Long term car rental - doable? (Los Angeles, San Francisco: rentals, insurance, credit card)

[Vin_C]

Hi

I am soon relocating from Europe.

I I am not planning to buy a car soon.

I was considering the option of renting the car for the first 3/4 months before commiting to a lease.

I have found some companyies that apparently offer this service for approx 500$/mo

Medium and long term car rentals in Los Angeles - lowest monthly and weekly rates
Rent-A-Wreck.com - Car Rental - Rent a used car and save! 30 years of providing great cars and great service!
Cheap Car Rentals Los Angeles and Cheap Car Rentals Orange County, Cheap Car Rentals San Francisco, car hire under 25

I suspetc that somehow what advetised will not be true

given my data:

-male, 31
- international driving license
-13 years of driving experience
- obviously no record in the US

Do you think I could be able to rent a car with a 500$/ budget?

thank you

[quixotic59]

Originally Posted by Vin_C

Hi

I am soon relocating from Europe.

I I am not planning to buy a car soon.

I was considering the option of renting the car for the first 3/4 months before commiting to a lease.

I have found some companyies that apparently offer this service for approx 500$/mo

Medium and long term car rentals in Los Angeles - lowest monthly and weekly rates
Rent-A-Wreck.com - Car Rental - Rent a used car and save! 30 years of providing great cars and great service!
Cheap Car Rentals Los Angeles and Cheap Car Rentals Orange County, Cheap Car Rentals San Francisco, car hire under 25

I suspetc that somehow what advetised will not be true

given my data:

-male, 31
- international driving license
-13 years of driving experience
- obviously no record in the US

Do you think I could be able to rent a car with a 500$/ budget?

thank you

Definitely doable. I have done it for one and two months in LA.

I use Hertz. They are not the cheapest, but they do have some economy models for your price range and are reliable. Join AAA (Automobile Association) and Hertz Gold Plus rewards program and you will get a 15% discount and accumulate points for your rewards. Also, call Hertz and ask them about their long term rental program. I assume other big companies have similar programs. I would recommend one of the larger companies for greater selection, better support, and more choice of models. BTW, you will need a credit card and make sure you check their license requirements. Also, confirm the insurance requirements. Your credit card will usually cover up to 30 days. Having to buy supplemental insurance can add 40-70% of the rental costs.

[Vin_C]

Originally Posted by quixotic59

Definitely doable. I have done it for one and two months in LA.

I use Hertz. They are not the cheapest, but they do have some economy models for your price range and are reliable. Join AAA (Automobile Association) and Hertz Gold Plus rewards program and you will get a 15% discount and accumulate points for your rewards. Also, call Hertz and ask them about their long term rental program. I assume other big companies have similar programs. I would recommend one of the larger companies for greater selection, better support, and more choice of models. BTW, you will need a credit card and make sure you check their license requirements. Also, confirm the insurance requirements. Your credit card will usually cover up to 30 days. Having to buy supplemental insurance can add 40-70% of the rental costs.

Thank you for the suggestions

I assumed that the insurance cost was included in the monthly fee. That 's a rather bad news.

I don t have (yet) an american credit card, I have one from my country (italy) but I assume it won t be accepted.

I believe it will be harder that i thought in the first place

[quixotic59]

Originally Posted by Vin_C

Thank you for the suggestions

I assumed that the insurance cost was included in the monthly fee. That 's a rather bad news.

I don t have (yet) an american credit card, I have one from my country (italy) but I assume it won t be accepted.

I believe it will be harder that i thought in the first place

Not necessarily true about the credit card. I have met a number of Europeans during my stays in LA that also rented cars for one or two months and they were on vacation.

Get the phone numbers for Hertz, Enterprise, Avis, and Thrifty, and Alamo. These are big companies with many locations. Call each and ask your questions. Also, avoid renting at airports as they include extra fees that can double the cost of renting. Use the "local" locations nearest to where you will be staying.
Check with your credit card and see what their policy is for insurance coverage on rentals. Most of the time they require you to decline all rental company insurance.

[AmFest]

Originally Posted by Vin_C

I don t have (yet) an american credit card, I have one from my country (italy) but I assume it won t be accepted.

You should assume it will be accepted. The reason you have to give them a credit card is so that they can charge you a sizable amount if a damage is incurred. They don't have to check your credit; when they swipe the card and put a mock purchase on it they can see if the card is in good standing. For this purpose, just about any credit card would suffice.