Dethroner Asks You: Cheap Long-Term, High-Mileage Car Rental?
14 Comments Published by Joel February 20th, 2007 in Ask Dethroner, Cars, Travel. Share ThisOne of the best things about being a writer is the ability to be fickle about what I’m doing and where I’m doing it. As long as I have an internet connection, I can work from almost anywhere. (The worst part about being fickle is that I’m often broke, or nearly.)
I don’t have a car, because I live in Brooklyn, and owning a car in New York is a real pain. But if I fly, I can’t take the dog; if I don’t take the dog, I have to pay a sitter. For any trip longer than a weekend, that is at least a couple hundred of dollars.
What I’d like to do is start renting cars for some long road trips, up to a couple of weeks at a time and over several thousand miles. (I’m thinking, if nothing else, of driving back home to Kansas City in a couple of months.) But every time I try to price out car rental that is long term yet high mileage, I can’t seem to find anything for less than a couple thousand dollars. My friends are incredulous, but can’t seem to offer any better suggestions.
I know that I’ll have to spend a fair chunk of change, but I can’t believe that renting a car for a week at a time would really be more expensive than buying two cross-country plane tickets. Is there some undiscovered method for getting deals on long-term rentals? At this point I’m starting to price out actually purchasing a car and paying a monthly car parking fee.
This is yet another thing that has been changed thanks to 9/11. After the attacks a lot more people were renting cars because they felt it was safer than planes or trains and most rental firms offered unlimited mileage at the time. Once they started getting cars back that had five figures worth of mileage on the odometers, they started cutting back on mileage programs and upping the costs for interstate travel.
The only options I can think of is the train (you could at least bring the dog along), the bus (no dog and Who’s Who in Mental Instability stories afterward) or try Craiglisting for carpooling trips out to KC.
I am, as you know, in the process of planning the first of two stellar road trips this year. I’m not in on the reservation making process, but i did talk to one of the friends i’m going with last night, and asked how much the car was going to cost so that i can figure out how long i’m going to have to survive on top ramen when i get back. Anyhow, she’s making the rental car arrangements through AAA, and we’re getting a car for 10 days for $250. We’re picking up and dropping off in Nashville, which might make a difference, but it’s a great deal. She wasn’t sure which company it was – she’s pretty much put things in the hands of the guy she’s been working with at AAA and trusting him with it. I’ll report back and let you know how it works out.
I am the king of all road- and worktrips, as my flickr page would confirm, were I shameless enough to link it (you may feel free though). so here are a couple of thoughts on U.S. car rental places:
dollar
charges you insane prices when walking up to the counter, so reserve via the usual suspects online. renting an intermediate car has reliably gotten me upgrades to larger vehicles. being shameless (”I am a journalist.”) helps. last time I rented from them, they still didn’t have mileage limitations on their cars and when I brought the vehicle with around 500 miles/rental day back, they said nothing.
enterprise
yes, they pick you up and yes, they are the nordstrom of car rentals in terms of service. the cars themselves are a completely different story though. I got a ford taurus with itchy cloth seats, hand-crank windows and no keyless entry system. this is what they consider a “full size” car? enterprise also limits you to usually the three surrounding states, adds a mileage limit and requires at least one credit card that is not connected to your checking account (those debit-credit cards won’t get you anywhere here). it is possible at certain locations to get european models, these are however not offered via the website and not guaranteed. getting your hands onto one can be quite a challenge: you have to rely on anecdotal evidence from employees, which can quickly make a passat a jetta and so on.
thrifty
does not accept foreign drivers licenses, so tourists beware. mileage limit, state limit, all the works. also not the greatest prices I have ever seen.
hertz
I mention these guys only because of their prestige collection. getting an A6 for a weekend ran me just shy of $300 including taxes. I thought that wasn’t all that bad. 500 miles per day was acceptable as well.
okay, there are two more reasons I mention them: stories have circulated about them trying to add a refilling onto your bill per default even when the tank is full upon return and the one time I couldn’t find the rental place and returned a vehicle 45 minutes late, they charged me for another day.
avis
rented once from them, a full size yielded me a crown vic, which made every other cop salute me on the highway. the car was okay, though the gas mileage was terrible (think around 19 on the highway, perhaps 10 in the city? it’s a while ago). no problems but no positive surprises either.
A co-worker of mine said that some car dealers have what is referred to as “mileage exempt rentals”. The car dealer has these cars that they use as loaners, etc…, and they also rent them out because they get some kind of kick back from the manufacturer. It’s something to look into.
A few years ago, I rented a brand-spanking-new Toyota RAV-4 from a local Toyota dealer. Yes, the dealer.
The car had 4 miles on it when I picked it up. I got an “unlimited miles, 4-day weekend” rental deal. I don’t remember exactly what I paid, but it was reasonable. I drove it from Lexington, KY to Philadelphia and back. When I returned it, it had just over 1300 miles on the odometer. They didn’t even look.
In short, try a dealer.
I work for one of the companies listed here, but I won’t evangelize. Here’s a couple tips:
* Book via the rental company’s web site or their 800 number. It’s cheaper for them, so the rates are lower than through Orbitz / Expedia / Travelocity.
* Sometimes, rates will be different on one day vs. the next day. Play around before booking, as much as your schedule allows.
* Search the web for coupon codes. They can make a pretty good dent in the total.
* Don’t book a car at a non-airport branch. The rates are higher since the competition is limited. Airport branches are constantly in price wars.
* Not every company will strictly enforce the mileage policy, but some are jerks. Be sure to check if there’s a GPS unit tracking the distance you’ve travelled — again, the web is a good resource.
Here are some tips
1) Look at your memberships, credit cards, AAA, local associations, banks, frequent flier/renter programs you’d be surprised how many clubs, memberships, etc. have deals with Rental Companies.
2) With some rental car companies, if you sign up for their frequent renter programs, you get 1 free upgrades, a free day, etc.
3) Go to the company websites and look for coupons, special deals, etc. You can get a free upgrade, another $20 off, etc. off of weekly rates.
4) If you have freqent flier miles, you can use those to rent.
Okay, there are some good tips, but what should I consider in the ballpark as a “good deal” for, let’s say, a 10-day, 3k mile rental? Part of my problem is having no framework for what is a good deal and what isn’t.
My trip is going through Tennessee, North Carolina, South Carolina and Kentucky. I’d bet that we’re going to put nearly that much mileage on the car in the same amount of time you’re talking about, so $250 seems like a number to shoot for.
This may soud crazy but…you might get a better deal renting in Jersey. Could be a bit of a PIA getting the dog and car together, but (and it’s been a while) when I was living carless in NYC, a 5-10 minute bus ride (from GWB) would shave a nice chunk off the rental fee (taxes? insurance? who knows).
paul’s idea of dealer-rentals sounds highly intriguing to me. I am sick and tired of the ford’s GM’s and Kia’s the regular rental places give out and specialty cars are not happening for roadtrips (think mileage restrictions and that 5k hold on your credit card, not to mention cost in general).
does anyone know of chicago-area dealers who do rent vehicles out free of mileage restrictions?
( if so, please do contact me. my website is memostothefuture.com )
thanks,
chris.
Rent-A-Wreck. Horrible name, but exactly what you are looking for. They don’t rent actual wrecks, just cars that are a few years old with some miles on them. And they do it *dirt* cheap. I rented a car for 3 weeks when I moved to Boston, and they were about 1/3 the price of any long-term alternative from one of the more traditional car rental companies. I didn’t do any long-mileage hauls, but I can’t imagine RaW being that much of a stickler about it.
My aunt and uncle from Manhattan would often drive back to Michigan for family events, and would bring their dog in a rental car. They would get a driver to take them to Jersey, and rent a car there.
Not sure if you ever completed your trip to K.C. I suggest that you sign up for a Budget Fastbreak account online. Then use the RapidRez # they provide and make a reservation. You should be somewhere around $650 for 2 weeks and unlimited miles.
One thing to check when you rent with Budget (more so than other car rental companies), is the condition of the car. I recently go hit for an additional $30 when I turned a car in, because there was a slight rock chip in the windshield. I didn’t see it at all the entire week, but I bet it was there when I rented the car. Shame on me for not noticing when I first picked up the car. I had no choice, but to pay the $$.
Good Luck