Author Topic: Getting the best deal on a rental car  (Read 3384 times)

pbkmaine

  • Walrus Stache
  • *******
  • Posts: 8927
  • Age: 67
  • Location: The Villages, Florida
Getting the best deal on a rental car
« on: June 18, 2015, 01:51:02 PM »
I will be flying into Manchester NH airport August 10. I will be in the area for 9 days. The best price I am seeing quoted on a rental car is $364 for an economy (Budget). Any suggestions for getting a better deal?

DEL

  • 5 O'Clock Shadow
  • *
  • Posts: 15
Re: Getting the best deal on a rental car
« Reply #1 on: June 18, 2015, 01:57:54 PM »
I think that's about the lowest price you could get for renting a car. Have you considered other services, like Uber?

pbkmaine

  • Walrus Stache
  • *******
  • Posts: 8927
  • Age: 67
  • Location: The Villages, Florida
Re: Getting the best deal on a rental car
« Reply #2 on: June 18, 2015, 03:05:46 PM »
No, because I will be driving all over NH and Maine.

tweezers

  • Stubble
  • **
  • Posts: 230
Re: Getting the best deal on a rental car
« Reply #3 on: June 18, 2015, 03:12:17 PM »
I rent a lot of cars for work, although not in NH, but that seems high to me for a 7+ day rental. 

Costco travel often has better rates than directly though the rental company.  If its feasible to rent away from the airport (i.e. friend or public transit to a non-airport location) the rate can be much lower.  I've had instances where renting from an off-airport location (but within 10 miles of the airport) cut the rental cost by 50-70%.  If I'm not using Costco, I get to the rental site through Ebates.com, which gets you a percentage back after the fact.  Good luck. 

Catbert

  • Magnum Stache
  • ******
  • Posts: 3298
  • Location: Southern California
Re: Getting the best deal on a rental car
« Reply #4 on: June 18, 2015, 05:13:32 PM »
Book the cheapest acceptable car you can find.  Others have provided suggestions.  Then keep checking in hopes that something cheaper will pop up before August.  I've found that costs bounce around a lot over time.  What cost $300 this week can be found for $200 next week.  Then about a week a head of time make a low-ball offer through Priceline or other opaque travel site.  Be sure to read all the fine print because these reservations can't be changed.

If you are picking up at an airport, see if there are cheaper options in town.  Airports often have higher fees/taxes than off site.

fujiters

  • 5 O'Clock Shadow
  • *
  • Posts: 20
  • Location: Maryland
Re: Getting the best deal on a rental car
« Reply #5 on: June 18, 2015, 05:31:02 PM »
Check out autoslash.com. I have yet to see it not find a better deal than I was finding manually.

Dee18

  • Handlebar Stache
  • *****
  • Posts: 2209
Re: Getting the best deal on a rental car
« Reply #6 on: June 18, 2015, 07:13:38 PM »
I rent a car in NH each summer.  Book the best deal you can now, but try again 10 days out, then even closer.  Last year the price went down 25% three days before my rental began.

forummm

  • Walrus Stache
  • *******
  • Posts: 7374
  • Senior Mustachian
Re: Getting the best deal on a rental car
« Reply #7 on: June 18, 2015, 07:36:54 PM »
Every time I've looked, I've only found Enterprise to not be the cheapest option one time.

And never rent a car from the airport location if you can help it. Make your reservation at one of the closest off-site locations and then take a taxi, bus, or walk. Off-site rentals are usually ~60% less.