Yet Another Rental Car Question

[nmmom95]

We don't usually rent a car at WDW, but we will be this November. Are all the companies basically the same? I was wondering if I should shop based solely on price or if one company's fleet was better or worse than another company's. Any advice is appreciated.

 

[pat fan]

We aren't frequent renters, but we've rented from Alamo, Dollar and Thrifty and they're pretty much all the same to me.

 

[Lucky4me]

I'd go with any of the major companies inside the terminal at MCO. I can usually find a great deal a couple of months out. If not, I will bid on a Priceline car rental a few weeks or even days before, while keeping a back up just in case the back up ends up cheaper.

 

[seashoreCM]

From the point of view of the renter, the companies are pretty much the same IMHO.

They all have their share of low price deals, and they all have their share of pushy counter agents trying to sell you "insurance".

There are categorical differences like having the cars at the airport versus riding a shuttle bus to the lot, or whether the company is nationwide versus local. The latter distinction only matters in the case of rare esoteric problems, where it is necessary to go after the company.

 

[nmmom95]

Thanks! There was a $60 difference between Alamo and Dollar and I just wanted to make sure they were all roughly the same.

 

[maurene]

Yeah, I think the fleets are similar. But sometimes the details and customer service can make a difference.

For our trip (tomorrow!), it came down between Budget and Dollar and I had reservations with both. As I started to have some specific questions and issues I wanted answered, I found the Dollar website very lacking. Also, Budget doesn't charge for a second driver, if its a spouse (and often the spouse doesn't even have to sign the form or give their license #). Dollar does charge a fee for adding a spouse as a second driver (and requires they be present - although maybe in practice they don't push this). Then, I read here that Dollar, in particular, can make a hard sell for purchasing the additional insurance (and may ask for proof of insurance).

I actually called both companies at the locations we planned to pick up the car (hotels, not airports) with some specific questions, and Budget was great (but the Dollar lady was friendly too). I'm usually not picky about renting a car, but we have some special issues this trip. Budget assured me all our needs would be met and I've used them a lot in the past, so I felt very confident with them (and not as much with Dollar). Alamo is generally my second favorite choice for car rental.

With this code I was able to get a good rate on Budget too: bcd x474200