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Tips for best car rental choice

I've got a cluster of out of town stuff coming up in July and thought it might make sense to rent a car for a week.  Since going car free 10 years ago I believe I've only had to rent a car twice, so thought I'd see if I could get some tips from folks with more frequent experience.  Would involve travel to southern Wisconsin and over the Missouri border so needs to be unlimited mileage and not limited to local. 

Thanks for any pointers or clarifying questions...

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Permalink Reply by Duppie on April 11, 2012 at 9:41pm
  • Booking ahead saves you money, since this is a supply and demand business
  • Forget about airport pick-up. They have many fees tacked on that you won't see at non-airport locations
  • Check with your credit card. If you have a premium one, it may very well cover CDW.
  • I typically purchase additional liability insurance, to cover 3rd parties that may get hurt in a crash.
  • Since you still have plenty of time, shop around. Prices can vary quite a bit between companies and even between locations of the same company.
  • I have good experiences with Enterprise. I usually pick up right outside the city limits (Skokie) where prices can be significantly lower. You may be able to save as much as $20/day. They have no limitations on states (but they typically do ask where you plan to go). Unlimited miles are included. Additional drivers beyond your spouse/domestic partner will cost you extra.
Permalink Reply by Jared on April 12, 2012 at 12:00am

I always use priceline.  About $200 (insurance was extra) for eight days last time I used it.  Picked it up from a Hertz at a car dealer in Lincolnwood.  Biked to pick it up and drop it off, fit in the back with the wheel off and the seats folded down.

Permalink Reply by Jordan Koss (#440) on April 12, 2012 at 2:22am
You might also try a nearby dealership. Most dealerships will rent out cars and I've heard can be cheaper than rental car companies, although the one time I tried this, the dealership was not cheaper. I'm also not sure how the insurance would work. 
Permalink Reply by in it to win it 8.0 mi on April 12, 2012 at 8:29am

Enterprise.

 

Permalink Reply by Liz on April 12, 2012 at 9:26am

Enterprise has the best weekend rates (often $9.99-19.99/day) and there are a lot of locations throughout the city, rates can really vary from location to location though.

I've used Avis for a lot of one-way rentals since they don't charge fees for one way and they're our preffered rental agency for work, so I'm required to use them for work trips.  I really like the broadway location, the people who work the morning shift downtown are nice, but there's a really mean lady who works the evening shift.  NO ONE likes her.

Some of the companies have a few crappy giant cars in their fleets (crown vics etc) makes sure not to accept one of those as an "upgrade"

As for insurance, many credit card companies cover CDW, but you will need the liability insurance, considering we save ourselves to hassle of paying insurance all the time, I dont mind the little bit for rental. 

Permalink Reply by h' Zerocats on April 12, 2012 at 9:51am

Thanks, folks.

Priceline gives better rates than going directly to the rental sites for some reason.

My past experience has led me to believe that Enterprise is the most straightforward, Budget the most infuriating . . . anyone else have experience with Avis? They're trending rather attractive on price and location.

I'm sure my card offers extra coverage, but have you ever read the fine print? In the end they cover almost nothing.

Permalink Reply by Duppie on April 12, 2012 at 9:56am

From experience (I rent cars 3-6 times a year) I can tell you that booking ahead DOES matter. More than once I shopped around and got one price quoted. When I got around to booking a few days later, the price had increased significantly.

I do not believe that they assign a car at the moment of booking. Especially Enterprise, whose real business is providing back up transportation for people whose is in the shop, has a real fluid inventory of cars. That is also why your chances of getting an upgrade are often pretty good. It may be the only car they have in inventory.



John W. said:

Howard, I rented a car for my road trip to Outer Banks, North Carolina last October.  I used Priceline.  I requested a mid-size sedan (Toyota Corolla or equivalent) and ended up being given a 2011 Toyota Camry with ~4k miles on it.  Took me from Chicago to Pittsburgh on one tank of gas.  Total cost with insurance was ~$250 for a Friday night - Monday morning.  I put ~1900 miles on it.  

Another good experience I've had was with Enterprise.com.  I rented from the Enterprise office at a car dealership nearby.  Same thing...requested a mid-size sedan...got a 2012 Dodge Journey, still with the new car smell, and was charged for the mid-size sedan.

As for booking ahead, I don't think it really matters.  That means they reserve exactly what you request because it's in stock.  People tend to take the smaller vehicles first so if the rental office wants your money, they'll give you a nicer vehicle for the same price.

Permalink Reply by Clare on April 12, 2012 at 10:00am

We always use Enterprise, mostly because of the plentiful neighborhood locations (seems like the other companies only have airport and downtown branches).   If you search their website you can find the location with the lowest price. We almost always end up at the one on Kedzie just north of Diversey. They seem to be the cheapest.  I'm currently campaigning for them to install a bike rack in their garage, since I know several other neighborhood folks who like to leave their bikes there when they're driving. My AmEx card covers the rental but not liability if I run someone down.  Safe travels!

Permalink Reply by Liz on April 12, 2012 at 10:19am

I rent cars for work 4-10 times a year from Avis. 

Avis/budget location downtown = 1 particularly bad desk agent and I avoid this location because of her.  I've had numerous bad incidents with her, including her intentionally making me cry when a car was stolen from me. Telling me how I was responsible and I was going to pay and accusing me of being an idiot for being a victim of a crime, even though my work insurance covered everything, and the other employees and police officer kept telling me how it was a total scam artist set up that anyone could fall for, and I would not personally be liable for the car.  The next time I came to that location after the stolen car, I had her as the agent, and she said nasty things to me about the incident again.  Other co-workers have also had many bad experiences with her. Since then I have not used this location even if it means going out of my way.

 Avis/budget in Lakeview on Broadway = really nice agents who give me really nice upgrades. Super friendly on the phone when I had a problem with a car.  

When Cam and I were in Florida we had a one way rental from west palm beach to orlando.  the desk agent after initial rough start, then gave us a nicer car, and let me be listed as a second driver for free.  

Most of my avis experiences have been good, but now I avoid that bad location, and I don't use airport locations in general in possible since they're more crowded and harder to get to with little price difference.  The road side assistance will come and replace a car even if you are far away and it is parked within a secure parking lot at a nuclear power plant, and drop the replacement car off at your hotel. 

Cameron Puetz said:

Avis and Budget are the same company, and at many locations the same infuriating desk agents. Definitely read the fine print on the card, what's covered varies wildly. My Visa covers almost nothing, my AmEx covers a fair amount.



h' said:

Thanks, folks.

Priceline gives better rates than going directly to the rental sites for some reason.

My past experience has led me to believe that Enterprise is the most straightforward, Budget the most infuriating . . . anyone else have experience with Avis? They're trending rather attractive on price and location.

I'm sure my card offers extra coverage, but have you ever read the fine print? In the end they cover almost nothing.

Permalink Reply by Vince Zaworski on April 12, 2012 at 10:53am

I also recommend Enterprise. Used them numerous times over the years. They have a lot of  locations and they've even come to my house to pick me up and bring me to their office.

Never had a bad experience with 'em.

I've always felt that even though my card offers coverage, in the event of a mishap the rental company will be more reasonable if their coverage was used rather than a third party. I'm probably delusional but that's nothing new.

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