Which rental car company should I use?

[Eloi]

Hello,

Our family of 4 (2 adults, 2 children) is flying to Orlando on August 16 via JetBlue. We want to rent a car from Aug. 16 to Aug. 30 (probably economy or compact)

I've found that the prices vary a lot. We seem to get the best deal right now from Thrifty ($300 grand total for a Dodge Neon, some others places would charge close to $500 to get something similar). Is Thrifty reliable? Is the service good? Are the cars in good shape?

If I don't rent from them, which company should I use to have a good deal, cause the budget is tight...

Anyone has value codes, or coupons for the time I'll rent?

Thanks a lot.

 

[Lewisc]

The economy and even the compact cars have very limited trunk space. With 4 in the car you're limited to how much luggage you can put in the back seat.

You better be packing very light.

 

[Bobbysdog]

Definitely check out Mousesavers.com and go to the car rental section for coupons and codes to insert in each rental company's website. However, even doing that it may not be the cheapest. I'm renting for sixteen days as well (but in September) and have spent a ton of time researching. The cheapest in-terminal rental is from L & M (lmcarrental.net), and the cheapest overall rental is from E-Z rental, but that requires a shuttle bus from the airport. If the budget is more important than convenience, then you'll get cheaper rates by using an off-airport rental( you won't be paying the terminal fees added into the rental price), but you'll need to add at least an hour to your schedule for both pickup and dropoff in order to account for the extra hassles.

Hope this helps!

By the way, the previous poster is absolutely correct about car size and luggage space. If there's four of you going for two weeks, you might need to think about a larger size car.

 

[GGOOFY1]

I'm not sure if you will be staying onsite. But if you are here is a suggestion to save some $$, check into rates at Alamo or National. Rent for 1 day from the airport to Dolphin. Then on the date you check out rent for 1 day from the Dolphin to the airport. While on property use WDW buses. This has worked for us. I will have the car for 24 hours which allows me to get my groceries and stock the room. I then return it and use WDW transportation. If you are planning alot of trips off site (Universal, sea world, etc...) this would not work for you.
Also, if you are a Sams Club member they have special codes for Alamo that gives you additional driver for free.

As in the previous post check out mousesavers. They post all the current coupons.

Happy hunting

 

[Eloi]

The economy and even the compact cars have very limited trunk space. With 4 in the car you're limited to how much luggage you can put in the back seat.

You better be packing very light.

My own car is a Pontiac Sunfire, so a "compact" like a Dodge Neon will do for all the 4 of us. The "economy" one would be too small I guess though.

 

[Eloi]

The cheapest in-terminal rental is from L & M , and the cheapest overall rental is from E-Z rental, but that requires a shuttle bus from the airport. If the budget is more important than convenience, then you'll get cheaper rates by using an off-airport rental( you won't be paying the terminal fees added into the rental price), but you'll need to add at least an hour to your schedule for both pickup and dropoff in order to account for the extra hassles.
.

So, L&M is a reliable place to rent? How about E-Z too? I don't really mind taking a shuttle if I can save more than $150 or so...As long as the service is good and the car in good condition. Right now, I can have a "compact" from Thrifty for $299/14 days. I'll check out with E-Z and L&M.

 

[Grand2me]

Try Alamo. I always come out really well dealing with them. I have always heard that L&M and Thrifty were somewhat unreliable.

 

[Bobbysdog]

So, L&M is a reliable place to rent? How about E-Z too? I don't really mind taking a shuttle if I can save more than $150 or so...As long as the service is good and the car in good condition. Right now, I can have a "compact" from Thrifty for $299/14 days. I'll check out with E-Z and L&M.

I've rented a couple of times from L & M and had no problems, although Mousesavers says they get more complaints about L & M than anyone else. They do want proof of insurance and will ask for it on check in. I bring down my own car's registration with the insurance stamp on it and this is all they need. I also double check everything I sign and initial so there are no surprises. My understanding is that most of the complaints they get center around insurance issues (pushing it too hard, etc...) but doing this seems to make it a non-issue. I am unfamiliar with how the auto insurance works up in Quebec, so you might want to call them first and see what they'll require so that it's easy for you. The cars themselves have always been clean and relatively new (both times mileage under 7,500)

At the moment, I've got a full size car for 16 days for $424 with all taxes and fees included from L & M. Make sure when you look at the rates quoted that you're only paying attention to the number after everything is added in. Otherwise it's not a fair comparison. If you don't mind taking a shuttle, take a longer look at E-Z. They're from the L & M mindset on how they run their business, but they'll be the cheapest hands down. I looked up their price for the same time period, and they wanted in the low $300's with everything included for a full size.

Good luck!

 

[cranbiz]

I use National with Dollar as a backup. If you use the right combination of codes National is usually pretty competetive.

Alamo now has a new program for rentals at MCO where you can now check in on line. You fill out the form, let them know how you are paying and you print out the RA at home and bring it with you. You then go to the lot, oick out the vehicle in the class that you rented and go to the booth.