Rent a Van for one way travel to Seattle? (coupon, how much)

[rllngriver]

Has anyone ever rented a van to drive one way cross country to Seattle?

If so, what company did you use? How long did it take? I might be driving there from NY. I had read some articles that Uhaul vans break down a lot. So, I wondered what your experiences were like.

[CityGirl72]

I used Uhaul - nothing went wrong

You can do PODS

[rllngriver]

I appreciate it. It is cool to hear someone had a positive experience with Uhaul and that you drove a van. Thanks.

[41Willys]

Went from LI New York to Colorado without any problems. Just ate "a ton" of gas!

[eastwesteastagain]

We drove a UHaul from Birmingham, Al to Seattle - it took us 4 days of 12+ hrs of driving/day. Other than a brief snafu involving a breakdown in Wyoming, which we were able to fix ourselves while on the phone with their helpline, it went relatively smoothly. Driving through the mountains (i.e., northern Idaho) was a bit of an adventure with the governor. I would request a newer as opposed to older truck - it might circumvent some breakdown issues. I don't recall how much we spent (and it was several years ago before gas prices went through the roof) but at the time it was the cheapest option out there. Good luck!

[Woof]

The cheapest option would be to buy an old beater van, having had it checked by a mechanic first. If you can find one for a thousand I'll bet you pay less than UHaul. You can find out in advance what Uhaul costs on their website, uhaul.com . Last I checked a few years ago the price was outrageous, but maybe it's different now.

Chances are that if you get it to Seattle, you'll be able to sell it for more than you paid (especially if you bought it in upstate NY).

[rllngriver]

Hi,Thank you for your response. I was wondering what happened exactly with your breakdown?

Originally Posted by eastwesteastagain

We drove a UHaul from Birmingham, Al to Seattle - it took us 4 days of 12+ hrs of driving/day. Other than a brief snafu involving a breakdown in Wyoming, which we were able to fix ourselves while on the phone with their helpline, it went relatively smoothly. Driving through the mountains (i.e., northern Idaho) was a bit of an adventure with the governor. I would request a newer as opposed to older truck - it might circumvent some breakdown issues. I don't recall how much we spent (and it was several years ago before gas prices went through the roof) but at the time it was the cheapest option out there. Good luck!

[Torcastle]

Check out Budget Truck. Also, get a relocation packet from the US Post Office where you'll find a 20%-off coupon for use on Budget Trucks. I used them to and from South Carolina. I had one tire problem along the way and they were responsive and quick about fixing it. Otherwise, their trucks were newer, in good shape, and drove smoothly.

[kiwi80]

My husband and I are thinkin of doing this in the next couple of weeks. Not sure to get rid of everything start new or is it worth renting a trailer to carry the beds etc?...

[Woof]

It will be worth renting a trailer to take all the things you like, financially and emotionally worth it, in my experience. If it takes $500 in gas, I suppose it would cost an extra $250 for gas to tow the trailer, and maybe $500 - $1000 for the trailer (I'm guessing, I don't know at all).

Seattle is much, much more expensive than upstate NY.