Alamo - Mid-size SUV cheaper than economy car?

[denisekayt]

Just wanted to post a quick question....when I get quotes from Alamo I always see that the mid-size SUV rental is CHEAPER than any other car (including economy!).

Is this just a perk of Alamo or am I missing something about what a mid-size SUV really is?

Thanks!

 

[snugglepeas]

ive noticed that also and my though on it was that suv's are gas guzzlers and maybe with the price of gas going up and down, maybe it's been harder for them to get those rented...... just a thought

 

[Mark P.]

It's the real deal (pun intended,lol)...Sometimes the mid-size suv's on Alamo's site show up with lowest rates, and sometimes they don't. Hit or miss for whatever reason.

We had one (Equinox) last October and made out fine in it. I've reserved another one for June, too.

 

[Fire14]

I drove one in Nov. and fell in love with it. In my case I would have to rent a full size car to keep my DH happy and since the Mid SUV was cheaper and I am thinking of buying one I rented that and "test Drove" the SUV.

 

[MECH8T7]

This also seems to be the same situation with National. I am not familiar with the Chevy Equinox but I did notice that the car selection guide on the National site suggests that it would hold 4 adults and 1 infant but only 2 SMALL suitcases. Anybody rented this thing before to carry 2 adults and 3 small kids and the typical amount of luggage that you would have for a week?

 

[Fire14]

MY DH and I had my huge suitcase, 2 what would be lg size in newer luggage sets, a laptop and stuffed backpack, a carry on bag all in back and had no issues what so ever and this was with just putting stuff in there not really packing it nice. I'd say with 2 adults and 3 kids it would be tight in room all the way around. The equinox is like a hondra crv/saturn vue/ small blazer type.

 

[denisekayt]

Thanks for all the great replies!! Ya gotta love the Dis

 

[Jen D]

I've got one of these cheapo Alamo midsize SUV's booked for this Saturday, coming week. I'm a bit worried about the trunk space but I figure, well, we'll make it work, it's not that far from the airport to the hotel. I'll report back here on what vehicle we got and how we did.

We will have 2 adults and 2 kids (one in a car seat.) 1 large suitcase, one large wheeled duffel, one small carry-on suitcase, a stroller, and three carryons, which can go with us in the car. We'll see how it goes.

 

[loveysbydesign]

I just booked us the Equinox from May 9-22 for only $230.00....what a great price! I'll take mid-size SUV over a intermediate anyday, especially when it's so much cheaper!!

 

[Cinderella2004]

We just got back Wednesday and had a mid-size SUV for the second time. IMO, these have tons of space. The first time we had a saturn vue, and this time we had a Buick ???? can't remember the model..

Anyhow, it's only the 3 of us, but I think that there is tons of room in the rear space. We had 3 LARGE suitcases, 2 smaller ones and our backpacks and could have fit more.

I drive a Jeep Grand Cherokee at home (which is a full size suv by alamo standads) and there is more room in the smaller ones.

Beware though, this week when we checked in, they were on full "upsize your rental" force. My motto with Alamo..."just say NO"....lol

 

[thelionqueen]

Too funny that I found this thread. DH and I were just discussing this last night. The midsize SUV isn't just cheaper, but substantially cheaper than the compact! His thoughts were that since the gas prices are so high they brought the price down. I don't care what the reason or it's size. If we can fit our family of 4 and 7 bags into a PT cruiser, we can certainly all fit in an Equinox

We got a rate from costco.com for $198.54 for 12 days 5/28-6/9/06. The rates just went down on Monday..so if you haven't checked since then, check it out! My rate went down from $274.00 to $198.00. Don't forget the additional $25 off coupon!

 

[1000th happy haunt]

For those who have rented the mid-size SUV from Alamo--is there a place to hide the luggage?

My husband and I usually check out early and hit one of the parks before heading to the airport. I'd hate to think my luggage is sitting there at the hatch inviting someone to break in. Is there any kind of tonneau cover or other way to hide the luggage?

 

[1000th happy haunt]

I feel like a thread killer

 

[melanie18]

I don't know the answer 1000th, I just didn't want you to feel bad

 

[labdogs42]

We reserved the mid-SUV from Alamo for our May vacation -- it seemed like such a steal! I'm glad I'm not the only one who went for this deal, I was a afraid it was some kid of scam!

 

[poohmomof3]

I just booked a midsize SUV for the 1st week of May! The price was $141.00 through Alamo with the website $15 off coupon-best rate I could find on any type of vehicle. It seems like a great deal for my family of 5.

Enjoy your vacations!!

 

[MECH8T7]

If we can fit our family of 4 and 7 bags into a PT cruiser, we can certainly all fit in an Equinox

Thanks for the info. We rented a PT Cruiser last year and were able to get everything in for, what was back then, a family of four. So, if this gives us as much room (or more) than that, we should be fine. Actually, I'm thinking that it may be better for our luggage than the mid-size sedan we would otherwise rent because the SUV will have a rear door rather than a trunk.

I was able to save more than $50 over the fully discounted rate for the mid-size sedan that I had originally booked for our week there!

 

[TammyAlphabet]

Okay, I got in on this too. 5/21-6/2 for 228.62 for a midsize SUV. Not as good as others but I am satisfied with this rate.

I went back and priced through Vacation outlet and got it down to 210!

 

[lats118]

We're going to WDW from 5/7 - 5/12 and have gotten the mid-size SUV price from Alamo down to $97! We started at $165, then $135, then $123, and today got $97! I love playing this game...

 

[SamSam]

lats118 , That's a fabulous rate, would you mind sharing what codes/coupons you are using. Thanks!