Originally Posted by Robert C
(Post 18482234)
I looked into it last year, no you can't.
Where this started was I was calling around to the auto dealerships to rent a car. Several of them rent cars; but do not have insurance. I ended up going with the, expensive, airport rental. They are pretty expensive, and I still need to spring for an $30 for the insurance. Where possible, it is often better to select another outlet, downtown perhaps, or out in a suburb. If you do your research, you'll discover that Hertz, Budget, Thrifty and other commonly used ones may charge more if you rent from the airport outlet than another outlet. You can usually enter the info online and find out which outlet will offer you the best deal. Of course, you do have to have a way to get to that outlet. :) And you don't have to get the $30/day insurance ... however it is advisable. We always do, even though it doubles the cost of the rental. |
Originally Posted by Machka
(Post 18482304)
It's generally not advisable to go to the airport outlet unless you need to (i.e. you've just arrived in a country and need to find a way to get around).
Where possible, it is often better to select another outlet, downtown perhaps, or out in a suburb. If you do your research, you'll discover that Hertz, Budget, Thrifty and other commonly used ones may charge more if you rent from the airport outlet than another outlet. You can usually enter the info online and find out which outlet will offer you the best deal. Of course, you do have to have a way to get to that outlet. :) And you don't have to get the $30/day insurance ... however it is advisable. We always do, even though it doubles the cost of the rental. |
Originally Posted by Robert C
(Post 18482325)
That was why I was trying places other than the airport rental. It turned out that there were none that would rent to me.
We just pop our info into the computer to book one, and then turn up and get it. OK, I'm going through the process now. I picked Hertz just because it is a commonly known car rental company. I selected Melbourne as my location and picked a downtown location to get the car rather than the airport. I selected an economy car, ignored all the extras, and clicked submit. Here I need to enter my name and email address, phone number, and arrival info if I have it. If I enter my details and click submit, I would get a confirmation number and email which I would present to the location when I get there. I did the same with New York city ... same deal. Nowhere does it ask me if I own my own car. The Australian one just adds the insurance into the price. The New York one lists the insurance as an extra. Both seem perfectly happy to rent to me. |
Originally Posted by Machka
(Post 18482333)
So the Hertz (or Thrifty or Budget or whoever you went with) dealers at locations other than the airport wouldn't rent to you? That seems odd.
We just pop our info into the computer to book one, and then turn up and get it. OK, I'm going through the process now. I picked Hertz just because it is a commonly known car rental company. I selected Melbourne as my location and picked a downtown location to get the car rather than the airport. I selected an economy car, ignored all the extras, and clicked submit. Here I need to enter my name and email address, phone number, and arrival info if I have it. If I enter my details and click submit, I would get a confirmation number and email which I would present to the location when I get there. I did the same with New York city ... same deal. Nowhere does it ask me if I own my own car. The Australian one just adds the insurance into the price. The New York one lists the insurance as an extra. Both seem perfectly happy to rent to me. |
Yeah, I think Machka's advice is good, but it requires you have a national rental chain that's not located at the airport.
I expect dealers rent cars primarily to customers who are leaving their cars at the dealership for service or are otherwise, temporarily without a car, and therefor already have insurance. I think most of the advice is based on getting insurance from a national rental chain. If your best option is a dealership, then for insurance you'll probably have to look at getting insurance directly through an insurance company unless you have some other source of insurance. Dealerships are definitely not set up to help people who don't want to own a car. ;-) |
Originally Posted by Machka
(Post 18482304)
It's generally not advisable to go to the airport outlet unless you need to (i.e. you've just arrived in a country and need to find a way to get around).
Where possible, it is often better to select another outlet, downtown perhaps, or out in a suburb. Unless "getting around" only involves getting to one location (and return trip to airport) that could also be reached by taxi, shuttle bus, or convenient public transportation from the airport, car rental obtained at the airport is probably the most practical, if not most economical means of "getting around" after arriving by air at a location far from home. I don't think many air travelers would find your advice to schlep their luggage somehow to a distant car rental location (and repeat the process in reverse for the return trip) in order to save a few bucks all that useful. Either they are traveling for business purposes on the company dime, or on vacation or to an event where wasting hours on end to get to a cheaper car rental place may not be worth the cost in wasted limited time. |
Originally Posted by I-Like-To-Bike
(Post 18482712)
I'd think that most people renting cars at airports are doing so for the express reason of "getting around" after arriving by airplane from anywhere else.
Unless "getting around" only involves getting to one location (and return trip to airport) that could also be reached by taxi, shuttle bus, or convenient public transportation from the airport, car rental obtained at the airport is probably the most practical, if not most economical means of "getting around" after arriving by air at a location far from home. I don't think many air travelers would find your advice to schlep their luggage somehow to a distant car rental location (and repeat the process in reverse for the return trip) in order to save a few bucks all that useful. Either they are traveling for business purposes on the company dime, or on vacation or to an event where wasting hours on end to get to a cheaper car rental place may not be worth the cost in wasted limited time. But if you are flying in to an airport, I have found that there are often shuttle services to nearby hotels and bus service to the city center. If you wanted to shop around and try to save on rental cars, there are likely options to get around. You point out that many air travelers might find these options less than practical, and you're right. But then this is the car-free/light forum, and I think a lot of in that situation think nothing of hopping on a bus to get around. Is it worth the extra time/effort? Depends. Sounds like the OP has gone through some effort to find the best deal, so they might think it is worth the effort. |
Originally Posted by Rob_E
(Post 18483048)
Is it worth the extra time/effort? Depends. Sounds like the OP has gone through some effort to find the best deal, so they might think it is worth the effort.
Normally when I leave town I am going home, (to my wife) and I fly. I work in Kansas and live in Salt Lake. I get home about three times a year. |
Originally Posted by FBinNY
(Post 18481948)
Depends on where you live. In New York, they will rent a car with a relatively small cash deposit, usually in the range of 2-3x the projected rental fees. The credit card is more about ID confirmation and payment for the rental, then proof of ability to pay for a major repair.
BTW- you missed the point of my statement about never being asked about car ownership. It was to demonstrate that car owners and car free people are treated the same, since they have no way of knowing otherwise. I'd be surprised if any of the rental car companies at a NYC airport (or any other airport based operation) rent a car with only a relatively small cash deposit and no credit/debit card. BTW, I got the point, which was to repost the exact same statement about never being asked about car ownership when renting a car that I previously posted in this thread. If you believe your reposting of this fact demonstrated anything more than my statement, fine; re-repost it again and maybe you will "demonstrate" something else. |
Originally Posted by Robert C
(Post 18482396)
This is a small town of about 30K, so the other places do not exist here. For rentals it is the airport or the auto dealerships. That is it.
Where we lived north of Melbourne, we had to take a bus to a town about 70 km away which had the closest car rental location. |
Originally Posted by Rob_E
(Post 18483048)
But if you are flying in to an airport, I have found that there are often shuttle services to nearby hotels and bus service to the city center. If you wanted to shop around and try to save on rental cars, there are likely options to get around. You point out that many air travelers might find these options less than practical, and you're right. But then this is the car-free/light forum, and I think a lot of in that situation think nothing of hopping on a bus to get around.
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Originally Posted by Machka
(Post 18482304)
And you don't have to get the $30/day insurance ... however it is advisable. We always do, even though it doubles the cost of the rental.
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Originally Posted by Artkansas
(Post 18486152)
When I moved to Little Rock, I rented a car for 3 days so I could find an apartment. I got the insurance. And somewhere along the way I met a small rock that flew into the windshield, cracking it. :lol:
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Originally Posted by mtb_addict
(Post 18494007)
I don't like to rent. Too much risk.
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Originally Posted by mtb_addict
(Post 18494055)
You take possession of a $20,000+ property...you're responsible for it.
Even with insurance, you may have to fight struggle to get clear yourself. |
Originally Posted by I-Like-To-Bike
(Post 18494030)
Risk of/from what?
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Originally Posted by Walter S
(Post 18494319)
Death
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See If your Credit Card Company stands Behind You on that ..
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Originally Posted by fietsbob
(Post 18494667)
See If your Credit Card Company stands Behind You on that ..
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Do your own research.
I Have a Bus That gets me to the big city with it's airport.. |
Originally Posted by fietsbob
(Post 18496783)
Do your own research.
I Have a Bus That gets me to the big city with it's airport.. Bus crashes, fatalities worse than reported - USATODAY.com |
Originally Posted by I-Like-To-Bike
(Post 18494529)
What is your recommendation than to car free people who need/desire to travel to places for which there is no suitable/practical transportation other than a rental vehicle? Just don't go because of the alleged "Risk of Death!":rolleyes:
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I ditched my car this past Summer, switched my insurance policy with my insurance company to what they call "pedestrian insurance" at $15.00 a month. I'm covered if I borrow someone's car or rent a car. Also, I get medical coverage if in an accident while in a car, on public transportation, etc. Probably one of the best deals on the planet. I'm sure an internet search will come up with more than one insurance company that offers something similar. Of course you will need to have a driver's license, but as anti-personal automobile as I may be, a driver's license is still a handy form of identification when needed.
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Originally Posted by SchwinnSuburban
(Post 18508390)
I ditched my car this past Summer, switched my insurance policy with my insurance company to what they call "pedestrian insurance" at $15.00 a month. I'm covered if I borrow someone's car or rent a car. Also, I get medical coverage if in an accident while in a car, on public transportation, etc.
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Full coverage. Sorry about the lack of specificity.
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