Are CA rental cars always so pricey?

[lattemomof3]

Trying to find one for the last week in October 4 my brother. They need to go from San Diego to Anaheim, using a car for a week. I realize it's more $ to drop it off @ a different location, but I was able to get a minivan in Orlando for 7 days for less than I can find a car for my brother for 2 days! Are there any deals I'm missing ? Thanks!

 

[darph nader]

Supply and demand. You supply what they demand.

 

[c&m]

I feel the $$$ pain. We decided to go to SoCal in August almost last minute (3 weeks prior), and when booking the rental car, it cost us $350 for the week for a standard size car. For our upcoming trip in March 2011, I booked it earlier this week and got a standard SUV for $268 for a week. What a difference.

For your brother, since you're so close to the trip date, you can probably try to use a Costco code (if you belong) for Alamo or Budget. I find that to be the better rate for us. Or use one of those codes in Mousesavers.com. But you're right - you are going to pay more if your pick-up location is different than your drop-off.

Oh, one more thing, you'd better hop to it. When I was checking 1-2 weeks prior to leaving for our trip last August, my expensive $350 standard size car rental jumped to $400+!!!

Good luck!

 

[letthembelittle]

We used Advantage for our last trip, they were cheap but we rented a car(they were slow to pick us up from the airport and very slow to get everyone through the checkout line, dropping off was super easy though) maybe check them out?

 

[scldir]

I found that one way rentals were very expensive, too. You might want to try http://carrentalsavers.com . It's a pretty good way to compare prices quickly.

 

[LavenderPeach]

What about using Priceline or one of the other discount travel sites? I've never used them for rental cars but it might be worth looking into.

 

[Jazziered]

I have always had good luck with this place when I go to Southern CA.

http://www.carrentals.com/?cid=12175&chan=E000084814&gclid=CLiZkrDtxqQCFQK8KgodU2gVDw


Also I finally broke down and got a gps for myself instead of renting one. In Southern CA, you really need one. I am so used to SLC with our awesome grid...

 

[ajloops]

We are also renting a car from Oakland to Anaheim for a week. The cheapest i found was from fox car rental. A compact SUV for 400+. We are a family of 5 =) But if you are just renting a standard car, you can get it way cheaper of course.. And I also reserved this about 2 months in advance. I checked the same pickup/drop off and dates at Alamo, hertz and budget and fox is way cheaper.. almost half of their price!

 

[DahliaRW]

Last time we did a one way rental the drop off in a different location fee was almost as much as the rental fee. Rediculous! But if you're doing a local rental (pick up and drop off at same place) priceline is fabulous. Got a minivan for $18/day a couple of years ago!

 

[kailuagirl]

Did you check Dollar? They have been the cheapest thus far for our Nov. trip. Check the prices every day, even several times a day as they are always changing. But since I started holding cars for us, price has dropped more than $120 so it's totally worth it to keep checking. The costco deal is also great, but I've never found it good in So Cal, only Vegas.

Good luck!!

 

[alyssa810]

My DH is another daily checker. When we originally booked our car for the end of September, it was $300+. Our final price was $136. We did pick up and drop off at LAX though.

I think the drop charge is probably what's keeping your price high.

We've also rented from Advantage in both LA and Las Vegas, and they've been cheap and we didn't have any issues.

 

[jtown]

Just like air fare, car rental rates are kinda random. Adding 1 or more days often reduces the cost. Having a weekend day in the rental period can make a huge difference in the overall rate.

The bottom line is this: Go to expedia and do some tests to see what schedule gets you the best overall cost.

If they rent from Monday thru Saturday, it'll cost a total of about $125. If they rent from Monday thru Friday, it'll cost a total of about $220. If they rent Sunday thru Friday, it'll be about $125. If they rent Sunday thru Saturday, it'll be about $125. Saturday thru Saturday will be about $125. Notice a trend there? The expensive quote is for weekday-only. Because that's probably a business trip that will be paid through a corporate account. Nobody cares what their rental costs when the boss is paying. But throw in a weekend day and it's a vacation rental which is being shopped around by someone who's paying attention to the cost.

So picking up the car a day or two early can cut the cost nearly in half.

Of course, the dropoff fee will be expensive. $100-200.

 

[PrincessMaleficent]

We are also renting a car from Oakland to Anaheim for a week. The cheapest i found was from fox car rental. A compact SUV for 400+. We are a family of 5 =) But if you are just renting a standard car, you can get it way cheaper of course.. And I also reserved this about 2 months in advance. I checked the same pickup/drop off and dates at Alamo, hertz and budget and fox is way cheaper.. almost half of their price!

I usually use fox but thrifty has been cheaper. You might want to check that out. Also fox ahs coupons as well. I live right next to Oakland so I rent from there often for many of our trips. Also thrifty has been having some great deals on there cars.

 

[WonkaKid]

What about using Priceline or one of the other discount travel sites? I've never used them for rental cars but it might be worth looking into.

Highly recommended! I've used them the last three times I've gone to LA. I paid $15 a day on one occasion and they gave me a brand new red Mustang. I've also paid $14 and even $13 per day. Priceline can't be beat!

Rob