Car Rentals for Dummies (me)

[maciec]

I have never rented a car before and have no idea on how to get the best deals or what even is considered a good deal. I need some help. I did go to mousesavers and follow the link to sign up for the Emerald Club for free.

Can someone tell me what I signed up for and how I can get some good deals?

Is it better to rent for a couple of days or a whole week?

Is it possible to get a good deal if we decide to rent a car when we get there and not do it in advance? Any tips on that?

We are flying down on 12/2 (DH,DD 1yoa, and I) and meeting my parents who are driving. We are staying at Vistana. Mom and dad are going to do a lot of things separate from us so either we rely on Vistana's bus service or rent a car. Not knowing what their bus service is like I am more inclined to rent a car it's just convincing DH.

I am at a total loss if we should do this or not, but we will be paying around $75 for roundtrip towncar service from the airport, so it would seem logical to spend a little more to have a car all week. I have seen some people get rates at $139 for a whole week and that seems like a good deal to me.

Can someone please give me some guidance I would definitely appreciate it

 

[Lewisc]

Offsite shuttles can be limiting and depending on your reservation type at Vistana you may be paying $7/ person/day R/T for shuttle.
Some pointers for renting:
1) Check your own auto policy, most cover car rentals. If so most people suggest waiving all the optional (expensive) waivers.
2) A weekly rate is usually charged if you rent 5-7 days. Usually the best buy.
3) For National EC you should reserve a full size car, usually the same price as an intermediate.
4) For National try different contract codes and coupon codes for the best rate. www.mousesavers.com may give you some help. If you're eligible try: COSTCO, EB (entetainment book), DC (Disney Club). Although they don't usually ask for id cards coupons are always required.

 

[Radar]

Be aware of taxes on top of rate, they add up, also carry proof of insurance card or
letter from agent, have had this hassle, read your bill, they've been known to bait and switch
or try to upsale, add insurance, etc.Also be aware of your own coverage, how much is my deductible/this is the amount of liability you will have, also CDW-Collission damage waiver is reaaly coverage for the deductible limits, your policy will still get stuck for the rest, that is if you cause a wreck. Just some thoughts, oh yeah will need credit card and valid driver's license...

 

[seashoreCM]

Always reserve in advance, otherwise walking up to the counter you will find only expensive cars usually with per mile charges as well.

It costs less to not buy the tankful of gas up front and instead fill it yourself just before you return the car.

Inspect the car for damage and also to see that jack, spare tire, license plates, etc. are there, and also the starting mileage matches that on the rental agreement. Tell the agent about any differences before driving off.

They will bamboozle you with all kinds of excuses to buy the optional insurance coverages (example: "florida law requires the car go out with collision" -- not true) and confuse you with fine print so you buy the tankful of gas up front. You must be prepared to say quietly you will decline the extra coverages two or even three times (if that is what you want).

>>CDW-Collision damage waiver is really coverage for the deductible limits, your policy will still get stuck for the rest...
I beg to differ. So long as you don't violate the rental agreement such as get into drag racing or drive on unpaved roads, the CDW covers all damage and your own insurance company is not involved. (You should still notify your insurance company in case of mishap.)
If you take advantage of collision coverage via a credit card benefit, that pays the deductible only and your own insurance kicks in. (Except if you don't have collision on your very old car, the credit card covers it all.) You don't need CDW and in fact must decline CDW to activate the credit card coverage.

More Disney hints:
http://members.aol.com/ajaynejr/disney.htm

 

[nhrenee]

We have gotten some great deals with Alamo, but they are off airport property. It takes awhile to get your car if you go that way. For not much more we have also booked with Avis(over the Internet) which is on airport property. It was so quick to get our car! With avis, you go to a little Kiosk near their cars in the parking garage and get your paperwork there!

Whichever car rental place you choose try to sign up ahead of time and get their preferred card so you can by-pass the regular line at their counters. Also, keeping checking back on their website, rental rates seem to go up and down like the wind!

Email me if you'd like some additional info about ideas to get better rates with different car rental companies.

 

[disneefamily]

Disnee Dad says.............................. You can get good rates on a daily rental, but once you get to four days you really need to do seven. And be aware of all the add ons that you have no control over, local tax, sales tax, out of state users tax, we saw that you posted on Disney boards tax!!! I got a weekly rate of app $129 and had a fifteen dollar coupon. By the time they added the coupon tax and the you are really going to drive the car tax, it ended up at $140.00 which is still good. Otherwize read "Seashore CM" really closely, that post tells you just about everything you need to know. But don't read it twice or you will be charged a reread tax!! We use National because it is quick and at MCO. I don't need to save four dollars to blow an hour at each end of the trip to go to an off site place. We figure our trip costs between $20 and $25 per each waking hour we are there. Yours may be lower because we fly coast to coast and stay on site. Don't get any of the extras they try to sell. If you get all the extras it will cost you four million dollars for the week!!

 

[maciec]

I reserved a full-size car with Enterprise for $151.63 umlimited miles. So far this is a good deal. Is it?

Can anyone tell me how far it is to pick up the car or is it right on the airport property like National? They told me that I would have to call for a shuttle so that leads me to believe that Enterprise is off site.

I am still trying for a $10 a day rental from Priceline but haven't gotten lucky yet. Being that we are going the first week in Decemeber I am hoping to get a really good deal (LOL)!

 

[seashoreCM]

Note that some rental companies, if you book a weekly rate and bring the car back early, may recompute your charge using daily rates even if the total is more. Typically you must keep the car more than four days and three hours to get the weekly rate, check with the company.

 

[Lewisc]

maciec
Are you under age 25? (Enterprise has a lower surcharge than other agencies). What dates and approximate time are you renting? Does the 151 include fees? I'd pay the extra to rent with a agency in the airport (National, Dollar, Avis). It might not cost much more.

 

[maciec]

I am over 25 and we are renting 12/2-12/9 picking up at 1pm and dropping off at 4pm. Those times are based on out current flight itinerary that I booked, but US Air has changed them twice so far so I expect them to change again.

 

[maciec]

Thanks everyone for your responses I got a great rate using travelcouponsonline.com
It beat my corporate discount!