HELP! Stranded in KC, Missouri
June 30, 2011 1:52 PM Subscribe
HELP! Stranded in KC, Missouri
I'm posting this for a friend who is moving cross country to open up his new small business. His truck broke down in Kansas City, Missouri and needs a new transmission. Basically it comes down to this- Mechanic wants $3k for a new tranny, U-Haul wants $1k if he goes the rental route. He is appx 1k miles from his destination of Pennsylvania.
Where can he rent a truck (preferably with towing capabilities) for much cheaper?
Does anyone have connections or an idea on how he can get to PA without spending a grand on rental fee's?
He was able to arrange a place to sleep already : )
Thank you!
I'm posting this for a friend who is moving cross country to open up his new small business. His truck broke down in Kansas City, Missouri and needs a new transmission. Basically it comes down to this- Mechanic wants $3k for a new tranny, U-Haul wants $1k if he goes the rental route. He is appx 1k miles from his destination of Pennsylvania.
Where can he rent a truck (preferably with towing capabilities) for much cheaper?
Does anyone have connections or an idea on how he can get to PA without spending a grand on rental fee's?
He was able to arrange a place to sleep already : )
Thank you!
You can get a rental trucks from any of the rental companies like Hertz and Enterprise. But KC is, for some reason, horribly expensive to rent. Here's a similar question I asked last year, hopefully something in this will help your friend.
posted by Caravantea at 2:10 PM on June 30, 2011
posted by Caravantea at 2:10 PM on June 30, 2011
Stating the obvious, maybe, but have you tried the major car rental places? I just looked at Hertz, and to pick up an SUV (I guess there were no other trucks at the location I plugged in) tomorrow in KC and return it Sunday in Pittsburgh is less than $700. And he could probably get it cheaper if he messed around with different locations, different times of day, different vehicles, etc. Or maybe another company has better rates. Or if he drove through the night and got it there quicker, b/c they charge by the day. It's not cheap, but it's less than U-Haul. Good luck!
posted by DestinationUnknown at 2:11 PM on June 30, 2011
posted by DestinationUnknown at 2:11 PM on June 30, 2011
This is just going to cost a lot of money. $700 sounds cheap. $1000 sounds reasonable. 1,000 miles is a long way, I'm afraid.
posted by valkyryn at 2:12 PM on June 30, 2011
posted by valkyryn at 2:12 PM on June 30, 2011
Response by poster: He's driving his pickup, so it can't be full of too much, so no I don't think a big U-haul is necessary but he could know something I don't. I'm thinking a rental vehicle with a hitch from somewhere, and a little orange u-haul tower is what he'll need. I'm getting in touch now so he can read your responses. Thank you!
posted by MansRiot at 2:17 PM on June 30, 2011
posted by MansRiot at 2:17 PM on June 30, 2011
One-way rental is going to be expensive, period.
Has he considered boxing up his most valuable stuff, shipping it UPS/FedEx Ground, scrapping the rest and taking a Greyhound?
posted by jon1270 at 2:18 PM on June 30, 2011
Has he considered boxing up his most valuable stuff, shipping it UPS/FedEx Ground, scrapping the rest and taking a Greyhound?
posted by jon1270 at 2:18 PM on June 30, 2011
$3K is a lot for a transmission, even installed. I'd look around for a used transmission from a salvage yard. Most yards will give 30 or 90 day (or even a 6 month) warranty on major used parts like a transmission, and if his truck is a common model like an F-150 or a Silverado, a used transmission can probably be had for $800 to $900 dollars. Add $300 to install, and for about a third of what he's been quoted for a new transmission, and not much more than he'll pay for a rental, he'll be on his way in his own truck, in a day or two.
posted by paulsc at 2:23 PM on June 30, 2011 [1 favorite]
posted by paulsc at 2:23 PM on June 30, 2011 [1 favorite]
I'm with jon1270. That'll probably end up being the cheapest option. Rather than Greyhound, he may even be able to city hop via Chinatown busses if he can find one down there. It'll take longer, but if money is an issue it is worth investigating.
posted by Loto at 2:24 PM on June 30, 2011
posted by Loto at 2:24 PM on June 30, 2011
Find a pallet, put everything on it, wrap it in plastic, call trucking companies. Or go to a truck stop and find someone independent who is heading back east with less than a full load. Your friend could probably ride with his stuff if he went the latter route.
posted by Mr. Yuck at 3:17 PM on June 30, 2011
posted by Mr. Yuck at 3:17 PM on June 30, 2011
I'm thinking a rental vehicle with a hitch from somewhere, and a little orange u-haul tower is what he'll need.
No commercial rental place will rent to him with a hitch. The liability is too high.
Enterprise Rent A Car rents Pickup Trucks. Looks like they have a "Large Pickup" ("Chevy Silverado, Ram 1500 Crew Cab, or similar") available from their location at 600 GRAND AVENUE KANSAS CITY, MO 64106-1498 Tel.: (816) 842-4700 available for 92.10 a day. The other KC locations also seem to rent pickup trucks. That's a one-way rental, they don't show the rates for one-way rentals on their website but they're typically much higher. I know from experience that Enterprise also rents (very nice) cargo vans.
He should a) rent a truck or van from them ($100), b) drive his stuff from KC to Pittsburgh and drop it off; c) drive the truck/van back to KC ($100 for a second day); Greyhound or Amtrak back to Pitt. Done for under $300.
posted by anastasiav at 3:18 PM on June 30, 2011
No commercial rental place will rent to him with a hitch. The liability is too high.
Enterprise Rent A Car rents Pickup Trucks. Looks like they have a "Large Pickup" ("Chevy Silverado, Ram 1500 Crew Cab, or similar") available from their location at 600 GRAND AVENUE KANSAS CITY, MO 64106-1498 Tel.: (816) 842-4700 available for 92.10 a day. The other KC locations also seem to rent pickup trucks. That's a one-way rental, they don't show the rates for one-way rentals on their website but they're typically much higher. I know from experience that Enterprise also rents (very nice) cargo vans.
He should a) rent a truck or van from them ($100), b) drive his stuff from KC to Pittsburgh and drop it off; c) drive the truck/van back to KC ($100 for a second day); Greyhound or Amtrak back to Pitt. Done for under $300.
posted by anastasiav at 3:18 PM on June 30, 2011
Response by poster: Great help everyone! He just texted me back and said he found a local through a friend of a friend that will tow him if he pays gas both ways. Then he'll have his truck in PA and can deal with it when the time comes.
Thanks for so many good and fast replies.
J.
posted by MansRiot at 3:41 PM on June 30, 2011
Thanks for so many good and fast replies.
J.
posted by MansRiot at 3:41 PM on June 30, 2011
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by jillithd at 2:10 PM on June 30, 2011