Car Hire LA

PAUL_C

Hi looking at car hire sites what a minefield it is What we require is a realy nice luxury car for 4 large adults and luggage for a 3 week road trip.I was thinking a chrysler station wagon or a 4X4 thinking the 4x4 will offer better visibility for veiws etc.Can anyone advise on a good company that offers value for money with no hidden extras and a assurance we will get car chosen.With no upgrades being offered or extras asked for on arrival any help greatly appreciated Many Thanx Paul

sturll

There is not a single car hire company that fits what you ask. However Dollar are the best imo. And the least problematic.

Jasper27_2

Have to disagree with sturll as I've had loads of problems with Dollar over the years. Telling me rubbish to try and get me to upgrade such as "you can't drive that far without cruise control" and even "you'll get laughed at in that car"! I've stopped using them but I can't say anyone else is perfect either. National and Alamo were both OK. If you book the car you want you'll have one of the highest grades of vehicles anyway so there's not many options to upgrade. I've found everyone habitually fails to provide the car you've booked and then tries to persuade you to upgrade. Of course if you refuse they have to give you whatever car they've got for no extra charge. You've just got to stick to your guns. After a long haul flight this you could do without this hassle! Some sites do offer the option to pay everything upfront if you're concerned about all the extra insurances etc, I know Alamo offer all inclusive prices. Touring California is a wonderful holiday, enjoy!

ajdj

I had a good experience with National in LA in June. After a long wait at immigration at LAX it was refreshing to have the courtesy bus right outside to take me to get the car. Paperwork once there took all of 5 minutes and i was away.

I had to do a lot of research before travelling as i was alone and under 25. National was the only car hire company i could find with a discount code to take off the young driver surcharge. It meant i knew a total price with no hidden surprises when dropping it back.

4 days rental with sat nav cost be about £140 for a 'luxury' level of car. Of course, the exchange rate is now not as good but might be worth checking their prices. HTH.

steveo3002

ive used alamo and dollar , booked via airlinenetwork and holiday autos

both are fully inc and you get the size car you ordered , dont expect the exact model on the website as chances are it wont be that

most times they'l start up some chit chat , "where you heading sir " and then offer a bigger car or sat nav at $$xx a day , a polite NO is all thats needed and youre on your way

the dollar (airlinenetwork) location at LA has a system where all the cars are parked by thier size grouping , you are allowed to chose any car from the row that you paid for

ques at the alamo (holidayautos)desk have always been long for me

anything booked from a .co.uk site should be all inc of insurances , .com booked cars may not have insurance as most americans have thier own cover

malid

PAUL_C wrote: »

Hi looking at car hire sites what a minefield it is What we require is a realy nice luxury car for 4 large adults and luggage for a 3 week road trip.I was thinking a chrysler station wagon or a 4X4 thinking the 4x4 will offer better visibility for veiws etc.Can anyone advise on a good company that offers value for money with no hidden extras and a assurance we will get car chosen.With no upgrades being offered or extras asked for on arrival any help greatly appreciated Many Thanx Paul

Hi there

If you look at posts I have previously subscribed to you will find a wealth of information on car hire. I have posted sites to consider (both direct and go betweens). Useful to look at the USA site - e.g. alamo.com or dollar.com rather than the UK site alamo.co.uk as the are often cheaper.

I have used Dollar and Alamo and always chose the best deal. Any problems are usually just bad luck rather than the actually company. We have always had the car we booked - usually a people carrier vehicle with seven seats which allows plenty of space for 4 people and luggage.

Let me know if you want any further information. You are in for a fabulous holiday!!

Cheers:j

truman_sparks

we had the same situation afew months ago, we booked through autoeurope, very good prices. we also thought the same about 4x4's so booked one. Problem was that being on the road the luggage would spend alot of time left in the vehicle but the 4x4s' dont seem to have covers, we checked 5 or 6 on arrival and ended up in a cadillac.

Although we wanted a 4x4 for all the reasons you say, it just wasnt practical. I suggest looking at the big saloons and how much boot space they have just incase you end up doing as we did.

tux130582

carhire3000.com is so cheap for LA!! had a hyundai sonata for 15 days in august for £200!! its an excellent company and when you arrive the car is from advantage rentals! bus picks you up outside the terminal etc,

steveo3002

do you remember what brand/type the larger cars were at advantage?

any hard sell on extras/insurance etc

PAUL_C

Great tip about the luggage being hidden although I did wander about it myself. great info people kep it coming thanx Paul