renting a car

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lola

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ok, so i was thinking about renting a car for my nymc interview. i will be flying into white plains, will be there for a couple of days, and thought it made sense to be able to drive myself around. for anyone who has been to nymc, does this make sense?

also, how do you find a good deal on renting a car? i've never actually rented one before. should i find out which companies are at the white plains airport and call around for rates? or are there other ways to go about doing this?

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you can go to sites like expedia.com or orbitz.com and go to the rental car section and see the rates across the various companies by car type.

also, if you are under 25, you could run into some problems.
 
You can rent a car if under 25 at a few places, but it will cost you.. probably close to double the rate, maybe $40 a day or so.
 
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1. try orbitz.com for details. definitely DO NOT pay full price - deals abound on the web, etc.

2. if you are under 25, check the fees they charge for this. they range from $10/day to $25/day, so it can make a big difference. you can get them waived from some companies some times - if you are a member of usaa they'll waive it at hertz and avis.

3. i don't know if nymc is in new york city, but last time i left my car in manhattan i had my car stereo (not a fancy one), my crappy sunglasses, all my cds, and even the coins in my coin slot stolen. and this was on the upper east side. so you can probably find street parking, but make sure you leave NOTHING of value in your car (none of this stuff was visible in mine).

4. i've really liked renting cars for interviews. often if you're only there for a day or two it's not mroe expensive than taking shuttles, etc., and it gives you a lot more freedom to explore the area, etc.

hope this helps!

katem
 
you can try bargain websites like hotwire etc but as the previous poster said I actually always found the best deals with expedia for car rentals. eg at Pitt - $16/day (Thrifty Co)
 
whats all this under 25? Lola and I both qualify for the senior citizen discounts :laugh:
 
lola, this is just my opinion, but i dont see the point of renting a car for the nymc interview. a cab ride to white plains airport from the campus is about 10 bucks, and if you have a student host, they might even pick you up like mine did. thanks nimish :)

also, there's not a whole hell of a lot to "see" around white plains, so i suspect you'll want to hang out in the city for a day. its a 5-7 dollar train ride to grand central from valhalla, and you're right in the heart of the city.

just my .02 $

:D
 
as old boy wonder pointed out i'm ANCIENT! no need to worry about the 25 thing.

i will be arriving late afternoon on sunday & my student host can't host me until later that night. i was thinking of meeting up with a friend in northern new jersey for a couple of hours.... btw, nymc is in the burbs, not in nyc. also, i will be staying with another friend on monday night who lives in westchester, but she will work monday and tuesday, so i will sort of have time to kill on my own and will have to get myself to the airport on tuesday late afternoon. i think it would be more expensive for a cab ride to white plains from her house than from nymc. so i think it might make sense. i also want to be able to go to the mall or do something like go to a restaurant or cafe rather than sit around with no transportation! i don't really have time to go to the city. also, i dont think i really want to go to the city :) i'm sick of nyc.

i will try looking at orbitz and expedia. thanks!
 
Oh, and for you under-25 folk, I like rentawreck.com. I know, I know, sounds sketchy. It's a used-car rental service, they'll rent to you under 25, and you can pay a small fee to get car insurance while you're driving. I haven't personally used them, but a friend did here in Chicago, I drove in the car, it was fine, wasn't falling apart. I got a quote for an economy car in Philly for $20/day, plus $15/day for auto insurance. Just an option you might want to consider if you're on a shoestring budget.
 
why is it over $40/day? i thought i could get one for like $25-$30/day!!!
 
check what their rate is for gas when you pick up the car and then look around town - 99/100 times, you will save money if you fill the tank yourself before you turn it in.

don't use the super expensive stations next to the airport, but fill up close enough that the tank is still full when you get to the airport.
 
lola,

i agree with DW. the public transportation is cheap and convenient. renting a car is just more $$...

and there nothing to see in white plains. you could drive "around" but what destination would you drive to?

the $5 train ride into manhattan takes about an hour. hang out in the city...
 
i can't hang out in the city... i'm spending the evening after my interview with a friend in westchester! it doesn't make sense to go into the city for like 2 hours -- especially with my luggage!

argh!

anyway... i think i'm going to have to rent a car or else be stranded at various places for a while.
1. stranded at westchester airport for approx 3 hours
2. stranded at nymc for approx 5 hours
3. stranded at my friend's house for approx 2 hours
 
hmmm, it is pricey for some reason. $41/day through hotwire. You could try bidding for it on priceline....
 
argh... i don't know what's wrong with me. i've taken to insulting people on sdn :laugh: (other thread)

geesh. i'll just put off making a decision a little longer... i guess $41/day is not all that bad since i'm not going to be paying for lodging.
 
Originally posted by lola
argh... i don't know what's wrong with me. i've taken to insulting people on sdn :laugh: (other thread)

geesh. i'll just put off making a decision a little longer... i guess $41/day is not all that bad since i'm not going to be paying for lodging.

hmmm, strangely if I end up on here a lot, I also sometimes end up insulting someone....I think its some internet form of 'cabin-fever' ;)

seriously though, priceline bidding will normally get you lower prices than the hotwire one. aim for 20-30% below.
 
i've never used priceline. are there time restrictions with renting cars?

i can't even use the aaa hertz discount at the hertz in westchester :(

it is like cabin fever. aaaaah!!! also, my work is very agitating today (not that i'm doing much of it).
 
About being 25 years old - I know that its common practice in the car renting companies, but isn't that age discrimination. How can they cap a limit there, seems arbitrary. I understand 18 and maybe even 21, but legally speaking - how is 25 acceptable?

X
 
Because we (age 16-25) have the highest rate of accidents and reckless driving compared to other age groups.

So many companies will not rent to people under 21 and those who are between 21-25 must pay a surchage (around $30) to offset the higher liability that rental companies amass by renting to people under 25.

Same goes for auto insurance. There is a huge price drop once you turn 25.

I know, it sucks sometime. Even though I am a safe and cautious driver, I have to pay for the recklessness of my peers.

Anyway, with studentadvantage, Dollar Rent A Car will waive the underage fee for you. And if you are 25+, they will give you a further discount.

Also, look into whether your credit card offers auto rental insurance. Make sure to read the fine print. My credit card claims to offer auto rental insurance, but after reading those fine (font size 1) print, it says that the auto insurance will only cover what your rental car insurance won't cover.

Coverage only applies if you carry personal auto, business auto, or auto rental collision deductible insurance. Coverage does NOT apply if you only have liability insurance. Coverage is supplemental to all applicable coverages available.

So what benefit am I receiving? In order to get auto rental insurance coverage from my credit card, I need to get auto rental insurance from the rental company or my auto insurance company. This is totally non sequitur.
 
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