Getting a car for 3 months?

[heymrdj]

My brother would like to rent a car for about 3 months during the summer vacation. Something along the lines of a Ford Flex. Over those 3 months would probably be about 1,000 miles or so, maybe upwards of 3,000 but that's unlikely.

What's the economical way to do this? From what I can see leases don't go that short. But the weekly price to rent a vehicle for that long is astronomical. Certainly there's a "get a vehicle for those of us from a far off part of the USA" option .

 

[InflatableBuddha]

Is there a car-sharing co-op in your area? If so, this might be a good option.

You pay a refundable deposit to gain membership to the co-op, and then book your vehicle over the web. I believe you can rent by the hour or by the day, and then just return it to a designated location.

 

[heymrdj]

Originally posted by: InflatableBuddha
Is there a car-sharing co-op in your area? If so, this might be a good option.

You pay a refundable deposit to gain membership to the co-op, and then book your vehicle over the web. I believe you can rent by the hour or by the day, and then just return it to a designated location.

Never heard of this, definitely something to look into .

As an expansion of reasons, he's wanting this so him and his girl can have a little more flexibility getting around. He normally flies up there, but waiting to borrow one of the inlaw's vehicles to go out somewhere is a pain in the nads.

 

[Jeff7181]

Some rental places have deals on "long term rentals" which is what you'd be looking at here. I believe it works out to just a little more than what a lease payment would be, but it's a month-to-month deal. Don't have to agree to a certain period of time up front, and if you decide the next month you want to try a different car, no problem.

 

[helpme]

Originally posted by: InflatableBuddha
Is there a car-sharing co-op in your area? If so, this might be a good option.

You pay a refundable deposit to gain membership to the co-op, and then book your vehicle over the web. I believe you can rent by the hour or by the day, and then just return it to a designated location.

an example:

http://www.citycarshare.org/

 

[RU482]

Ah...I knew it was a San Fransisco thing. not that its a bad thing

 

[Throwmeabone]

He could try riding a bike to get around

 

[thecoolnessrune]

Originally posted by: Throwmeabone
He could try riding a bike to get around

Got a girlfriend to take around with me, and the minimum distance is 7 miles one way. Additionally we would drive for occasions, most of which would require us to not smell like the scent of... "vigorous exercise"

Thanks for all the suggestions so far though guys

 

[Black88GTA]

Why can't he buy some beater, drive for 3 months, then resell it when finished? If he does it right, he may even turn a profit on it.

Or is he one of those "can't be seen in anything older than 6 months" types?

 

[Elganja]

Originally posted by: helpme

Originally posted by: InflatableBuddha
Is there a car-sharing co-op in your area? If so, this might be a good option.

You pay a refundable deposit to gain membership to the co-op, and then book your vehicle over the web. I believe you can rent by the hour or by the day, and then just return it to a designated location.

an example:

http://www.citycarshare.org/

zipcar in dc is very similar.

 

[sdifox]

Georgia has zipcar

http://www.zipcar.com/


never mind, I looked at the rates, it's not cheap.

 

[JDub02]

most rental car places will rent by the month. my rental was month-to-month during my last extended business travel.

 

[Arcanedeath]

Most rental agencies will let you rent on a 30 day / monthy basis, Zipcar is also an option in many major cities, you may also want to look into using a credit card for the CDW coverage, most are only good 30 days w/out a day break though, Getting a cheap used car may be the best option though.

 

[thecoolnessrune]

Originally posted by: Black88GTA
Why can't he buy some beater, drive for 3 months, then resell it when finished? If he does it right, he may even turn a profit on it.

Or is he one of those "can't be seen in anything older than 6 months" types?

Couldn't care less about age. I actually like the thought of cars that are *just* barely running. It's kind of fun to me. But buying a car isn't really an option. I just dont have the liquid cash available for that sort of expense.