn't know about it until it was time to sign for everything and they had me check to decline accident coverage.

 

[Bill Hark]

I also recommend sticking with a larger rental car company with multiple locations. While chasing, it is possible to find oneself in a different location at the end of the chase period but not have nearby location to return a car. Last year, I knew a chaser that came close to his home while chasing but there was no branch location to drop off the car. He had rented from a local place in Denver. He had to drive all the way back to Denver to return the car and catch a plane. If he had rented from a large chain, he could have dropped the car off near his house.

Bill Hark

 

[David Wolfson]

I've had only good experiences with the Hertz - AAA - AMEX premium rental car protection combination. As Dennis said, off-airport locations are often cheaper and more convenient, and Hertz has a lot of them. The AAA special rates and benefits are handy, too, such as not charging for additional drivers if they're AAA members.

Had the car broken into this spring in Amarillo. They broke a rear-door window and took what they could drag out without setting off the alarm: cell amplifier, tripod, a porta-power battery pack, and a dual-band radio. Anyway, got a police report and drove over to Hertz at the AMA airport, where they exchanged the car. With the AMEX premium LDW @$25 per rental and receipts I saved for most of the stuff, the insurance took care of Hertz' damage hassle-free and sent me a check of over $800 for the stolen contents. My own insurance was not contacted or involved in any way.

 

[Jason Caster]

I may be risking a berating from Steve but I'll share my experience anyway. Being from Oregon I had to fly into Tornado Alley for my chasecation. Since driving my own vehicle from so far away would have taken a total of 4 days off my vacation (2 days in, 2 days out), I decided to rent a vehicle after my flight in.

I did a lot of research with different companies for a good mid-range SUV, with insurance covering any non-accident damage (i.e. hail), and specifically focused on good price.

Alamo was the winner by far. I found some good e-coupons that allowed for an additional driver at no cost, plus a very nice discount. We ended up with a Toyota Highlander that worked great. It was nice and roomy and did well on those soggy mud roads that I soon found Kansas and Oklahoma to be full of.

We ended up getting some small hail damage (dents on the body, very small crack on the windshield) and the insurance worked great! No complaints at all from Alamo.

I was very satisfied with the car. We had it for a week and no problems other than a fuse blowing when we tried to use an adapter for my laptop. We replaced it and got a new adapter (the other was old) and it worked just fine.

For non-related chasing, I've used Alamo at Vegas, and highly recommend it. Many times I've rented the cheapest grade and have been upgraded to a much better car or SUV.

I haven't been very happy with enterprise, but have only rented with them here locally in Southern Oregon. Their cars smelled pretty badly, and many models don't have cruise control! CC is a must for me otherwise I am almost guaranteed a speeding ticket. So that is a big determining factor for me.

Hope that helps a bit.

 

[James Langford]

I have often price matched using Enterprise when I travel. They have matched competitors prices 100% of the time if you ask them about it. I suspect the other agencies will do the same, at least if they have availability during your travels.

James

 

[Jason Foster]

AMEX

I actually checked on that, and the fine print says you have to exhaust all of your available insurance, which would be your car insurance, before their benefits kick in.

I always suck it up and get the LDW, as when I turn in the rental car I want everything to be a done deal, right then and there.... no bogus damage and being "discovered" weeks later, no massive charges against my credit card, no claims on my clean insurance record. To me it's an acceptable convenience fee for not having to deal with that BS and having to go over a car with a fine toothed comb when I pick it up. I know people who decline the LDW and have no problems, and I've known a handful of others who decline the LDW and gotten hit up for false damage, so I guess it's just a matter of how we all want to play the odds.

Tim

Two words.......American Express.

If you have one, call them about the rental insurance plan. It's around $25 per rental (not per day as the rental companies offer). I've used it twice, once from chasing, and once from a local rental. The chasing was was obvious, and I knew there would be a claim. But in both cases, I just received a call a few weeks later from AMEX and they said they were just advising there was a claim, it has been closed, and I should have no further problems or concern, and that if I did, just to contact them (AMEX) right away.

American Express is clearly superior regarding damage claims....you can ask Tony L. about the coverage he got during our snowmobile adventure during the Nat'l Storm Chaser Conference.

Otherwise, to answer the original question....I preferred Dollar-Rental, although I tended to get lower rates away from the airport, as long as they were not in an urban area, on local rentals. If your thinking about chasing rentals. I've always flown in and out of DFW because they have the lowest rates in the great plains near an airport. Sometime OKC is cheaper, but only a few times per year....and they typically don't keep the larger vans and suv's on hand that I (or my group) tended to rent for chasing.

 

[Tony Laubach]

I have done well with Enterprise and Dollar rent-a-car over the passed and rent from both fairly often. Dollar has a lock-n-go rate that guarantees an intermediate car or higher when you check in for a cheaper than intermediate rate. That's a cool gig if you're looking for something a bit higher-end. Enterprise's 50% off weekend at off-airport is also a good deal!

Remember to collect points if you have hotel rewards and/or frequent flier miles.

 

[Dennis Sherrod]

You get one good deal here! All sorts of accommodations offered in just one stop.

 

[Stephen Levine]

Thank you, Dennis for the laughs! It made my morning!