Recommendations for Car Rental Company?

[bamagirl@hrt]

We are going on a vacation that requires us to rent a car. We're traveling out west to Yellowstone NP and Grand Teton NP and Salt Lake City. I have never rented a car and don't know one company from another. I've looked at several online, but can't tell much of a difference between them.

Those of you who rent cars often (or have rented in the recent past), what company do you recommend? Is there one that should be avoided? For my trip, I'm finding that Avis has the cheapest price so far. Any thoughts on them?

Any help is appreciated!

 

[ajh88]

We usually rent from Avis - have for over 7 years now. I like them because you don't have to rent at an airport (and pay crazy high fees associated with it) and because they have truly unlimited miles. We checked into Enterprise (I think) for our last trip because the weekly rental rate was cheaper, but you only get unlimited miles in surrounding states. Otherwise, you get charged per mile (after a certain allotted amount). In the end, it would have been about 3 times more to rent from them because we were going beyond "neighboring" states.

If you are just renting at the airport and will be staying in the same or neighboring states, you might check out the Enterprise rates though.

 

[bamagirl@hrt]

Thanks for the quick and positive response. In further research, it appears that Alamo and National do not have SUVs out of Jackson Hole, where we'll be picking up. Also looks like Enterprise doesn't even have a location in Jackson Hole.

The main thing I wanted was to hear some real-life experiences. Sounds like Avis has worked for your family for several years. They have the SUV we need at a slightly better price than Hertz, so I'll probably just keep that.

Thanks for sharing!

 

[Dismom55]

I have done both Avis and Hertz, with Hertz I can get my AAA discount.

I tend to shop around, I will reserve a vehicle, then once a week I search again using the same dates and such. Often time I can get a better rate by doing that. Once I went from paying over $500 for a mid size sedan to less than $350 for a mini van. So it pay to keep searching after you have made a reservation, just don't forget to cancel the costlier rental. I have experienced that they will call about 24 hours ahead to see if you are still needing the rental.

You can check the details from each rental company, make sure it is unlimited miles and that the place where you plan to drop off is open the day and time you plan to return the vehicle, otherwise they may be entitled to charge you until the facility reopens. (sample, you drop off late Friday, they do not reopen until Monday AM, they can charge you for Saturday and Sunday if it is their policy.

Good Luck! Just dig right in and ask questions.

 

[mrspaha]

I haven't rented a car in quite a while, but it seems to me that the Entertainment Book used to have coupons where you could get really good deals. (Don't currently have an Entertainment Book, so I can't check it for you).

When we've rented in the past, we always got the best deals from Budget or Enterprise.

Be sure to confirm with your insurance agent ahead of time that you will have the proper coverage for a car rental. I know the car rental companies always try to get you to pay for insurance coverage from them, which could be quite expensive.

 

[bamagirl@hrt]

Thanks for the tips, everyone! I agree that it's a good idea to check back periodically for deals. I see some discounts on the hertz website that are only valid through the end of March or April. Maybe later there will be discounts for June...

I have also checked with my insurance company regarding coverage on a rental car. I was told as long as we have comprehensive coverage on our automobiles (we do) then we'll be covered in a rental car. The rental company insurance is such a riot!

Again, thanks for the advice.

 

[Kathi OD]

We rent through Dollar, Enterprise, & Alamo regularly, all without any problems.
We've only used Hertz once, and didn't have a problem with them either.

We're doing a Yellowstone/Grand Teton trip in August, but I haven't started looking at car deals yet.

 

[swilshire]

You have to be careful, because some companies will specifically prohibit crossing state lines. We had that problem once when flying into Denver. We couldn't go to New Mexico as we had planned.

Since that, I always use National. I always confirm it with them via email before arriving, but have never been prohibited from crossing state lines or international borders with them.

Sheila