Car rentals at campgrounds

[Sandy___Shirley]

Sorry for the 5er signature but rv.net hasn’t fixed there site yet to let us change it!

We bought a Georgetown motor home 4 weeks ago and are discussing the options of buying a towable truck of just renting cars when we get to various campsites.

The only site we have looked at is Enterprise who will allow us to become members and give them information on both of us so we can drop each other off and one person rents the car allowing both to drive it.

Are there any other members who rent instead of towing a car? If so, who do you rent from and how has the experience been?

[DSDP_Don]

Having your own towed is a great convenience. I think renting or towing depends on your type of camping. If you camp in big cities and then like to explore, renting would probably work okay. But if you like to go to National Parks and out of the way places, finding a rental may be tough. I think a retired couple may be more suited to renting than someone on a working schedule. I imagine you could easily lose half a day picking up and half a day dropping off.

[tropical36]

We've done both and like having a toad much better. Especially for one night stops, which we do often and always stop in the early afternoon for exploring.
Still wouldn't buy special for towing and ours is also an everyday driver. So, given this scenario, why wouldn't one, not want to tow?

[rk911]

Sandy & Shirley wrote:
Sorry for the 5er signature but rv.net hasn’t fixed there site yet to let us change it!

We bought a Georgetown motor home 4 weeks ago and are discussing the options of buying a towable truck of just renting cars when we get to various campsites.

The only site we have looked at is Enterprise who will allow us to become members and give them information on both of us so we can drop each other off and one person rents the car allowing both to drive it.

Are there any other members who rent instead of towing a car? If so, who do you rent from and how has the experience been?

we've been RVing since 1986 but didn't start towing until 2003. during those first 17-yrs we rented only occasionally. the MH was 25' long and wasn't a real problem using it to tour, shopping, etc. once we started towing our jeep (a 2003 wrangler and later a 2010 liberty) I realized how much better that was. not only was there the security of having a 'lifeboat' but it made the total RV experience so much better...and easier.

but then there's the cost. IF you plan to use the MH for only an annual 2-week vacation and maybe a weekend here and there AND your family vehicle cannot be towed (flat with/without mods, dolly or trailer) it MIGHT be less expensive to occasionally rent. depending on how you want to tow and how handy you are the cost for setting up a vehicle to tow could reach $3-$5K. that pays for a lot of rentals. but if you're going to be using the MH for multiple trips a year you will be better off towing.

once you've decided to tow and BEFORE you spend dime on a vehicle to tow you need to understand how to determine how much weight you can safely tow.

in general, the maximum amount of weight you can safely tow will be the lesser of the following:

• the GCWR (gross combination weight rating) of the MH minus the actual weight of the MH as it is loaded for travel (includes fuel, fresh water, food, clothing, people, pets, supplies, etc.)

• the weight rating of your tow bar

• the weight rating of your hitch

this is why it's vital to know what your MH weighs as it is loaded and configure for travel before choosing a toad. Your MH will not collapse if it is overloaded but you will likely experience handling issues as well as longer braking distances and accelerated wear on suspension, brakes, steering, etc. plenty of information on this in this forum and elsewhere.

good luck.

[westernrvparkow]

prstlk wrote:
Math question here (from experience) Changeing from a 20 ft enclosed car trailer to a 4 down toad. Toad 03 ford ranger 4wd manual, good for 4 down $5,500. Used roadmaster bar $225.00 craigslist, Used bracket set ebay $200.00. Lights wiring etc $65.00
just thinkin you can rent a lot of cars for 6k

Headed up the AlCan in 3 weeks let's see how wise I am ??
jw

But when your trip is done, you will still have the Truck all set up for towing. You could then sell it for at least $5000 and now you have to consider what you could rent for $1000. I think you will find it is a lot less than at first glance. Those $25 a day rentals grow exponentially when they add in all the taxes, fees and you get a car that you actually feel comfortable driving, not a glorified Fred Flintstone mobile which is the model they base those low rates on.

[bsinmich]

One time we decided to rent a car rather than tow. Enterprise had no one there but they had a car if I could get there. I bummed a ride from a neighbor and got dropped off at Enterprise. They had no car available and I had to take a taxi back 15 miles. Now that I have a "B" I don't tow. I now have my Saturn Vue for sale and wikll het a Buick Enclave when the Saturn goes.

[Sandy___Shirley]

Thanks for all the advice,

Looks like we will try both sides of the coin on this one. Our Georgetown manual recommend waiting 10,000 miles before flat towing. So far we have only 1,100.

Since we just traded our Everest 5th wheel for the Georgetown, we no longer need our 2002 F-350. A 9,000 pound with the 7.3 liter diesel is now way overkill for just taking leaves and branches to the dump once in a while. It only has 54,000 miles on it and the local Ford truck dealer has offered us $16,000 for it.

So far Plan A is to trade the F-350 in for a smaller flat towable truck. We will hold off on the $3,000 expense for the truck’s flat towable add on parts and the tow bar for the motor home. We will hold off our final decision until we get closer to the 10,000 mile break in period.

Thank again for all the advice!
Thanks for all the advice

[2gypsies1]

prstlk wrote:
Headed up the AlCan in 3 weeks let's see how wise I am ??
jw

Driving to Alaska is doable without a towed vehicle but you're going to be limited for siteseeing with a big motorhome. There are many nooks and crannies to explore!

[2gypsies1]

Everyone RVs differently and for us, it would have never worked.

If you go to metro areas it would probably be doable but our style of traveling was to off the beaten path scenic areas away from cities and interstates. We also loved public parks - national, state, COE, national forests and we sure didn't see car rentals in those areas that would be convenient.

While traveling we always felt confident having our own towed vehicle with us at all times in case of problems on the roads.

We certainly wouldn't like to plan details like that for every stop.

Also, would you really need a truck? There are so many towable small fuel saving vehicles out there. Do you have something now that is towable?

[prstlk]

Math question here (from experience) Changeing from a 20 ft enclosed car trailer to a 4 down toad. Toad 03 ford ranger 4wd manual, good for 4 down $5,500. Used roadmaster bar $225.00 craigslist, Used bracket set ebay $200.00. Lights wiring etc $65.00
just thinkin you can rent a lot of cars for 6k

Headed up the AlCan in 3 weeks let's see how wise I am ??
jw

[JimFromJersey]

I should add that there were no Enterprise offices around Niagara Falls when I was calling that Saturday morning. I had nothing but good experience with them in Canandaigua.

[darsben]

Love the enterprise $9.99 a weekend day rates. We have a motorhome and plan our rentals to coincide with that rate if at all possible. They pick me up and drop me off.

[demoon]

Our experience is pretty much the same as FormerBoater. Enterprise has never let us down. We always plan ahead and check to be sure there is an agency available. Several times they have just brought us the car and then had us leave it at the campground - keys at the office.

[FormerBoater]

Never had a problem....Enterprise has always picked me up.

No "delivery fees", no "I'm the only one in the office".

Easy, inexpensive.

However, we are not your typical Class A owners..usually go to places where we are meeting with friends and family who all have cars or where Enterprise has a presence.

We will never tow....just one less thing as Forest said.

[JimFromJersey]

The only time we've rented was up in Canandaigua KOA in central NY last August. We were there for three days while the DW was at a conference in Rochester. The KOA is the closest CG, and it's about 20 miles away. We rented at Enterprise in town, and they were good enough to come out and pick us up, etc. The office was only about four miles away. The Enterprise office there (Canandaigua) was very helpful for our time there.

Later that weekend, at Niagara Falls, we attempted to do this again, and spent most of a Saturday morning at Grand Island KOA calling all over trying to find an agency that would pick up and deliver and had no luck. We did not want to drive a 34' MH into downtown NF or around the falls.

If you plan on doing this, I highly recommend calling an agency well ahead of time to determine their individual policy, and get a reservation in writing that confirms it. Even Enterprise, in their small print, says "when conditions permit", which means that if the office doesn't have enough staff that morning, or day or whatever, they can't come and pick you up. That was the story I heard most often at NF - "Sorry, I'm the only one in the office until noon, and there's no one extra to pick you up" <-- Hertz, Avis, Dollar, etc etc etc...