Jeeves is a first timer: Renting a car
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Jeeves is a first timer: Renting a car
With all my travel in all my years, I drive almost everywhere and the few times I haven't, I've been with a group and someone else has handled this.
Anyone have a foolproof guide to renting a car? Going to be in Denver in June and need one for almost a week, as we have to get to Breckinridge and back. Any companies to use or avoid? Is this like airlines where I'm going to get treated like shit because I don't use them often? It's just the wife and I so it's not like we need a ton of space but I also don't want to be in a smartcar or some shit.
Any dubious advice welcome.
Anyone have a foolproof guide to renting a car? Going to be in Denver in June and need one for almost a week, as we have to get to Breckinridge and back. Any companies to use or avoid? Is this like airlines where I'm going to get treated like shit because I don't use them often? It's just the wife and I so it's not like we need a ton of space but I also don't want to be in a smartcar or some shit.
Any dubious advice welcome.
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Re: Jeeves is a first timer: Renting a car
I've only rented a car a few times, but I have never had any issue with being treated like shit. Always had the right type of car I asked for, check in and drop off was smooth(and is easier now with some automation). I've used National and Dollar and had no issues. Might have used Avis once, too.
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Re: Jeeves is a first timer: Renting a car
From a service/quality standpoint they are all kind of the same. The only real difference tends to be price. I've found that there is usually one or two that are cheaper than the rest for any given airport. Unfortunately, IMO, Denver is a stupid and expensive place to rent a car because each company has it's own facility off-site from the terminal so you have to take a shuttle specific to the company you rent with. It's inconvenient and time consuming compared to airports where you just walk out of the terminal into the rental car lots.
That being said, I prefer National and use Hertz as a backup. The absolute worst is waiting in line to pick up keys. I like National because you just pick any car from the class that you reserved, get in and go. Hertz offers pre-assigned cars with your name on a board at the facility (or it will send you a text) so you can do the same thing - get in the car and go. For both of them you'll need to sign up for their rewards program and provide your drivers license number ahead of time but it is totally worth it. If you don't rent cars that often you can have the rewards awarded in the form miles to your frequent flyer account for whatever airline you use most...I know this is the case for National and I believe Hertz does it to.
If you are looking for deals I've had this site called Auto Slash work on occasion when the prices have been high. I got a deal in Hawaii a couple years ago when the cheapest I found on my own was around $400 it found one for $250.
https://www.autoslash.com/
That being said, I prefer National and use Hertz as a backup. The absolute worst is waiting in line to pick up keys. I like National because you just pick any car from the class that you reserved, get in and go. Hertz offers pre-assigned cars with your name on a board at the facility (or it will send you a text) so you can do the same thing - get in the car and go. For both of them you'll need to sign up for their rewards program and provide your drivers license number ahead of time but it is totally worth it. If you don't rent cars that often you can have the rewards awarded in the form miles to your frequent flyer account for whatever airline you use most...I know this is the case for National and I believe Hertz does it to.
If you are looking for deals I've had this site called Auto Slash work on occasion when the prices have been high. I got a deal in Hawaii a couple years ago when the cheapest I found on my own was around $400 it found one for $250.
https://www.autoslash.com/
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We only have beer & wine...
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Re: Jeeves is a first timer: Renting a car
There's really only three rental car companies even though they have different brands that you see in the airport, so they're all mostly the same.
They're going to aggressively upsell you on the liability insurance, which you probably don't need as long as you have a decent credit card (all Amex cards include coverage for liability if that's the card you use to rent and pay for the car). You'd still have to pay the deductible on your car insurance policy if something happens.
They're going to aggressively upsell you on the liability insurance, which you probably don't need as long as you have a decent credit card (all Amex cards include coverage for liability if that's the card you use to rent and pay for the car). You'd still have to pay the deductible on your car insurance policy if something happens.
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Re: Jeeves is a first timer: Renting a car
I use Budget almost all of the time these days. I've never had a problem with their cars, and they tend to be cheaper than the other rental car agencies. If you decide to use Budget, sign up for Fastbreak. It's free, and it allows you to bypass the counter and go to the car lot. You'll be permitted to pick a car from a designated area based on the car size. Usually you get your choice of anywhere from 4-8 cars.
Just note Budget tends to use their cars longer than the Hertz's and Avis's of the industry, so you might get a rental that has about 20k miles on it. Then again, the last time I used Budget I got a Ford Fusion that had less than 400 miles on it. But again, I've never had a problem with any of Budget's cars.
ETA: Brian's comments about the liability insurance are spot on. Check your credit card company to see if they offer rental car insurance, and if so, reject all of the rental car company's insurance offerings.
Also, don't prepay for the gas when you return. It's an upcharge the rental car companies offer as a convenience. There's always a gas station near the rental car return area, and while the gas is usually higher than the surrounding area, it's still cheaper than prepaying for the gas.
Just note Budget tends to use their cars longer than the Hertz's and Avis's of the industry, so you might get a rental that has about 20k miles on it. Then again, the last time I used Budget I got a Ford Fusion that had less than 400 miles on it. But again, I've never had a problem with any of Budget's cars.
ETA: Brian's comments about the liability insurance are spot on. Check your credit card company to see if they offer rental car insurance, and if so, reject all of the rental car company's insurance offerings.
Also, don't prepay for the gas when you return. It's an upcharge the rental car companies offer as a convenience. There's always a gas station near the rental car return area, and while the gas is usually higher than the surrounding area, it's still cheaper than prepaying for the gas.
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Re: Jeeves is a first timer: Renting a car
You will want to use a credit card, particularly one with insurance or else they hold a silly amount on a debit. I like to buy the cheap Allianz (or other) insurance offered by the third party rental sites... only about 9 bucks. Between the card, personal car insurance and third party insurance, I feel covered enough to decline the expensive coverage offered by the car rental company. I wrecked a rental once and the card insurance is secondary and only pays if you dont have collision/comprehensive on your personal car coverage. Then the rental cars try to add on charges for missed income from the days they couldnt rent the car because it had to be repaired. Pretty sure the card and maybe personal insurance wont cover. But I was driving an old college Jetta at the time and didnt have it covered by collision/comprehensive so the card did pick it up and dont recall having to come out of pocket.
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Re: Jeeves is a first timer: Renting a car
Is this travel for work? If so, you may have some coverage if you carry any kind of insurance on your work vehicle. I think you travel a lot.
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Re: Jeeves is a first timer: Renting a car
Nope this is personal. I have good coverage through my Chase high-limit card. I think I'm square there. Mostly just wondering about different agencies and what the easiest way is to get one in Denver. May even be worth it to take the light rail out of the airport and rent away from there?
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Re: Jeeves is a first timer: Renting a car
I typically just use Expedia and go the cheapest out of the major brands. No gas, no additional insurance, etc.
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Re: Jeeves is a first timer: Renting a car
Nah, you'll want to just rent at the airport. I rented a car at DIA twice before moving here. It's really not that bad. You do have to take a specific shuttle for whoever you rent with, but they are all pretty much in a row next to each other. And it's really not any further to ride a bus to those as it is to get to the economy lots.BSF21 wrote: ↑Tue Mar 26, 2019 10:00 am
Nope this is personal. I have good coverage through my Chase high-limit card. I think I'm square there. Mostly just wondering about different agencies and what the easiest way is to get one in Denver. May even be worth it to take the light rail out of the airport and rent away from there?
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Re: Jeeves is a first timer: Renting a car
Whichever rental company you use, sign up to their "frequent flyer" program prior to renting. I did that with Hertz and it opens a few doors that don't get opened if you just rent a car one off.
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Re: Jeeves is a first timer: Renting a car
If you're a Costco member they have some pretty great deals and you're automatically covered insurance wise.
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Re: Jeeves is a first timer: Renting a car
Yes. Though the light rail blows. Union Station downtown does have some nice restaurants and a good bar. You can Uber from there to a rental place, there are more than a few relatively close to downtown.
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Re: Jeeves is a first timer: Renting a car
Don't tempt me unless you want to be responsible for lil Peyton in 2020. Not sure the wife can resist the allure of the VW
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"This place was rockin'," said BSF21.
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"There is nothing ever uncommon about BSF21."
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Re: Jeeves is a first timer: Renting a car
So I'm flying into Newark tomorrow and renting a car to go up to boston to bring kid back as i mentioned in a different thread. I originally booked the reservation a couple of weeks ago for about $370, which was higher than I had seen it so i got scared and booked through priceline. Then just decided to look again at prices this past Monday and there was a better car option for 70 bucks cheaper, so I cancelled and booked the new one. Then just now when I got a reminder e-mail, I realized i had put the drop off time earlier than intended, so I went to modify, and saved and additional $30!
Just saying, it's worth checking form time to time after booking just to make sure there isn't a better deal. Ended up saving $100 just by checking/being a doofus.
Just saying, it's worth checking form time to time after booking just to make sure there isn't a better deal. Ended up saving $100 just by checking/being a doofus.
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Re: Jeeves is a first timer: Renting a car
Well, not really. But I got a $80 flight from Cincinnati into Newark to save me 10 hours of drive time/gas.
ETA: The end of semester pick up has had its fair share of twists and turns, and this became the way to eliminate the most stress on the part of the two people who were stressing out about it, one of whom didn't need stress during finals.
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Re: Jeeves is a first timer: Renting a car
Ah, gotcha. Didn't know if there was a "never seen the Connecticut highways" adventure component to the trip. You're going to want to be really careful of which bridge you choose (GW or Tappan Zee) depending on time of day and the inevitable accidents. When we go to Boston we leave around 6:00 to hit the GW before commuter traffic.
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Re: Jeeves is a first timer: Renting a car
Well shit. I wasn't going to do anything other than what my gps told me to do. I land at 9 tomorrow morning. Never even thought to consult the people who actually live there.
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Re: Jeeves is a first timer: Renting a car
he’s a fixbking cyborg or some shit. The
holy fuckbAllZ, what a ducking nightmare. Holy shot. Just, fuck. The
holy fuckbAllZ, what a ducking nightmare. Holy shot. Just, fuck. The
Re: Jeeves is a first timer: Renting a car
Assuming no delays and ~45 minutes to get to the car and all that, you might be landing at about the ideal time. GW post-rush and Boston pre-rush.
(The problem with just using the GPS is you get committed and once you're there, you're there.)
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Re: Jeeves is a first timer: Renting a car
Fingers crossed.
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Re: Jeeves is a first timer: Renting a car
That's not a terrible time to start that leg. I almost always take the Tappan Zee (Cuomo) and then up to 84. I've also once gone all the way up to Albany before starting east on the Mass Pike. That's how much Connecticut stinks.
he’s a fixbking cyborg or some shit. The
holy fuckbAllZ, what a ducking nightmare. Holy shot. Just, fuck. The
holy fuckbAllZ, what a ducking nightmare. Holy shot. Just, fuck. The
Re: Jeeves is a first timer: Renting a car
We did the Albany then east thing once and I thought it "sucked serious ass". As far as highways go, 84 isn't all that bad to drive if you're avoiding the traffic times. When we left Boston around 9:30 PM a few weeks ago I thought I was going to fall asleep and die on the Pike because it was just so goddamn dark but then 84 was fine.
Also, AB, if you're looking for a good place to stop and eat on the way, good luck!
Also, AB, if you're looking for a good place to stop and eat on the way, good luck!
Re: Jeeves is a first timer: Renting a car
(That last part isn't really true. If you take the GW, you can do New Haven pizza or one of the steamed burger places. We've done the latter (they're meh) but not the former. If you do the Tappan Zee, West Hartford has a bunch of solid restaurants depending on what you're looking for. If this were 5 years ago, I could steer you to a rare standalone Roy Rogers.)
Re: Jeeves is a first timer: Renting a car
If you do what I did late one night years ago while driving to Boston and accidentally exit onto 87 South after crossing the Tappan Zee you'll eventually end up in NYC, which I hear is the restaurant capital of the world.
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Re: Jeeves is a first timer: Renting a car
There is a Guy Fieri's in the middle of Manhattan!!
Last time I drove back from CT, I had the joy of watching my estimated time time remaining continually increase over a 3 hour period. 3 hour trip took 6.5 hours. GPS took me from one route to another, briefly shaved 2 hours estimate, then another accident added 3 hours to the ETA, and GPS circled me back to the first route.
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Re: Jeeves is a first timer: Renting a car
I think I did something similar 20 years ago over confusion with US9 and US9W when everything was under construction. Ended up in Yonkers and then just went over GW bridge instead of turning around.
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Re: Jeeves is a first timer: Renting a car
I'm now somewhat frequently in and of out of DIA and I have to say, there is ABSOLUTELY a difference in the agencies there.
DO NOT RENT FROM BUDGET. It might just be we got unlucky 2 times, but the lines to get out of there were in the 45 minute zone. I don't care how patient you are, they do all sorts of bullshit upselling once you get to the counter and it's just frustrating as Hell.
National was pretty good, but by far the best experiences we had were with Enterprise. Tons of staff, extremely accommodating, in and out in about 10 minutes.
DO NOT RENT FROM BUDGET. It might just be we got unlucky 2 times, but the lines to get out of there were in the 45 minute zone. I don't care how patient you are, they do all sorts of bullshit upselling once you get to the counter and it's just frustrating as Hell.
National was pretty good, but by far the best experiences we had were with Enterprise. Tons of staff, extremely accommodating, in and out in about 10 minutes.
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Re: Jeeves is a first timer: Renting a car
Uhoh, That's who I rented from...Nonlinear FC wrote: ↑Fri May 10, 2019 8:54 am I'm now somewhat frequently in and of out of DIA and I have to say, there is ABSOLUTELY a difference in the agencies there.
DO NOT RENT FROM BUDGET. It might just be we got unlucky 2 times, but the lines to get out of there were in the 45 minute zone. I don't care how patient you are, they do all sorts of bullshit upselling once you get to the counter and it's just frustrating as Hell.
National was pretty good, but by far the best experiences we had were with Enterprise. Tons of staff, extremely accommodating, in and out in about 10 minutes.
Dances with Wolves (1) - BSF
"This place was rockin'," said BSF21.
"There is nothing ever uncommon about BSF21."
"This place was rockin'," said BSF21.
"There is nothing ever uncommon about BSF21."
Re: Jeeves is a first timer: Renting a car
I rent from Budget all the time and have never had a problem like this. But I'm also a FastBreak member, so I don't have to go to the counter.Nonlinear FC wrote: ↑Fri May 10, 2019 8:54 am I'm now somewhat frequently in and of out of DIA and I have to say, there is ABSOLUTELY a difference in the agencies there.
DO NOT RENT FROM BUDGET. It might just be we got unlucky 2 times, but the lines to get out of there were in the 45 minute zone. I don't care how patient you are, they do all sorts of bullshit upselling once you get to the counter and it's just frustrating as Hell.
National was pretty good, but by far the best experiences we had were with Enterprise. Tons of staff, extremely accommodating, in and out in about 10 minutes.
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Re: Jeeves is a first timer: Renting a car
Again, it might be that the 2 times we rented from them, we just got unlucky and they were slammed. But after the second time (in a row), we just won't deal with them at DIA again.
And, Sabo, not to be a penis, but the point of my post is that it's the bullshit at the counter that slows the operation down to a screeching halt, so... I dub your post UNRELEVANT!
And, Sabo, not to be a penis, but the point of my post is that it's the bullshit at the counter that slows the operation down to a screeching halt, so... I dub your post UNRELEVANT!
You can lead a horse to fish, but you can't fish out a horse.
Re: Jeeves is a first timer: Renting a car
I signed up for all that shit too so hopefully everything good on that end.Sabo wrote: ↑Fri May 10, 2019 8:58 amI rent from Budget all the time and have never had a problem like this. But I'm also a FastBreak member, so I don't have to go to the counter.Nonlinear FC wrote: ↑Fri May 10, 2019 8:54 am I'm now somewhat frequently in and of out of DIA and I have to say, there is ABSOLUTELY a difference in the agencies there.
DO NOT RENT FROM BUDGET. It might just be we got unlucky 2 times, but the lines to get out of there were in the 45 minute zone. I don't care how patient you are, they do all sorts of bullshit upselling once you get to the counter and it's just frustrating as Hell.
National was pretty good, but by far the best experiences we had were with Enterprise. Tons of staff, extremely accommodating, in and out in about 10 minutes.
Dances with Wolves (1) - BSF
"This place was rockin'," said BSF21.
"There is nothing ever uncommon about BSF21."
"This place was rockin'," said BSF21.
"There is nothing ever uncommon about BSF21."
Re: Jeeves is a first timer: Renting a car
That's fine. No harm, no foul. But you can avoid all of that hassle if you sign up for their free program, like BSF did. That's all I was bringing to the table.Nonlinear FC wrote: ↑Fri May 10, 2019 9:00 am Again, it might be that the 2 times we rented from them, we just got unlucky and they were slammed. But after the second time (in a row), we just won't deal with them at DIA again.
And, Sabo, not to be a penis, but the point of my post is that it's the bullshit at the counter that slows the operation down to a screeching halt, so... I dub your post UNRELEVANT!
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Re: Jeeves is a first timer: Renting a car
Yeah, Denver seems to be a generally inefficient place to rent from, and the cars are remarkably expensive. I went with an off-brand rental company on a Saturday back in the fall - holy shit what a stupid thing to do. The next time, I just ponied up for Hertz.Nonlinear FC wrote: ↑Fri May 10, 2019 9:00 am Again, it might be that the 2 times we rented from them, we just got unlucky and they were slammed. But after the second time (in a row), we just won't deal with them at DIA again.
And, Sabo, not to be a penis, but the point of my post is that it's the bullshit at the counter that slows the operation down to a screeching halt, so... I dub your post UNRELEVANT!
And his one problem is he didn’t go to Russia that night because he had extracurricular activities, and they froze to death.
Re: Jeeves is a first timer: Renting a car
Similarly, I used to rent Avis quite regularly at my old job. I was in their “Preferred” program, and never had to wait in lines.
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Re: Jeeves is a first timer: Renting a car
I did Alamo. Went great. Out in ten minutes. Hartford sucks
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Re: Jeeves is a first timer: Renting a car
The line at the rental office itself wasn't the only problem for me ... it took forever for a shuttle to come around. While I stood there watching one Hertz shuttle after another.
And his one problem is he didn’t go to Russia that night because he had extracurricular activities, and they froze to death.
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Re: Jeeves is a first timer: Renting a car
Hartford for dinner!
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