Thinking about renting a car instead of taking the Disneyland Express

[Lynzer Torte]

We've taken the Disneyland Express about 4 times now and have loved it. It takes us directly to and from the DLH for a reasonable cost.

I've been toying with the idea of renting a car instead so we can explore L.A. a bit more (read: "16 year old not excited about going to DL"). Also, our baby requires whole milk which is not to be found in the parks and we'd have to go to the store and buy some once we get there.

Is it possible to rent a midsize car from LAX for around $130? I've never rented a car myself and am a little overwhelmed with all the options. Does anyone have some good website recommendations and/or coupons?

TIA!

 

[bumbershoot]

We used hotwire and got a mid-sized car (which turned out to be the extremely cool Chevy HHR in a gorgeous red) for a total of $75 for 3 days. Unlimited mileage, and we didn't get the collision damage waiver b/c that was covered by using our credit card.

I read betterbidding.com for info on using priceline and hotwire, and went with hotwire b/c I'm chicken of bidding (always use buy it now on ebay) AND b/c time was running too short to put in a bid, re-bid, etc. I'm sure if I used priceline I could have gotten it MUCH lower.

So try it!

 

[Lynzer Torte]

Yeah, I'm scared of bidding also! I'll have to research that site to see if I can gain some courage!

 

[got2travel]

I always rent a car when I fly to DL. (Many times I just drive down from northern CA though).

Here's what I do
I start looking as soon as I know when I'm traveling. I continue checking once a week up until about 1 month prior to traveling. At that point I check a few times a week. If rates have gone down, I make a new reservation with the lower rate, then go in and cancel my previous reservation. Sometimes modifying reservations doesn't work out to well.

Check rates on Hotwire. Make sure you pay attention to the total with taxes and fees. You won't know the rental agency, but it will either be Avis, Enterprise, National, Alamo or Budget. They do not use the smaller agecncies.

Price out the car on the various rental agencies websites. Use discount and coupon codes from mousesavers.com. Make a reservation with whichever agency has the lowest rate even if it's higher than Hotwire. Most will allow you to make a reservation without a credit card, so no obligation. This way I know I have a car reserved, but I can continue watching rates.

If I'm finding better rates directly from the agency, that's usually who I'll go with. If the rates on Hotwire are better than directly from the rental agencies, the I'll try to beat the rate on Priceline. (Priceline and Hotwire are usually similarly priced). I bid about $5 per day lower than the Hotwire rate. If Priceline accepts, I'm all set. If not this is when I make a decision as to wether to go with Hotwire or directly with the agency. That all comes down to which agency is giving me the lowest rate. I've got my prefernces which have to do mostly with frequent flyer/renter credits.

I do not bid on Priceline or Hotwire until about 10 days prior to travel unless Hotwire comes up with a $9.95 per day rate, then I jump on that, there's no way I could beat it.


I'm planning a trip in March and so far I'm looking at about $92 for a midsize Thurs - Sunday rental. This is at National with a discount code and free weekend day coupon I found on mousesavers. In my experience this will go down to about $75 by the time I travel.

 

[JenDisneylandlver]

We always rent a car also. It is so nice! Makes it so you can get to stores, gives you a much bigger variety of places to eat, and lets you explore other attractions if you want! Well worth the money IMO.

 

[DahliaRW]

I did priceline for the first time, and it was scary, but totally worth it and it all worked out great! We got a mini-van for a steal! I would do it again any time. No way I'm ever paying regular price for a rental again!

 

[LucyDingo]

We usually book our car on orbitz.com or expedia.com because that's where we book our plane tickets and hotel.

 

[jlmarr]

Another option is to take the DL Express both ways and only rent the car for the days you need it - there are 2 or 3 rental car offices in the DLR vicinity. This tactic saves on the # of rental days, saves on parking fees at the hotel (if applicable), and enables you to rent a smaller car since you don't need to transport luggage. Of course you need to run the numbers - if you have a large group then maybe it doesn't work for you.

 

[MomofM&M]

Another option is to take the DL Express both ways and only rent the car for the days you need it - there are 2 or 3 rental car offices in the DLR vicinity. This tactic saves on the # of rental days, saves on parking fees at the hotel (if applicable), and enables you to rent a smaller car since you don't need to transport luggage. Of course you need to run the numbers - if you have a large group then maybe it doesn't work for you.

There is an Alamo rent a car center in DTD. I passed by it several times walking to the parks from PPH in the past three days. HTH!

 

[DahliaRW]

There is an Alamo rent a car center in DTD. I passed by it several times walking to the parks from PPH in the past three days. HTH!

There are several rental places located in various hotels in the area as well.