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Rental Car Hell, Looking for Alternatives

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TS
Pdub

Pdub

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OK we have a plan. Reserved two cars for six days out of Denver International starting late July:

Avis: "Ford Escape or similar" $1120 all in
Turo: For Edge $695 all in

The Avis requires a long bus ride to the rental center and potentially waiting on line to get the car and then to leave the lot. I signed up for their rewards program but since the rental already existed it's not clear I'll be able to skip the line this time. I am afraid to cancel and re-rent because there are essentially NO CARS remaining.

The Turo is with a 5 star "host" with 100% good reviews. Have already been in contact with her. I know exactly which car I'll get. Lots of pictures and reviews. We pick it up at long term parking, a quick shuttle away. The keys will be in an attached lock box, opened with a code.

I prepaid Turo but will get refunded if I cancel >24 hrs ahead. If I no-show at Avis, no penalty, so I'll keep the reservation in case.

If you are looking to rent a car right now you will pay a lot, if you can even find one. Plan way ahead.
 

raytseng

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Usually 1st rental with a rental car company you can't do the pick up and go (if that option is available for that location and rental res.). They usually ask to verify your license 1 time.
But the instructions should be pretty clear, usually 24hrs or up to 2hrs out; they will send you an update either saying your vehicle in slot XX or Go to the desk or it'll be in the confirmation.

That being said, you are definitely right that as the rental car market is in complete chaos right now, and prices are all wacky and not reflective of a efficient market.
If one can rent out a Ford Edge/Escape for >$1000/week, in about 30 weeks you've paid for it [assuming you have vehicles].

Anyone who dabbled in the Turo game as a Host but wasn't making money probably should think about getting back into the opportunity for this period until the rental companies can ramp back up.
 
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David Chaus

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I am looking at driving vs car rentals to attend the Aspen Gathering. If I fly, I figure I'll rent a car for a few days to explore the area and maybe ski one or two other resorts, either before or after the Gathering week. While it cost more to fly into Aspen/Pitkin, it seems to cost less to pick up a rental car there and drop off in Denver than it does to pick up a rental car in Denver and drop it off at Aspen a few days later.
 

Tricia

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Elevators are OK... I sometimes have had to go up and down escalators, which is more of a pain when I've got my rolling suitcase, rolling ski case, and a backpack.
I had that happen at Detroit one time. Ski boots, ski bag with two sets of skis, rolling luggage/duffle..oy!
 

Moose32

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Just travelled to DC with the family and had a horrible experience at Hertz BWI. It took 4 hours to get our car. Thirty minutes from baggage claim to the remote rental center. Three hours on line. (Not a typo). Ten minutes waiting for our car to be ready. Twenty minutes at the exit gate sitting in the car. The 3 year old GMC Acadia with 50k miles cost us about $600 for 3 days. And it made a lot of strange noises, definitely needed a tune-up.

The rental car fiasco took three times longer than our flight and cost twice as much as each plane ticket.

My brother recently had a similar experience in Atlanta. Rental car prices have skyrocketed and lines are endless due to soaring demand and a lack of cars. The agencies sold off their rental fleets and laid off staff during the pandemic. New cars are in short supply. Travel is suddenly booming. From what I have read, this could last years.

I know some of this could have been avoided by joining the Hertz Gold club but in this particular scenario it still would have been at least an hour and I'm not 100% sure they would have had a car ready so fast, even for Gold members. And the price would have been the same.

We have an upcoming two week trip to Denver and SF and I am really hoping to avoid the crazy prices and long waits. Also thinking ahead to my western ski trips.

Has anyone tried Turo? They have nicer cars at much lower rates, and if all goes well there is no waiting around. Turo is basically the Airbnb of car rental and apparently it's booming. I can't find anyone who's ever heard of it much less used it. Maybe someone could share their experience or offer some other hack to make our next trip a little less painful...thanks!
Hertz in the DC airports are the worst in the country. And BWI is much better than IAD or DCA.
 

johnnyvw

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One other factor I don't think has been mentioned is that some people are electing to drive instead of fly....and getting a rental car instead of using what's in their driveway (for a variety of reasons). One of my co-workers has to go to Milwaukee for a machine installation, he is driving instead of flying, and rented a car at the nearest airport. So that's one less in their inventory.
 

skibum4ever

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We drove to Colorado this past March though we had airline reservations. The cost of a two week rental was insane. Plus driving gave us the easy option of spending time in Utah on the way home.

That said, I have been looking at a Turo rental in Maui. Rental costs are even worse there than in the continental US. I read only good things about Turo.
 

Jwrags

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That said, I have been looking at a Turo rental in Maui. Rental costs are even worse there than in the continental US. I read only good things about Turo.
Things changed a lot there over the past 5 months. We were on Maui in January and paid something like $15/day for a car. I think I could have rented something for even less.
 

tch

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Things have changed in Maui. I rented a CRV there for $300/week first week in April.
Still, @skibum4ever, I'd try Maui Car Rentals. I checked their website and while things are a lot more expensive than that now, I'll still bet they're cheaper than any other rental agency.
 

Turoa Kiwi

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OK we have a plan. Reserved two cars for six days out of Denver International starting late July:

Avis: "Ford Escape or similar" $1120 all in
Turo: For Edge $695 all in

The Avis requires a long bus ride to the rental center and potentially waiting on line to get the car and then to leave the lot. I signed up for their rewards program but since the rental already existed it's not clear I'll be able to skip the line this time. I am afraid to cancel and re-rent because there are essentially NO CARS remaining.

The Turo is with a 5 star "host" with 100% good reviews. Have already been in contact with her. I know exactly which car I'll get. Lots of pictures and reviews. We pick it up at long term parking, a quick shuttle away. The keys will be in an attached lock box, opened with a code.

I prepaid Turo but will get refunded if I cancel >24 hrs ahead. If I no-show at Avis, no penalty, so I'll keep the reservation in case.

If you are looking to rent a car right now you will pay a lot, if you can even find one. Plan way ahead.

And here you are now contributing to the perceived lack of vehicles available to rent and the subsequent rising costs for everyone by booking two vehicles and planning to cancel one.
I wonder how many other people are currently doing the same thing, further pushing up the costs due to the suppliers perceived supply and demand pricing ?
 

Tricia

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Phil and I seized the opportunity and bought plane tickets(when airfare was affordable a few months ago) to visit family in Alaska at the end of July. Since we're visiting family we won't need a rental car, but I just looked at rental options for the heck of it and every place I looked says, "Sorry we have no rental car options available for your dates."
I just looked up the same flights we booked several months ago when people were still avoiding flying. Same flight is $400/per person more $$.

This may truly be a once in a lifetime opportunity, and we're thrilled we have family there so we don't need to worry about a rental car.
 

Tom K.

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Some car dealers are renting.

The local Ford lot looks like they are renting out every vehicle they can.

Darn near empty!

People have been doing that forever, I'm sure the rental companies plan for cancellations. I'm sure there aren't cars sitting in lots unused.

Yup. And that's why I've occasionally been stuck with a subcompact when I've reserved something much larger (or vice versa).
 

Sibhusky

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The local Ford lot looks like they are renting out every vehicle they can.

Darn near empty!
But then again the used car market is nuts, too.
"A global chip shortage has pushed prices up for new and used cars, with experts saying to buy quickly "
"Demand, meanwhile, has boomed. Americans’ preferences have shifted away from public transport because of the pandemic. Stimulus measures have helped them to spend. And rental car companies that sold off their fleets as travel collapsed last year are now scrambling to rebuild them with used vehicles."
 

Tom K.

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But then again the used car market is nuts, too..... with experts saying to buy quickly "

That helps drive the silliness.

OTOH, our "car guy" says if we want a truck, wait until December 2022 when "we'll be back to damn near giving them away to meet our year-end goals".
 

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