Seattle to San Diego 21 days in June-July 09 - Car Rental?

[redorwhite]

Hi

I have been reading posts on this forum and they are helpfull but I cant seem to find the answer I'm looking for about Car Rental.

I have booked my flights from the UK to Seattle arriving on 16th June 09 and driving down to San Diego to leave on 7th July 09 back to the UK. Thats all booked now. There are two of us going, both well over 30.

Its a different pick up to a drop off, two (2) drivers wanting a reasonably comfortable car to drive down the coast (and motorway) an automatic with Air Con.

I would like to find one at a reasonable price and I am a bit worried that some rental sites have a figure shown but some fees you have to "pay locally" (insurance + drop off payment + second driver)

Can anyone please point me in the right direction of a car rental internet site where the price shown is the price I will pay and not have any scary add ons when I get to Seattle.

Any help
thanks
Ian

[AZBuck]

Welcome aboard the RoadTrip America Forums!

What you want, I believe, are the booking search engines such as Travelocity, Expedia, Orbitz, Kayak and the like. These will let you see the total prices (for the car and one way drop-off) from half a dozen or so of the major car rental firms. The price quoted will usually include taxes and fees as well, but NOT fees for additional drivers or insurance, since those are things that you normally sign up for at the point of getting the car. I did a quick search for three weeks in June-July of this year and am being quoted prices between $1,700 and $2000 depending on the company and type of car. You will have to check with the individual companies as to what their charge for an additional driver is, but often if it is a spouse, there is no additional charge. As to insurance, you should check with your own underwriter to see if your current coverage extends to rental cars that you drive. It is also worthwhile to check with your credit card companies to see if they insure you when you rent the car on their card; many do. And if you are a member of RAC or AA, they many also extend you coverage. Just don't buy coverage that you already have. Not only won't you need it, but in the event of an accident, it will just complicate things as everyone tries to get the other coverage to pay for it. Finally, you would be hard pressed to rent a car in America that did not come with an automatic transmission and air conditioning and, except in the cheapest models, cruise control and a CD player.

AZBuck

[Midwest Michael]

Welcome to the RTA Forum!

I always tend to think going directly to the company website is the best bet to get a quote that includes everything you need. I like looking at the big multi-company search sites, like expedia and travelocity, to get a feel for prices and to see who might be cheapest, but then, I always go to the rental company website, be it hertz, alamo, dollar, budget, etc. The company specific site usually has better information about those extra fees, although sometimes you have to look for them.

It will be virtually impossible to rent a car in the US that doesn't have AC and an automatic transmission. The challenge is actually the opposite, if you prefer driving a manual transmission, they are basically non-existant in the american rental car market. The only time I've ever been able to rent a car with a standard transmission was from an agency in Mexico!

[redorwhite]

Thanks for your good advice, I shall follow it up and then get back to you on here with the results.

[redorwhite]

Ended up looking through all the different sites on the internet and went with a Chevrolet Trailblazer through www.holidayautos.co.uk . The price was all shown on the site, we only are left with the drop off fee to pay.

Now for the drive, no planning just a drive from Seattle to San Diego. If we like somewhere we stay for a while and if we dont we drive on. We know we want to take the coastal road as much as we can and are sane enough, just, to know if we get a bit late we can play catch up on the motorway.

I just want to enjoy the experience as I know it will be one of those events that say in your head!

[redorwhite]

Thats it now, off in a weeks time.

Me and my mate have booked two nights in Seattle to start then we just drive on and on.

No plans as such, just to get to San Diego around 4th July.

Hopefully I can update this whilst on the trip!

[Southwest Dave]

I hope you have a great trip and It'll be good to hear how it's going while you are on the road and/or a report when you get back.

Have fun!

[redorwhite]

Thanks, I will certainly try to make the effort to let you know how I got on.

Roll on next week, nearly on my way!