Ugh! Need a cheap mini van rental from LGB

[danabalana]

So, I'm going with a group of ladies to DLR in September. Yay

We are renting a car because one of us is not a complete dis fanatic and might want to venture off on her own (Away from the parks )

So, does anyone know how to get the cheapest deal?? I can't find much about car rental on the transportation area of the sticky.

 

[Lissame]

I had pretty good luck with Travelocity's good deals section. I put in my car rental info and then at the top it said "Good news, we've found special deals" I got a great deal on a car through Budget for our recent vacation.

Unfortunately, since the LGB airport is SO small, you're unlikely to find a fabulous deal on a mini-van. They only have a smallish parking lot for the cars, and I saw mostly full sized cars like a Camry or smaller.

I have also used Priceline, but with our recent trip through LGB the Travelocity deal was a lot cheaper than anything else (even the Entertainment book rates directly through the car sites)

How many of you are there? Do you really need that large of a vehicle if there is only one of your group driving around?

 

[Kittyskyfish]

I know you can go to sites like Priceline.com and do a search with your dates and airport. I just did one for LGB for one week in October and all the rental agencies pop up with price quotes from all car rental groups (including mini vans!).

 

[aristocat65]

Have you checked the DIS transportation forum? Although it is WDW related, the codes people mention, etc can often be used anywhere in the country.
I also check mousesavers rental car section. There are great codes (walmart) that can be used by anyone and links to current coupons.
We like Alamo/ National and sign up for their emails. They send email coupons every week that can be combined with various codes.
Lastly, remember you can book and cancel many times at no cost. All the info you need to give them is your name and email. I check the prices every couple of days or so and they do go up and down.
Good Luck

 

[carolinamama]

I don't know what you definition of 'cheap' is, but we rented a minivan with Alamo through costco.com. They have a lot of discounts, and they don't charge to add a second driver. We got a minivan for a week from John Wayne airport for just under $400.

 

[akashellrae]

I need a mini van in september as well. Renting from the airport is more expensive because of taxes. We just need a van for one day and renting from alamo in anaheim was $64 from costco. If your friend is willing to rent by herself for one day so she can go off she can get a car for much cheaper.

 

[Kittyskyfish]

I need a mini van in september as well. Renting from the airport is more expensive because of taxes. We just need a van for one day and renting from alamo in anaheim was $64 from costco. If your friend is willing to rent by herself for one day so she can go off she can get a car for much cheaper.

This is a great point! Alamo is convenient to the park and she may want to do a short-term rental on a day she plans to get away.

I don't know how long your group plans to be in CA, how long you plan on being at DL, do you have other places to see, etc. If you wanted to keep your options open, then I think it's reasonable for everyone to split-fee and keep a rental the entire trip for the group. If you had a party of 6 women, that can make the cost pretty reasonable. It also opens up a lot of conveniences for the group - going to breakfast at the Original Pancake House, headed to Target or drugstores in case you need toiletries, clothing or medicine, groceries, etc.

Make sure you factor in hotel parking fees, if applicable.

 

[danabalana]

Thanks for all the great suggestions.

I'll check costco and mousesavers. I haven't tried those yet.

We have 5 people with a possible 6th coming.

We also want to get groceries and coffee for the a.m. on our way to the hotel.

Woohoo!!! Can't wait. With summer here, these 2 months will fly by

 

[akashellrae]

I have also seen people get a mini van out of LGB for $20 a day when bidding on priceline. No hurt in trying that.

 

[heatherleigh]

I don't know what you definition of 'cheap' is, but we rented a minivan with Alamo through costco.com. They have a lot of discounts, and they don't charge to add a second driver. We got a minivan for a week from John Wayne airport for just under $400.

This is an amazing price! Does this include taxes & fees? I will have to look into Costco. We were pricing out at about the same for 4 days (taxes included). We are picking up in San Diego, which may make a difference, but it's still something for me to look into.

 

[carolinamama]

This is an amazing price! Does this include taxes & fees? I will have to look into Costco. We were pricing out at about the same for 4 days (taxes included). We are picking up in San Diego, which may make a difference, but it's still something for me to look into.

Yes, that was the final price! We booked back in March for our June/July trip. I watched the price, and it only went up. I may have grabbed it at a low! We priced it out of LAX, too, before we decided on our airport, and it was double the price. So yes, pick up location can make a HUGE difference!