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BIG Rental cars for long road trips?

Whirl

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Curious if anyone rents vehicles for long road trips?


We are traveling to Hilton Head, from Maryland this summer and taking my daughter and grandparents, so 5 adults and a 2.5 year old.

I would rather not take TWO cars, then my father (78 yo) has to put in a lot of drive time, although they did it last year on their own ( broken into 2 nights). But our car, while it technically seats 7, it would not be very comfy for so many people plus "stuff."

We are thinking of renting a big minivan, van, or excursion? Any experiences, or suggestions? Hate to bare the expense for what was supposed to be a relatively inexpensive vacation ( as opposed to our trip to St. John last year for the same crew!) but it seems like it may be the best option...

What kind of rental car do you think would be big enough and comfortable?

Thanks so much for your thoughts!
 

Luanne

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We did this a couple of times. A few summers ago we were taking a road trip down the coast of California. We rented a min van, and it's a good thing we did as our younger daughter broke her foot and was in a cast during that trip. Having the min van allowed her to stretch out. We also rented a mini van one year when we drove to southern California over Thanksgiving.

We looked for rental companies in our area where we could easily pick up the van. I would suggest a mini van rather than a large car as I don't know of any rental cars that would hold 7 people.
 

Nancy

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We did a trip to New York City and rented a full sized van (Not mini-van) for 7 adults. It worked out great and we had plenty of room. We rented from Rent-A-Wreck so it wasn't new, but it served our purpose.

Nancy
 

Whirl

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Thanks. Sounds lik a rental is the way to go...any idea what has more room -- a minivan or a big Excursion-type SUV?
 

bigrick

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As a matter of fact I just looked at this last night. The Dodge Caravan seats 7. The Chevy Express 3500 seats 8 - 15.

Search on Orbitz for your dates and pickup spot. On the next screen, in the box below the car prices, is a link for "View more car types (SUVs, mini-vans, etc.)." Click that to see prices and size options.

For my needs, I could rent 2 caravans to haul 14 cheaper than 1 chevy.
 

Whirl

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Thanks...I'll check it out. The Chevy Express seems like abit much for me...we are only 6 plus beach stuff, but still want to b comfortable.
 

sfwilshire

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You might also want to consider a soft sided luggage carrier for the trip. Great place to stash the beach stuff and luggage overflow. We bought one on sale at the Samsonite outlet for about $50 a few years ago and love it. If we fly to our destination, we throw the box into a suitcase, install the carrier on the van when we get there, and repack it to travel home. Be sure to get waterproof, not water resistant.

Sheila
 

Jimster

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By this summer you might also want to consider taking out a second mortgage to pay for the gas.
 

Whirl

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Jimster said:
By this summer you might also want to consider taking out a second mortgage to pay for the gas.

No Joke....perhaps I am delusional, but I give mysef some comfort in thinking the gas for one rented behemoth is probably still better than two separate cars plus the wear and tear on our personal vehichles. Non?
 

Whirl

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sfwilshire said:
You might also want to consider a soft sided luggage carrier for the trip. Sheila

We have one, but we need to replace it...picked it up at a garage sale and used it once, but one of th straps broke shortly thereafter. Thanks for the reminder that I need to get a new one.
Cheryl
 

Jimster

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Actually, I have rented a large vehicle a few times for trips like this. A couple of things you might keep in mind, some of the rental car companies have restrictions on how far away you can take the cars (ie- good in only certain states) and then they charge you extra. Another thing to consider is the amount of luggage you can take. By and large I have found this a effective solution for the times I did this. I think the underrated aspect of all of this is the effective wear and tear on your own vehicle. I did this once from Chicago to Naples, FL and I know that this would have been a big hit to the mileage and wear and tear on my own car. Additionally, if you have trouble along the way, you can usually call the rental car company for a replacement.

BTW If you are going to have multiple drivers, check any of the several methods to get your car without an added driver charge. Rental companies love to ding you for this but there are ways around it, depending upon who you book through or if you are a club member.
 

sfwilshire

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Whirl said:
We have one, but we need to replace it...picked it up at a garage sale and used it once, but one of th straps broke shortly thereafter. Thanks for the reminder that I need to get a new one.
Cheryl

DH broke one of the buckles on ours by pulling too hard on it. I went back to the Samsonite store to try to buy a replacement buckle, and they insisted on giving me a whole new carrier at no charge.

Depending on the brand, you may be able to get the one you have repaired.

We throw ours in the van even when we think we won't need it, just in case too much shopping occurs.

Sheila
 

pcgirl54

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We rented a minivan for our road trip to our son's graduation. Comfort for 6 adults from Massachusetts to Virginia Tech ,a 14 hour trip each way. I figured it was worth it for us to not get on each others nerves in cramped quarters even with a large car it had more room and people could change seats easily.
Keep checking prices even after you reserved one because prices change all the time. You cannot take a car out of state if you rent through Enterprise. We use Budget a lot they have internet specials and I use a coupon code found in mulitple travel mags.
 

Whirl

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Thanks for all the great tips. I feel much more at ease that we will be able to travel pretty comfortably and I am looking at getting a new cargo carrier. I made a reservation for a minivan with Avis, where we have preferred status, but will try to check periodically for a better rate. I am just glad I have th reservation taken care of.

I didn't use any codes, because when I signed on with my member number I got a better rate than any of the few codes I did try or what was on orbitz. I am not as patient to hunt for deals as I once was, but if any one has an Avis code that is a significant savings... I would certainly try it!

Thanks,
Cheryl
 
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