US auto rental advice

June 3, 2008 2:38 AM

Some advice please on auto rental in the US please?

I'm travelling from the UK to LA later this month, we're doing a car trip round CA and NV. I've done it before a few times, but my girlfiriend hasn't so its a chance for me to show the place off for a while. I've booked a car through Alamo, i'm reasonably experienced with auto rental in the US, but this time i actually paid attention to the little things.

I would like to get the Sirius thingy so we can listen to BBC, I only have a small tolerance for RRRROCK RADIO and preachy guffins and I dont like Country or Western.

When comparing 'like for like' on the hertz site for a car with sirius, to a car on alamo of same size but no sirius, the cost is quite different, and more importantly, Hertz dont seem to include the protections Alamo do for the price - ie they include LDW, but not CDW. So the price is significantly higher for Hertz with CDW than Alamo without. Is there something about Hertz that makes them special?

I know there are USians who must rent cars all the time and have vast experience of this, whats some general advice around all of this?

(The car is being picked up/dropped of at LAX btw)

posted by daveyt to travel & transportation (11 comments total)

*f*ck*. Two pleases. Sheesh. Sorry.
posted by daveyt at 2:38 AM on June 3, 2008

Check with your own motorist insurance and your credit card company. In the US, credit cards often will include CDW/LDW protection at no charge. Some insurance companies will as well.

Not sure what you're worried about in terms of music, as the radio stations in the US are 90% for-profit stations, meaning you'll only get about 35-40 minutes of music at most despite whatever marketing spin they might use.

That said, satellite radio is quite nice. I have XM satellite radio in my own car. Not sure if it's still true today, but at one time Sirius only offered BBC News rather than BBC World Service. I know XM does carry World Service.

Cheers
posted by OTA at 2:52 AM on June 3, 2008

In my opinion, the main difference between Alamo and Hertz is the price. Hertz is more popular with business travelers, who are generally less averse to paying their higher prices. These days I rent pretty exclusively from Alamo and National (they are now owned by the same company), and am very satisfied with their cars and service. I never bother with the extra insurance, since I have coverage from my credit card, though this might not apply to somebody from outside of the States.

As for satellite radio, yes it's nice to have but not absolutely necessary for a road trip. You might find programming on public radio to your liking. The Los Angeles area in particular has an excellent station in the form of KCRW. NPR has a nifty little road trip gizmo on their website that will tell you what frequencies to tune in along the way to hear public radio stations.

And for the times where you are out of the reach of decent terrestrial radio, odds are that unless you've rented the cheapest car, what you get will have a cd player. You could create a few mix CDs to take along with your favorite traveling music.

And if all else fails, there's always conversation with your girlfriend.
posted by SteveInMaine at 3:31 AM on June 3, 2008

Doesn't sound like he's questioning whether to get Sirius but otherwise I agree with SteveinMaine. Hertz is more of a full-service rental agency and prices tend to be higher since business travelers use them.
posted by otherwordlyglow at 3:47 AM on June 3, 2008

the BBC america service is a watered-down version of BBC world. it's not nearly as good as what you are used to. this just as a little precaution. consider podcasts and audible.com content. there are plenty of askme's on that here. finally: npr rocks.

do check with your UK insurance providers if you can get some decent coverage. the LDW's US car rental companies offer aren't worth much and will top out leaving you uncovered if you have a decent crash. your travel agent is most likely able to get you much, much better coverage.
posted by krautland at 4:06 AM on June 3, 2008

Hertz markets itself to people with expense accounts / the ability to write off the cost as a business expense, or to tourists who know the brand and feel more comfortable booking with them before they arrive. There are also tie-ins with things like frequent flyer miles and professional organisations, so your standard American Road Warrior may end up at the Hertz desk because he/she flew into the airport on a particular airline with a Super Platinum Flyer card. I also suspect a lot of that markup goes into ensuring that they have the best desk at LAX Arrivals and location within the airport compound, as opposed to a broom cupboard in the basement (or a phone on the wall) and a 10-minute minibus ride from the terminal.

CA and NV aren't quite the radio wasteland that is I-40 between NC and OK, where sat-rad is a sanity-saver. If you take the option, both XM and Sirius have essentially the same music range. But you might want to consider the local stations as part of the cultural landscape (think: GTA: San Andreas) on your road trip. As an expat Brit, there's still fun to be had from driving in the rural South with a praise-Jesus preacher on a hissy AM station. Sat-rad is like having a windscreen for your ears, and while sometimes that's a good thing, mix CDs can do the same.

You will get upsold at the rental desk, no matter what you choose, so if you reserve a car with sat-rad, you'll get upsold on GPS or similar, and I'd take GPS over sat-rad if you're venturing anywhere that you're out of the way and unfamiliar with the roads.

I've done fine with National. Alamo's similar. Check your insurance policy and your credit card company to see if any coverage follows you across the pond, or if they offer a supplemental that's cheaper than the CDW.
posted by holgate at 5:41 AM on June 3, 2008

Hertz is preferred by business travelers because they're a lower-hassle company.

If you're a Gold #1 Club Member, the Hertz rental process is as follows:
Get dropped off at the rental lot.
Look for your name and parking spot # on the electronic board.
Drive to the gate (keys already in the car).
Sign one document at the gate, then drive out.

No need to inspect your car for dings, no lines, no attempts to upsell you, and less time wasted at the airport.

That said, if you aren't a member of their frequent customer club, the rental process is very much similar to a place like Alamo. Having rented a gazillion times, I prefer Hertz and Avis, but I can't gripe too much about my experiences with Alamo, except that they involve more paperwork and scrutiny than I prefer.
posted by Project F at 7:25 AM on June 3, 2008

I rent from Hertz, despite it being more expensive, because I've had problems with Enterprise, Budget and Avis in the past. Hertz is expensive, yes, but they do not try to upsell me on a million things (Budget, Avis), they have never failed to have my reservation ready for me (Budget, Enterprise), and they have never tried to defraud me for damage I didn't do to the car (Enterprise). With my CAA discount, Hertz is not outrageously much more than not-Hertz, and as I am always nervous about renting cars, I prefer to deal with a company that makes a point of not being a pain in my ass when I do.

That said, I have never used Alamo, and I don't know if they're fine or not.
posted by jacquilynne at 8:17 AM on June 3, 2008

Alamo's process at LAX is this:
1. leave airport on arrivals level, find a purple rental-shuttle area (visible from any exit door)
2. get on Alamo/National bus which comes by every 2-3 minutes
3. get dropped off, go to automated terminal to sign in
4. choose a car in the lot, drive to gate
5. show paperwork to gate attendant, leave

I've rented with all the major US companies and all of them have been fine, I just browse for the best price. The prices fluctuate so much that occasionally best price does happen to be Hertz; other times it's Alamo; other times it's Budget. There's really no telling. I was just in LA and the best price happened to be Budget, but you really have to check on all their sites to know.

I also rented once from Fox, which was less than pleasant, but I think they are a small chain. In any case, I'd avoid them in the future.
posted by loiseau at 9:13 AM on June 3, 2008

Avis is the working man's Hertz. Certainly not quite the same gold-level of customer service. Avis has made XM satellite radio pretty much standard in every major US city. If cost is major concern, go hotwire--you can get cars as cheap as $9 a day. You can't control which company you'll end up with but at the desk you can usually negotiate for a car with sat radio, or if nothing else, an aux-in for your ipod.
posted by caveatz at 9:50 AM on June 3, 2008

I used to try renting from people like Dollar/Thrifty, Enterprise and what have you. I got tired of getting vehicles lacking essential things like functional windshield wipers, dirty cars, and all that other stuff.

Besides, for the same price as one of their "full size" cars I can use a double upgrade certificate and get something like a Crown Vic or a Toyota Avalon from Hertz.
posted by wierdo at 7:04 PM on June 3, 2008