Dollar rent-a-car USA - any experiences?

nickcc

ag19lfc wrote: »

What sort of mileage on the Dollar cars? And what do you mean by "fairly battered". Dirty, dented, or faulty?

I for one can't remember the mileage but it was certainly the oldest looking hire car/people carrier that I've driven since hiring in Malta some twenty years ago.

Backbiter

I've rented Dollar cars on several occasions and have had only good experiences. Have used a mixture of Dollar uk and brokers like netflights and us rentacar, and have always found a very good deal. I've tended to opt for an all-inclusive package so the Dollar staff have spared me the hard sell.
I wouldn't hesitate to use them again.

NiftyDigits

Backbiter wrote: »

I've rented Dollar cars on several occasions and have had only good experiences. Have used a mixture of Dollar uk and brokers like netflights and us rentacar, and have always found a very good deal. I've tended to opt for an all-inclusive package so the Dollar staff have spared me the hard sell.
I wouldn't hesitate to use them again.

This is a money saving website. We don't do 'all inclusive'. So your experience isn't illustrative for the OP. Especially as you haven't made comment as to the age of the vehicles, another of their concerns.

Backbiter

I once had a Dollar car with 18 miles on the clock. It was a Dodge Durango, although I'd paid for an intermediate.
I've never had a Dollar car with over 20k on the clock.
Three years ago I hired a Dollar car for one day, to drive from Key West to Miami. The cost quoted was around £30, but for another £5 I was offered an upgrade that included all insurances, an additional driver, and a tank of fuel. I drove over 200 miles before I handed it in, which would have cost a shade more than £5 in fuel, even with the USA's low petrol price (higher then than it is now).
I'd say that 'all inclusive' option saved me a fair bit of money, and I'd have been out of pocket following your 'no all-inclusive' money-saving rule. (And I was then given a free shuttle from the airport to the cruise terminal, which saved me and my family even more).

NiftyDigits

Backbiter wrote: »

I once had a Dollar car with 18 miles on the clock. It was a Dodge Durango, although I'd paid for an intermediate.
I've never had a Dollar car with over 20k on the clock.
Three years ago I hired a Dollar car for one day, to drive from Key West to Miami. The cost quoted was around £30, but for another £5 I was offered an upgrade that included all insurances, an additional driver, and a tank of fuel. I drove over 200 miles before I handed it in, which would have cost a shade more than £5 in fuel, even with the USA's low petrol price (higher then than it is now).
I'd say that 'all inclusive' option saved me a fair bit of money, and I'd have been out of pocket following your 'no all-inclusive' money-saving rule. (And I was then given a free shuttle from the airport to the cruise terminal, which saved me and my family even more).

Thank you for recounting some of your experiences in more detail. Of course £5 to include those extras is clearly a bargain and you would have been mad to not accept. When I referred to all inclusive, I had the usual ridiculously high excess waiver charges in mind, not a £5 upgrade.
Adding the extra detail has made all the difference.

pollypenny

ag19lfc wrote: »

What sort of mileage on the Dollar cars? And what do you mean by "fairly battered". Dirty, dented, or faulty?

30k + and grubby seats, few scrapes, older models.

ag19lfc

srisport wrote: »

I don't see anything about damage to tyres? Something I would deffinetly want to be included!

Had it confirmed by the third party that tyres are included in the part about wheels:

* Rental includes Loss Damage Waiver (LDW) with a ZERO excess and coverage for wheels, glass, roof and underside of the vehicle