Renting A Car

[Aadkins101]

Just wondering for snowbirds not wanting to tow a car on their way to their winter home.............does anyone rent a car for the time that they are there? And if so, are there deals to be had for 2 or 3 months of a rental for a small, compact car?

[C-Bears]

We spend 5 months each winter in SW Florida in our 5th wheel. We missed not having 2 vehicles plus parking a 1-ton truck is not always easy in congested areas.

The prices we got on rental vehicles were extremely high around the Fort Myers/Naples area.

We purchased a used Jeep Wrangler and will have it down there with us this year. When we leave Florida in May we will store it in Florida.

[rockhillmanor]

Snowman9000 wrote:
This is my guess, after looking at the Enterprise deal. It is like the $49 airfares on Southwest. There aren't many seats at that price, but it gets you onto the website. Once word gets around, good luck getting that weekend rental at $9.99 a day. IMO.

x2
I went to all the rental sites and read all the great deals and thought no problem.

All I know is that when I got down south I NEVER found one car for rent at the advertised special price. And if you want to rent anything larger than a roller skate car expect to pay big big bucks for it. 😞

[Snowman9000]

This is my guess, after looking at the Enterprise deal. It is like the $49 airfares on Southwest. There aren't many seats at that price, but it gets you onto the website. Once word gets around, good luck getting that weekend rental at $9.99 a day. IMO.

[obgraham]

I've gone to AZ for 2-3 months for over 10 years. Several times I've looked into a rental for the whole duration, but the cost is outrageous. There aren't, it seems, discounts for longer rentals.

So if you can manage the way the above poster does, just taking the 9.99 weekend days, that's the cheapest. Phoenix being spread out like it is, though, I wanted the car on my own schedule. So either toaded it, or drove it down. Now I just leave an extra car there, and it's my best solution (doubt it's the cheapest, though!)

[moonstone]

My Dad had to rent a car last winter in Florida when my Mom was hospitalized in an emergency. They have a MH but dont take a toad. Dad didn't want to unhook the motorhome & drive it to the hospital (30mins each way) everyday (sometimes 2x /day). He also wanted to leave the dog in the motorhome in the shady campground where neibrs could walk it instead of in the sunny hospital parking lot.

A neibr in the campground found a cheap rate at Rent a wreck for him (I think it was just under/over $200 for the week taxes incl). He said the car was only 2 yrs old and in great shape -definitely not a wreck!. YMMV

~Diane

[her_I]

rockhillmanor wrote:
I was told that Enterprise would in deed pick you up but I never heard of them bringing you back after you are done with the rental?

I have used Enterprise 3 times in Harlingen, Texas and once in Apache Junction, Arizona. They have always driven me back to the campground after the rental.

[2gypsies1]

Do you have a towing package already set up for your motorhome? If so, I can't understand why you wouldn't tow your car and have full access when you arrive.

Towing a car does not cut down on fuel mileage if that's what you're worried about.

[doxiemom11]

If you are a Good Same Member, there is a discount available thru Enterprise. It was 10% when we used it. Renting for 2 weeks it saved us $70.00. Well worth the membership fee if you aren't a member yet.

[rockhillmanor]

I was told that Enterprise would in deed pick you up but I never heard of them bringing you back after you are done with the rental?

[dieharder]

Personally, I like the idea of waking up in the morning and, if I wanna go somewhere, I go. I don't want to have to rely on an outfit like Enterprise if that arises since I learned the hard way that you can't depend on them, even if you've made reservations months ahead of time.

[darsben]

Snowman9000 wrote:

darsben wrote:
We do not toad to Arizona. We take advantage of Enterprise $9.99 a day on weekends. They pick us up Friday AM and drop us off on Monday after we turn in the car. Only 100 miles per day but that is plenty for us. With tax were we are it equals $32.04.

Wow, that is a good deal. Is there any trick to getting the deal? We will be out in PHX and Tucson for several weeks, without a toad.

START HERE

[naysmitj]

I have had good luck renting through this site.

http://www.carrentals.com/

and depending where you are this site.

http://www.foxrentacar.com/

Cheers

[rockhillmanor]

All I know is the first time I came down to Florida I was SHOCKED at what the car rental prices were compared to the Midwest.

I 'assumed' the franchise car rental rates/deals were the same across the states. It most certainly is not true for Florida.

As the rental manager of one told me:
"the rental rates are based on what the market will bear especially if you are within driving distance of the mouse house." 😞

So make some phone calls before you decide so that you will have a reasonably priced rental available at your destination.

I bought a toad a week after searching for a rental that didn't cost me an arm and a leg and finding out that doesn't exist in Florida!

[Snowman9000]

darsben wrote:
We do not toad to Arizona. We take advantage of Enterprise $9.99 a day on weekends. They pick us up Friday AM and drop us off on Monday after we turn in the car. Only 100 miles per day but that is plenty for us. With tax were we are it equals $32.04.

Wow, that is a good deal. Is there any trick to getting the deal? We will be out in PHX and Tucson for several weeks, without a toad.