EPTI think the regulations concerning renting a car differ from state to state? How old do you have to be? How much do you think it would cost to rent a car for about 3 weeks? Where would we best start our journey (which airport should we fly to?) ?
[Q] Renting a car in the USA
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ManBearPig
Belgium207 Posts
I think the regulations concerning renting a car differ from state to state? How old do you have to be? How much do you think it would cost to rent a car for about 3 weeks? Where would we best start our journey (which airport should we fly to?) ? | ||
RaGe
Belgium9949 Posts
Air fares are such a bitch, you might want to consider contacting a travel agency for the cheapest formula. Rental fares shouldn't vary too much depending on direction (north->south or south->north). | ||
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Oystein
Norway1602 Posts
 As for costs I think we paid 800ish $ (+ gas in addition) or so for 5 or 6 days for a Ford Mustang cabriolet, but it might be cheaper to rent it longer for all I know. Should be rather easy to check out online before going there or just stop by some local office of the big car rental agencies and make them check it out for you. | ||
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Sirakor
Great Britain455 Posts
 but Vegas, Grand Canyon, Monument Valley was also pretty cool, higlhly recommendedMost rental companies require you to be at least 21 y/o, although few companies also let you rent from 18 on. However, if you, or any driver, is under 25, there are a few complications: 1. you have to pay a costly insurance premium and 2. you don't get to rent any of the cool cars - small - midsize maybe, but no convertible, sports car, etc for you. As for costs, there are no fixed prices, so it's difficult to tell. Costs depend on state, pick-up location, demand (both temporary, locally and for a specific vehicle type), pick-up location, one-way fees and your nationality. Yep you heard me right, the more civilised they think your country is, the higher the rental rate as they think you won't be able to cope with lunatic drivers ;-) This you can't do anything about, but the rest you can. Since you were talking California etc, do NOT rent in Vegas, it's ~2x as expensive as in California. Drive over from San Diego if neccessary. Also, never rent a car at the counter, always always book in advance, as early as you can. Rates increase almost weekly if not daily as you get closer to the date you want. Any of the larger companies let you book and reserve online, so you can compare prices easily. If you book early enough, you can get pretty sweet deals (if got a Mustang convertible for the same price a mate rented a midsize no-frills thing over the counter). Fix your destinations, play it through in each direction for a couple of companies online, and then book ASAP. Also, if you're a cheapskate and secured the cheapest small size car for 5$ day online, beware of the guy at the counter talking you into upgrades and whatnot. One more thing when comparing prices (and if you're not used to the US way of doing business): beware of various taxes and surcharges being added, don't trust the first number you hear. If booking via the european sites of the large rental companies this usually isnt an issue, but it happened to me that I thought I got a good deal at the counter (renting at the counter is schoolboy error #1), until they added %VAT, %state tax, %blah surcharge, %yadda surcharge and %fuckyoucharge. | ||
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Sirakor
Great Britain455 Posts
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LordofAscension
United States589 Posts
~LoA | ||
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