July 2017 Car Rental Help

[mamasakos]

Hi everyone!
I am traveling with family mid-July to Cali. We'll be in San Deigo for a few days and then up to DL for the rest of our vacation, leaving out of SD again.

We need a mini-van and the cheapest I can find is $620 for our 10 days! GAH! I'm not a Costco or BJ's member. I'm looking for any other tips or advice on getting a cheaper rental.

TIA!
Stephanie

 

[StormyCA]

Can't give specific help, but that's only $62.00 per day. I'd say that's pretty par for the course for a minivan in the summer.

Will you need a car every day? Maybe you could consolidate your sight-seeing/driving needs and rent less than 10 days. Another thing to consider is that there can be really cheap ^weekend^ rates (usually covering Thu-Mon) on cars. I've seen around $26.00 total/day for a small sedan. Maybe it would work out cheaper to rent two small cars if you have two drivers and can break up your rental dates.

 

[peg110]

That's $62 dollars a day. While it's high, not sure what you are expecting? Even my "Economy" rental (compact) is about $30/day.

I will say, however, you CAN negotiate with them. Call the agency and tell them what you want and tell them the price you can (or are willing to pay). While slightly different, I have done this while renting a car while my vehicle was being repaired. My insurance covers $30/day. I really didn't care what kind of vehicle I drove (mine is an F-250 Crew Cab) but they gave me an F-150. They marked it down to $30/day but then they wanted to add "Fees". I told them I would pay $30/day.... Out the door because that's what insurance pays. Not a penny more. No Fees, no taxes, no extras, etc... $30/day. Guess what? I got an F-150 (Crew Cab) for $30/day

It's a tough business for them and they want ALL they can get. You'd be surprised how much they will negotiate (better than Priceline or Kayak or others too).

 

[jmcross]

Try BJ's car rental page. They were much lower than anywhere else I could find.
http://travel.bjs.com/car-rentals/

 

[jmcross]

Sorry, just reread and saw that you're not a BJ's member. Might be worth it to join for $50 to save hundreds.

 

[Sergio S]

Looking around a couple of sites, those dates aren't coming up cheap. Have you consider getting a shuttle to the hotel and maybe shaving a day off or two the rental price. Also, look around to see if there are rental companies OUTSIDE the airport area. It sounds crazy but when I went on a business trip, I quoted Hertz at the airport at 279 a week but I found a smaller Hertz a few miles down and it was 185 a week.

 

[dismiss]

Yes if you can get a rental off airport property it is usually cheaper. It is a bit of a hassle to send the driver ahead to the rental co & then come back to the airport to pick up the rest of your crew & do that in reverse coming home. But it depends on how much the savings is. But $620 is not a bad price for 10 days minivan

 

[peg110]

And if a BJs membership is going to save you MORE than the cost of the membership... Why not do it, right?

 

[theluckyrabbit]

Check Mousesavers.com to see if there is a deal that could work for you. Also, try Priceline, Hotwire, or a similar company. A friend of ours got the rental for her vacation (not a minivan) for $11 per day on Priceline. It was a nice car and worked well for her family.

 

[Elima2015]

That is actually a pretty good rate for a mini-van. For 10 days, you probably crossed into two weekly rates rather than weekly + 3 daily rates. When we rent a minivan, it usually runs us around $300-$350 per week. The best ways I can see to make it cheaper are to look at renting two sedans if you have two drivers available and only if the inconvenience of being in two cars is worth it. Or you could also look at ditching the rental car for the days you are in Disney.

 

[Nevada Jen]

Definitely look at whether you can cut some days off your rental. Not sure where you are staying in SD but the downtown area is really close to the airport. It might be a lot cheaper to do your first day or two in SD without a car and then rent one for a day or two of SD and then drive to Disney. Return the car at a location near Disney and then rent a new one on the day you need to head back to the airport. 62 bucks a day is not bad for a minvan. If that price actually includes the taxes and fees its a very good deal. I can't imiagine why you would need it for your Disney days though and there may be a parking fee where you are staying.

 

[SteveMP]

You could probably save money flying into SD, taking the trolley or Old Town Trolley tour around here, then taking the Coaster/Surfliner up to Anaheim and Uber, then flying out of John Wayne if possible.

 

[oakleycat]

That's a good price for a minivan out of the airport in San Diego in the middle of summer!

 

[oakleycat]

Just checked Costco travel out of curiosity and a 10 day minivan rental mid-July out of the airport in SD is running around $900!

 

[peg110]

Hmmm... I think we lost the OP.