Priceline?car rental???

[allysmom1218]

I was wondering if anyone has ever used Priceline for car rentals? I am especially interested in the Name Your Own Price option. I was just wondering if the car that you got for that price was as or equal to the quality of other rentals? I just don't want to be stuck with a bad rental car from an off the wall company that no one has ever heard of before. I used Alamo car rental for our last trip to WDW (6/07) and I was very impressed with how easy it was to just walk across the street at the airport and to pick out the car that you wanted from a group of cars in the category that you rented from. We got an intermediate SUV which turned out to be a Saturn Vue with only 3,000 miles on it and we really enjoyed it on our trip. The cost for an 8 day rental was only $185. which included all of the extra taxes and fees. I am needing to rent another car for 9/20-9/25 and 12/9-12/15, so any help would be appreciated!!!!

Thanks,
Mechelle

 

[Mish]

I just did Priceline on Sunday for my first time and got a Minivan at Alamo for 9 days for $238.46. I was getting much higher prices doing it myself at all the car rental sites. I am picking up at MCO. Hope this helps.

 

[happymommy]

You can check out what some folks have gotten by logging onto biddingfortravel.com
It helped me get a rental car for $10/day in St. Louis last month through priceline.

 

[Fonzy13]

I've used Priceline six times in the past year for weekend trips with the NYOP and have never had an issue. One time I got a car that was a little lack luster, but I wouldn't be afraid to use it.

Last time, I ended up with a 2007 Mustang (free upgrade b/c they overbooked), for $19/day.

 

[inkkognito]

Priceline uses major vendors, so there is absolutely no difference between the cars you get through bidding and the ones you would get with a direct reservation. Be aware that you could possibly get Hertz (offsite but painless) rather than an onsite company.

 

[CarolA]

Priceline uses major vendors, so there is absolutely no difference between the cars you get through bidding and the ones you would get with a direct reservation. Be aware that you could possibly get Hertz (offsite but painless) rather than an onsite company.

Hertz would be fine... I can't use PL because there is just too high a risk I will get Alamo...

 

[SB in KY]

Priceline rentals only use Alamo, National, Avis, Hertz and Budget...I use them whenever I cannot find a bargain rate via standard booking options....in the last 18 months we have had 3 Priceline reservations at MCO, Avis twice and Budget once...although any of the 5 are certainly a possibility. The cars are exactly the same as you would get with a standard booking.

 

[Mish]

Hertz would be fine... I can't use PL because there is just too high a risk I will get Alamo...

Is Alamo that bad? This will be my first time using them. What is wrong with them?

 

[CarolA]

Is Alamo that bad? This will be my first time using them. What is wrong with them?

I despise them. HOWEVER, my problem with them was over 10 years ago and at the Atlanta airport so it's not really relevant.

I generally say "never say never", but when I told Alamo NEVER AGAIN, I meant it....

I am sure you will not have my horror story so don't worry about it.

 

[Mish]

ok thanks. I can always try once.

 

[bab31]

Just got back from San Fran- had a priceline rental thru Avis. Nice car, nice price. 6 days $113 - I plan on never doing the coupon search again. This was cheaper and easier. Just go to Hotwire, see what those prices are and start your bidding 30 to 40% less than hotwire. But once you buy it is yours, so be sure all your info is correct.

 

[SB in KY]

Alamo isnt my favorite rental agency at MCO (mostly because the lines are so long as a rule), but honestly we have never had any problem with the service or vehicles, so if I get them through Priceline I just figure the wait may be a little longer, but to save significant $$ I will take the chance (and we have rarely gotten them at MCO anyways)

Besides no matter who I rent from I invariable get behind a couple who do not have a reservation, do not speak English or Spanish, do not have a credit card or a US drivers license and cannot decide what kind of car they want to rent...it is an uncanny ability I have!!

 

[kitkatsmom]

I tried multiple times over the past few weeks to get a good deal from priceline.
I kept trying prices between 15 and 20 dollars for compact size cars and I kept getting rejected.

On a whim I upgraded to a mid sized car for a bid of 20.00 and was accepted.
Which I am very happy about.

I had a compact car ressie with thrifty for 159.60 for the 5 nights (cheapest I could find in sarasota's airport)

Priceline gave me the midsized for a total of 150.40
So I am happy getting the bigger car for slightly less.

It's with Avis by the way.

 

[SB in KY]

Good job KitKatsMom...and you got Avis to boot...I think they are my favorite at MCO (mostly because I have never had to wait in line there!!).
Can you tell us your dates?? I am still trying for late July beginning of August.

 

[kitkatsmom]

Good job KitKatsMom...and you got Avis to boot...I think they are my favorite at MCO (mostly because I have never had to wait in line there!!).
Can you tell us your dates?? I am still trying for late July beginning of August.

I am actually flying into sarasota (SRQ) airport not Orlando. We are going to do a few days on the beach (gulf of mexico) first.

I think the prices I was finding were a little higher there since its not as big of an airport.
The dates in mid july

 

[checkwriter]

I tried Priceline for the first time after hearing one of the many Disney podcast commentators mention he had gotten a $9/day rental . . . So I shopped a bit for a good rate for a week in Ft. Lauderdale, then bid $14/day for an Avis economy, which was accepted. With taxes, it's more than that, of course: on top of a $98 total rental fee, add some $79 in taxes and whatnot. Still, a lot less than what I was looking at otherwise.

 

[QT Pooh]

Don't be afraid of Alamo at MCO. They have the check-in kiosks right there at the counter and you can bypass the lines - even with a priceline rental reservation. I did this in February and everything worked out fine. I was extremely pleased with the rental.

 

[jcanary]

I just used priceline NYOP for MCO and got ALAMO, we almost always use them. I bid 14 for a mid size and it was accepted first time. We are going the last week in August. We also have their quick silver membership and sometimes they let you just walk across the street and get your car directly from the booth over in the garage. these is the second time I have used NYOP and I like it. I have saved over $60 or more on the cheapest coupon code. So for the week I am paying something like 134 with tax and all.