• The TUGBBS forums are completely free and open to the public and exist as the absolute best place for owners to get help and advice about their timeshares for more than 30 years!

    Join Tens of Thousands of other Owners just like you here to get any and all Timeshare questions answered 24 hours a day!
  • TUG started 30 years ago in October 1993 as a group of regular Timeshare owners just like you!

    Read about our 30th anniversary: Happy 30th Birthday TUG!
  • TUG has a YouTube Channel to produce weekly short informative videos on popular Timeshare topics!

    Free memberships for every 50 subscribers!

    Visit TUG on Youtube!
  • TUG has now saved timeshare owners more than $21,000,000 dollars just by finding us in time to rescind a new Timeshare purchase! A truly incredible milestone!

    Read more here: TUG saves owners more than $21 Million dollars
  • Sign up to get the TUG Newsletter for free!

    60,000+ subscribing owners! A weekly recap of the best Timeshare resort reviews and the most popular topics discussed by owners!
  • Our official "end my sales presentation early" T-shirts are available again! Also come with the option for a free membership extension with purchase to offset the cost!

    All T-shirt options here!
  • A few of the most common links here on the forums for newbies and guests!

Is limited mileage on car rentals in Northwest typical?

Egret1986

TUG Review Crew: Expert
TUG Member
Joined
Jun 7, 2005
Messages
4,021
Reaction score
560
Points
499
Location
Coastal Southeast Virginia
I confirmed the exchanges for our two-week Montana/Wyoming trip for this upcoming summer before checking anything else. I was horrified about the airfares. I went ahead and bit the bullet and bought our airfare since we really do want to see these National Parks sometime, and might as well do it now since we were able to get the exchanges. Now it's the auto rental. I've never had to rent a car that didn't have unlimited mileage, but it seems that all the car rental companies are charging over the limited mileage .25/mile for the area. This could be quite costly since we'll be doing a whole lot of driving. Are there any other options? Does anyone know something I have yet to discover? Thanks for any input, good or otherwise!
 

camachinist

TUG Member
Joined
Jun 6, 2005
Messages
2,889
Reaction score
2
Points
36
Location
Central California
I've rented out of SEA and BOI this year and no issues...Hertz mid-size, full-size and Prestige series...

IIRC, the only Hertz vehicles with mileage charges (over 100 per day) are the big SUV's and a few of the specialty Prestige vehicles. I've rented Volvo's and Jag's with no mile charges.

Shop around.... and read that fine print :)

Pat
 

toni3063

TUG Member
Joined
Aug 2, 2005
Messages
286
Reaction score
0
Points
16
Location
Hilliard, Oh
Egret1986 said:
I confirmed the exchanges for our two-week Montana/Wyoming trip for this upcoming summer before checking anything else. I was horrified about the airfares. I went ahead and bit the bullet and bought our airfare since we really do want to see these National Parks sometime, and might as well do it now since we were able to get the exchanges. Now it's the auto rental. I've never had to rent a car that didn't have unlimited mileage, but it seems that all the car rental companies are charging over the limited mileage .25/mile for the area. This could be quite costly since we'll be doing a whole lot of driving. Are there any other options? Does anyone know something I have yet to discover? Thanks for any input, good or otherwise!

We're not going to Montana, however, we are going to the Rockies and will be doing alot of driving. I booked (as I usually do) through Priceline. I offered them $20 a day for a SUV (Ford Explorer type), unlimited miles for 7 days and they accepted the offer. I usually book through Priceline to pickup at the airport that we're arriving at, and have always had good luck with them accepting offers from $15 - $25 pr. day (depending on size vehicle we need and I never accept smaller than a mid size). I'm also very surprised that often my husband is able to get an upgrade to the next size vehicle at no charge. His last trip to VA they upgraded him from a mid size to a Sebring convertable (no charge) and he paid $20 a day unlimited milage for 5 days through Priceline. If you've never used Priceline... it's very easy. They will give you your answer within a few minutes. Just make sure before you make your offer that you are getting everything you want (unlimited miles). The only down side is that they charge your credit card at time of booking. If your plans are at all ify... then Priceline would not be a good choice. You also do not know which company will accept the offer until it's accepted. It's been Avis that accepts our offer 90% of the time.
 

Carolinian

TUG Member
Joined
Jun 6, 2005
Messages
10,644
Reaction score
936
Points
598
Location
eastern Europe
In car rentals within the US, I have noticed that if you rent in a smaller city, the rental agency is likely to be a franchise rather than a company-owned location. The franchise locations are usually the ones with milage limits and extra miles charges. Try finding a nearby city large enough to have a company owned location. That will probably have unlimited miles.
 

sfwilshire

TUG Review Crew: Expert
TUG Member
Joined
Jun 7, 2005
Messages
4,131
Reaction score
243
Points
448
Location
Clinton TN
Resorts Owned
Tristram's Landing, Tree Tops Gatlinburg, Mystic Dunes, Sheraton Vistana Spas & Fountains
We rented from National a couple of years ago and drove over 1,000 miles from Denver through Yellowstone, Glacier, Rocky Mtn Natl Park, etc. I was nervous when we turned the car in, but it was to the penny the price it had shown when I reserved on the web. I was very happy.

Sheila
 

Egret1986

TUG Review Crew: Expert
TUG Member
Joined
Jun 7, 2005
Messages
4,021
Reaction score
560
Points
499
Location
Coastal Southeast Virginia
Thanks all!

All rental companies checked have limited mileage with 150/day the most I could find. All rates were really high. We're flying in and out of Missoula. The airline tickets are bought and this airport is midway between our starting and ending points. If I can get unlimited mileage through Priceline, that's definitely the way to go. I don't care for Priceline for airfares because the one time we did that, it was a terrible schedule with long layovers between flights. But I have used them for car rentals in the past and have been very satisfied. I've got my fingers crossed on the unlimited mileage since we plan to drive to and through three national parks and expect to rack up the miles.
 

Carolinian

TUG Member
Joined
Jun 6, 2005
Messages
10,644
Reaction score
936
Points
598
Location
eastern Europe
I think that being restricted to Missoula may be the problem.

In North Carolina, everyone has unlimited miles on rental cars out of the company-owned offices in the big cities like Raleigh, Charlotte, Wilmington, etc. but in the smaller cities like Greenville, Kinston, New Bern, etc, the rental car offices are franchises and they almost always have a milage limit and significant charge for extra miles.
 

T_R_Oglodyte

TUG Lifetime Member
Joined
Jun 6, 2005
Messages
16,117
Reaction score
8,064
Points
1,048
Location
Belly-View, WA
I fly all over the Northwest and, in my experience, almost all airport rentals are unlimited mileage (including car rentals thar serve the airport but are at offsite locations). Conversely, many rentals at local locations have mileage restrictions. What you are seeing my be unique to Missoula.

If you are going to be doing a lot of driving, you also need to be careful about restrctions on the states you are allowed to take the car into. Many rental companies, especially those that offer unlimited mileage, restrict you on the number of states you can take the car into. They do that to prevent someone from renting a car with unlimited mileage at a low daily rate, then using the car for a fast turn around cross-country trip (e.g., dropping a child off at school).
 

Carolinian

TUG Member
Joined
Jun 6, 2005
Messages
10,644
Reaction score
936
Points
598
Location
eastern Europe
Non-airport locations, except for Enterprise, seem to be a vanishing species in car rental in this area. All of the airport locations in small city airports around here that I am aware of are franchise operations rather than company owned, and they are the ones with milage restrictions.
 

T_R_Oglodyte

TUG Lifetime Member
Joined
Jun 6, 2005
Messages
16,117
Reaction score
8,064
Points
1,048
Location
Belly-View, WA
Carolinian said:
Non-airport locations, except for Enterprise, seem to be a vanishing species in car rental in this area. All of the airport locations in small city airports around here that I am aware of are franchise operations rather than company owned, and they are the ones with milage restrictions.
That's not necessarily the case.

At many smaller airports in the NW, I have learned that you can often save money by bypassing the national reservation system and book directly with the franchisee. During times when the national reervation systems jack up the rates - or show no availability - the frachisee will often have cars available and at lower rates. Amd I've always been able to get unlimited mileagle - or at least get pricing for unlimited mileage vs mileage options.

OTOH - I had an experience on Orbitz the other day where I thought I was getting a great deal from Budget (at on local rental location), only to find that I had some severe mileage limitations that weren't revealed until I got to the page that shows the cost breakdown. I wound up renting from Thrifty at a local location, getting unlimited mileage.
 

DebBrown

TUG Lifetime Member
Joined
Jun 6, 2005
Messages
2,542
Reaction score
169
Points
548
This is odd and must be a new thing in Missoula. My son lives there and I just checked old rental car confirmations from our previous visits and we always had unlimited mileage. I wonder if it is just a summer thing? Maybe everyone was flying into Missoula and racking up lots of mileage?

I would try calling a local company direct. At least you might find out why they are limiting the miles now.

Deb
 

Egret1986

TUG Review Crew: Expert
TUG Member
Joined
Jun 7, 2005
Messages
4,021
Reaction score
560
Points
499
Location
Coastal Southeast Virginia
Thanks, Deb

I know we will probably be racking up quite a few miles also. We definitely expect to be going over 1050 miles per week. I've got a reservation with Dollar right now, which can always be cancelled at any time. It's still over 7 months out, so I will continue to monitor this reservation as well as other auto rental companies, and do as you suggested and make a call and find out what the deal is. Thanks!
 

kiyotaka

TUG Member
Joined
Jun 7, 2005
Messages
122
Reaction score
0
Points
226
This summer we flew into Rapid City, SD to do 3 n/ps and a few n/ms which required ~ 2k miles of driving. Prior to the trip, I looked into a rental car and found all the rental car cos offered 1050 miles+$0.25/mile. We choose an economy car from Thrift ($206 w/ tax + 25c/mile over 1050 miles). When I was picking up the car, I mensioned to a rental agent about how expensive & why limited miles. I was told w/ $10 a day addition, I could get unlimited miles. So of course I took that offer. Btw, his answer to my questions was there were no a/ps close to Rapid City so people tend to put lots of milage on the rentals. Maybe you can call Missoula rental office and ask for unlimited mile deal.
 

MULTIZ321

TUG Member
Joined
Jun 6, 2005
Messages
31,265
Reaction score
8,993
Points
1,048
Location
FT. LAUDERDALE, FL
Resorts Owned
BLUEWATER BY SPINNAKER HHI
ROYAL HOLIDAY CLUB RHC (POINTS)
Egret,

The best mileage deal I could find for Missoula for Summer 2006 was 2100 free miles from Enterprise.


Richard
 
Top