Renting a car and taking it to Buffalo

[archdandy]

Okay, so for our upcoming trip we are going with people who live in Toronto and we live about 1.5 hours away from there. We are all flying out from Buffalo so I was thinking about renting a car (we would need a bigger one than we have now to fit everything and everybody) from where we live and picking them up. Then returning it to a dealer in Buffalo once we are settled into the hotel that we are staying in the night before our flight. I've never rented a car before so I'm not sure if this is even possible. Has anyone done this before and if so any tips? Also where should I go for a good price?

 

[twinz]

My advice is to make sure you ask the Car Rental place if you can do this. I have rented in Orlando and dropped off in Miami but its the same state and country. I am not sure if they will let you do it in a different country.

 

[dancin Disney style]

Yes, you can rent in Canada and drop off in Buffalo. It will be rather expensive though.

Your problem will be when you return to Buffalo and need to rent a car to drive home. You won't be able to cross the border with a car with USA plates when you have Canadian ID.

Your best option will be to rent in Canada....park it at BUF while you are away...then drive home and return where you rented it.

Probably even better option is to drive your own car even though it will mean two vehicles for the entire party.

 

[lawboy2001]

Yes, you can rent in Canada and drop off in Buffalo. It will be rather expensive though.

Your problem will be when you return to Buffalo and need to rent a car to drive home. You won't be able to cross the border with a car with USA plates when you have Canadian ID.

Your best option will be to rent in Canada....park it at BUF while you are away...then drive home and return where you rented it.

Probably even better option is to drive your own car even though it will mean two vehicles for the entire party.

Exactly. Even assuming what the OP plans is possible, the fees would be prohibitive. Paying rental fees on the car, while parked, and paying the parking fees at BUF or a hotel in the area, would be cheaper.

 

[archdandy]

Okay, thanks! So does anybody know any places that offer cheap rentals? I'm going to need something bigger as we are four adults and all of our luggage.

 

[jpessa]

Okay, thanks! So does anybody know any places that offer cheap rentals? I'm going to need something bigger as we are four adults and all of our luggage.

That sounds expensive. Did you look into a car service? Between the 4 of you, might be cheaper. I would either take 2 cars or just squeeze into your small car. It the bus. Have you looked into that? I just can't imagine what you will pay to rent a car. Keep us posted! This is intriguing to me.

 

[dancin Disney style]

Okay, thanks! So does anybody know any places that offer cheap rentals? I'm going to need something bigger as we are four adults and all of our luggage.

What do you drive? I don't see how 4 adults and 4 bags could not fit into a small car. You can use the front passenger seat for luggage and put 3 people in the back.

BTW, I don't think there even is such a thing as a cheap rental in Canada. The last time I rented a car here it was $40/day.

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

This might be totally not your thing, but what about the Megabus? They offer transportation from Toronto to the Buffalo airport according to this link:

http://www.coachcanada.com/coachcanada/?_lp.lang=en

I bet it would be way cheaper than a car rental with exorbitant drop fees.

 

[dancin Disney style]

This might be totally not your thing, but what about the Megabus? They offer transportation from Toronto to the Buffalo airport according to this link:

http://www.coachcanada.com/coachcanada/?_lp.lang=en

I bet it would be way cheaper than a car rental with exorbitant drop fees.

This probably would be super cheap....you can often get one leg of a RT for $1.

 

[archdandy]

What do you drive? I don't see how 4 adults and 4 bags could not fit into a small car. You can use the front passenger seat for luggage and put 3 people in the back.

BTW, I don't think there even is such a thing as a cheap rental in Canada. The last time I rented a car here it was $40/day.

We drive a Kia Rio four door. It's pretty small. I'm going to stuff some luggage in there tonight and see how much I can actually get in.