need car upon arrival, rental? lease? (Springfield, West Springfield: rental car, rentals, insurance)

[macintosh]

Hello.

I am moving to NoVA next month sometime. For the initial some days at least, I will be camping in Fairfax areas while I look for more permanent place to live. During these days, I suppose I will need a car to go to work (in West Springfield) and to move around (to find a place to stay, to get various govt. administravia done, etc.).

I am for now thinking about renting one for some days. Never rented there before so I want to ask if my CC (visa) coverage will be sufficient for the rental in VA?

Also, does anybody have any other suggestions regarding temporary conveyance till I buy a car of my own?

Thanks.

[HokieFan]

Renting a car will probably be best. And you can use your credit card (they won't accept debit cards) if you have sufficient credit on that card.

Also, it sounds as if you don't have a car now so I'm assuming you are not insured. If you are not, then you should definitely buy the car insurance they offer (especially with the crazy drivers here). If you are already insured, your insurance should cover you while driving a rental. You will just need to contact your agent and let them know.

[macintosh]

No, I don't own a car and don't have a car insurance.

My credit card, however, gives me Collision/Loss Damage Insurance.

What other kinds of insurance is mandatory or recommended in VA? For example, third-party liability?

For people who have rented a car in VA, can we opt, or opt out, for the above two insurances separately?

Thanks, HokieFan.

[bmwguydc]

Call the customer service number on the back of the card and ask about the LDW/CDW coverage. Some are secondary coverage, i.e., after one's own insurance or the rental car company's insurance company pays first, and some have policy limits as to the value and type of car covered -- most exclude luxury cars, and some exclude SUVs that are defined as trucks, not car-based crossovers.

The main issue is that you would not have liability insurance, so the SLI is more important in your case. You can purchase a non-owner policy from an insurance company that would cover your SLI needs in rented/borrowed car. It's not the easiest coverage to find, and if you are going to purchase a vehicle in the area, I might not waste time/expense getting it.

A company like ZipCar could work as the insurance is included when they review your profile to determine if you are accepted for membership. However, the maximum rental period for one car is four days, and there can sometimes be issues with finding the car you want in a preferred location. It can also be slightly more expensive than a traditional rental car agency, where you can get discounts on weekly rentals.

Compare rates with a service like Hotwire, Priceline, or Expedia to see what company offers the best rate. Some websites have negotiated deals with the car rental companies, such as Hotwire, where you get a rental with unlimited miles, where some companies will charge for mileage.

[macintosh]

Originally Posted by bmwguydc

Call the customer service number on the back of the card and ask about the LDW/CDW coverage. ...

The main issue is that you would not have liability insurance, so the SLI is more important in your case.

I have LDW/CDW with my credit card. I don't have third party liability insurance (same as SLI, Supplemental Liability Insurance?). So I suppose I need to opt for this during the rental days. Is that what you are suggesting?

Thanks.

[bmwguydc]

Yes, you need SLI, in the event that there's an accident with another vehicle. Check to see if the card issuer covers loss-of-use, in the event the car is out of the rental fleet due to a covered accident. It's always a good idea to verify the policies when you set out to rent the car, since they can change.

And, you must reserve, rent, and pay for the rental with the card, declining the insurance company's coverages for the CDW/LDW benefit to be extended by the card issuer. If you have auto insurance, it's generally secondary coverage, meaning you must claim with your own company first. Since you need SLI, check to see if there are any complications with respect to the declining the insurance coverage by the rental car company becuase you are not covered by an auto insurance policy.

Many times, people take the coverage to avoid having to deal with their own car insurance. Some also purchase supplemental coverage for rental cars from third-party insurers, and corporate rentals can be pre-negotiated with corporate insurance coverage so that your own auto insurer is not involved. It can be expensive, so shop around from company to company, since they will tell you the rates, compare what you find online, call the rental company to get the price of the CDW/LDW/SLI coverage, and evaluate the best price with the coverage you need.

Remember that the rental agency is only looking out for their own interests. A truck could smash into you, and they will hold you responsible for their car, not sue the other driver on your behalf, or do anything other than recover the cost of the repair/replacement of their vehicle from the renter. That's a key reason why many take the supplemental coverage, though it can be as expensive as a good rental rate on a weekly basis, because it gives you the option of being able to walk away from a problem with no impact to your own insurance/budget.

Roads in the DC area are congested, as are parking lots, so door dings and scratches are not an uncommon occurrence. And, you do want to have liability insurance in the event that the vehicle you are driving strikes another vehicle or property, since the CDW/LDW will only cover damage to the rental car, not damage to another's property or person. Liability insurance varies by amount of coverage purchased, but you should have at least the state minimum in coverage on an average (not luxury/SUV) rental car. The current minimums, per the DMV, are $25k personal injury death/$50k personal injury/death (more than one person)/$20k property damage.

[macintosh]

Thank you for clarifying all this. I will take all these factors into account should I decide to rent a car.

Warm regards.

[bmwguydc]

You're welcome. It can be a challenge to sift through all of the insurance variables when it comes to car rentals. If you want to investigate alternative rental sources, that rent slightly older vehicles, I believe that there are a couple of Rent A Wreck (just the name, I have been told) locations in the area. However, online sources like Hotwire, Orbitz, PriceLine, and Carrentals.com are hard to beat. Insurance costs may be lower with a Rent A Wreck car, however, so it might be worthy if comparison.

[EpicLifeStyle]

you need to do some research into what car you will potentially buy, and have a good idea of what you want when you actually make the move.

therefore you can lessen the days you will be renting a car, and you can actually go into a dealership and pick up a new car, which is what you will eventually want to do anyways.

car renting is pricey, daily.
say, for example you pay $100 a day.
and say you want a new car that's priced around $20,000
with a decent down payment or none, decent credit, good dealership and what not
you're looking at $300-400 a month.
that's already 4 days of renting a car, and you actually get the car you want, for the month. and continued.

[macintosh]

Originally Posted by EpicLifeStyle

you need to do some research into what car you will potentially buy, and have a good idea of what you want when you actually make the move.
....
with a decent down payment or none, decent credit, good dealership and what not
....

I agree with all the points you have made. I have already started to read up on various options that I have. However, the problem is that I do not have a credit history in the US ... I am moving from the Cold North

My plan is the following. Arrive there some days prior to starting my new job (I am planning on find a temporary place to live in advance). Rent a car for a few days. Open a bank account, apply for SSN and start looking to buy a two to four years old car (not sure if I want to buy a brand new). The problem is financing the car. With no credit history, I am not sure yet how I can go about doing this.