renting a car

[upekkha]

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I'm travelling out to California for interviews and will need a way to get around to the places I'm staying at and the places I'm interviewing. Has anyone found good deals on renting cars?

Thanks...

 

[EctopicFetus]

Best deals I found were on the thrifty.com website. I would try expedia, orbitz or travelocity. I rented thru thrifty for under $25 per day (which included taxes).

Good luck!

 

[Pir8DeacDoc]

priceline has worked well for me. never ever pay what they ask. Put in a bid a good deal lower and it will usually work out. if not, try again with a different credit/debit card. good luck!

 

[missdr]

found enterprise.com sometimes has some great deals (better deals than expedia or orbitz)...i am not sure if you can do drop offs at locations other than the pick up site (which you may need) so it may not be of help. also there is an alamo deal for students at this link
http://www.amsa.org/member/benefits.cfm#alamo
but i have not found it to be much a a savings over the expedia rates...good luck in cali!

 

[EctopicFetus]

priceline is too much of a hassle for me one a 1 day trip. I do use hotwire for hotels.. that is SWEET! I got a $169 room in StL for $61.. and when i go to AZ I got a room for 3 nights that I am paying 1/2 of what I found on the internet.

 

[EctopicFetus]

But hotwire sucks on car deals. lastly no matter what price you find on travelocity, expedia etc go directly to the car shop the prices are usually a little cheaper.

 

[Poety]

rentalcars.com

 

[bigeyedfish]

Best deal for airlines and car rentals. www.kayak.com

 

[southerndoc]

I always rent with Hertz since I'm a #1 Gold Club member. It's pretty nice -- you don't have to go to the counter. Your contract is in the car waiting on you. You get off the bus, look at the board and find which car is reserved for you, then just walk to the car. Your contract is hanging from the rearview mirror.

If you're a member of the AMA, you get a 15% discount on car rentals from Hertz.

 

[EctopicFetus]

I have done kayak too not so excited about the car deals but they are decent for airplanes. Southerndoc, as far as a #1 club gold member, I am that as well and Thrifty has some "blue chip" thing which is basically the same. IMO the AMA/AMSA deals arent that great.. you can usually find cheaper.

 

[locitamd]

When I get off the plane I go to the console with telephones for the car rental places - I call each and and tell them the others' best prices. It may not be the most efficient use of time, but I've gotten some amazing deals as they try to underbid their competitors.

 

[upekkha]

Thanks for your help, everyone! I used priceline.com and got a great deal.

 

[Doctor Bagel]

Thanks for your help, everyone! I used priceline.com and got a great deal.

cool, you know about the insurance score, right? i was a complete ***** and spent years buying stupid insurance from the rental company (essentially doubling their rates) when my car insurance plan would have covered me. yeah, i'm a sucker.

 

[Aubrey]

cool, you know about the insurance score, right? i was a complete ***** and spent years buying stupid insurance from the rental company (essentially doubling their rates) when my car insurance plan would have covered me. yeah, i'm a sucker.

On a similar note, if you charge the rental to many credit cards, you get insurance automatically.. check your agreement for specifics, as this obviously won't apply to everyone..

 

[upekkha]

what is the insurance score?

 

[orientedtoself]

They ask you, "Do you want basic or comprehensive insurance?" And because they gave you two choices, you choose basic, and it doubles the cost of the rental. I fell for that the first rental. Never again. Just say no.

 

[Doctor Bagel]

They ask you, "Do you want basic or comprehensive insurance?" And because they gave you two choices, you choose basic, and it doubles the cost of the rental. I fell for that the first rental. Never again. Just say no.

yep, that's the score. verify that you have coverage either through your credit card (good point!) or your existing auto insurance policy. if you have coverage, waive the insurance when you rent the car.

 

[f_w]

Enterprise
++price
++service
--even their airport locations tend to keep bankers hours
--organized as a franchise, the cars are owned by the local office --> steep drop-off fees if you don't return at the pick-up location

If enterprise doesn't work for me, I go with however is cheapest, no need to show loyalty here. If you ever have to make a reservation from the airport courtesy phone keep asking for a better rate 2-3 iterations. The first quote is the sucker quote, after the second they have to give you the 'I have to check with the manager' song.

Insurance:
- Some states have mandatory coverage (the ones where a subcompact goes for $45/day), others don't.
- Make sure your car-insurance co covers rentals (some discounters don't).
- If you have 'liability only' for your own medstudent POS, you might have to buy the LDW/CDW unless you want to get a geo-metro charged on your credit card.
- check with your credit card company. These policies are however bare-bone and have many exclusions (e.g. someone other than the card holder driving).

 

[EctopicFetus]

I just go for the cost. Cheaper is better..To me they are all the same. I have rented a ton of cars since I worked for a few yrs.. Same old bs..

 

[Doctor Bagel]

Insurance:
- Some states have mandatory coverage (the ones where a subcompact goes for $45/day), others don't.
- Make sure your car-insurance co covers rentals (some discounters don't).
- If you have 'liability only' for your own medstudent POS, you might have to buy the LDW/CDW unless you want to get a geo-metro charged on your credit card.
- check with your credit card company. These policies are however bare-bone and have many exclusions (e.g. someone other than the card holder driving).

About the liability only thing, I have that for my pos pre-med car. However, progressive let me upgrade for my rental for like $5. A quick phone call may save you some dough.