Is $775.40 good?

[TexasErin]

Please help!
I'm looking to rent a minivan or SUV for our December trip. I have a VW Passat and don't think it would be real comfortable for the four of us to drive from Texas to DW. I went to Travelocity and put in my dates and there were so few locations around here that offer minivans. The best rate I found is $775.40 but we do need it for 11 days. Is this good? bad? Is it too early to get a good rate?
Any thoughts or suggestions would be appreciated. Yes, I am a Disney Club member for what its worth.
TIA
Erin

 

[peg2001]

I would keep looking. Consider a full-size car. Would the four of you be comfortable in one? You might be able to get a much better rate.

Peggy

 

[lsyorke]

Are there any airports near you?? Just out of curiousity I checked dollar for a random 11 days at Orlando and the highest I got with no codes was $358.00. Now I'm sure the Texas rate would be higher but $775.00 sounds really high. If you have an airport near you they probably have a Dollar rental car and it might be worth the inconvenience of going to the airport to pick up a van.I did a random date (11 days) out of Dallas and return to Dallas and it was $479.00 without codes.Let me know your dates and locations you could get too. I love searching for rental car rates!(I know I'm sick)

 

[klynn]

That sounds way too high. I have a mini van rental for 2 weeks for under $400. total. You'd be better off bidding Priceline.

 

[peachgirl]

Your other problem is finding a rental agency that has unlimited mileage. I found when trying to find a minivan for our trip from Oklahoma that the mileage charge made the rental out of sight. The only place I found that offered unlimited mileage at any price was Alamo.

I signed up for the Quicksilver program and used a code on Mousesavers. We got a minivan for 10 days with unlimited mileage for $350. That beats any other price I could find by hundreds of dollars, especially when you consider what some companies charge for mileage.

It looks like you'd have to rent out of Dallas to do it as they don't have a location where you are.

 

[lsyorke]

"Your other problem is finding a rental agency that has unlimited mileage."

The Dollar rate I was looking at were for unlimited mileage. How far is Tyler from Dallas?

 

[peachgirl]

Originally posted by lsyorke


The Dollar rate I was looking at were for unlimited mileage. How far is Tyler from Dallas?

I don't know if this is true for every location, but when I checked Dollar's rates this is what they have posted regarding their "unlimited" mileage.

"Unlimited mileage may be geographically restricted. Driving is restricted to the states of Oklahoma, Texas, Arkansas, Missouri, Kansas, Colorado and New Mexico."

Other states probably have other states they are limited to or they may not have this restriction at all. For me, when Dollar says "unlimited mileage", they don't really mean unlimited.


I searched high and low and could not find any other company that offered truly unlimited mileage. I'm not positive, but I think Tyler is close to 100 miles from Dallas.

 

[TexasErin]

Peachgirl, you are correct. Tyler is about 100 miles from Dallas (not closer to DW). Thanks for the warning about "unlimited mileage" I never had noticed that before. Boy, would that have been an unpleasant surprise!
Isyorke, thank you for the offer. We will leave here about 8:00 AM on 12/5/03 (Friday) and will return probably around 8:00 PM on 12/14/03 (Sunday) so we would return it the morning of 12/15/03.
Klynn, I just might try Priceline if I can't find a better rate. I hadn't thought about that before.
Peg2001, I would prefer a minivan or SUV. I will have a car seat which takes up a lot of room for my then 13-mo old and a booster seat for my then 7-yr-old. I am also thinking about getting one of those DVD-car thingies to help the time pass for my kiddos. It is such a long trip (although I have a fear of flying) that I want everyone to be comfortable.

 

[PattiPB]

I'm renting one way pick-up in Orlando, drop off in Allentown, PA two weeks later. When they said "Unlimited mileage" I reminded her it was a one-way rental including AT LEAST 1500 miles, and she said "no problem, it's unlimited."

Patti

 

[peachgirl]

I reminded her it was a one-way rental including AT LEAST 1500 miles, and she said "no problem, it's unlimited."

I checked Budget when I was shopping around. On the website the mileage limit is 1800 miles, then .20 per mile after that. You may have had a special offer of some kind or perhaps because you were under the mileage limit the clerk considered it unlimited.

At any rate, rental agencies are not overly generous in disclosing the fine details on their rental charges. They have a nasty habit of claiming unlimited mileage when it isn't unlimited at all in most cases and it's a pet peeve of mine! I've learned to be very careful to read all the fine print and then get written confirmation with the names of anyone I talked to!