Rental cars

[Omar_dont_scare]

I'm a fairly experienced traveler but the vacation Mrs. Omar and I are planning has us a bit stumped.

We're going to fly into Phoenix, spend a couple days there, hit the Grand Canyon, then drive to Vegas.

A friend of mine who goes to Vegas all the time says a rental car's completely unnecessary there.

But we're basically keeping the car for six days as is, which locks us into a weekly rate on most of the sites I've been to.

Given that it's a one-way rental, anyone have any suggestions on where to find the cheapest rates? Or a way to finagle the days so we're getting the most for our money?

 

[Ace]

A rental car is completely unnecessary in Vegas.

Maybe you could turn it in as soon as you get there so you don't get charged for it there. Sure, you will have to take taxis if you hop from casino to casino, but that's easy.

I don't know if/what hotels charge for parking there, so factor that in.

 

[OTD]

I'm a fairly experienced traveler but the vacation Mrs. Omar and I are planning has us a bit stumped.

We're going to fly into Phoenix, spend a couple days there, hit the Grand Canyon, then drive to Vegas.

A friend of mine who goes to Vegas all the time says a rental car's completely unnecessary there.

But we're basically keeping the car for six days as is, which locks us into a weekly rate on most of the sites I've been to.

Given that it's a one-way rental, anyone have any suggestions on where to find the cheapest rates? Or a way to finagle the days so we're getting the most for our money?

I agree that not only is a car unnecessary in Las Vegas, it's a pain in the ass. Unless you want a post-midnight trip to In 'n' Out . . . but I digress. You will most likely park the car in the hotel garage and not see it again until checkout time.

I have had good luck with Budget, particularly with one-way rentals. You might also try Priceline.com.

 

[TwoGloves]

I've been to Vegas 30-plus times and I always get a car. Cabs are so expensive and you can go anywhere you want with a car. Out to the ***, Henderson, the desert, anywhere. I got a car there in October for something like $15-$20 a day on Priceline. Try that first. A cab ride from the strip downtown can cost you $20 one way. Plus, I always like to drive around town to see what's new. You can valet park for $1 or $2 at any large hotel/casino and virtually all of them have free parking. I just valet parked for a couple bucks every night.

 

[SoCalDude]

If you don't mind a bit of a walk, self-park is usually free. Otherwise, let the valet have it. Costs a dollar each time you go get the car.

 

[Omar_dont_scare]

I was told you can return rental cars at several of the casino/resorts on the Strip but I'm having the damnedest time figuring out which companies are at which places.

 

[Buck]

I've found Enterprise to be less than Budget.

 

[Ben_Hecht]

Some observations:

rental outlets at the hotels are epic ripoffs.

if you're going to drink to excess, cab it. Metro is merciless when it comes to drunken driving. You'll get treated better if you stick up a gas station.

If you're not looking to do an enormous amount of casino-hopping, or if you're at or near a corner with tons of casinos within walking distance (Flamingo and the Strip, anyone?), and you're not looking to drive out to Red Rock, you probably don't need a car.

Cab rates are among the highest in the nation.

The strip busses can be a VERY good deal, but they get crowded during rush,
and even with the double-deckers running, you're not assured of instant
gratification.

Hope this helps.

 

[PCLoadLetter]

Whether you want a car in Vegas may depend on where you're staying. If you're at a central spot like Caesars you'll want a car a lot less than if you're at the edge of the strip, like the Mandalay Bay.

Personally, I need the car to get to the Original Tommy's in Henderson.

 

[Sam Mills 51]

Omar,

Understand that one-way rentals usually cost a lot more than those which are returned to the same locale. To boot, the companies will usually have you "deadhead" one that the locale from which you're renting is trying to send the out-of-town property back in their direction.

It usually costs too much, though. Dunno if there will be much negotiation.

The one thing I can recommend is to check both your auto insurance company as well as the credit card which you will use to reserve the rental. See if one or both will insure your rental vehicle while you are driving it so that you can decline the optional forms of coverage every rental company offers. It's a good idea to take it if neither your auto insurance company and/or the credit card don't cover it, but an obvious waste of money if they do. Additionally, it will prevent the rep at the desk from bullying you into it.

 

[schiezainc]

So, I've got a question for you travelers there and, rather than make a new thread, figured I'd bring up an old one.

The fiancee and I are going to Vegas from July 11th-18th and then driving out to LA from the 18th-23rd. We know we won't need a rental car for the vast majority of our Vegas trip, as we've been there before, but I'm thinking about checking out the Hoover ***, and some out of the way stuff.

We're definitely going to need it to drive from Vegas to Cali, though, and there is lies the problem.

Should I try to get a week-long rate by picking up the car a couple days early (Say Thursday the 15th), with that giving me the freedom to check out some of the other stuff farther away or should I say the hell with it and get the car when I absolutely need it (The 18th)?

Keep in mind we haven't made much in the way of plans yet. All we know is we're spending a good chunk of our time pool side and relaxing.

Also, while I have you, can you recommend me some things to check out besides the usual tourist traps? We were thinking about driving to the Grand Canyon for a day-long picnic/walk around but I think that's four hours away so I'm kind of trying to avoid too many of those types of trips.

 

[playthrough]

Get a week-long rate and live it up.

Best vacation my wife and I ever took: flew into Vegas, rented Mustang convertible. Drove to LA then up the Pacific Coast Highway to San Fran, stopping at a ton of spots on the way. Alternated nights between camping and hotel. Headed east from San Fran to Yosemite for a couple days, then drove back south through Nevada to Vegas. Had the car for about 10 days and put nearly 2k miles on it.

 

[crusoes]

Be sure you can take it out of state. I've run into that before when trying to rent a car. They were fine until I told them I was leaving the state. Then, it was no dice. I found another car to rent, so all was cool. But it doesn't hurt to ask before you leave.

 

[Sandoval]

Check to see if there's a mileage limit also (even on a weekly rate). Not good times if you drive 2,000 miles and then find out you have to pay per mile over 1,000 or something.

 

[schiezainc]

Be sure you can take it out of state. I've run into that before when trying to rent a car. They were fine until I told them I was leaving the state. Then, it was no dice. I found another car to rent, so all was cool. But it doesn't hurt to ask before you leave.

The web sites I've gone to have all (with the exception of Enterprise) given me the choice for a one-way rental so that shouldn't be an issue.

I think I've decided to get the rental car that Thursday because A.) I can buy a five-day unlimited bus pass in Vegas for $20 that will bring me right up to Thursday and B.) The week rates seem cheaper.

Now it's just a matter of finding which company I want to go through.

 

[schiezainc]

Bump up for fine print!

So, I was checking out some rental car places and found a great one-week long rate at Thifty. Got ready to book and, lo and behold, bam, $200 fee for dropping the car off in Cali.

Needless to say the wife-to-be was not too thrilled by this and we decided to hold off on the booking until we can figure something else out. Anyone have any advice on either A.) How to get out of the drop-off rate, B.) How to get the rate reduced or C.) Alternate ways to get to Cali from Vegas?

 

[mustangj17]

I'm a fairly experienced traveler but the vacation Mrs. Omar and I are planning has us a bit stumped.

We're going to fly into Phoenix, spend a couple days there, hit the Grand Canyon, then drive to Vegas.

A friend of mine who goes to Vegas all the time says a rental car's completely unnecessary there.

But we're basically keeping the car for six days as is, which locks us into a weekly rate on most of the sites I've been to.

Given that it's a one-way rental, anyone have any suggestions on where to find the cheapest rates? Or a way to finagle the days so we're getting the most for our money?

I agree that not only is a car unnecessary in Las Vegas, it's a pain in the ass. Unless you want a post-midnight trip to In 'n' Out . . . but I digress. You will most likely park the car in the hotel garage and not see it again until checkout time.

I have had good luck with Budget, particularly with one-way rentals. You might also try Priceline.com.

I could see the In-N-Out from my room in Vegas. Never have I wanted a rental car so badly.

 

[Sam Mills 51]

Bump up for fine print!

So, I was checking out some rental car places and found a great one-week long rate at Thifty. Got ready to book and, lo and behold, bam, $200 fee for dropping the car off in Cali.

Needless to say the wife-to-be was not too thrilled by this and we decided to hold off on the booking until we can figure something else out. Anyone have any advice on either A.) How to get out of the drop-off rate, B.) How to get the rate reduced or C.) Alternate ways to get to Cali from Vegas?

A) Forget it. The vehicles are assigned for those locations. So either they have to get someone to "deadhead" it back to the location of origin or find someone who's going one-way to take it back. But usually, that doesn't entail any sort of serious discount. The only benefit could be if you reserved something small - econony or compact - wanted something bigger and it was, say, a mid- or full-sized sedan.

B) Look for a coupon or discount code. Many have rates, codes, coupons and other various discounts floating around. A site such as www.retailmenot.com is a good start.

Good luck.

 

[schiezainc]

So get this. Avis wanted to charge me $669 for an economy car for the full week (7/15-7/23), drop off fee included. I went through Hotwire, got a car for that time frame FROM AVIS for $269, drop off fee included.

Love saving $400! Woo!

 

[David Panian]

I was doing a one-way rental in California a couple years ago - San Fran to San Diego - and first looked at picking up at the San Fran airport and dropping off at the San Diego airport. I forget what the quoted rate from Hertz and lots of other places was, but it was insane, mostly for the dropoff fee. But then through Orbitz or Travelocity I stumbled across a rate starting from a local Hertz location that was way more reasonable. So I picked up the car at Daly City and two days later dropped off at Lindbergh Field. With my AAA discount it came to about $75, which was definitely worth it for the drive down Highway 1.

So, if possible, see if a local/neighborhood location is possible rather than an airport.