Which car rental company?

[Sam2878]

We are going to orlando in October and would like to rent a car for one day of our trip to drive to KSC. This is our first time renting a car.

Which car rental company have the most reliable and affordable cars? If I reserve a SUV will I get one? How does the mileage and what hidden charges should I look for?
Thanks, Sam

 

[julfre]

I've used National in the past and was very happy. I've also used Alamo and was not happy-really long waits to get a car and they push all the insurance extras. I'm using Dollar this next time and have heard good things, but can't say personnally. Mousesavers.com has good discount codes for most car rental companies. I got a great rate from Dollar using codes I found there.

The thing to watch for mainly is insurance. On a 1 day rental, it may not be that much($20/day), but many credit cards have automatic rental card insurance on them which is the same as what they try to sell you, but it is free. Call your CC company and ask if you don't know for sure.

If you reserve an SUV, you should get one. People sometimes reserve a cheaper car and then hope for a free upgrade, but that is risky.

 

[Eeyore1954]

There should be no hidden charges on your contract. What to look for:

Taxes and surcharges -- there are several of these, so if you are not sure, ask the agent to explain each one

Assessments -- if you use an off-site rental company, you may be assessed a fee for using their shuttle to take you to/from the airport

Things to avoid:

Pre-paid gas -- while they may quote you a slightly less expensive per gallon rate, you actually pay for a full tank of gas. Unless you can return the car practically empty, you are wasting money.

Insurance -- contact your car insurance company to find out what coverage you have when renting (usually the same as your policy). Also check with your credit card company to see if they provide any additional coverage.

I normally decline ALL rental car insurance. It's overpriced and not worth it. Easy way for the agent to jack up their commission.

Upgrades: Agents try to sell you on "cheap" upgrades that end up being very costly. Before agreeing get the low-down on the TOTAL cost of the upgrade, not just the per-day rate.

 

[Pixie_Dust]

We have always been happy with Dollar and very unhappy with Alamo.

Cheers

 

[Sam2878]

Thanks for the advice, Dollar looks like a good deal.

 

[seashoreCM]

Heard bad words about L&M, they have been known to dishonor your reserved rate and charge you more when you get tot he counter.

Disney hints:
http://members.aol.com/ajaynejr/disney.htm

 

[CaliforniaDreaming]

At Orlando Int'l (MCO) we've used National, Budget, and Avis. We really like Avis, and feel so-so about the other two.

 

[Sam2878]

Checked Dollar's website with different codes.. Interesting?
We only need the car for one day to drive to KSC, so this is based on 24hrs, Sat-Sun.

Dollar
---- Code----Full Size SUV
no code $41.97 $61.97
entertain 32.00 93.00 !
mcc 34.94 49.99
fvg 34.94 49.99
leads 41.97 49.99
kiss 34.94 49.99
fltvl 39.99 49.99

AVIS No Codes 74.99
National No Codes 75.96

Do all for these companies have clean reliable cars?

 

[Kteacher]

I'm starting to worry- We had a bad experience with National last April-no cars on the lot even though we had reserved one months in advance-we ended up waiting almost 2 hours in the garage for a car. I just booked our trip,and the package we booked uses Alamo. i knew it wasn't on level one and we'd have to take a shuttle, but I haven't seen any good posts about Alamo yet. Anyone have a good experience with them?

 

[pinky]

Sam...
try this rate code for Avis: D002807 I saw it on an earlier trans. post as well as one on the budget board. I'm using it in February . (I work for a company and we have a corporate rate with Avis; my 1 week rental in February dropped by almost $105 using this new code!! Of course I'll lose my preferred benefits for this rental, but for $105, who cares?!) I've used National and while their cars were dependable, there were some items left in it from the previous renter. I've always had clean cars from Avis. I know for a fact if you have a problem, they come immediately but if you don't have time - our guys are usually running from the airport to a meeting of from a meeting to the airport. Avis will tell you to grab a taxi and they reimburse you the fare & tip.

Kteacher...
unfortunately no, but it was peak season. We always go President's Week since it's our school break. We booked a package back in '98 and the car was Alamo & it was free. It was bad enough getting off site, but when I saw the line leading to the counter, I almost died (my FastBreak card or whatever there's is was at home in a different wallet). I'm preferred with Avis, so while my DH was in line with Alamo, I called Avis. They didn't have any intermediate cars so they gave me a full at the int. price! I grabbed him out of line and by the time we took the shuttle back over, our Avis car was ready and no line!!!! After that I personally will never rent a car off site.