renting a car for the whole trip.....

lovedisney123

DIS Veteran
Joined
Jun 22, 2013
Messages
560
We have never done this, but if we were to rent a car and drive it to our destination and use it for a week and then drive it back home......would the rental car place (Budget) replace it if it broke down in a state other than where we rented it? And would they offer road side assistance if something happened?

Our car could probably make it fine, but if it broke down then we would have to wait for it to get repaired and we would be far from home. So I was wondering it if might be better to rent a car so if something happened we could continue on our trip without interruption....and hopefully this would not be an issue especially since the rental would be much newer than our car.
Thanks!
 
I'm sure the policies are all over the map. Best thing you can do is can & ask. Make sure to check on unlimited mileage. Some companies have unlimited miles for "this" car, but not "that" one.
 
in my experience YES

but you also need to check the rules about taking the rental out of state. Sometimes this is not permitted under the basic contract and if that IS the case for you, and you CALLED from out of the rental state they could accuse you of a) violating the contract and b) stealing the car . . . so ASK . . .

The danger here is when you rent, if doing it on the web, you are going to say "rent for X days and return to same office I get it from", which sounds like my car is broke so I'm going to be doing normal commute stuff .... while in fact you will be driving FAR ...

You CAN do this .. but it may cost you more that a simple daily charge .... MAYBE
 
Oh.....OK....I didn't realize. I guess we will need to talk to them and ask about this. But yes, we would be driving a lot and then returning to the same location we picked it up.
 

I would check the rental terms. I'm not sure about repairs. Last April we rented an SUV from our local (Massachusetts) Hertz location and drove it to and from WDW. I checked online to make sure there were no location limits and unlimited mileage, and when we picked it up I also asked in person.
 
Most major car rental agencies cars do not have high mileage, they get rid of them after they hit a certian mileage limit so a breakdown should not be an issue. However anything can happen so it's always a good idea to check. Depending on what credit card you use your credit card company may cover you for certian things, so give them a call.

As others have said call/check the website of the car rental agency and check with what they offer and will cover. Budgets can be found here
Budget FAQ's


Most major agencies do have unlimited miles and allow you to drive them to any state, but again always a good idea to check. I know at one point for example Enterprise would only allow you to drive in to certian states depending on where you rented and limited the mileage, not sure if that has changed since they added airport locations. They used only have neighborhood locations and pretty much specialized in rentals for those who needed a car due to a brerakdown or accident, not people on vacation.
 
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I have never had an issue doing both round trip and one way rentals.

I use to rent moving trucks and we didn't care what/how many states you went through even on "in town" trucks which you returned to same location.


But like said I would definitely ask and most definitely get that policy in writing. If its not covered but you are told it is and something happens it may be a fight. But if you have it in writing not much they can do.
 
We rent from our local Avis every trip with unlimited mileage but roadside assistance is additional and our AAA will only cover towing within a certain mile range.
 
no worries.

Make sure you get unlimited miles and out of state waiver or denotation.

MOST rental fleets tend to be new cars....less than 7,500 miles. so they shouldn't "break down". If they do, you go to that brands dealer and call the rental company.

I am 42 years old and NEVER had a rental break down.

Last year we rented a mini van and drove it from st. lois to wow and back. no issues and that trip put 2,500 miles on the van.
 
Otherwise if you get a flat tire or break down you will be responsible for paying for a tow. And Budget will not bring you another vehicle

Thats the same thing that would happen if you were driving your personal car. a flat is a flat. you have to get it fixed yourself.
 
No you will not be offered road side assistance. You will need to buy their (budgets) road side assist coverage. http://www.budget.com/budgetWeb/html/en/smartservices/roadsidesafety.html

Otherwise if you get a flat tire or break down you will be responsible for paying for a tow. And Budget will not bring you another vehicle

This is incorrect (at least for Budget). If you decided not to purchase Budget's Roadside Safety Net, and you broke down, you would still call the number for Roadside (which is located on the back of the keychain). They will provide a tow truck, put the spare on the vehicle, recharge the battery, provide emergency fuel if you run out, provide lockout service and/or arrange for a replacement vehicle (or direct you to the nearest Budget, where you will be able to get a replacement vehicle).

The difference is, that if you purchase Roadside, you just pay the contracted rate ($6.49/day). There is no deductible or additional charges. If you need Roadside, and have not purchased the optional coverage, you will be responsible for the cost of the tow, repairs and administrative fees, which generally runs MUCH higher than the coverage amount.
 














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