TX to MA in Feb'10. Hard to find large SUVs in TX.

[megablue]

My wife and I are moving from TX to MA and we are planning to rent a large SUV (lots of things we wouldn’t like the movers to carry – and break) and get to MA in 4 days, with stops in Little Rock, Knoxville, and DC area.

Some questions we have:

1 – We haven’t had any luck in booking a large SUV (Expedition or Suburban) from Avis or Hertz – smaller car rental companies offer only Trailblazers and Explorers :(. Any suggestions? I’ve been checking in DFW, IAH and SAT as well, to no avail. People from Avis have suggested me to call them every day to see if a Suburban is there by pure coincidence. This would ruin our planning, since we are moving, not just traveling.

2 – Any tips for this driving? We never drove more than 150 miles on a trip before. So yes, we’re newbies to long driving, but we're estimating that 8 hours/day will be fine.

Thanks!!

[c&jw]

We rented a Tahoe from National for a trip from New Mexico to Boston in November. That was plenty big to purchase two large outdoor fireplaces in NM and bring them home.

[Midwest Michael]

Welcome to the RTA Forum!

I'd be willing to be that when you factor in the rental fee, plus the one way drop fee for a large SUV, you're going to be looking at a very hefty price tag. In fact, I'd be willing to be that it would be significantly cheaper to go with a small uhaul or similar moving truck. You'll also have a lot the advantage that it should be a whole lot easier to find this kind of vehicle for your trip.

Your route and driving distance look right along the lines of what we recommend - about 500 miles a day. That will put you on the road for 8-10 hours a day, leaving a nice amount of time to stop and taking frequent breaks from the road.

[glc]

If you are determined to deal with a car rental company instead of U-Haul or Penske, look at vans instead of SUV's.