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Cheap car rental in SF bay area?



 
 
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  #1  
Old August 5th, 2007, 08:42 AM posted to rec.travel.usa-canada
void
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 21
Default Cheap car rental in SF bay area?

Later this month I'm going to need a car for 6 days to drive around the SF
bay area. The big name companies (e.g. Hertz, Budget, Dollar) are
charging between $300-$350 total for a small car for 6 days. I found a
car rental comparison site and they said a company called Pacific Car
Rental charges around $200. This seems dubious as the web site for
Pacific Car Rental only lets you pick 2004 and 2005 for rate checking.

So should I just go with one of the big names or is there a cheaper option?

  #2  
Old August 5th, 2007, 09:49 AM posted to rec.travel.usa-canada
Runge3
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 191
Default Cheap car rental in SF bay area?

look at sidestep or try a priceline bid

"void" a écrit dans le message de
...
Later this month I'm going to need a car for 6 days to drive around the SF
bay area. The big name companies (e.g. Hertz, Budget, Dollar) are
charging between $300-$350 total for a small car for 6 days. I found a
car rental comparison site and they said a company called Pacific Car
Rental charges around $200. This seems dubious as the web site for
Pacific Car Rental only lets you pick 2004 and 2005 for rate checking.

So should I just go with one of the big names or is there a cheaper
option?


  #3  
Old August 5th, 2007, 10:06 AM posted to rec.travel.usa-canada
Alan S[_1_]
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Posts: 2,163
Default Cheap car rental in SF bay area?

On Sun, 05 Aug 2007 02:42:24 -0500, "void"
wrote:

Later this month I'm going to need a car for 6 days to drive around the SF
bay area. The big name companies (e.g. Hertz, Budget, Dollar) are
charging between $300-$350 total for a small car for 6 days. I found a
car rental comparison site and they said a company called Pacific Car
Rental charges around $200. This seems dubious as the web site for
Pacific Car Rental only lets you pick 2004 and 2005 for rate checking.

So should I just go with one of the big names or is there a cheaper option?


Have you tried Priceline or Hotwire?

A quick search on Hotwire for a week (I used 22Aug as a
guess for starting) comes up with lots of options starting
at $17.95 daily pre-insurance.


Cheers, Alan, Australia
--
http://loraltravel.blogspot.com/
latest: Slovenia
http://loraltraveloz.blogspot.com/
latest: Mossman Gorge in the Daintree Rainforest
  #4  
Old August 5th, 2007, 11:35 AM posted to rec.travel.usa-canada
Shawn Hirn
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 773
Default Cheap car rental in SF bay area?

In article ,
"void" wrote:

Later this month I'm going to need a car for 6 days to drive around the SF
bay area. The big name companies (e.g. Hertz, Budget, Dollar) are
charging between $300-$350 total for a small car for 6 days. I found a
car rental comparison site and they said a company called Pacific Car
Rental charges around $200. This seems dubious as the web site for
Pacific Car Rental only lets you pick 2004 and 2005 for rate checking.

So should I just go with one of the big names or is there a cheaper option?


Take a look at http://www.southwest.com

You do not need to book air travel there in order to book a rental car.
Southwest tends to have the lowest prices for rental cars.
  #5  
Old August 6th, 2007, 08:48 AM posted to rec.travel.usa-canada
SMS
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 899
Default Cheap car rental in SF bay area?

void wrote:
Later this month I'm going to need a car for 6 days to drive around the
SF bay area. The big name companies (e.g. Hertz, Budget, Dollar) are
charging between $300-$350 total for a small car for 6 days. I found a
car rental comparison site and they said a company called Pacific Car
Rental charges around $200. This seems dubious as the web site for
Pacific Car Rental only lets you pick 2004 and 2005 for rate checking.

So should I just go with one of the big names or is there a cheaper option?


That company sounds like a third-tier company, which should be avoided.

Use sidestep, and several of the second tier companies (Payless,
Dollar,, Thrifty) have lower rates. Sidestep is a good search engine as
it returns total cost, with taxes and airport fees added on, for all the
different companies.

I guess I'd still go with someone like Budget, for $208 or so, as I've
had bad experiences with Dollar and Thrifty.
  #6  
Old August 6th, 2007, 08:27 PM posted to rec.travel.usa-canada
[email protected]
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 20
Default Cheap car rental in SF bay area?

On Aug 6, 12:48 am, SMS wrote:
void wrote:
Later this month I'm going to need a car for 6 days to drive around the
SF bay area. The big name companies (e.g. Hertz, Budget, Dollar) are
charging between $300-$350 total for a small car for 6 days. I found a
car rental comparison site and they said a company called Pacific Car
Rental charges around $200. This seems dubious as the web site for
Pacific Car Rental only lets you pick 2004 and 2005 for rate checking.


So should I just go with one of the big names or is there a cheaper option?


That company sounds like a third-tier company, which should be avoided.

Use sidestep, and several of the second tier companies (Payless,
Dollar,, Thrifty) have lower rates. Sidestep is a good search engine as
it returns total cost, with taxes and airport fees added on, for all the
different companies.

I guess I'd still go with someone like Budget, for $208 or so, as I've
had bad experiences with Dollar and Thrifty.


Is a rental really needed in SF? When I have driven there I could
spend hours looking for a primo parking space, one that doesn't have a
meter or time constraints. Then I would leave the car there for my
entire stay. Drving in SF sucks. Parking is either not available or
expensive. The streets were not built for cars. SF has some of the
best public transportation in the world. Another place that a car can
be cumbersome is NYC. Both places a car is more problem than they are
worth.

  #7  
Old August 6th, 2007, 11:07 PM posted to rec.travel.usa-canada
Keith Willshaw
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 62
Default Cheap car rental in SF bay area?


"void" wrote in message
...
Later this month I'm going to need a car for 6 days to drive around the SF
bay area. The big name companies (e.g. Hertz, Budget, Dollar) are
charging between $300-$350 total for a small car for 6 days. I found a
car rental comparison site and they said a company called Pacific Car
Rental charges around $200. This seems dubious as the web site for
Pacific Car Rental only lets you pick 2004 and 2005 for rate checking.

So should I just go with one of the big names or is there a cheaper
option?


Be aware that they do NOT give unlimited mileage deals, you get 150m per day
and anything above that will cost, find out how much before renting

Keith


  #8  
Old August 7th, 2007, 02:52 AM posted to rec.travel.usa-canada
SMS
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 899
Default Cheap car rental in SF bay area?

wrote:

I guess I'd still go with someone like Budget, for $208 or so, as I've
had bad experiences with Dollar and Thrifty.


Is a rental really needed in SF?


In the city it's a big expense and big hassles to get around by car due
to the parking cost, though traffic isn't bad if you know the city well.

For the greater Bay Area, which the original poster stated they needed
to travel around, a rental car is usually necessary. If you're traveling
with a few people then the cost of mass transit (assuming it's possible
at all) will quickly add up to more than the cost of a rental car.

One day I went home from San Francisco to my house in a bedroom
community of San Jose by public transit.

$1.50 San Francisco Muni
$5.75 Cal Train
$1.75 VTA (Santa Clara County)
-----
$9.00 One Way

So I figured how much it would cost to take four people, two adults and
two children, round trip to San Francisco from Sunnyvale.


$1.50 San Francisco Muni
$5.75 Cal Train
$1.75 VTA (Santa Clara County)
-----
$9.00 One Way per person

$18.00 Round Trip per person

$18/person x 2 people = $36

Also, VTA has no transfers, so I could either walk about 20 minutes or
take a second bus more ($5.25 for a day pass).


Youth
$0.50 San Francisco Muni
$2.75 Cal Train
$1.50 VTA (Santa Clara County)
-----
$4.75 One Way per person

$9.50 Round Trip per person

$9.50/person x 2 people = $19

So if I took my family to SF on public transit, and back, it would cost
$55, and take about five times as long (45 minutes versus about three
and a half hours. Even paying for parking, gas, etc, it's much cheaper
to drive. This assumes no taxis, which for many parts of the Bay Area,
with no bus service, would quickly push the cost up.


Of course someone will jump in with the U.S. government official mileage
rate and try to claim that this rate should be used in calculating the
cost of driving, but that's not what the rate represents. With $3/gallon
gasoline cost, the incremental cost per mile for a 30mpg car is less
than 20¢/mile for fuel, mileage related maintenance, mileage related
depreciation, and mileage related wear.
  #9  
Old August 10th, 2007, 05:27 AM posted to rec.travel.usa-canada
north[_2_]
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 1
Default Cheap car rental in SF bay area?



SMS wrote:

void wrote:
Later this month I'm going to need a car for 6 days to drive around the
SF bay area. The big name companies (e.g. Hertz, Budget, Dollar) are
charging between $300-$350 total for a small car for 6 days. I found a
car rental comparison site and they said a company called Pacific Car
Rental charges around $200. This seems dubious as the web site for
Pacific Car Rental only lets you pick 2004 and 2005 for rate checking.

So should I just go with one of the big names or is there a cheaper option?


That company sounds like a third-tier company, which should be avoided.

Use sidestep, and several of the second tier companies (Payless,
Dollar,, Thrifty) have lower rates. Sidestep is a good search engine as
it returns total cost, with taxes and airport fees added on, for all the
different companies.

I guess I'd still go with someone like Budget, for $208 or so, as I've
had bad experiences with Dollar and Thrifty.


Ditto on Thrifty. Booked a car in S.F. as it was cheaper than others,
then they refused to rent without additional "mandatory" insurance.
  #10  
Old December 27th, 2007, 12:26 AM posted to rec.travel.usa-canada
- Bobb -[_2_]
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 550
Default Cheap car rental in SF bay area?

Also, check up front for FEES.
I've rented in SF quite a bit and didn't seem to matter the location:
airport fee , OR
downtown fee....
Do you math on their website to be sure no surprises.
I just went to HERTZ.com , took some defaults to show in renting from SFO:

Selected Vehicle: Hyundai Accent or similar
Additional Items (included in Approximate Total Charges)
Tax 8.25 %
Airport Concession Fee Recovery On Flight Arrivals11.10 %
TRANSPORTATION AND FACILITIES FEE 15.00 USD
Califonia Tourism Commission Assessment 2.50 %
so a $100 "cost" for the car REALLY means:
$100 + $8.25+ $11.10 +$15+ $2.50 = $136.85 or a 36 % SURCHARGE to "the
daily rate" so just note the fine print.



"north" wrote in message
...
SMS wrote:
void wrote:
Later this month I'm going to need a car for 6 days to drive around
the
SF bay area. The big name companies (e.g. Hertz, Budget, Dollar) are
charging between $300-$350 total for a small car for 6 days. I found
a
car rental comparison site and they said a company called Pacific Car
Rental charges around $200. This seems dubious as the web site for
Pacific Car Rental only lets you pick 2004 and 2005 for rate
checking.

So should I just go with one of the big names or is there a cheaper
option?


That company sounds like a third-tier company, which should be avoided.

Use sidestep, and several of the second tier companies (Payless,
Dollar,, Thrifty) have lower rates. Sidestep is a good search engine as
it returns total cost, with taxes and airport fees added on, for all
the
different companies.

I guess I'd still go with someone like Budget, for $208 or so, as I've
had bad experiences with Dollar and Thrifty.


Ditto on Thrifty. Booked a car in S.F. as it was cheaper than others,
then they refused to rent without additional "mandatory" insurance.


 




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