Get a band in a van to get out of NYC?

July 13, 2007 10:48 AM

Where do we rent a van in the NY metro area to move 4 people, instruments, drums and amps for a short jaunt from Brooklyn to Philadelphia, DC and back to Brooklyn towards the end of this month?

Besides being able to carry all of the equipment, price and convenience to the Downtown Brooklyn/Carroll Gardens/Gowanus area are the major considerations. Is it best to go with one of the major chains or is there a smaller, local place that is cheaper yet safe and reliable?

posted by andrewraff to travel & transportation (7 comments total)

I'd go with the major chain. I've had bad luck with rental vans breaking down (cross country trips), but U-Haul was pretty good about making it right and getting us back on our way. On 95 between NYC and Philly, you are probably never more than 20-30 minutes from a U-Haul facility. They're all over the place.

If you go with the local places, make sure its a newer van. And substantially cheaper for the increased risk you're taking.
posted by uaudio at 10:58 AM on July 13, 2007

If you can, rent the van in Queens or, better yet, in Long Island. It will save you a jaw dropping amount of money. If I'm going somewhere for more than a few days, I hop the LIRR to Great Neck and rent from one of the places there (who will usually pick you up at the train station if you call in advance). Renting any vehicle in the city is about 3 times as expensive as renting in Long Island.
posted by kosem at 11:02 AM on July 13, 2007

You could do what all the film & TV production companies do and rent from Courier.

They're reliable and cheaper than the Avises and Hertzes of the world.

My brother's band used to rent from some company in Jersey whenever they toured (also based out of Brooklyn) and they had great luck with them. I'll ask him the name of the company they used, and post it here when I hear back from him.
posted by dersins at 11:07 AM on July 13, 2007

I don't have an opinion on the question, but Friday, July 27, at DC's The Red and The Black sounds like a helluva meetup opportunity.
posted by MrMoonPie at 11:31 AM on July 13, 2007 [1 favorite]

Aha. Heard back from my brother.

All-most [sic] New Rentals.

8 passenger vans at reasonable prices, most importantly, with unlimited miles.

They've used these guys many times, and have very good things to say about them.

They apparently don't let you take the vans west of the Mississippi, but it doesn't sound like that's an issue for this tour.
posted by dersins at 11:44 AM on July 13, 2007

Thanks for the ideas. All-most New looks like a good first place to call.

And yes, I'll certainly be at the Red and Black on Friday the 27th if any DC-area MeFites want to meet up.
posted by andrewraff at 3:22 PM on July 14, 2007

You might want to also try Bandago Van Rentals. They actually specialize in vans for bands, have a location on the east coast, the vans look really neat and they are even carbon neutral.
posted by glowradar at 11:01 AM on July 16, 2007