Car Rental: Traveling for work

[StarsFan4Life]

I have been using Avis when I travel to Durham NC, but the rates seem a little high to me. I will be traveling from Dallas to Houston on Monday through Wednesday of next week. I have two cases full of equipment, 3 PC's and my small luggage to take.

What company do you guys recommend for car rental in terms of rates and quality of car?

 

[MagnusTheBrewer]

The smaller companies (National, Interstate et al) usually offer cheaper rates and have just as nice cars.

 

[olds]

OP
You own the business?

 

[StarsFan4Life]

OP
You own the business?

No. IT travels!

 

[spacelord]

I get Enterprise cars via work. Although from the Enterprise place by my house I get 40,000 Mile Hyundai dirty pieces of crap.. but if I get them from the office near my work I usually get fresh nice cars.. for example Ford Edge, 3000 miles and Satellite radio for the price of an intermediate. $199/week. sweetness...
maybe they treat their corporate customers better...

 

[StarsFan4Life]

Anyone?

Avis freaking SUCKS! I had a code...went in and used it. It took my car rental from $267 down to $114. I waited about 10-15 minutes, went and got my corporate card to make the reservation, tried to pay and they cleared my cart.

I went back through the wizard and with the SAME settings, it only dropped it down to around $200. Do they sit there and monitor this type of stuff?

 

[IronWing]

Anyone?

Avis freaking SUCKS! I had a code...went in and used it. It took my car rental from $267 down to $114. I waited about 10-15 minutes, went and got my corporate card to make the reservation, tried to pay and they cleared my cart.

I went back through the wizard and with the SAME settings, it only dropped it down to around $200. Do they sit there and monitor this type of stuff?

Yes, it works like airline pricing, the more perceived demand, the higher the price. By going to the site and picking the same time/date/location twice you effectively bid against yourself even though you didn't actually buy anything. You could wait a bit and see if the price drops back down. Or you could go with Enterprise or Alamo.

 

[caspur]

Do you want to drive normal cars like a Camry/Accord or do you want something like a Mercedes E class or an Audi A6? For normal cars Avis should also have the 2010 Taurus, which is fairly interesting. The fleet mix may even include an SHO, so walk the lot first to see if you can spot anything you like.

Business trips should be a chance for you to drive something you don't normally get to drive at home. If you've never driven an Escalade, Hummer, Camaro etc. now's the time to try them out. Avis also has a bunch of the new CTS/STS/SRX cadi's that are in their fleet. Remember to pick the loaded model, ie. the ones with the panoramic glass roof, dvd player, etc. Its all the same price...look outside and point to the car you want.

Just keep in mind, Enterprise/National/Alamo (same company) share the same fleet, as do Avis/Budget, so choose whatever is cheapest and upgrade to something nice.

*To OP, the Avis rate engine isn't that sophisticated, so you are probably doing something wrong. You could call them?

*Enterprise sucks.

 

[EagleKeeper]

Do you want to drive normal cars like a Camry/Accord or do you want something like a Mercedes E class or an Audi A6? For normal cars Avis should also have the 2010 Taurus, which is fairly interesting. The fleet mix may even include an SHO, so walk the lot first to see if you can spot anything you like.

Business trips should be a chance for you to drive something you don't normally get to drive at home. If you've never driven an Escalade, Hummer, Camaro etc. now's the time to try them out. Avis also has a bunch of the new CTS/STS/SRX cadi's that are in their fleet. Remember to pick the loaded model, ie. the ones with the panoramic glass roof, dvd player, etc. Its all the same price...look outside and point to the car you want.

Just keep in mind, Enterprise/National/Alamo (same company) share the same fleet, as do Avis/Budget, so choose whatever is cheapest and upgrade to something nice.

*To OP, the Avis rate engine isn't that sophisticated, so you are probably doing something wrong. You could call them?

*Enterprise sucks.

Some companies will have limits onthe type/size of vehicle that you are allowed to rent without prior authorization.

I have a frequent renter with Thrifty that I have been satisfied with in terms of vehicle and cost.

 

[L1FE]

Whichever company you decide on, if you're that concerned about cost, I'd make sure to go to a local edition (non airport). The price difference is significant.