Car rental questions from a Brit

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My parents are are taking a holiday around the southern states, I'm looking for some car rental info for my Dad.

Mum & Dad land in Atlanta on the 8th May and will need to rent until the 19th, giving the car back to the rental company in New Orleans.

Hertz and Avis are crazy expensive, can any of you guys help to find a good deal? Dad is looking at a Chrysler 200 type vehicle, a little bigger or a little smaller is ok but nothing crazy. No F250s or Geo Metro's.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated
 
Does Enterprise have rental "stations" in those areas?
I have one of those in my town in Iowa. Liked their customer service. They were very reasonable.
They ended up giving me a Chevy Equinox for the cost of a little compact because they had extra vehicles on hand. Like I said, good customer service...at least here.
 
one way for that long will be crazy,
This will what I would do:

1. rent from ATL to New Orleans Airport (drive straight)
2. return car to New Orleans
3. Rent another car from New Orleans and carry on vac plans
4. Return car to New Orleans

Extra 7 hours of driving and but there will be huge savings.


for the one way car, look at expedia for rental rates, that is what I use when AVIS is to expensive for me.
Also make sure you rent from and return to Corporate locations (mostly big airports) if possible
 
Also, renting from airport location might be SUPER expensive, I would take an UBER to an offsite location like the mall next door with a rental office. That loc will be cheaper has there will no airport fees (nearly 40% of rental)
 
The air line they use to get to ATL, on their website should have a preferred rental provider.
They want the cars in the class compact/sub-compact.
BUT,(!) usually, the midsize cars (about the size of an european Passat) have discounts better than the lower class.
(Nissan ALtima, Hyundai sonata/sonata hybrid, ......)

Most of the rental airport lots are the "you go and choose your car from the lot" type.

Since they are older, I would choose the car with the better visibility and if possible a hybrid so they consume less gas...
Pretty much all cars are automatic and they have bigger engines and consume more than a typical UK car.
They will need the AC also.

Also, first shock: US gas prices. Probably at least twice less expensive than UK.
Second, the price on anything is BEFORE VAT/Taxes applies.

OH, and we drive on the right side (Bad joke I know)

Make sure they have: sunblock, sunglasses (2 pairs please), sacrificial low limit credit card for on the road, a GPS (The rental company offers, but it is more expensive).
Also go with them/review the roads on google maps.
 
So what is "crazy expensive"?

Check with their insurance company....if you have such a thing in the UK
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To see if they cover them in the US.

And enterprise does have several rental locations in each city.
 
I would advise them to use Priceline, Kayak, etc. to get an array of prices.
I generally stick to Hertz or Avis when renting a car, but during a recent trip to Tampa ended up renting from Sixt. Ended up with a Volvo V90 for about half of what Hertz or Avis would rent a Corolla for. From what I have been told, they are generally off site, but they run a shuttle to the off site location.
Even though we had some minor issues with the vehicle, it was nothing dramatic, the savings were great, and customer service was positive.
 
As an AAA (American Automobile Association) member, I get a discount when renting from the major car-rental companies. I logged into my account at the AAA to see what kind of money we're talking about for a rental that starts at the Atlanta (ATL) airport on May 8 at 10:00 a.m. and ends at the New Orleans (MSY) airport on May 19 at 10:00 a.m.

Thrifty car rental had the best rate for a full-size car. With all taxes and fees included, the bottom-line rental price was $619. This isn't a bad deal in my opinion.

Keep in mind that rates change all the time, so if you make a rental-car reservation, check back often to see if the price has gone down. If so, you can make a new reservation at the lower price and cancel your higher-price reservation.
 
Originally Posted By: stockrex
Also, renting from airport location might be SUPER expensive, I would take an UBER to an offsite location like the mall next door with a rental office. That loc will be cheaper has there will no airport fees (nearly 40% of rental)


this, once from the off airport location, you could see the airport, had to ride the hotel bus to where the off site location was, in a hotel lobby.

do not rent from enterprise- google failing enterprise.
they toss you the keys on checkout (not checking the car with you), usually park the cars in shopping centers where other cars can damage it, and do super check of every panel on the car at checkin. I am a hertz person. although 15 years ago hertz in germany held YOU accountable for the interior of the car, definition of interior included the transmission (!)
 
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Couple of suggestions from someone who rents a car nearly every week of the year.

1. Make sure they rent a car with a truck, no suvs, hatchbacks etc, so they can lock their stuff.
2. Make sure they carry what they don't want to lose on them, like passport, meds etc. sounds funny but assume bleep is going to happen.
3. Know rush hour traffic and travel during off hours, I wait it out with my fam at a restaurant/starbucks :)
 
The only one I've had bad luck with is EZ Rent a Car. Just go to a junkyard and pick something!

I'd just shop on price. No rental agencies are "brand loyal" anymore (Avis was mostly GM, Hertz was mostly Ford, Dollar/National was Mopar). Kayak is a good site to check. Everything will have AC and automatic, so don't worry about that. Honestly, sometimes a truck is better price. Check everything out, no way would I rent a car when I can get an SUV or truck for the same price or slightly more. Way more roomy and comfortable. I got a Ram from enterprise for $50/day once and it was perfect for us. Also got an F150 from there too for the same price once. Perfect road trip vehicle. MPG? It's vacation, live a little! Explore America in an American vehicle.
 
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Yep, get away from the airport and rent at a local location. The airport locations usually have extra taxes and fees. When you rent from a separate location, ask if you can drop off at the airport. Most will do that.

I had a recent bad experience with Enterprise who is also National/Alamo. I’ll never use them again. When you do the walk around to check for damage and scratches, take a video of the whole car. That may have saved me in my case had I done this. Some rental agencies are pushing small scratches and such as damage and it’s a scam according to my insurance agent. You pay for repairs plus loss of income while the vehicle is being fixed.

If you have a mileage account with a airline or any preferred program like hotel rewards they will have a number you can use to get more discounts as well.

Be sure to return the car with a full tank or same as you received otherwise they will charge you highly for that. Dirty cars get extra charges also on return.
 
Strangely enough, when a coworker damaged my car while it was parked and paid for the repair costs out of his pocket, I found it to be MUCH cheaper to rent a car at the nearby airport instead of from a standalone location of the same company in the same city...less than half the daily rate. Don't assume the airport will be more expensive, check it out first...
On a recent trip to Chicago, a friend got a very cheap rental from an offsite location near O'Hare that seemed to only have Jeeps. Pickup was a bit sketchy as they only had one van that didn't have a regular route, we had to make a special call and they took their sweet time coming...but, the cost was amazingly low. I'll ask him for the name if there is any interest.
 
Airport rentals are probably most costly as they tag on all sorts of extra taxes.

There are other sites like Priceline, Trivago and others that search multiple vendors.

It may be worth while to take an Uber to an off airport rental agency and avoid the taxes and fees added on for on-airport rentals.

It will take a bit more time, but over 10 - 12 days, the cost savings may be significant.
 
I've not specifically rented cars for the Southern US but as a Brit, I'm a big fan of Auto-Europe. They're basically a broker which offers cheap rates. I've used them many times and typically I pay around about £12-13 per day including the zero CDW insurance.

Last November I was in the unfortunate position where I crashed the rental. The car was a complete write-off but Auto-Europe & First Rental made it a pain free process and I had nothing to pay out.
 
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For ONE-WAY rental, you are stuck with the big car rental company.

Now, check around for discount code.
Last time I need a one-way, I got National (same as Alamo) or Budget (actually the same as Avis).
I ended up with National.
Budget have a discount code from Costco (you don't have to member of Costco to use it), you can google it.

There is a ONE-WAY drop off fee that is rather expensive so you have to check around.
Yes, that drop off fee is added daily so I agree with somebody above to drop it off at New Orleans once they get there and rent/pick up another car to go around while in NO to reduce that drop off rate.
Airline also have discount code.
Try different discount code and see which one gives you better rate.
 
Here is the crux of the issue:

When you drop off at a different location, EACH DAY is a one-way rental. Often, it's upwards of $100 (depending on the market) for a one-way rental.

A local rental, particularly at ATL, will be closer to $25-$30/day.

Only a few companies, Hertz, Avis, Enterprise, will even allow a one-way rental.

So, options:
1. rent the car locally, drop off in ATL, pick up a new, one-way rental for a day, two tops, and drive that to New Orleans.
2. take alternative transportation to New Orleans.
 
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