Best rent a car service. Now with poll!

[Thebobo]

I've rented with Enterprize many times and it's been reasonale. But I'm planning on a week trip and want to rent a larger SUV and maybe try a new rental place. So what's the best car rental service you have used and do they offer free sat radio? all have bluetooth radios? It's about a 9 hour drive each way. Be staring in the area for about 4 days.

And if can guess where 15 free likes

 

[Ns1]

I use hertz for automobiles and enterprise truck for cargo vans.

 

[JulesMaximus]

Depends on the area. Whenever I fly into Orlando I seem to get some really nice choices from Enterprise. Last time I rented a brand new BMW 740i from the airport. Loved that car.

Around here I get higher mileage shit cars from them. Although, I did rent a Lotus Elise from my local Enterprise once.

 

[Red Storm]

I've rented plenty of times but I couldn't even begin to tell you, I just go with whatever is the most affordable for my trip, so I have no loyalty - or even memory of - which brand was best.

 

[Viper GTS]

National, mostly because I have had status with them for years. First through work and later through Chase Sapphire Reserve.

I don't know how the rest of them are these days but the choose any car and go freedom with status is awesome. Better at some airports than others but I'm general I've been happy. Combine that with the rental car coverage from the Reserve and I'm set.

Viper GTS

 

[deadlyapp]

I've been using Hertz for most everything since I can take advantage of my work's policy and I like the rewards program (although pretty crappy overall). Car technology is hit or miss, sometimes I can get a decent stereo with bluetooth, sometimes even satellite, but I wouldn't count on it unless you really like to haggle the desk. Realize that most of the time the rental desk can upgrade you at no cost if you're nice. It also helps to be part of their rewards service (Hertz Gold, Enterprise Plus, etc) as they'll help you out more.

I've gotten an 3 row SUV through Hertz before, a Nissan Pathfinder, and it was nice. It all depends on your location and the branches near you.

 

[eng2d2]

avis and budget has a lot of specials right now. I rent from them for business. Enterprise are older cars.

 

[IronWing]

Fall Creek Falls, Tennessee

 

[DietDrThunder]

You didn't list U-haul so I had to select "other".

 

[tcG]

None of the above.

Turo is AirBnB for cars. Like AirBnB, it's the biggest service of its kind, so any major city will have hundreds of renters who have their personal cars posted up and available for rental, everything from a basic clean Civic for $20/day (insurance included) up to new Porsches/Mercedes.

So far I've rented a 1990 Nissan GT-R, a 2011 Shelby GT500, a Scion FR-S, and, mostly recently a 2004 Honda S2000 (great car!) using the service. All but the GT-R were under $70 per day.

As a car guy it's a no brainer to try interesting cars for the day (I personally filter by manual transmission) when you need a rental. It is possible to get stuck with a bad owner, but the review system mostly precludes that, and my experiences have all been positive.

 

[Ns1]

downsides of Turo:

you gotta actually go meet the person at their place or choice of location. You don't get dozens of locations to choose from, and they usually aren't at the airport. If you're NOT getting an interesting car, the pricing is basically on par with a legit rental agency.

you also don't have any guarantees of maintenance or someone with deep pockets to sue when shit goes wrong.

 

[Six]

Alamo in San Diego, because I just book online. And then when I'm at Alamo, I simply walk up to a vehicle I like, get in, and drive to the security guard, show them the paperwork. Done. No pestering about insurance, nicks and scratches, GPS devices, satellite radio, 2nd driver, prepaid fuel, initials here and there, etc, etc.

 

[tcG]

downsides of Turo:

you gotta actually go meet the person at their place or choice of location. You don't get dozens of locations to choose from, and they usually aren't at the airport. If you're NOT getting an interesting car, the pricing is basically on par with a legit rental agency.

you also don't have any guarantees of maintenance or someone with deep pockets to sue when shit goes wrong.

This is like saying we shouldn't use the internet because with books at least your computer can't catch a virus.

Turo isn't for every situation, but neither are the rental agencies. Nothing is perfect, if you like cars, Turo is worth your time.

With Turo, I'm able to rent a 580 horsepower, manual transmission Shelby GT500 for when I do my property inspections around Houston, at a cost under $70. Since I'm returning at the same location it's perfect for my situation. Even if the $70 wasn't being offset by gas allowance from my company, the relatively small cost would still be worth it for the experience as a car lover. For anyone with even the most remote interest in cars - and if you don't need to travel point-to-point - Turo enables an experience that nowhere else does. I sincerely look forward to work days where basically I'm test driving a car.

 

[IronWing]

Still owe me 14 likes.

 

[Eikelbijtertje]

I rent cars >150 days per year. As far as value goes it's hard to beat Enterprise's Weekend Special even now that it's $12.99 per day, but I don't like their way of doing things. I'm ALWAYS on time, yet quite often they don't have a car waiting for me, instead only start to process my "reservation" when I show up, resulting in waits as long as an hour. Add on their crazy use of air "fresheners" and their preposterous corporate policies for behavior of their employees and I much prefer Hertz. Also, for weekly rates, with a little searching for the right coupons and AAA discount Hertz' prices are excellent.

 

[Captante]

I used to prefer Hertz but the last several times I've rented were with Enterprise. Local offices and friendly staff who are willing to work with me depending on circumstances combined with reasonable rates are the deciding factors for me.

 

[Exterous]

National gets my vote. They've perfected the 'don't have to interact with anyone' car rental model. It's just me and that other business traveler on the escalator to the Exec aisle, eyeing eachother to see who can pick the row with the Infinity or Nissan Z in it. Returns are stupid easy too. No walk of shame looking for marks just "hey look - you returned the car with all 4 doors on it still!" They can be a bit expensive though particularly for rentals less than a week so my backup for non-business travel is whoever is cheapest booking through Costco. Enterprise, Alamo and Budget (Costco's options) are all 'fine' and I've found Costco to usually be the cheapest option for domestic rentals.

So what's the best car rental service you have used and do they offer free sat radio? all have bluetooth radios?

Both depend on the age of the car but if you're renting from a decent sized rental lot the cars should be new enough to have bluetooth. Just remember to not sync youIf you manage to get a car new enough it will often come with a free satellite radio trial but after the free trial runs out most rental places won't continue it. I think those are usually like 6 months or something. Some rental places activate those as soon as they get the car but I've activated a couple myself

 

[Exterous]

So far I've rented a 1990 Nissan GT-R, a 2011 Shelby GT500, a Scion FR-S, and, mostly recently a 2004 Honda S2000 (great car!) using the service. All but the GT-R were under $70 per day.

That doesn't seem particularly cheap to me but most of my rentals tend to be out of airports with large National lots so perhaps my view is skewed. I've had options like a Nissan 370z, Infinity Q 70, Camaro SS, BMW X5 for <$40/day although sometimes I get stuck with a brand new Mustang or Charger. I will say its all luck of the lot draw so you can't plan on getting a specific car so I can understand the appeal of renting a very specific car. Still I kinda like the surprise options. I have fond memories of standing behind the 370z and trying to figure out how we were going to tetris in 2 weeks of luggage for 2 people because there was no way I wasn't picking that car.