Renting a 4wd

January 5, 2009 4:22 PM

How do I rent a 4wd car (in Santa Barbara, CA)?

I plan on driving to San Francisco and then Tahoe over MLK weekend.

Because part of the point is to get up skiing in Tahoe with a friend, I would really like to have 4wd so I don't have to worry about chains (I no longer own a car so I don't have a pair, and I wouldn't want to put em on a rental anyways). But, since there will only be 2 passengers, and it's a lot of flat miles from here to SF, I really don't need a full SUV-- what I want is the smallest, cheapest car I can find, which I can drive in snow as-is.

I can't figure out how to search rental agency offerings for 4wd cars; I can ask for an SUV but they are pricey and more car than I really need (esp. because the roads might not be snowy that weekend anyhow!) Do any of the other common designations mean 4wd and I just don't know?



Extra fun: I actually don't care how I get to SF, but flying from SBA is too expensive (c. 500$), flying through LAX would take as long as just driving up, and the Amtrak is *so* slow. If you have other methods of getting up there feel free to share!

posted by nat to travel & transportation (10 comments total)

Cheap front wheel drive car, 40 dollar chains that fit the tire size, 50 bucks cash for the chain guy, receipt to return chains if unopened.
posted by iamabot at 4:31 PM on January 5

Heck, I'm not paying the chain guy, I've put chains on tons of times myself; what I'm actually worried about is that the rental car company won't like chains being put on their car. Am I wrong to be worried?
posted by nat at 4:38 PM on January 5

You might have to call them and ask if they have a problem with it, might be the best bet there, but my guess is you just want to carry the chains in case you need them to get down the hill.
posted by iamabot at 4:50 PM on January 5

Hertz has Volvo XC70s at some locations, they're awesome. They're part of the "Prestige Collection" but renting one for the weekend only cost me $20 more than a mid-size - and less than two one-way Amtrak tickets!
posted by nicwolff at 5:00 PM on January 5

You might watch out; driving across state lines can be against the car rental contract. I don't think they enforce it, but I suppose if you get in a wreck in Nevada you could be really screwed.
posted by pwnguin at 5:21 PM on January 5

If chain control is in effect, you have to carry chains regardless of whether you have a 4 wheel drive with/without snow tires. Since the forecast doesn't call for that much snow anyway (so far) you might as well get a 2 wheel drive rental, buy some chains, and return them when you get back.
posted by oneirodynia at 5:41 PM on January 5

And to answer the question: all Subarus are all wheel drive.
posted by oneirodynia at 5:47 PM on January 5

A Hertz in the bay area hooked me up with a Subaru AWD wagon a few years ago. I didn't even ask for one (nor pay any extra) but we were going skiing at Tahoe so I took it. We were stopping at one of the chain inspection points and the official basically said "Why are you stopping? You have a Subaru."
posted by exogenous at 8:02 PM on January 5

Two things I know from experience:

DO ask the place where you buy chains if they'll accept returns, even if the chains are unopened. Many places will not now, exactly because of this situation. Last time we encountered this, Sears was one of the few places that would allow returns.

DON'T ask the rental car company if they'd mind terribly if you use chains on their cars. They will say no. Actually, they will say Hell No. Employ a don't ask/don't tell policy when it comes to rental cars and chains.

If all else fails and renting a 4wd in Santa Barbara is too hard, you might consider driving your own car as far as Sacramento and renting a 4wd at the Sacto airport. You can park your own car in long-term parking (which is directly across from the rental car terminal) for easy pickup/dropoff. It's $7 or $9 bucks a day, something like that.

Since Sacramento is close to Tahoe, it probably has a larger variety of cars that will suit your needs. And because it's closer, your rental period will be considerably shorter and cheaper. It's also easy to get to from I-80, on your way from SF to Tahoe.
posted by mudpuppie at 9:09 PM on January 5

Ah nothing better than a Subaru in Tahoe. I've been picked out of the chain control line 6 cars back and waved through thanks to the Sube.
posted by gatorbiddy at 9:16 PM on January 5