What's the deal with car rental agencies?

[Carolinian Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close Carolinian]

I have been seeing the same thing with European car rentals. The rates are definitely up even at consolidators like EuropeByCar and AutoEurope. I am finding the best deals these days at Economy Car Rentals, a Europe-based consolidator. I used them for a recent rental in Germany and have another with them coming up in France. They were around $100 cheaper for a week than the US based European car rental consolidators.

For keeping my AA acount alive, I have had reasonable luck with Opinion Place. I get a survey every two or three months and that kicks my account date forward. If it wasn't for their lousy ''limited partnership'' with BA and the fact that most of their TATL connections involve flying through both Heathrow and JFK, which are IMHO the very worst gateway airports on each side of the pond, I would probably have moved to them rather than CO when I bailed out of NW after the DL takeover. Then too CO comped status while I would probably have to do a challenge with AA.

[katiemack Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close katiemack]

Yes, this is another sad reality that we too have seen...outrageous pricing on a rental car...sometimes, the car cost more than a RT flight!

So, we are now looking at shuttle services to and from airport to the locale, getting rental car on short term basis (anything from one day to 3)...or using local hotel services and guides....anything to tell the car rental agency to go shove it, this is literally highway robbery....

Many locations do have local bus and train services which can be just as easy to use for getting around, and a local tour is a fun way to see an area.

We have had it with rental cars so high priced that it steals from us.

[JWC Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close JWC]

I rented a Toyota Sienna Minivan from Enterprise in Southern California 10 days ago for $300 /week. Hertz was $306 /week for the Toyota Sienna. The smaller vehicles were much cheaper but I don't recall exactly how much as we needed the minivan for our son's family who were visiting us.

I first checked Hertz on-line through AAA.com where I got the $306 /wk rate. I then called Enterprise to see if they would compete though they do not give a discount for AAA. They gave me the $300 /wk rate and assured me I would get a Toyota Sienna which was very important to me. Though Hertz had Toyota Siennas, they would not guarantee I would get one. It was Spring Break week so both Enterprise and Hertz was very busy. The total cost was $330 including all taxes and fees. This was about the same rate that I paid last year.

[dougp26364 Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close dougp26364]

I rented a Toyota Sienna Minivan from Enterprise in Southern California 10 days ago for $300 /week. Hertz was $306 /week for the Toyota Sienna. The smaller vehicles were much cheaper but I don't recall exactly how much as we needed the minivan for our son's family who were visiting us.

I first checked Hertz on-line through AAA.com where I got the $306 /wk rate. I then called Enterprise to see if they would compete though they do not give a discount for AAA. They gave me the $300 /wk rate and assured me I would get a Toyota Sienna which was very important to me. Though Hertz had Toyota Siennas, they would not guarantee I would get one. It was Spring Break week so both Enterprise and Hertz was very busy. The total cost was $330 including all taxes and fees. This was about the same rate that I paid last year.

You're one of the lucky few. I will say that in some cases, I've noticed the larger cars being less expensive than the smaller, more gas economical cars.

Lately, I've been seeing rates in excess of $350/week for our future trips were we use to be renting for $135 to $160/week. These prices are before taxes. After taxes, the price goes up considerably. Some locations taxes and fee's add on another 50% to the cost of the car.

Our last rental was through Hertz using Priceline. The car was beat up pretty badly and had around 35,000 miles on it. The tires were bald and the seats were badly stained. I commented on the condition of the car and was told that, when they turned them over to the sale barn, they weren't selling. So they were being turned back to the rental lots. I also made comment on the high prices and was told that, since they weren't renting as many cars, they were increasing the prices to keep the same profit levels. Yep, that will keep people driving rental cars.

Right now, it looks like we'll either be using Hotwire, Priceline or doing without a rental car for the week. Generally speaking, we don't use the car every day. At the lower pricing, it was just handy to have it when we needed it. If we can't find better deals I believe we'll do one of two things. Either take more vacations that don't require a flight or, rent only for a day or two and use other methods to get around the area we're in.

In the end, it's likely to save us money but hurt the local economy. We'll eat in more and shop less. Not having a car will keep us at the resorts rather than out on the town.

[vintner Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close vintner]

About 6-9 months ago, I reserved a compact car in Myrtle Beach through Priceline or Hotwire (can't remember which). For the Saturday - Saturday, the cost was $159. When we went to pick it up, the compact was actually a Kia Sorrento SUV. Not a lot of extra features on it, but a nice unit. Larger than my Saturn Vue and it had a 6 cyl. where my Saturn has a 4 cyl. Going off rated mileage, my Saturn gets 27mpg (pretty accurate on that) where the Kia gets 22mpg. That had pretty much convinced me that while it is a nice SUV, I'll keep my Saturn.

I may be going to Chicago in May. I checked Hotwire and Priceline. Price is about $25 - 26 per day for a compact car. For the 5 days I would be there, the cost for the car would be the same as I paid for the 8 days in Myrtle Beach.

[Mybobalong Member Find all posts View Profile Close Mybobalong]

We have a week in Honolulu coming up mid April. Been checking on Alamo and National either thru Costco or their own site for awhile now. We used to be able to get a compact for about $130 in HNL.I stopped trying yesterday and booked one for $194ish.

[JWC Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close JWC]

You're one of the lucky few. I will say that in some cases, I've noticed the larger cars being less expensive than the smaller, more gas economical cars.

It is often the case that the larger vehicles are cheaper but generally not with the minivans. They are in high demand by families that need the room, especially Toyota Siennas and Honda Odyseys. Both Hertz and Enterprise were sold out of the minivans that week. I was able to get one as I made my reservation a couple of weeks in advance. In fact when I took the vehicle back, Enterprise didn't have any vehicles available. They were happy to see me back as there were several people in their office wanting vehicles.

[Kikki Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Kikki]

Check Delta.com for Cheap Rentals

Lately I've gotten the best rates from the Delta.com site, not through the rental companies or even Priceline or Hotwire (which add fees). They show a range of sizes & companies and the price you get is including all taxes and fees. We have a fullsize car in Las Vegas for $156 Wk, end of April - everyone else was $40 + more.

[dougp26364 Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close dougp26364]

Lately I've gotten the best rates from the Delta.com site, not through the rental companies or even Priceline or Hotwire (which add fees). They show a range of sizes & companies and the price you get is including all taxes and fees. We have a fullsize car in Las Vegas for $156 Wk, end of April - everyone else was $40 + more.

I just did. Prices for our trips are as high as I've seen anywhere else. Perhaps as the dates draw nearer, if they still have a lot full of unreserved cars prices will start to drop. I check almost daily to see if/when prices change. When it gets to within 4 weeks, I start tossing out lowball bids on Priceline and check Hotwire's prices. If one of my bids hits, great, if not I keep on searching.