Car rental
Our plan is to rent a car in Seattle and drive it down the West Coast and into the mountains of Arizona and Utah. We’ll take the AmTrak from Grand Junction, Colorado to Chicago and from there to Boston, where we’ll rent a new car - and drive it to Miami. We haven’t decided on a type of car, but of course we would love to drive a hot, classic convertible. But as a comfort loving princess, Selma would probably feel better in a modern, air conditioned car. We’ve been joking about renting a Winnebago RV, and hey - we’d be kings on the road!
Most likely, we will end up in a boring, standard, medium-sized sedan. But hey - we could rent a fancy convertible for the trip down the west-coast, and then something more dull for the trip down the east-coast.
Whatever we end up doing, here’s a collection of resources for car rental:
Info about car rentals in the US
Several sites offers tips and info about car rentals. Here are some of them:
- USAtourist.com
- Article (in Norwegian) about car rental and insurance
- Tips about car rental insurances from bnm.com
- A great forum thread about insurances at roadtripamerica.com
Car rental companies
Our impulses tells us to stick with the well-known car rental agencies, but of course there might be smaller agencies with great deals - and: there might be agencies with a good rep in the US that we haven’t even heard of over here… So please give us hints if you know about any good agencies or smart deals that we should know about!
Comparing prices
To get an idea of the rates, we’ve compared some of the bigger agencies
- We checked for
- Boring car, Seattle to Grand Junction, April 17th - May 3rd
- Better car, Seattle to Grand Junction, April 17th - May 3rd
- Boring car, Boston to Miami, May 7th - May 28th
- Better car, Boston to Miami, May 7th - May 28th
Here’s what we’ve checked out so far: (additional driver fee, insurances and other extras not included if not stated)
- Avis
- Chevrolet Cobalt or similar (compact), taxes and one-way-fee, from Seattle to Grand Junction: $1291
- Pontiac G6 or Similar (intermediate), taxes and one-way-fee, from Seattle to Grand Junction: $1327
- Chevrolet Cobalt or similar (compact), taxes and one-way-fee, unlimited mileage, loss damage waiver and additional liability insurance included from Boston to Miami: $1294
- Pontiac G6 or Similar (intermediate), taxes and one-way-fee, unlimited mileage, loss damage waiver and additional liability insurance included from Boston to Miami: $1361
- Extra: Loss Damage Waiver, Personal Accident Insurance and Additional Liability Insurance - 17 days: approx. $650
- Extra: Avis Assist (GPS): $9.95 per day
- Paying by Visa and using AWD: N674400 could give up to 20% off
- Budget
- Chrystler Sebring Sedan (compact/intermediate), unlimited free miles, 17 days, from Seattle to Grand Junction, CO: $1230
- Ford Fusion (standard), unlimited free miles, 17 days, from Seattle to Grand Junction, CO: $1304
- Ford Focus 4DR/5PSGR or similar (compact), unlimited free miles, supplemental liability and loss damage waiver included, 21 days, from Boston to Orlando: $1247
- Ford Fusion or similar (standard), unlimited free miles, supplemental liability and loss damage waiver included, 21 days, from Boston to Orlando: $1343
- Hertz (where we can get a 30% discount!)
- Ford Focus or similar (compact), unlimited free miles, 17 days, from Seattle to Grand Junction: $1567 (w/discount: $1196)
- Ford Chevy Classic, Toyota Corolla or similar (compact), unlimited free miles, GPS, 17 days, from Seattle to Grand Junction: $1795 (w/ discount: $1228)
- Ford Mustang Convertible or Similar, unlimited free miles, 17 days, from Seattle to Grand Junction: $2261 (w/discount: $1603, through Hertz-Europe, w/discount: $1450)
- Ford Focus or similar (compact), unlimited free miles, 18 days, from Boston to Miami: $1617
- Ford Chevy Classic, Toyota Corolla or similar (compact), unlimited free miles, GPS, 18 days, from Boston to Miami: $ 1845
- Ford Mustang Convertible or Similar: Sold Out :(
- In addition: Liability Insurance Supplement: $12 per day, Loss Damage Waiver: approx. $25 per day (depends on car) and Personal Accident Insurance / Personal Effects Coverage: $5.50 per day. 17 days = $722,50 (4462 nkr), 18 days = $819 (5060 nkr), total= $1541,50 (9520 nkr) - “exclusive of tax and other associated charges”….
- NB! It seems to be even cheaper (for Europeans) when ordering through Hertz Europe. But it doesn’t seem to take the discount number into consideration…
- National
- Chevrolet Cobalt or Similar (compact) from Seattle to Grand Junction: $1653
- Pontiac G6 or Similar (intermediate) from Seattle to Grand Junction: $1654
- Chevrolet Cobalt or Similar (compact) from Boston to Miami: $1341
- Pontiac G6 or Similar (intermediate) from Boston to Miami: $1358
Remember
A few things to remember before renting a car:
- If you’re returning the car at a different location than you picked it up, you usually have to pay an extra fee.
- There’s also an extra fee if more than one person is driving the car.
- Young drivers usually have to pay a higher rate. Fortunately, this won’t be a problem for Selma and Louis!
- Check automobile insurance at home to see if it will cover driving in the US, or use a credit card that provides free insurance when you rent a car.
- GPS is a must for a trip like this! Not only will it help you find the way, it’s also handy for finding hosting and sights. (read more about GPS.)
[…] We’re flying in to Seattle, Washington. Here we plan to sleep off the jet lag, shoot some pictures of the Space Needle and then rent a car and start the trip down the west coastline. […]
hi all. nice blog. its very ineresting article.