Car rentals? Holy Hannah!

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Yeah, not long ago, I looked into car prices, and they've definitely gone up. It has not been very long since I rented a mid-sized car, for the "insurance rate" - $20 per day.
 
maxwell_smart007 said:
70 dollars a day for a compact car? Holy hannah, prices are ridiculous!!

Maybe it's just Canada, but the rental car is going to cost more than the payments on my new car would have!!
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Dont be surprised if the final cost is 25% higher per day, once they add in all the taxes, fees, gotchas, etc.
 
Yep, you're right, Tom...that 70 also gets a bit more added on...didn't realize that until I went a bit farther along the process...A bit more, meaning a '25 per cent' kiosk fee (paying them to be in the airport) and '23 dollars per day' insurance...

BUT, I found that I can avoid the kiosk fee (per day) by going a block away to a rental agency in town! My friend can drive us from the airport to the car place, and BAM - saved a good chunk of cash!

All I need to find now is an alternative to their insurance, and I'll have saved a good bit of money! :smile: I was going to use VISA, which apparently gives you free insurance, but ONLY if you pay the FULL amount on the VISA...I was going to use airmiles coupons to save 50 dollars...might be cheaper in the long run to put it all on the visa, and hold onto the coupon for something else!

Andrew
 
you have to be careful with credit card insurance on them too. Many cards will only pay the value of the car, or the amount of the damage. What many don't cover is the amount of lost revenue that the rental company is going to charge you in addition to the repairs. Imagine 30 days of rental fees added on top (easily doable as I know it took a month and a half to repair my Dodge when someone ran into the side of it).
 
I rent cars all the time. I go through Budget rental and I usually get a new town car for $30 a day. Check around for the best pricing, Canada can't be that different.
 
maxwell_smart007 said:
Yep, you're right, Tom...that 70 also gets a bit more added on...didn't realize that until I went a bit farther along the process...A bit more, meaning a '25 per cent' kiosk fee (paying them to be in the airport) and '23 dollars per day' insurance...

BUT, I found that I can avoid the kiosk fee (per day) by going a block away to a rental agency in town! My friend can drive us from the airport to the car place, and BAM - saved a good chunk of cash!

All I need to find now is an alternative to their insurance, and I'll have saved a good bit of money! :smile: I was going to use VISA, which apparently gives you free insurance, but ONLY if you pay the FULL amount on the VISA...I was going to use airmiles coupons to save 50 dollars...might be cheaper in the long run to put it all on the visa, and hold onto the coupon for something else!

Andrew
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My car insurance will cover me in whatever vehicle I'm driving, it will also cover the car if it is a rental. Check your policy.
 
I rent from the Avis people when I need any major repairs on my regular vehicle and it only costs $25 a day plus they bring me the car and pick it up when I'm done. So, no, I haven't noticed car rental prices going up. If it was $700 for a day, I'd just go to the junk yard and buy a $500 car that leaks oil and gas and still be ahead.
 
maxwell_smart007 said:
All I need to find now is an alternative to their insurance, and I'll have saved a good bit of money! :smile: I was going to use VISA, which apparently gives you free insurance, but ONLY if you pay the FULL amount on the VISA...I was going to use airmiles coupons to save 50 dollars...might be cheaper in the long run to put it all on the visa, and hold onto the coupon for something else!

Andrew
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You might check your personal car insurance company. Mine covers rentals.
 
Prices vary with the season and the business -- a winter rental in Anchorage is 30 a day and this time of the year it is about $100 and the lot is empty.

I pay my regular car insurance carrier a few bucks for full rental car coverage -- at a much lower profit margin than the car renters rate -- and I do not play the gas games either.

Vacation in popular places during the "season" does result in higher costs.

Remember that this is a very special time and is worth what ever it costs in the value of the memories that will be built. Tis an investment in the future that can pay rich value for decades. Not the right image to be complaining and cheap --
 
Yep! Last month I took my son on a 5 day college visit trip thru Pennsylvania and Maryland and the rental was about $600! One company that I called was going to charge a $300 fee because it was a one-way rental.

I saved a little money by joining the "travel club" that the rental company has - 5% off that rental and a $40 gas card. Then I discontinued my membership when I got home.
 
Andrew, check out priceline.com. I've used it often to book hotels and rental cars. You can name your own price and they will either accept it or not. If it is not accepted you can't name another price for 72 hours. You can do a search on the site for the prices they want you to pay. I normally then name a price 50% of that. Often it is accepted. If not, come back in 72 hours and name a price slightly higher.
 
maxwell_smart007 said:
All I need to find now is an alternative to their insurance, and I'll have saved a good bit of money! :smile: I was going to use VISA, which apparently gives you free insurance, but ONLY if you pay the FULL amount on the VISA...I was going to use airmiles coupons to save 50 dollars...might be cheaper in the long run to put it all on the visa, and hold onto the coupon for something else!

Andrew
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Andrew check with your own car insurance company. Costs me about $10 a year for a rider that covers rental cars. If I only use it once in 10 years it has paid for itself.
 
I find that Canada is quite a bit more expensive than the US on rentals with Toronto being the costliest of the places I go. Mid size car for 11 hours a couple weeks ago pick up and drop off at the airport was $230 CA. The quoted price was $70 per day. When I complained at the descrepency they dropped it $50. but that was still more than twice what started out as an exorbitant rate. All the "little" hidden fees and taxes in Canada add up quickly. Then to top that off a lot of the smaller towns still charge mileage. At Sept Isles they charged me $.75 per kilometer if I went over 50 kilometers. Then to add insult to injury it was not just for miles over 50k but for the entire trip. I sometimes find it cheaper to hire a driver than to rent a car in Canada.
 
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