I haven't rented a car in years

[pittsburghmarc]

Any suggestions would be appreciated. Renting Wed-Sun out of Charlotte Airport.

Any secrets to find the best rate? It seems very smoke and mirrors.

 

[clh2]

Our last car rental experience was irritating. The person at the counter who was trying to sell EVERYTHING...kept saying...YOU ARE IN NEVADA NOW. (Thank heavens...the pilot did not get lost)

The base rental cost is one thing.

The pressure for all the "add-ons" when you pick up your car is getting obscene. All I can say in advance is - make sure you have a copy of your insurance card, and know what your insurance will cover if you get into an accident.

Also - is there a fee for additional drivers, i.e. a spouse, or a significant other?

We would never pay the fee for a GPS - we usually bring our own, or use our car phones.

Do you need car seats - it has been awhile since I've needed those., so I have no clue what current policies on those are. Check out this in advance to.

Also - make sure the car you rent will fit the luggage you will be bringing.

Taxes for car rentals are absurd (IMO.) I don't know if there is anyway around this.

It also seems like many car rentals are offering (FOR A FEE) the option to purchase the tank of gas that is in the car when you leave, and then you don't have to worry about filling the tank upon your return. I LOVE this, DH hates this. IMO - not to have to find a gas station prior to returning the car is priceless - we just watch our gague closely. Now - if we were only going to be putting on 100 miles on the car - we would never pick this option.

Good Luck!

 

[Imzadi]

Look for car rental threads in this forum. They should have some good discount coupons for each of the rental agencies.

http://www.fatwallet.com/forums/travel-discussion/

 

[tar heel]

We've had rentals from Enterprise twice in the past two months and have not had them to try to sell us anything at pick-up either time. It had been years since we rented a car, but I was expecting the song and dance about extra insurance and got only asked if we wanted it and no comment when I said "no." Our insurance covers us in rental cars AND I made sure to use a credit card that had rental car benefits.

As far as pricing goes, I think you do better online and in advance. We got ours on a whim after arriving in San Francisco and paid too much.