Hiring/buying a car in the USA

[kiwi2768]

We are planning to travel to the USA & Canada in Sept/Oct this year. Having looked at the various car hire outfits at LAX, the cheapest I can find is Enterprise and National (one and the same?) at around $2000 for 7 weeks. The downside is that the hire car can only be used in CA and surrounding states. Our plan is to hire at LAX when we land, and within a few days we will be in Vancouver. We will then travel across to eastern BC, up to Edmonton, down through Montana and eventually end up in Maryland, then make our way through the southern states back to LA. One outfit wanted an extra $1500 just to take the car into Canada. We are able to get a corporate rate with Thrifty and Budget, thanks to our employer, however their rates are about $1000-$1500 more than Enterprise/National.

We have also considered buying a car in LA, however this may be time-consuming and I'm not sure how we would get on with not having a US address/driver's licence and then there is the matter of insurance.

Any help would be much appreciated.

 

[trooper]

I realise 7 weeeks sounds a long time... but with the itin you have laid out you are still going to spend a LOT of it just driving..

Taking the quickest route between LA - Vancouver - Edmonton - Billings - Annapolis - Atlanta - Phoenix - LA is over 7500 miles.... what's that in km? 12000? And I suspect your routing won't be that simple...

Can you split it into North/East/South "loops" and fly between them?? Or does that amount of car time really NOT worry you?

 

[kiwi2768]

We live a 12 hour drive from Perth, so the driving thing isn't a problem - although the boredom factor of looking at red dirt is! Hubby is quite happy to sit at the wheel for hours on end. I have one friend in the Kootenay Region of BC, one in Nebraska and one in Maryland. Hubby has a cousin in Edmonton. We only want to drive because we can see so much more, stop where we want etc. We may be able to stretch the trip out another week or two, depending on how much annual/long service leave we've got.

I really need to get the car sorted out - at this stage we're looking at hiring an Impala or something of similar size, with cruise control of course .

 

[serfty]

Welcome to AFF kiwi2768

I have moved this thread to a more appropriate forum (Car Hire and Taxis Forum).

Also, try the following - they include almost (if not all) insurances:

Cheap car hire and car rental from netflights.com*-*1.0.2.69

Arguscarhire.com - search over 450 car hire suppliers worldwide

Finally, see these threads:

http://www.frequentflyer.com.au/community/car-hire-and-taxis/best-car-rental-company-usa-20715.html

http://www.frequentflyer.com.au/com...axis/another-car-rental-usa-thread-18949.html

http://www.frequentflyer.com.au/community/car-hire-and-taxis/car-rental-in-the-usa-8244.html

 

[BAM1748]

With the sort of distances you're driving, you should just suck up the rental car cost so you have somehting new, reliable and comfortable with everything working to drive.

If you're going away for 7 weeks to the US, another $700 to $1000 for can rental is another part of the cost.

Unless you happen to be a car enthusiast, in which case there is a dealer 5 miles south west of Kingman Az. at McConnico on Historic Route 66 next to I40 which only sells cars pre 1975, meaning if they are thirty years old or more you can bring it back without the need to covert it to right hand drive. Was there earlier this month, some great Mustangs, Thunderbirds and Chargers.

Matt

 

[kiwi2768]

Is it very far to the nearest "off airport" locations for hire cars? We're looking at staying for the first night at Best Western on W Century Blvd. Hiring off airport will save a few bucks.

 

[BAM1748]

Is it very far to the nearest "off airport" locations for hire cars? We're looking at staying for the first night at Best Western on W Century Blvd. Hiring off airport will save a few bucks.

And the bucks you save you'll spend on taxis.

The car I had for the previous 4 weeks was through National, a Chev something and the price was about $750 all up. Car rental in the US is really at the cheap end of the spectrum and trying to save that last $50 will end up costing you in other ways.

The smaller car rental companies around LAX won't like you driving the big distances you plan and will also have no offices in Montana or Iowa should you break down.

Matt

 

[clifford]

Unless you happen to be a car enthusiast, in which case there is a dealer 5 miles south west of Kingman Az. at McConnico on Historic Route 66 next to I40 which only sells cars pre 1975, meaning if they are thirty years old or more you can bring it back without the need to covert it to right hand drive. Was there earlier this month, some great Mustangs, Thunderbirds and Chargers.

Matt

Goodness, I've driven this route a number of times from Kingman to Oatman (ever been there? - you should) and never come across McConnico. Is that the name of the business or the location?

Now if you had said Seligman AZ, which is on Route 66 about 35 miles East of Kingman it would be a different matter. That town is rooted in the 50's and everything there is geared to that era, including cars. Check it out on the internet (if good old Senator Conroy hasn't censored it out yet).

 

[BAM1748]

Goodness, I've driven this route a number of times from Kingman to Oatman (ever been there? - you should) and never come across McConnico. Is that the name of the business or the location?

Now if you had said Seligman AZ, which is on Route 66 about 35 miles East of Kingman it would be a different matter. That town is rooted in the 50's and everything there is geared to that era, including cars. Check it out on the internet (if good old Senator Conroy hasn't censored it out yet).

Ah yes, been to both Oatman and Seligman, Oatman just two weeks ago and Seligman half a dozen times looking at the old Sante Fe LA to points east mainline (now BNSF mainline).

A short drive (for 5 days) on Old Route 66 inspires me to want to drive the whole thing.

 

[clifford]

Ah yes, been to both Oatman and Seligman, Oatman just two weeks ago and Seligman half a dozen times looking at the old Sante Fe LA to points east mainline (now BNSF mainline).

A short drive (for 5 days) on Old Route 66 inspires me to want to drive the whole thing.

Yes, I agree. I've driven a few parts of it (how about Snoopy's brother's house near the airport at Needles?), and I'm impressed.

And I even get support from my wife, who is a jazz singer (amongst other things) and whenever I go to the US she always asks how was Kingman, Barstow and San Bernadino...

 

[Maca44]

It was in 1992 that I last purchased a second hand motor vehicle just out of Seattle, but that was the easy part. The hard part is getting necessary insurance, and with all the hassel involved I was lucky enough to have a friend, who had a broker friend, and this is the only way I think it could have happened. I lived over there for close to 4 months so it was better to buy a car, and when I flew out of SFO (as it was a 82' Ford LTD or something) I took it down to Mission Street, and it took me an hour to sell it for cash. Renting for 7 weeks is much better, and you will get a better perspective when you go through the various threads posted previously on car hire.

 

[kiwi2768]

I've been looking at the majors - Thrifty, Budget, Hertz. All have unlimited miles. For 59 days Hertz is around $3900 incl insurance, Budget is around $3400 incl insurance. I have BCD numbers for Hertz and Budget but by the time all the insurance is added on, it works out more expensive. Thrifty on the other hand has different insurance packages, but it doesn't say how much it costs. I've emailed Thrifty regarding the cost of the Risk Reducer, Risk Freedom and Risk Eliminator packages.