Renting a Van to Drive to Florida

[The House of Mouse]

Not sure if this is an urban myth or not. Someone once told me about a family that rented a van here in Ontario to drive to WDW. Has anyone ever done this or know of anyone? My parents would like to go with us on our next trip in 06, any ideas anyone?

 

[SnowWhite]

We had booked a van to drive to Disney in 2000 but eventually we cancelled and flew because we kept getting the run around. When we originally booked they told us that it was unlimited kilometres and it was fine to take across the border ( alot don't allow this). When we called to change our ressie by one day the amount we were originally quoted doubled and we were no longer allowed to take it across the border.

Needless to say we eventually flew! There may be some rental companies that still allow unlimited kilometres and allow cross border driving....check around.


Good Luck!!! Carol

 

[mc'smommy]

I there I can clear this up for you somewhat... A similar thing happened to us, we rented a van to go to Pennsylvania a couple of years back. We had no problems at all, and in fact thought hey instead of putting the miles and where and tear on our van why not rent one.. It was cheap enough...

when we told them we wanted to go FLorida in it they said no way... For insurance reasons was the excuse... they wanted us to get insurance per day which was fine except the 14 day rental was going to cost us $ 1200.00

$ 1200.00 for two weeks of insurance and rental.. We flew for half of that and rented from Alamo when we got there... And saved oursleves $ 400.00

Also our own insurance agent said it is because of liablity that they don't want the cars to go down that far, for example if you get a speeding ticket and the car is a rental, that particular state can come after the rental agency if you don't pay that ticket once you return !


... I can suggest renting from across the border, and take it down...

Good Luck

 

[CharlesTD]

I beleive that Canadave rented a van to go down a year or so ago from what I had read on here. Contact him and ask but then again I could be wrong but it doesn't hurt to ask.

 

[cabmom]

Hi, we've rented a van 2 or 3 times now from Hodge at Steeles and Yonge. I have a friend in the rental business. We rented a Caravan each time. It was $30/day unlimited only because my friend got us that rate. We had no issues.
We are debated doing that again this March, with having the extra child this time. I'd like to fly out of Buffalo and rent once we get to Orlando, but we'll see as the time gets closer. They never had an issue with unlimited mileage or us taking the van to Florida. However, the last time was October 2002.

Marilynn

 

[hockey mom]

Yes you need Canadave to respond.

I believe he rented for around $650 for the week and loved it.

 

[Canadave]

I'm here....yes, we rented a new (had about 15000 km.) Dodge Grand Caravan (with DVD player!!!!) from Avis in Oshawa...February 2004...for 2 weeks plus 1 day....unlimited milage...it included one of the two insurances, liability I think (I added the other to my own insurance and it cost me like $10, or something like that)..........under $700 including tax!!!!

I will say.....do your homework!!.......I went to all the usual suspects and was quoted (with the exception of Avis) from $1000 to $2000...and a few of the dealers would not rent vehicles to go into the U.S. or had lower quality vehicles.

Don't want to sound like a broken record or an advertisement, but because of the great service I received as well as getting the best rate around, AVIS gets my pick for rental company. I've recommended this dealership to many people and they have been happy. Even though I had to travel 1 1/4 hours to get there, it was well worth the drive and effort.

 

[DisFan2]

We just returned our van (2005 Chevy Uplander) that we rented from Alamo here in Ottawa. If I hadn't added my wife as an additional driver (an extra $10/day) - the rate for 18 days in total, including unlimited kms, was about $950. I used the Collision/Comp coverage from my MasterCard, so that eliminated a good chunk of $ that would have gone to insurance cover.

 

[wychwood]

Just returned from Florida. Rented a 2005 Pontiac Montana from Discount Car and Truck Rentals. (Markham and Sheppard location) It was an 18 day rental with 6,100 km limit. Total cost with all taxes was $865.06. Insurance was covered via the use of my Visa Gold Card plus my auto insurance covers up to $40,000 in vehicle damages.

My wife's uncle is in the insurance business and was able to secure the deal via the neighbouring car dealership.

It was a great vehicle and if I can secure another deal like this, I would do it in a heartbeat.

 

[laura001]

We rented a Rendezvous this past May with unlimited mileage from Budget. It was very inexpensive (I am sure between 300 and 400) for 8 days. Our own insurance coverage covered the van so nothing extra needed there. I know that Hertz rents unlimited mileage on a few vehicles also....they were more expensive. What I did was book both of them and when I went to pick up the one at Budget and everything was fine, I called and cancelled the one from Hertz (there is no charge to do this). A few years ago we rented a van and had no back up reservation and when we went to get the vehicle they didn't have it, so we had to scurry to find another. So make sure that you have it secured. This time we had no problem and it worked out great. I think if you read some of my other posts it has the exact amount that we paid.

 

[lgaston]

Wow, the proof the DISboards answer all questions!

My question tho' is how far ahead you should book your rental? And does booking in advance garanteed the best price, hoes does it work?

So far, for my trip in May (13-28) for a 19 days rental I get price around 900$ to 1330$. And at that price... well c'est pas intéressant

Any advice?

Thanks!

 

[The House of Mouse]

Thanks for all your replies. So far, I have booked through Alamo in Bolton (closest Alamo to Barrie) for a rate of 900 including taxes. They said they would try to find me one with a DVD. This is for 14 days over March Break. Has anyone found anything cheaper than this?

Thanks.

 

[tmli]

If you are a CAA member check with your local office. They do what is called a prepaid with Hertz and apparently have really good rates. It is like a voucher that you purchase from caa for the cost of the rental and exchange it at hertz for the vehicle. From what I have seen in some instances it has been a very good deal.

If you are not a member I would check anyways...it may save you enough to buy a membership (there is an ala carte for $32 that is not road service).

If I were you I would also contact avis...when you have the benefit of a personal experience like canadeve's it helps.

 

[SnowWhite]

I was just at Budget Rent-a-car here in Peterborough as I got my oil changed at Canadian Tire Gas bar on Lansdowne st. and that is where their location is. I was talking to the lady in charge of rentals and she said that now they will rent vans to drive to florida as they allow border crossings. I inquired on a two week rental cost and was told $1100. is the book rate, BUT she would certainly rent for cheaper than that. I told her that I was involved with a HUGE group of people that would be interested in renting vans from time to time for driving to disney and next thing you know she is quoting around $750.00 for two weeks. Just thought I would let you know if anyone was interested..........If anyone here in Peterborough area wants more info I can give you her contact info.

Rob (Snowwhite's DH)

 

[Canadave]

tmli...as a long time member of CAA, I figured they would have the best rental agency in their store, but I was very disappointed with their quote a couple of years ago...more than twice the price of Avis ....and the VHS player (yes, VHS) was going to cost me even more!
Maybe they have changed, or maybe there is big differences from location to location...but as I said before...Do Your Research!

Rob...that inconsistancy is the kind of thing that really bugs me with the rental companies...how can there be THAT much of a drop ....$350!!

 

[tmli]

CAA isn't a "rental agency" as such. They sell on behalf of the car rental companies. There may always be times when CAA is not your best deal, but as a member it is wise to check first. Keep in mind no matter where you call you are at the mercy of the person on the other end of the line. How much searching they do and their knowledge. It is common with car rentals for local agencies to offer better deals than those available by their head office or a travel agency.

Always be sure to be comparing apples to apples...for example the hertz prepaid I talked about includes all insurances, an extra driver fee, all taxes, surcharges, a tank of fuel....this may be overkill for some and you don't need all of these features. In which case you are going to shop for something that includes what you need.

 

[The House of Mouse]

CAA almost had me! Unfortunately though, they gave me the wrong information. Last year's prices and initially they told me there was no additional fee for extra drivers as long as they are also CAA members. But this is only so if you get the inclusive higher rate which we don't need b/c our gold card covers this.

Avis in Newmarket had a good rate, but not unlimited kms, paying for the extra kms would take me over $1000 there.

 

[tmli]

I am sorry you got the wrong information...unfortunately it happens to often. This is the prepaid I was talking about and if you don't need everything it is not a good deal. I hope you find something reasonable.

BTW I work at CAA but I am not a travel agent (here anyways, I am by trade). So I am not soliciting clients or anything, just passing on information.

 

[The House of Mouse]

That's okay. I am a huge fan of CAA, have had a membership since I began driving I think! We make use of all your services, no soliciting going on here.