Best Rental car deal

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Parkinglotracer
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Best Rental car deal

Post by Parkinglotracer »

Any smart ideas where to get a decent deal on a rental car in Florida? - flight arrives at major airport at 10 pm so would prefer to use an on sight major chain. Prices are crazy. Thank you.
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galawdawg
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Re: Best Rental car deal

Post by galawdawg »

You might want to look at https://www.autoslash.com/.

Also, be sure you check to see if there are any "affinity" discounts you may be eligible for, such as AAA, AARP, Costco, your insurance carrier, etc.

Car rental prices are out of sight right now due to very low supply. Depending on where you will be in Florida and what you have planned, you may want to consider public transportation or ride sharing services like Uber and Lyft.
Cigarman
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Re: Best Rental car deal

Post by Cigarman »

Rental cars are 2x to 3x the cost of pre-pandemic levels. Autoslash is good but try all the usual sites like Hotwire, Kayak, Expedia, etc. Book and keep checking the sites every few days up until you travel, you might just steal a deal.
davemanjam
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Re: Best Rental car deal

Post by davemanjam »

My recommendation is to use whatever 3rd party you want to find the best deal...but to book directly through the rental car agency.
Worse than the high costs is the possibility that you book and then you show up and they dont even have a car for you.
runner3081
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Re: Best Rental car deal

Post by runner3081 »

galawdawg wrote: Wed Jun 09, 2021 6:11 am You might want to look at https://www.autoslash.com/.
+1 that is the only site I have used in the past.

And yes, prices are insane. I usually book a "backup" rental for our vacations, in case our family car is having issues. Didn't do that this year with insane prices.
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TexasPE
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Re: Best Rental car deal

Post by TexasPE »

galawdawg wrote: Wed Jun 09, 2021 6:11 am You might want to look at https://www.autoslash.com/.
+1

Autoslash uses Priceline to review prices (factoring in any discounts you may be entitled to). Reservations are with the rental company you choose (you receive their reservation number, so no worries about third-party, opaque reservations.)

Autoslash will also track your reservation cost and alert you via email if a lower price is available.

https://www.autoslash.com/track

You just make the new reservation and cancel the higher-priced one.
At 20: I cared what everyone thought about me | At 40: I didn't give a damn what anyone thought of me | Now that I'm 60: I realize that no one was really thinking about me at all | Winston Churchill (?)
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TexasPE
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Re: Best Rental car deal

Post by TexasPE »

Another thought - While I was still working for megacorp I could book rental cars, hotels, etc. through megacorp's travel agency. They had contracted hotel and car rental rates that were VERY attractive. May be worth a look unless you are restricted to using the agency for work-related trips.
At 20: I cared what everyone thought about me | At 40: I didn't give a damn what anyone thought of me | Now that I'm 60: I realize that no one was really thinking about me at all | Winston Churchill (?)
orlandoman
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Re: Best Rental car deal

Post by orlandoman »

You might want to check out this site, https://www.autorentals.com/, it puts together the listing from many sites on one page.
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CyclingDuo
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Re: Best Rental car deal

Post by CyclingDuo »

Parkinglotracer wrote: Wed Jun 09, 2021 6:00 am Any smart ideas where to get a decent deal on a rental car in Florida? - flight arrives at major airport at 10 pm so would prefer to use an on sight major chain. Prices are crazy. Thank you.
As mentioned above, inventory is low and prices reflect the supply and demand issues. It's mostly a "you gotta pay to play" scenario at the moment for rental cars. I booked and paid a couple of months in advance at a major airport, but still had to pony up at a price that formerly would have been a ridiculously expensive price. It's more the norm now due to the supply issues. May take a year or two to work through the system.

CyclingDuo
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Kitty Telltales
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Re: Best Rental car deal

Post by Kitty Telltales »

I've just booked a car (a "special" for a Ford Mustang) for 28 days from FLL airport with Hertz through the Lufthansa website. We are flying on Lufthansa, but you don't seem to need to fly with them to book the car. It was much cheaper than anything I have found elsewhere ($1,584 insurance included, compared to well over $2,000 with all other quotes for economy size)

The reservation is directly with Hertz. I have used 3rd party booking sites in the past but it doesn't seem to reduce the offers I get through the rental sites directly at the moment.

I am booking from Germany so I don't know if the same deal will come up from over there.

Good luck! If you find a better offer anywhere, please post the tip. :sharebeer
Last edited by Kitty Telltales on Wed Jun 09, 2021 10:27 am, edited 1 time in total.
alfaspider
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Re: Best Rental car deal

Post by alfaspider »

Affinity discounts can be pretty big right now. I was recently seeing $140/day for a compact car for a rental in September through the Hertz website, but $50/day logging in through USAA.
four7s
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Re: Best Rental car deal

Post by four7s »

If you’re arriving late make sure to have a plan b just in case. The car rental business is not what it was before the shutdown and stranded at an airport late at night is not a good thing. Hope for the best and plan for the worst.
manuvns
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Re: Best Rental car deal

Post by manuvns »

often time i find car for less on turo.com , kind of like airbnb for car rental
Thanks!
MAandMEMom
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Re: Best Rental car deal

Post by MAandMEMom »

I have used carrentalsavers.com very successfully in the past, but I haven’t been in the market for a rental since the pandemic. I would typically book several to have backups as well as continue to look for the best price. I suppose the $199/week minivan in Orlando rentals no longer exist!
seawolf21
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Re: Best Rental car deal

Post by seawolf21 »

Kitty Telltales wrote: Wed Jun 09, 2021 10:03 am I've just booked a car (a "special" for a Ford Mustang) for 28 days from FLL airport with Hertz through the Lufthansa website. We are flying on Lufthansa, but you don't seem to need to fly with them to book the car. It was much cheaper than anything I have found elsewhere ($1,584 insurance included, compared to well over $2,000 with all other quotes for economy size)

The reservation is directly with Hertz. I have used 3rd party booking sites in the past but it doesn't seem to reduce the offers I get through the rental sites directly at the moment.

I am booking from Germany so I don't know if the same deal will come up from over there.

Good luck! If you find a better offer anywhere, please post the tip. :sharebeer
Your quote is likely based on driver residency in EU. Rental agencies sometimes offer different rates based on driver residency.

A US rental for a US licensed driver including insurance is not typical for a non-corporate rate.
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Kitty Telltales
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Location: Florida and Germany

Re: Best Rental car deal

Post by Kitty Telltales »

seawolf21 wrote: Sat Jun 12, 2021 12:16 pm
Kitty Telltales wrote: Wed Jun 09, 2021 10:03 am I've just booked a car (a "special" for a Ford Mustang) for 28 days from FLL airport with Hertz through the Lufthansa website. We are flying on Lufthansa, but you don't seem to need to fly with them to book the car. It was much cheaper than anything I have found elsewhere ($1,584 insurance included, compared to well over $2,000 with all other quotes for economy size)

The reservation is directly with Hertz. I have used 3rd party booking sites in the past but it doesn't seem to reduce the offers I get through the rental sites directly at the moment.

I am booking from Germany so I don't know if the same deal will come up from over there.

Good luck! If you find a better offer anywhere, please post the tip. :sharebeer
Your quote is likely based on driver residency in EU. Rental agencies sometimes offer different rates based on driver residency.

A US rental for a US licensed driver including insurance is not typical for a non-corporate rate.
The main thing is that from Europe, the rental agencies are required to include the collision insurance in the price quoted. In years past, the agency didn’t seem to care if I used a US driver’s license when picking up the rental, but recently they do require a foreign driver’s license, which I have now. I’m still wondering if one books through the airline, State-side, would you get any benefit from the clout of the airline, in these odd times.
brokendirtdart
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Re: Best Rental car deal

Post by brokendirtdart »

Somewhat amusing and inconvenient, but I saw some posts on another site where people were renting uhaul vans to get around the current rental car shortage.
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MrMars
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Re: Best Rental car deal

Post by MrMars »

We just returned from a trip to Florida, flying in to Miami.

I booked my car with Enterprise. I chose a major chain because prices were all reasonably close and wanted to have a company that cares about its reputation as my primary option. Then I enlisted Autoslash's price tracking. They found a good deal via Hertz but it was offsite. Ultimately, the deal was about $300 cheaper, so we took a cab to and from the airport/rental site. Ultimately, a mild inconvenience saved us about $220.

I kept both reservations open until we landed. Then I called the Hertz office to make sure they had a car for us. They did, so I then cancelled the Enterprise rental. Desperate times require desperate measures. But I felt good knowing I had a plan B. In your situation, with the late arrival, I would likely just call the rental agency before I boarded the flight (or during a layover).
Topic Author
Parkinglotracer
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Re: Best Rental car deal

Post by Parkinglotracer »

galawdawg wrote: Wed Jun 09, 2021 6:11 am You might want to look at https://www.autoslash.com/.

Also, be sure you check to see if there are any "affinity" discounts you may be eligible for, such as AAA, AARP, Costco, your insurance carrier, etc.

Car rental prices are out of sight right now due to very low supply. Depending on where you will be in Florida and what you have planned, you may want to consider public transportation or ride sharing services like Uber and Lyft.
I had never heard of this - thank you
Topic Author
Parkinglotracer
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Re: Best Rental car deal

Post by Parkinglotracer »

TexasPE wrote: Wed Jun 09, 2021 9:22 am Another thought - While I was still working for megacorp I could book rental cars, hotels, etc. through megacorp's travel agency. They had contracted hotel and car rental rates that were VERY attractive. May be worth a look unless you are restricted to using the agency for work-related trips.
Yes smart move - my corporate wizard account gets a great deal … but my real situation is my wife is traveling solo and my wizard account won’t let me put a car in her name.
Topic Author
Parkinglotracer
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Re: Best Rental car deal

Post by Parkinglotracer »

alfaspider wrote: Wed Jun 09, 2021 10:05 am Affinity discounts can be pretty big right now. I was recently seeing $140/day for a compact car for a rental in September through the Hertz website, but $50/day logging in through USAA.
Thank you ~ great idea
Topic Author
Parkinglotracer
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Re: Best Rental car deal

Post by Parkinglotracer »

Rest of the story … it is cheaper to buy another plane ticket ($170) and join my wife on the trip to see family / friends; then take a winter car we have there down off jack stands to drive it than to pay $500 - $600 for her to get a rental for a week … as long as Ubers to and from airport are not crazy expensive which I have heard is the recent trend

I am Thankful; This definitely falls under a first world problem I know.
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