U-Haul, Penske, or other for moving truck?

[fbrdphreak]

I'm moving from NC to FL and need a moving truck. I've moved plenty of times with my family and done in-town moves by myself, this is the first big move I'll be doing (with my girlfriend).

I always thought U-Haul was just the defacto cheapest option, but after looking around I see that Penske is actually a bit cheaper on the bigger trucks.

But then you see all the U-Haul stuff that says "Easier to load, more comfortable ride, etc."

It is a 12+ hour drive, so comfort for the passengers is pretty important.

So what is the big difference really? Has anyone used both, or even just Penske? Are there any other rental truck companies I should look at?

Here's how I see it:

UHaul:
(Pro's)
"Easier to load"
"More comfortable ride"

Penske:
(Pro's)
A bit cheaper
Newer, better quality trucks?
Diesel

What am I missing?

 

[rudeguy]

DON"T USE UHAUL!

 

[buck]

I used Penske to move from Cincinnati to Florida about 8 years ago, had no problems at all.

 

[fbrdphreak]

Originally posted by: buck
I used Penske to move from Cincinnati to Florida about 8 years ago, had no problems at all.

Had you used UHaul before? How did you like the truck? Was it a comfortable ride? Good AC, etc?

 

[vi edit]

Friends don't let friends rent U-Haul.

Penske all the way. Check and see if you know somebody that has a AAA membership card you can borrow. That'll knock 10%. Heck, it might even be worth it to sign up for AAA and still save money with the discount.

 

[CRXican]

anything but uhaul

 

[teckmaster]

I used Budget when I moved across country a few years ago. Very reasonable with the rates and the truck was very nice also. I recently used U-Haul for work and you don't get what you pay for. A 17 Ft U-Haul isn't 17Ft. only the "Mom's Attic" is 17 Ft.

 

[ElFenix]

friends don't let friends rent uhaul

 

[mb]

I will never use uhaul again. Even if it would mean that I have to wait, I will not use uhaul.

Never had a problem with Penske.

 

[HannibalX]

Penske or Budget. Never uHaul.

uHaul won't guarantee your truck and you might go to pick it up on moving day and they don't have it. Not to mention the trucks are crap. A friend of mine rented several uHaul trucks (in different states) about two years ago and they all had break problems, ran poorly (ie: sucked gas, much more than a medium sized truck should) and were generally pieces of shit. The two uHaul trucks I have rented in my life were also pieces of shit.

I prefer Budget. I have rented from them several times. Budget has reasonable prices and the trucks have always been in tip-top shape. The last truck I rented from them was only a year old and had 8,000 miles on it. I drove it about 750 miles with zero problems. YMMV.

 

[slsmnaz]

I did Penske when moving from TN to AZ and had no complaints. Big reason was the price since I was just out of college and had to cover moving exp up front. It was one of their bigger trucks since I had to tow my truck with me. Very good ride and my only complaint was the thing topped out at 70mph.

I've used some of the smaller Uhaul trucks for local stuff but not long distance

 

[buck]

Originally posted by: fbrdphreak

Originally posted by: buck
I used Penske to move from Cincinnati to Florida about 8 years ago, had no problems at all.

Had you used UHaul before? How did you like the truck? Was it a comfortable ride? Good AC, etc?

I have used UHaul a few times, last time was a few months back, only short range though. I would have chose Penske but they weren't as close as UHaul to where I was moving. I will be using Penske when moving from Seattle to Portland Oregon because of the good past service. The truck I was given was in good condition too.

As for UHaul... Every time I got a shit truck, I realize they might have newer ones, but the ones I got were terrible, absolutely awful.

 

[ultimatebob]

Yeah, avoid U-Haul. Like that car rental company from Seinfeld, they TAKE reservations, but they don't know how to KEEP reservations! You better be there in line when the store opens, or they'll be giving your truck away.

On two different moves at two separate U-Haul locations, I've shown up at their rental office on moving day only to find out that the truck I "reserved" had already been given to someone else.

 

[Demo24]

I've heard good things about Penske. We are about to use them on Monday, so if I remember I'll update.

However if the Penske is diesel that's a definite selling point. For a bigger truck carrying a bunch of stuff that will make the trip easier and at the moment it costs less per gal. Should also get better mileage with it, so another benefit.

 

[BoomerD]

I've had mixed experiences with Uhaul. A couple of times, I got nearly brand-new trucks that were completely trouble free, but I've also experienced first-hand some of the nightmares that can come with Uhaul rentals. (poor maintenance, worn-out trucks, horrible mileage, etc. Perhaps the WORST one was when the tank of gas the truck came with...froze up one cold winter night in the middle of nowhere...about 50 miles from the closest town. Fortunately, a local farmer stopped to see what the trouble was, then towed the truck to his ranch where we thawed it out in his shop...then, drained the fuel system and refilled it from his tanks. My ONLY cost...the price of his gas...and the nice thank you card and gift my wife sent after we finished the move.

I've rented from all the "big names" in truck rental over the years. Hertz/Penske is better than Uhaul IMO, but it really depends on what they give you for a truck.

 

[fbrdphreak]

Thanks for the opinions all. I did the numbers and while Budget was cheaper for the truck, the cost of pads & dolly are far higher than Penske and in the end Penske edges out Budget by a few bucks - plus the location is closer for our pickup which is more critical than the destination location.

And yes, I applied all applicable discounts

 

[EagleKeeper]

I took a 27' UHaul from LV to Denver this past winter.

No issues at all with it. I had 2-4" of snow across I40 in New Mexico and went through areas that had the Interstates closed due to bad roads (ice & sandstorm).

Plenty of power for the passes and no problem with the comfort level.

 

[tynopik]

Ryder?

 

[MBony]

Originally posted by: tynopik
Ryder?

I believe Ryder is Penske now.

Call another company, get a quote, then call Penske. They'll come close to the first quote and you'll get a MUCH better ride.

 

[fbrdphreak]

Originally posted by: tynopik
Ryder?

It appears they don't do one-way rentals, thanks though.

 

[TruePaige]

I did Budget from Maine to VA. They undercut Penske on the same trip by a few hundred bucks. It was a dirt cheap truck. Did not have cruise control while the Penske did but was worth the few hundred bucks in savings.

 

[Gibson486]

Originally posted by: fbrdphreak

Originally posted by: buck
I used Penske to move from Cincinnati to Florida about 8 years ago, had no problems at all.

Had you used UHaul before? How did you like the truck? Was it a comfortable ride? Good AC, etc?

LOL....they both use the same trucks....

Also...I have used uhual on many occasions. Never had a problem...but this was for moves not more than 50 miles.

 

[seemingly random]

I've had good experience with penske. Their bigger trucks are often cheaper than the smaller ones. They're kinda boring with the automatic transmission these days.

 

[JulesMaximus]

It doesn't matter. Just go with the cheapest one.

Make sure you factor in all the charges too like one way drop off fees, mileage fees, etc. and not just the daily rental fee.

 

[syee]

I'd go with whoever has the nicer trucks. UHaul doesn't have the best track record in my books. I used it once for my move from Denver, CO to Vancouver BC and the truck died just as I was pulling into a small town to get gas. Fortunately there was a mechanic in town and it wasn't in the middle of the night.

The mechanic got it fixed and we got the thing going again, but it's scary as hell knowing that the truck can break down at any given moment, especially when you're in the middle of nowhere. Also, the mirrors on mine were loose, so if we drove anything over 60mph (well, not that it could go any faster) it would fold up and I had no rear view on the passenger side. Annoying...especially on a 2000 mile trip.

I guess you also need to find out if you can do a one way rental if you're moving from city A to city B. The only reason I went with Uhaul was that I could rent in the US, and return it in Canada.