So what are your opinion on car rental places around Houston? Who has the best prices? Who has the best fleet of cars? Who has the most non-domestic vehicles? Any horror stories? Looking to rent a car next week to go to Austin for the week and can't really decide who to go with. I have coupons for each car rental place from the entertainment book and they are pretty much all the same type of deals. Only question is who to go with.
Car Rental Agencies... Where most off-road vehicles are found. And repaired. And sold. ...in another words, America's #1 off-road vehicle is a rental car. I voted Enterprise because they'll pick you up.
Zipcar!! it is a car sharing club, you pick up and drop off cars from parking lots all over urban areas. rent by hthe hour or by the day, either way its cheaper than any of these... havent signed up yet but the gas, insurance and parking is included... so far it is available in NY/NJ, Boston,Chicago, DC, San Francisco, Portland, and Seattle... www.zipcar.com
The last two times I rented from Thrifty, they decided to add on damage charges to my car, when they realized I was running late and couldn't argue the charges. They usually made up some bogus excuse, and I've been forced to foot the bill. Lesson from all of this: Don't be late to the airport, when renting from Thrifty.
Wouldn't it be cheaper to rent your car in Ft. Bend or Montgomery County to avoid the stadium taxes? I know if your rent one for a week at IAH the taxes are about as high as the rental. I figured it must be but I haven't actually priced it. There is an Enterprise at one of the car dealers on 59 that is just across the border in Ft. Bend.
Enterprise rules. They don't give me crap for not being 25. I'm paying for the damn car, am I really going to be that much more responsible in a year or two?
They're all pretty much the same. One can't be that much cheaper than the other because there is so much competition, so it's all about which provides better service. Of course, you can get good service from one company at one place and get crappy service from the same company at a different location. I used Hertz and was pretty happy with them, because I didn't have to go to the rental counter after returning my car. They just scanned a bar code and put the tax and insurance on my credit card. Just remember to get insurance, especially if you're driving in an unfamiliar town. I had really good piece of mind knowing that I would be covered if I wrecked the car, even if it was my fault
Hertz is what we use through work and I have had no problems with them. I would be curious to see what some of the others are like, though.
I do notice some rental agencies have more non-domestic vehicles. Not to rag on the domestic car market but it's always a preference for me to get a japanese or I've even seen VW's as car rentals. Who has the most non-domestics out there? Last time i rented a car was on a drive to california with my g/f at the time. Lumina with a long front bench seat. I always hated those seats. Let's just say I learned to love them after that trip
They're not all the same. Hertz is the best but generally the most pricey. Enterprise is high-value and good service ... usually who I go with. Dollar s*u*x. I got a flat on a New York freeway. They sent me to a shop to get the tire repaired, then I nearly missed my flight arguing with the local then National office to pay for the tire. The National office was dumbfounded as to why the locals arses wanted me to pay, but it took them a while to get it cleared up. The tire shop wanted nearly $300.
Well, I'd go with Enterprise because I worked there for 3 years, but it kind of depends on a few different things. What day of the week are you picking the car up? Believe it or not, this makes a HUGE difference. If possible, get it on a Friday because that's when all the Enterprise cars come back and they are more willing to give you a good deal so they don't have to 'sit on' a bunch of cars all weekend. Especially the dealership locations. Those guys will practically give you a car on Friday afternoons. Any rate they get is better than having the car sit on the lot all weekend. Are you taking the extra insurance? At Enterprise, if you tell the person on the phone that you are, you are more likely to get a good deal. The person will really take care of you with dropping the rate, free upgrade, etc. The reps get credit for a 'sale' if you take the insurance so they don't really care what the price of the car goes out for. Tell them you're taking the extra insurance and then ask them "what can you do for me?" Besides, it's always a good idea to take the insurance if you go on a trip. Unlike any other company, Enterprise will cover the entire cost of the car with no deductable. As long as you don't violate anything on the contract (drinking while driving, unlisted driver driving etc) you just give them the keys and that's it. I've seen it happen a million times. Be sure not to accept the first quote they give you. Come back with "National will give me...blah blah blah" and they will try to beat it. The reps are taught to "book the deal" first and worry about everything else later. They will always try to beat another quote from another company without even verifying it first. That's the way they are trained. Hope this helps.
Sounds like great tips. So is it best to do phone reservations instead of online reservations? What if I have coupons for free upgrades? Will they give me a good rate along with the coupon? All this information has been helpful. Now where is the story of the guys who rent the cars and put nitrous on them and go street racing?
I couldn't care less which place I get my car from. When I go on vacation I usually use Hotwire to get the car, so... wherever they tell me to go pick it up is the place I get it from.
Not sure about the upgrade coupon but I would call a local branch directly. They are more willing to deal than the national/online reservation system because they know their inventory better.
