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I recently had my car rear ended for a total loss and recently got my check for the loss of the vehicle.
I currently have a rental car and have been considering just continuing to rent cars if I can consistently find good deals on them.
My insurance on my previous car was pretty high, probably from a speeding ticket and 1 previous accident (I think the speeding ticket might of come off) anyways it was about $2000 or a little more..I did get quotes and they were higher. Not sure if it's where I live or what.
I currently have a named non owner policy which covers liability for any car I have and I have primary rental car insurance which covers the rental car (through my United Explorer Club credit card).
This named non owner policy is $271 a month or so.
My current rental car deal is about $75 /week plus the taxes/fees , previous one was $150/week which is why I switched the the $75 one.
In addition to a savings on insurance, I would also not have to pay any maintenance costs , registration costs.
My previous car was pretty good, but I bought it new and had at least two sets of tires on it, and those the costs to do brakes, transmission fluid change, etc etc does add up.
The other upside would be driving new or pretty new cars and being able to drive different cars all the time, which has been kind of fun. I had the Chrysler 200 last car and now have the Dodge Avenger.
Another reason is that I will be travelling a lot for work and might only be in my home state about half the time or so per year.
Has anyone done this before (rented rental cars long term instead of buying) or have any thoughts on this?
My other idea is to buy a reliable model , well maintained used car. Also been thinking of a lease , but then I'd still have the insurance issue.
I rented an auto for 18 months as it was more cost effective than buying. I already had insurance and got great deals as I was a hertz gold member.. any problems I just took it back and got another one. Cars were new or 1 year old. All the luxuries and every 3 months I got a different car. Also got me a ton of points so now I have 1 month of free rentals...
Depends upon your needs. I know people that use public transit and live in a walkable area that rent cars a dozen times a year. Easier and cheaper than owning.
Take a look at Firefly , I think it's mostly airport locations, but they seem the cheapest right now. They are actually owned by Hertz, which also owns Thrifty I believe. Looks like they were 'sharing' cars with Thrifty at the LAX location..
I think the key might be to belong to a club like the hertz one or another one to get better service and maybe prices.
I've found there are big differences in prices between rental agencies.
They wanted to give me a Mazda hatchback and firefly and I didn't want it and they claimed there weren't any other cars so I was there a long time going back and forth about it. I booked an intermediate with a free upgrade, so I suppose I was being picky.
I guess that's one reason it might be a pain, but I suppose if I was less picky it wouldn't be as much an issue. But I'm 6'4" and don't really want to drive a tiny tiny car especially for weeks.
Actually, renting a car thru an airport location costs more, due to the fees that airports and various states tack on.
The person who mentioned Hertz Gold is right on. As soon as your point level gets up a bit, you get more or less whatever vehicle you want, including anything out of the luxury line or SUV's for no extra charge.
Priceline can really be a help, especially on longer term rentals. Also look at local car dealers as some of them also rent out nearly new cars from their used car lot.
Yeah I know about those airport fees, but with this deal I was able to get it significantly cheaper than Enterprise even with the airport fees.
Interesting about car dealers renting out cars haven't really heard of that...do you know what kind of rates they might charge.
The Hertz Gold sounds nice and it definitely seems like I should join some club if I keep renting cars. Would be nice to be able to pick any vehicle no extra charge,etc.
Actually, renting a car thru an airport location costs more, due to the fees that airports and various states tack on.
The person who mentioned Hertz Gold is right on. As soon as your point level gets up a bit, you get more or less whatever vehicle you want, including anything out of the luxury line or SUV's for no extra charge.
Priceline can really be a help, especially on longer term rentals. Also look at local car dealers as some of them also rent out nearly new cars from their used car lot.
I can't stand being henpecked hither and yon with add-on fees and not deriving any benefit from the extra $$$ I'm spending. I guess it's a principal thing with me, but I'll go above and beyond the call of duty not to pay them. The gf and I are going back to Alaska on another trip next week, and I was unaware of just how much rental car companies tack on to cars rented at the airport in those dumb fees. So I did a little price comparison, and I found a local rental car company who offered us a car rental with free unlimited miles and a free upgrade to a full sized car for around 20% less than renting an economy sized car at the airport. That's great because we'll be driving over 600 miles, and a tiny Fiat just doesn't cut it on comfort or space, IMO. The only negative is that since we're taking the red eye, we have to cab it to the B & B and rent the car in the morning.
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