# [ 2008 ] $'s Saved renting car to drive to airport



## kjsgrammy (Mar 26, 2008)

I had read in a long ago post about a TUGger who rented a car (one-way) from their home town to the airport, then rented a car from airport back to their hometown which saved them money.

We are heading to Vegas this Saturday (flying out of Detroit Metro) and thought I would check into this to try and save us some $'s on the parking fees at Detroit.

Here is what I was able to get:

Budget:   Lansing airport:  mid-size car, picking up car at 3PM, dropping off at Budget/Detroit Metro at 7PM - cost $25.20

Budget:  Detroit Metro:  mid-size, picking up car at 7:30AM, dropping off at Lansing Airport by 11:30AM - cost $18.36
TOTAL COST FOR BOTH DAYS:  $43.56.

Distance to pick up car at Lansing Airport is not very far, and we can swing back by our house to drop our car off on way to Detroit Metro.  As well as swing by our house when we return the following week to pick up our car and return the car to Budget.

Parking at Detroit Metro was going to cost us $72 (8 days at $9 per day for the Big Blue Deck), and that is only if there would be available parking.  I was concerned because the time we are traveling is still considered spring break, and have been told that the parking ramp and lots can be full during spring break.  Figured I didn't want to take chance of getting there an not being able to find any parking near the airport.

Last time we parked in Big Blue Deck, we had to wait for shuttle for almost 30 minutes!!  People kept pushing their way ahead of us onto the shuttle and it was a real hassle.  I realize that we'll need to catch a shuttle to car rental place (at Detroit Metro), but figured we'd give this a try and see how it works out.

Anyone see any "flaws" with this?


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## Steamboat Bill (Mar 26, 2008)

How about a cab or airport limo service?


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## kjsgrammy (Mar 26, 2008)

One way for limo is close to $80, not including tip to driver.  We have a shuttle that runs from East Lansing to DTW, but the hours of the shuttle would make us wait for almost two hours at DTW on our return trip before catching the shuttle.  Shuttle cost for r/t would have been $80, not including tip to driver.  Have been told that shuttle has been so packed at times, people have to stand for the two hour trip back to East Lansing from DTW.  No way would I pay to stand up on a bus for 2 hours!


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## geekette (Mar 26, 2008)

Cabs and limos are way more expensive for us, too (tho limos are cheaper, if you live far enuf away and we do).

If you are ok with the logistics of the rental pickups and drops, this sounds like a decent plan.


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## DeniseM (Mar 26, 2008)

On our last trip to Hawaii we did one-way rental cars to and from the airport and it worked out great and saved us some money.  It's about 90 miles to the airport and long-term parking was $10 a night for a 14 night trip.  It cost far less than $140 for the rental cars, plus we didn't have to worry about our car sitting in long-term parking for 2 weeks.  We once got back from a long trip and found that someone had stolen the battery out of our car in long-term parking, so I much prefer the one-way rental car solution.


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## Talent312 (Mar 26, 2008)

I was actually going to do this myself.  I had the car reserved to drive to Orlando International, and for the return home.  But an approaching hurricane closed down Orlando, so Delta rerouted us using a small airport much closer to home (Gainesville), which made it unnecessary.  

Since then, we've found that off-airport lots or sleep'n'fly hotel parking to be better deals.

BTW, we rode out the hurricane in Vegas.


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## EvelynK72 (Mar 26, 2008)

We have done the one-way rentals for longer trips where the cost of airport parking is greater than the cost of the rentals.  However, ever since my husband's truck was stolen from the airport parking lot, we ALWAYS take one way rentals.  The only down side is when going to a warm climate when the weather at home is cold.  I used to keep my warm jacket, gloves, etc.  in the car for the ride to and from the airport.  That way, I didn't have to carry all that stuff with me on vacation where it wasn't needed.  With rentals, I can't do that, but there are other options.  This last trip, we just turned the heater on high and pretty soon the car was warm and toasty.  

Why do you need to go Lansing airport to pick up the car?  Is there no car rental office in your town or are the rates from your town to DTW much higher than from Lansing airport to DTW?  Just curious.


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## kjsgrammy (Mar 26, 2008)

EvelynK72 said:


> We have done the one-way rentals for longer trips where the cost of airport parking is greater than the cost of the rentals.  However, ever since my husband's truck was stolen from the airport parking lot, we ALWAYS take one way rentals.  The only down side is when going to a warm climate when the weather at home is cold.  I used to keep my warm jacket, gloves, etc.  in the car for the ride to and from the airport.  That way, I didn't have to carry all that stuff with me on vacation where it wasn't needed.  With rentals, I can't do that, but there are other options.  This last trip, we just turned the heater on high and pretty soon the car was warm and toasty.
> 
> Why do you need to go Lansing airport to pick up the car?  Is there no car rental office in your town or are the rates from your town to DTW much higher than from Lansing airport to DTW?  Just curious.



We live in a very tiny town east of Lansing, so Lansing Airport was the closest location for us (& the cheapest).  I searched to find the closest car rental agency near us, and the Lansing Airport was it.  Will let everyone know how this turns out when we get back from Vegas!!


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## donnaval (Mar 27, 2008)

We read about it here on TUG, too, and put it to good use on our January trip to Florida.  We are in a rural area and only about 20 minutes from the Pittsburgh airport.  We used Priceline and got cars for $11/day plus taxes (total under $20 per day).  Airport parking would've cost us almost $200.  It worked out great for us!

Taxi and limo options would also be more expensive for us than the one-day car rentals.


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## dmharris (Mar 27, 2008)

This concept is BRILLIANT!  My only concern would be hidden fees that might not appear on original car rental reservation; you know those airport fees, and we need to charge for gas inflation fees, etc.  Do your reservations include those?  And donnaval, who in Pittsburgh rents for $11 a day?  

Thanks!


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## kjsgrammy (Mar 27, 2008)

dmharris said:


> This concept is BRILLIANT!  My only concern would be hidden fees that might not appear on original car rental reservation; you know those airport fees, and we need to charge for gas inflation fees, etc.  Do your reservations include those?  And donnaval, who in Pittsburgh rents for $11 a day?
> 
> Thanks!



The quotes I rec'd from Budget states they include all fees, and I've never been told I owe more when I've returned a car, or been "hit" with extra fees when my credit card has been charged.  I've only used priceline once for a car rental, and again, no extra fees were added when dropping off the car.


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## donnaval (Mar 27, 2008)

> And donnaval, who in Pittsburgh rents for $11 a day?



Both days were through Priceline.  One day was a Hertz vehicle and one day was a Budget.  That rate was never available when I checked directly with the car companies, but my Priceline bids were always accepted immediately.  I never tried renting in Pittsburgh for a longer duration than one day.  Priceline adds all the taxes, etc. and charges your card when you "win" your bid.  You don't have to pay another penny at the pickup unless you opt to add on insurance or upgrade the vehicle.

For us it's worth doing for trips of ten days or more.  Shorter durations, we can typically find some type of parking coupon to make it a wash.


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## dmharris (Mar 27, 2008)

Awesome!  We live in Butler and 2 weeks away is very expensive at the off site parking in PIT, so this is a great idea!  Love you Tuggers!


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## SherryS (Mar 27, 2008)

We used the Budget one-way rental from our GR condo to DTW for our return flight to PIE after Thanksgiving.  Worked like a charm!  Hope you used a Budget discount code, too.  Have a fun trip!! S.


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## kjsgrammy (Mar 27, 2008)

SherryS said:


> We used the Budget one-way rental from our GR condo to DTW for our return flight to PIE after Thanksgiving.  Worked like a charm!  Hope you used a Budget discount code, too.  Have a fun trip!! S.



Sherry:  Do you remember if there is a gas station right near the Budget return center at DTW?


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## SherryS (Mar 27, 2008)

kjsgrammy said:


> Sherry:  Do you remember if there is a gas station right near the Budget return center at DTW?



We stopped at a previous exit for quick bathroom break and gas.....Can't remember for sure if there was a station right at Budget exit...(I think NOT...) 

Hope you're a winner in Vegas!


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## bruwery (Mar 28, 2008)

kjsgrammy said:


> Sherry:  Do you remember if there is a gas station right near the Budget return center at DTW?



Assuming you're taking I-275 down to I-94 to get to DTW, your easiest stop for gas at the time of day you'll be passing through there would be Exit 22 (Michigan Ave) on I-275.  It's eight or nine miles from the rental car area, but certainly close enough to allow you to arrive with a full tank.

I-94 doesn't really have any good fuel exits coming from I-275 until you're right at Merriman Rd, which is where the airport is.  Too crazy at that point - especially at 5:00 - 6:00 pm.

If you happen to take US-23 down to I-94 (not necessarily a bad plan given that rush hour on I-275 can get frustrating sometimes), then your best bet is to pull off of I-94 at the Belleville exit (I forget the exit number and street name).

Have fun in Vegas!!


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## kjsgrammy (Mar 28, 2008)

bruwery said:


> Assuming you're taking I-275 down to I-94 to get to DTW, your easiest stop for gas at the time of day you'll be passing through there would be Exit 22 (Michigan Ave) on I-275.  It's eight or nine miles from the rental car area, but certainly close enough to allow you to arrive with a full tank.
> 
> I-94 doesn't really have any good fuel exits coming from I-275 until you're right at Merriman Rd, which is where the airport is.  Too crazy at that point - especially at 5:00 - 6:00 pm.
> 
> ...



Mark:  THANKS!  We'll take your advise and get off on Exit 22 on I-275 to fill up the rental car.  Since we leave tomorrow, Saturday for DTW, I don't think that "rush hour" will be as crazy as a normal weekday.  Been there, done that, and no, don't ever care to do it again!!!!!!!!!!! 

Appreciate everyone's feedback on this topic.  TUGGERS are GREAT!


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## truth1ness (Dec 14, 2014)

Wow, this is such a great idea! Just wanted to revive this with a few questions for people traveling alone as I've never actually rented a car besides at an airport location:

1) How do you get to the rental car company location near your home and if you drive there what do you do with your own car? Will the company let you leave your car there for the duration of your trip even though you are only renting the arrival and return days? 

2) Would using Enterprise for this be a better option and using their pickup service? Is their pickup punctuality usually precise enough to depend on for getting to the airport on time? Anyone do it this way? On the return trip you'd still have to take a cab from the rental place to your home, though, they don't drop you off at home that I know of?  

Also, for early flights it seems like you could pick up the car the night before and it's the same price at least for a test I ran on enterprise.com.


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## jehb2 (Dec 14, 2014)

We have been doing this for years.  We only live 40 minutes from the airport but because we live outside the city limits we would get hit with a big surcharge by the taxis.  And a shuttle for 4 people RT was also outrageous.  And of parking was way expensive.

So, we drive to the airport the day before we leave and pick up the rental car.  The last two years we rented a car from a hertz office only 2 miles from our house and paid the 1-way drop off charge.  We do this when the 1-way drop off charge is small--it varies from time to time.



truth1ness said:


> 1) How do you get to the rental car company location near your home
> 
> 3) Also, for early flights it seems like you could pick up the car the night before...



1) We drive together in our own car, and drive back in two separate cars.

3) Yes, always.  I think this would be to hectic to do all this on the day you leave.


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## DeniseM (Dec 14, 2014)

We pick up the car the night before our flight, and drop it off the morning after out return flight.  In most cases, you are paying for 24 hours, anyway.

We rent an a location that's about a mile from our house.

If you are going to use a service that picks you up, it would be better to get the car the night before, so there is not pressure if they are running late.


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## Talent312 (Dec 14, 2014)

If don't have anyone at home who's willing to drive your car back to your house, ask a friend, relative or co-worker if they'd be willing to go the rental agency with you and keep the car at their place (or yours)... Most folks are willing to help others out with this stuff.
-----------------------------
We did the rental car thing to drive 5 hours to a cruiseship port. Picked the car up the night before, dropped it near the port, and took a taxi to the ship... and vice-versa.  No problems.
.


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## isisdave (Dec 15, 2014)

We used to do this too. We live 100 miles from LAX and 60 miles from SAN; shuttles to LAX are about $120 each way. 

Local one-day rentals in town are $27, and we used to be able to do a one-way for about $45. But now it's $85, for all the agencies that have a local office.

At that price, a stay-and-park hotel deal at LAX is a better deal, even if we don't actually need the room night.


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## truth1ness (Dec 15, 2014)

Stay-and-park hotel deal? You mean you pay to park at the airport hotel rather than the airport's economy lot? 

Yea, on Enterprise near me the daily rate is $30 but they kind of kill you with the $75 drop fee. But it looks like Budget is only $54 which is less than a limo service. The drop off fee is the biggest factor for this type of rental.


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## vacationhopeful (Dec 15, 2014)

The motel drops you off at the airport while you leave your car in the motel's parking lot. And the motel shuttle pickups you up & takes your back to your car at their motel. No RENTAL CAR is involved.


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## DeniseM (Dec 15, 2014)

You usually spend one night at the hotel (either the night before or after your trip - your choice.)

You leave your car in hotel parking for the duration of your trip.

You use the hotel shuttle to get to and from the airport.

Park-Sleep-Fly is a well-known company that provides this service:

http://www.parksleepfly.com


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## Passepartout (Dec 15, 2014)

When we have to fly out of a (bigger city- but distant) airport, we have located hotels that offer the stay one night and leave the car service for a week or so. Haven't tried it for much longer trips. Might try the car rental scheme. Fortunately, the home town airport has free unlimited parking, but the flight adds $100 or so to a trip. One just has to do the math to see which is the bigger value.


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## slip (Dec 15, 2014)

We do the park, sleep, fly and all the ones we did give you two weeks free 
Parking. When we went to Hawaii for three weeks, they only charged us an extra
$20 for the third week. It works nice and we can sleep about two hours longer
Because we're right there. That makes a big difference for our Hawaii trips from
Wisconsin.


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## mdurette (Dec 15, 2014)

Wow - what a great idea!


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## Passepartout (Jan 12, 2015)

*HEY! It works!*

We have an upcoming trip from a city where we have lodging but don't want to pay to park for several weeks.

So after reading this thread, I brought it up to my (extra smart and thrifty) DW. So today, she pre-booked rental car (happens to be from Dollar, but mox nix) to pick up the day before departure and be able to turn in at the airport,  in preferred parking for* $15.05* ALL IN! It will be a full retail taxi ride home on return, but worst case is a small fraction of what airport parking even at a 'stay -n- park' hotel.

Thanks for the tip!

Jim


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## Talent312 (Jan 12, 2015)

Passepartout said:


> Fortunately, the home town airport has free unlimited parking, but the flight adds $100 or so to a trip.



There's free parking near our hometown airport, too...
It's at the county jail's parking lot, just a short walk away.
They don't seem to care how long your car is there; like you're an inmate. 
.
.


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## mdurette (Jan 13, 2015)

Passepartout said:


> We have an upcoming trip from a city where we have lodging but don't want to pay to park for several weeks.
> 
> So after reading this thread, I brought it up to my (extra smart and thrifty) DW. So today, she pre-booked rental car (happens to be from Dollar, but mox nix) to pick up the day before departure and be able to turn in at the airport,  in preferred parking for* $15.05* ALL IN! It will be a full retail taxi ride home on return, but worst case is a small fraction of what airport parking even at a 'stay -n- park' hotel.
> 
> ...




That is a nice win for you!   But, why not do the reverse on the way home instead of the taxi ride?

After reading this thread last month I decided to do the same for an upcoming trip.   We leave out of Boston because of the flight choice, but return to Providence.   Leaving a car at the airport isn't even an option.   Also asking someone to bring us to Boston is a huge favor (providence not at all).   

I have reserved a car to go the airport.  (about $60).  Cheaper than anything else I can think of!


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## Passepartout (Jan 13, 2015)

mdurette said:


> That is a nice win for you!   But, why not do the reverse on the way home instead of the taxi ride?



This particular trip, we need to be 120+ miles away early the morning after arrival and just don't have time to do the 'rental car shuffle'. Adding to that, our return coincides with President's Day holiday and car rentals were 5X higher than when we will use it going to the airport. It's not above me to ask the shuttle bus drivers if they'll drop us on the way to the downtown hotels. Prolly won't work, but nothing ventured, nothing gained.


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