Frequent Car Renters - Question

The wife and I are taking a vacation in September and we are going to rent a car instead of putting more wear and tear on our aging Durango. It's the first time I have rented a car that wasn't from the insurance company after an accident.

I've looked at what companies are local to me and it's come down to Enterprise or Hertz.

I'm trying to make this affordable, so I'm looking at an "Intermediate" size car, so it should be around $170 (closer to $190 with all the taxes and fees) for the week that I will have it.

Are there any tips anyone has for me? Is it better to reserve sooner opposed to later? I know I need to call my insurance and see if they cover rentals to avoid the extra costs from the rental company.

Here at least, Enterprise doesn't rent cars for long trips - they tell me their cars can only go one state away. I rented a Hertz car a year or so ago for a long trip with no problems. If you're in AAA see if they have any deals available, I got a good price on the Hertz car through them.

As you seem to know, avoid renting from an airport location. The additional fees and charges can be as much as $15 more per day.

Hertz and Enterprise are the leaders in neighborhood style locations. You also might find Avis and Budget with neighborhood type rental locations.

Give me the dates you are considering and I too will search around Beecher.

Interesting in the rental world is that 5 days midweek can often be the same price as the weekly discount rate (7 days.) Another way of saying this is that 7 days can sometimes be the same price as 5 so keep the car another two days even if that means you just drive it to and from work for two days.

Given Hertz or Ent, I would choose Hertz.
Ent just does some stuff that pisses me off. The biggest is that they will not give you the car with a full tank of gas as Hertz does. With Hertz, just stop at the station before return and fill until the pump clicks.
Ent will give you a car with a 1/4 tank. Inevitably, on the last day you will be 120 miles from your home town and need to buy gas. The Ford Fusion will read 1/8th of a tank.
How much gas should you buy so that when you return the car in two hours it will be at 1/4 tank?
If you fill it up to the top and use 4 gallons at 30 mpg you will likely be leaving extra gas in the tank and they give you no refund. Leaving 10 gallons in the tank is over $30 wasted which is about equal to a days rental. Return it with too little gas and you will be punished dearly.

Another Enterprise problem; the cars are assigned to a specific office and not easily swappable. With Hertz, if the car develops an issue or you just do not like it, drive the car into any airport location and drive out with a different replacement, in any state.

Edit: I just ran some quick searches on some fictitious dates and was surprised that rentals picked up in Indiana are cheaper than rentals picked up in Illinois by as much as $60 per week.
I also found Budget and Avis options in Merrillville, Indiana.

Yes, deals deals deals.

I am a frequent Enterprise renter and the car you spend $130 a day for I get for $59 with unlimited mileage and the ability to drive it anywhere I please. My company has an enterprise discount (corporate code) that works anywhere we go. Many companies do. Do a google search you can find many. I would give you mine, but frankly I can't remember it for the life of me, (it is just stuck on my account so I don't have to "give" it to them)

I am reading alot of one way issues with everyone's response and not things I have dealt with personally in my round trip experiences.

As far as car company, it really doesn't matter, you aren't a frequent renter so your not going to get a free upgrade (but there are coupons so Google them too), or the express lane and all the other crap repeat offenders crave.

It's a rental, find who will be the cheapest for what you are doing and enjoy!

In reply to jrw1621:

I'm looking at picking up the car on Sep 17th and dropping off Sep 24th.

I do have a discount with Avis with my company, but when I researched it, it was still more expensive than Enterprise or Hertz. I haven't even looked at Budget.

I'm having a hard time with the Hertz site though. Most of their locations that are local are collision repair shops. Then all the other locations are labeled as their addresses, I take it those are actual Hertz facilities. I think I would rather deal with a corporate facility over a collision repair shop.

Enterprise has always treated me very well. Yeah, they notate the fuel level when I pick a car up, and they expect it to be returned at the same level. But the per-gallon cost they give me to refill it themselves is always 15-18 cents per gallon cheaper than the station right across the street. I rent alot from the same location, so YMMV.

Only other advise I can offer is to che k the trip computer when you pick the car up, and write down the average mpg. Spend your time with the vehicle bringing this number down as much as possible.

If it is a big collision shop the person you are renting from may very well be an employee of Hertz. That is the way a big one I know of is.
I would have no issue if the collision shop is more convenient for you.

grafmiata wrote: Enterprise has always treated me very well. Yeah, they notate the fuel level when I pick a car up, and they expect it to be returned at the same level. But the per-gallon cost they give me to refill it themselves is always 15-18 cents per gallon cheaper than the station right across the street. I rent alot from the same location, so YMMV.

The Ent prepay is a sucker bet.

https://enterprise.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/3106/kw/gas

Pre-pay gives you two conveniences
You can avoid the hassle of having to fuel up the vehicle before returning.
Pre-pay fuel option is calculated at the local rate of gas minus a per gallon discount.

If a renter chooses not to refuel the vehicle they will be charged the local Enterprise rate which is typically above the local pump price.

Said otherwise, lets say the car has a 12 gal tank. If you return a Ent car with a 1/4 tank ( 3 gallons) and it should have been a 1/2 tank (6 gallons), you will not be charged for the missing 3 gallons but rather you will be charged for a full 12 gallons (even though you both agree there is 3 gallons truly in there.)
Yeah, they give you a little discount on the gallon rate, yeah right!
The worst part of this is the stores do not even fill the tanks but rather the money collected is straight to profit and the next renter will get your car at 1/4 of a tank. The cycle continues.

When they present me with the prepay option I always ask if they will pick me up when the car runs out of gas because the only way I can get me monies worth of buying a full tank is to use it all and run it out of gas.

Hence my "YMMV" caveat... I rent ALOT from my local Enterprise, and they all know me there by now.

I've tried the whole fuel-level game both ways when returning vehicles, and the best deal I've gotten was returning it empty... The total tab on that one (Mazda 3) was around 10 bucks to refill kt to roughly the point it was when I picked the car up.

Again,ymmv... The first two questions I am asked whenever I walk in are "when are you gonna get the Miata running?" and "which car is berkeleyed-up now?"...

SyntheticBlinkerFluid wrote: In reply to jrw1621: I'm looking at picking up the car on Sep 17th and dropping off Sep 24th.

Avis and budget are the same company. They rent at this location:
MERRILLVILLE CAR CARE CENTER
MERRILLVILLE , IN

In your time frame, the rate is $139 a week for a compact (Focus or similar.) With taxes expected to be $160.
Midsize; $159 / $180 w/ taxes.
These rates are just straight off their website with no discounts applied.

Avis:
On the website under "deals" is 20% off.
https://www.avis.com/car-rental/deals/deals-usca-US_en-022644/deals-usca-US_en-022645/20off-any-US_en-021716?ICID=dl_20off-any-US_en-021716
Result: Compact for $123 / $142 w/ tax
$142 divided by 7 days is $20 per day - bargain!

That's the other problem I'm experiencing, is that some of the places are 45 minutes away from me. Enterprise is the closest, Hertz available at local repair shops and car dealers are the next.

So far I like Hertz, I like that I could switch the car out if I don't like it.

The websites tell me that Beecher, IL (taken from your profile) is 15.9 miles from Merrillville.
Is that true?

1750 West 81st Avenue, Suite 5 Merrillville, IN, 46410 , US (1) 219-769-2355

Some mapquesting show me that may be "as the crow flies"
I would try working the price match angle!

I rent a lot - more than once a month so far this year. Depending on how many miles you're planning to go, you may want to look into Avis/Budget. They offer unlimited miles. Enterprise doesn't. Hertz might, it's been a while.

I tend to book mostly with Budget because they're within walking distance of my Niagara Falls House (avis/budget in the same building is the new normal). I also have an Airmiles rewards card and get points from Budget. The big thing for me though is miles. I've put 1500miles (2500km) on a rental car in a few days, no problem. Paying for extra miles can get expensive fast.

Don't be afraid of the insurance if you're going somewhere unfamiliar or spending a lot of time on the highway. It's $0 deductible and nothing goes on your driving record. I have insurance through my company for rentals, so is no biggie for me. Your credit card might also cover you for rental car insurance. many do - it doesn't hurt to call and find out.

Budget also has pre-pay for a free upgrade - sometimes a double upgrade - if you book on line. You can do a booking right up to "confirm" without being on the hook for anything. If you find a better deal, it's nothing to cancel ahead of time. Sometimes, cashing in "points" to rent a car can put you in a different set of rules than paying with cash or a credit card. You could lose unlimited miles (Budget does this) or have some other stupid limitation. Read the fine print if you use points or go through deal sites like travelocity.

Bring it back full of fuel. They $$$ you if you don't. Most places are cool and let you run out and top it off if you forget, but if you're at an airport and running late, it's a bad scene.

Don't breeze through the pre rental inspection. I once got nailed for front end (lower surface of the bumper) damage that I'm 99.9% positive I didn't cause. I didn't see, hear of feel anything like running over C3PO at 75mph. Now I'm a lot more careful when I look the car over before signing the little sheet.

Hertz at JDM Automall:
On their website under deals is a AAA discount.
https://www.hertz.com/rentacar/y-7763609/aaa-save-up-to-$35-on-a-weekly-or-weekend-rental-special-offer
This takes an Intermediate to $146 w/tax
Compact is $135 w/tax or $19 per day!

Do you have AAA?
If not, I would approach Hertz about price match from Avis.

In reply to jrw1621:

That sounds like a plan, I was thinking about joining AAA.

And just so you know, Merrillville it's 15 miles away, but it takes almost 45 minutes to get there.

I need to look into Avis/Budget more. But I still like the sound of Hertz.

Personally I'd recommend staying away from the green companies (dollar, emerald, enterprise are all the same company) as they treat their people like crap and the customers like marks. If you have a reservation to pick up in 15 minutes and someone walks in wanting your car that you reserved, they'll take the money from the person standing at the counter and lie to the guy that shows up in 15 minutes with a reservation about where the car is. They'll string you along because you've committed to renting a car from them, so you'll wait while they get a car from somewhere else telling you it's out being washed.

I have dealt with Enterprise pretty often, not any more. Last trip I took I wanted something a bit nicer than the usual crap boxes I get, so I reserved a car 30 days in advance. Might as well have gone hunting unicorns. It's like I never reserved anything and wound up with a econobox anyway. Haven't gone back to Enterprise since.

I've gotten some really good rental car deals from Hotwire. When we went to Colorado for a week during the summer of 2011, we got a var through them for $5 per day!

I've been renting a lot recently too - around here, Avis seems to be cheapest for me. They made me Avis Preferred automatically, and treat me pretty well. Most recently, reserved a compact. Got there - "All we have is a 2-door". Walked outside - V6 Mustang.

Are you a Costco member? I am seeing $110 all-in for an Intermediate (Cruze or similar), and $125 for a Standard (Fusion or similar) on the Costco Travel website. (Off of your original price quote, you could purchase a Costco membership and come out ahead.) Also, will PM you our AWD number and coupon code for Avis to see if that'll help.

Working in auto insurance claims, I deal with rental companies every day, many times per day. Go with the best deal you can get. My personal recommendation is that Enterprise beats all the others hands down. Sure, people can post horror stories about them, the same would hold true for any company in any industry. But on the grand scheme, they historically provide the best service and good rates.

Most of the people I work with use Hertz and they love it. The service is always great, but prices are on the high side. Corporate-account types usually choose fast, easy service over a low fare. I have never been unhappy with it.

I use National. I always get great service and good rate, and I can skip the counter with the Emerald Aisle. If they are out of mid-size cars, they just tell you to grab whatever is available from the next aisle, which might be a Jag or a Caddy. Prices seem to be less than most, and when I rent for personal use, I can always find a screaming deal.

I have used Enterprise when my car is in the shop, but Kia pays for that so I am not sure what the rate is. They gave ma a new Suburban last time and spoiled me forever. Man I want one of those tanks!

I'm going to look at Avis again and I'm definitely looking at Hertz, I just saw their commercial last night for switching out the car if you don't like it. My wife did too and she liked that idea.

In reply to szeis4cookie:

Thanks, I sent you a reply back.

I really hope my insurance covers rentals, to add insurance is an extra $80-$100 for the week.

Talk to your insurance - ours (with the initials "SF") covers us on rental cars anyway and allows us to purchase cover against the usual "interesting" claims you can get from rental car companies for a minimal fee.

I pretty much only rent from Hertz, but that is because at some point I qualified for Hertz Gold and I like the bit about having the car sitting there in a stall, waiting for me.

Clark Howard had this recommendation to check your rental cost a week before you set off - sometimes the car will be cheaper then and most rental companies allow you to cancel the reservation for free, so you can re-book at the lower rate if it's worthwhile.