Rental cars

[MommaBear]

We are travelling to Maui in a couple weeks but used a Costco Travel Packaged Resort for the first time which included the rental car. When we researched the cost of weekly resort fees we got the rental car for half of what we would usually pay. Might be the best way to go right now. We have used Costco Travel extensively for our rental rates and they have always been the best priced, that's even with us using our corporate discounts sometimes. Check them out.

"Swing Hard Look For It Later"

We booked through Costco 6 weeks ago, they are 2-3 times the price now then when we booked

 

[fernow]

What is going on? We rented 3 weeks ago for an April trip and paid $645 for a Full Size, which I thought was pricey at the time. Went back to same website, same car, same discount codes, $1,504 !!! Hope they even have the car we rented when we get there. Like the Seinfeld episode: "I know what a reservation is, sir." "I don't think you do..."

 

[1Kflyerguy]

My guess is that when covid shut everything down the rental companies sold off a lot of cars, or more accurately their lenders took the cars back and sold them off.. Now that travel is resuming there is a lot less available cars so the rentals prices go up.

The last few trips i have booked the rental car prices are way above what I used to pay.

 

[dannybaker]

We will be at Ko olina for four weeks and we always rent a car and that is about to change. They want $1890 for four weeks. We go to Hawaii annually and usually pay around $230 weekly.

 

[CalGalTraveler]

Has anyone used Payless on the Big Island? Would you recommend them? They seem to be coming up $200 less than the big companies.

 

[easyrider]

I am still looking for a car rental in Hawaii and my niece asked if I checked Turo yet. Never heard of Turo. I checked it out and found cars for between $20 and $50 a day. Turo is described as the air b&d of car rentals. The best price I can find with the regular places is about $70 - $80 a day for a compact.

Has anyone used Turo and have an experience to share ?

Bill

 

[Henry M.]

I haven't actually used Turo, but know someone with a car in the system. Like you say, it is like Airbnb for cars. It sounds to me like you have to find a renter with lots of positive reviews and few or no negative reviews. Otherwise, you're taking a chance. There is a lot less quality control on the cars, and if a particular car somehow breaks down, you will have to do a lot more work to get alternative transportation.

I met some girls at the beach in Maui that used one of these individual car rental places. They had an issue with a Jeep they rented. The owner was very apologetic and came to get the Jeep to get it repaired. Meanwhile, they were without transportation until the owner fixed the problem, where there was severe vibration driving down the road. I think it all worked out in the end.

Just remember you are now dealing with individuals renting their own vehicles. I bet most of the time things work out fine. The issues arise when the car has a problem. There can also be issues of cleanliness and differing expectations on how well taken care of the car is. If you are comfortable with this, you can likely save a bit of money. If you want more certainty, then a commercial rental place might be in order.

I use AirBnB and I am comfortable picking a place with lots of good reviews. I would not stay in one with few reviews, or one that has more than a percent or two of bad reviews. I might be willing to give Turo a try, but will go in with my eyes wide open. I'll likely make a Hertz reservation on the side, just in case. I get good corporate rates with them.

 

[eyedude]

I am still looking for a car rental in Hawaii and my niece asked if I checked Turo yet. Never heard of Turo. I checked it out and found cars for between $20 and $50 a day. Turo is described as the air b&d of car rentals. The best price I can find with the regular places is about $70 - $80 a day for a compact.

Has anyone used Turo and have an experience to share ?

Bill

I have used Turo a few times without problems. I plan to use Turo when we go in September. When we went to Maui in December it took forever to rent our car through a traditional rental agency. Unfortunately, in December I did not see many options with Turo. The owner of the car I am renting has already been in contact with me and will meet me curbside to deliver the car and keys. On other occasions, the owner will put the car in the parking lot and we just walk across the street with our luggage...super convenient.

 

[Ken555]

Turo is a great option. I just tried to get a price quote and created an account, validated my email, and then it wants a photo of me and a copy of my drivers license...all before showing me the total all-in cost. Seems quite invasive for a quote.

 

[MrockStar]

I guess $ 200 more because of my flight change coming in early doesn't seem quite as bad now.

 

[easyrider]

Turo is a great option. I just tried to get a price quote and created an account, validated my email, and then it wants a photo of me and a copy of my drivers license...all before showing me the total all-in cost. Seems quite invasive for a quote.

Yup, that was as far as I got. I have a Turo account but after reading other experiences I think I going to follow through. I like having a car where ever we go even if I don't use it every day.

Bill

 

[easyrider]

I have used Turo a few times without problems. I plan to use Turo when we go in September. When we went to Maui in December it took forever to rent our car through a traditional rental agency. Unfortunately, in December I did not see many options with Turo. The owner of the car I am renting has already been in contact with me and will meet me curbside to deliver the car and keys. On other occasions, the owner will put the car in the parking lot and we just walk across the street with our luggage...super convenient.

Some of the cars I am seeing on Turo are very nice. Almost too nice. Others are very old but drivable. How did you decide on a car ? It looks like trips counted and reviews are about it from what I am seeing. I haven't been to the insurance costs. What do you think about the insurance ? From reading Turo's page it looks like the only option that covers everything is probably the right one.

Bill

 

[Ken555]

Some of the cars I am seeing on Turo are very nice. Almost too nice. Others are very old but drivable. How did you decide on a car ? It looks like trips counted and reviews are about it from what I am seeing. I haven't been to the insurance costs. What do you think about the insurance ? From reading Turo's page it looks like the only option that covers everything is probably the right one.

Bill

FWIW, I was looking at options for Maui and it seems there are many Nissan's in the ~$30-34/day range. I would expect, though would call to verify, that AMEX insurance covers this rental since it's a true car rental service. If so, I wouldn't buy their insurance and only use AMEX.

 

[Dean]

FWIW, I was looking at options for Maui and it seems there are many Nissan's in the ~$30-34/day range. I would expect, though would call to verify, that AMEX insurance covers this rental since it's a true car rental service. If so, I wouldn't buy their insurance and only use AMEX.

In looking around it appears that many CC and car insurance preclude such peer to peer rentals so check to be certain. Also a point on CC insurance, in order for it apply in every case I'm aware of, you have to decline all optional insurance. You can't stack it on top of paid coverage to the car rental company. Here's what's listed for CSR under "what's not covered".

• Leases and mini leases; including hourly rentals and car share services

 

[Ken555]

Update: the price was too good to ignore (about half that of any other option), so I went ahead and registered at Turo and booked (and prepaid) for a rental for early next year in Maui. I can cancel for full refund up to the day prior of rental.

I’m also intending to call AMEX re coverage but did find this encouraging page from last year:

Are Turo car rentals covered by credit card insurance? - The Points Guy

When you rent a car through the carsharing service Turo, here's what you should know about collision damage insurance that may be offered through your card.

thepointsguy.com

But, to confirm I called Amex’s Premium Car Rental Protection enrollment line and asked the agent whether Turo rentals would be covered. He hadn’t heard of Turo before, so I explained the service to him. He then took a few minutes to look through exclusions and then asked me what state I live in and whether Turo offers insurance plans for car rentals. When I said Turo offers three insurance plans on most rentals, the agent concluded that he didn’t see a reason why a rental through Turo wouldn’t be covered.

Although the agent I spoke with concluded that Turo rentals would be covered, I’d recommend calling for yourself – perhaps multiple times to ensure you get a consistent response – before assuming Amex’s Premium Car Rental Protection will cover your Turo car rental.

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[Ken555]

In looking around it appears that many CC and car insurance preclude such peer to peer rentals so check to be certain. Also a point on CC insurance, in order for it apply in every case I'm aware of, you have to decline all optional insurance. You can't stack it on top of paid coverage to the car rental company. Here's what's listed for CSR under "what's not covered".

• Leases and mini leases; including hourly rentals and car share services

Yes, but the AMEX Premium car rental insurance option is a different product. See my post above for more details. I’ll post an update after I speak with AMEX, tho not sure if I’ll get to that in the next few days...


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[Dean]

Yes, but the AMEX Premium car rental insurance option is a different product. See my post above for more details. I’ll post an update after I speak with AMEX, tho not sure if I’ll get to that in the next few days...


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

True but unless I saw it in writing that it was specifically covered I'd assume it didn't. I wouldn't be comfortable trusting verbal representations. In addition their sample agreement makes it pretty clear that the coverage only applies to a Rental Company and defines that in such a way as to exclude peer to peer rentals as I read it. I'd only consider this if it was still enough cheaper to more than make up for buying the insurance.

 

[Ken555]

True but unless I saw it in writing that it was specifically covered I'd assume it didn't. I wouldn't be comfortable trusting verbal representations. In addition their sample agreement makes it pretty clear that the coverage only applies to a Rental Company and defines that in such a way as to exclude peer to peer rentals as I read it. I'd only consider this if it was still enough cheaper to more than make up for buying the insurance.

When there's an issue like this, I always ask the vendor to send me an email with the details for confirmation and future reference. I just did this a few days ago with Virgin Voyages as they are offering a 10% discount if paid in full 180 days prior to sailing, and while they previously had a policy that the 10% discount must be paid within two hours of booking they've updated it so permit anyone to obtain the discount as long as they meet the 180 days but this is a recent change so some of their reps are confused (yet when they inquire with their team they returned to say it is more flexible now)...and I received an email that says as much.

In this instance, the difference is many hundreds of dollars. Currently Maui is ~$450-600 per week PREPAID from the various car rental agencies, and this rental from Turo was $467 for two weeks all in. If AMEX doesn't cover it, I'll consider adding Turo's insurance and, of course, I intend to keep checking rates since I expect them to change but given the uncertainty of availability with the expected car shortage I thought it best to have a reservation. In fact, this my second reservation since I already have another... in any case, I just tried calling AMEX and this office is closed so will inquire sometime soon.

 

[emeryjre]

Why Hertz landed in bankruptcy court when its rivals didn't (cnbc.com)

A little background into the current situation with Hertz. There are stories in the travel industry about an upcoming car rental "Arrmagedon"

 

[Dean]

When there's an issue like this, I always ask the vendor to send me an email with the details for confirmation and future reference. I just did this a few days ago with Virgin Voyages as they are offering a 10% discount if paid in full 180 days prior to sailing, and while they previously had a policy that the 10% discount must be paid within two hours of booking they've updated it so permit anyone to obtain the discount as long as they meet the 180 days but this is a recent change so some of their reps are confused (yet when they inquire with their team they returned to say it is more flexible now)...and I received an email that says as much.

In this instance, the difference is many hundreds of dollars. Currently Maui is ~$450-600 per week PREPAID from the various car rental agencies, and this rental from Turo was $467 for two weeks all in. If AMEX doesn't cover it, I'll consider adding Turo's insurance and, of course, I intend to keep checking rates since I expect them to change but given the uncertainty of availability with the expected car shortage I thought it best to have a reservation. In fact, this my second reservation since I already have another... in any case, I just tried calling AMEX and this office is closed so will inquire sometime soon.

I would want to be certain but in the absence of something specifically stating it's covered in the legal documentation I think one has to assume it's not covered and I'm not sure even a written message or email that it is would be sufficient if later they chose not to cover an incident. Also, I didn't think the AMEX plan covered liability which is likely the bigger issue. If applicable one might want to check on their umbrella policy to see if it covers the liability in this situation since they require a minimum auto liability covered to be primary. I wouldn't be totally averse but I'd want it to save me money including the Premier Plan insurance compared to a rental car without added insurance. Let us know what else you find out.

It also looks like the Premier plan isn't available if the vehicle value is over $25K so getting a high end option might add additional risk.

 

[easyrider]

I officially reserved a car from Turo. A 2014 Chevy Sonic for $25 a day. The premium insurance is about $22 a day. Total for this Turo car is under $50 a day with full coverage that includes loss of use. For now I'm good with this. The lesser Turo insurance has a deductible and doesn't cover everything and costs about $11 a day.

It looks like the premium insurance covers everything with no deductible. I was going to use our Amex card to cover the car and just decline the Turo insurance. Additionally, I could have just used my auto insurance.

My usual Avis car is at $150 a day and I would be using my insurance to cover the car. The best rate I see is Hertz at $130 a day.

Bill

 

[Dean]

Partly out of curiosity and partly for future planning I decided to query USAA about both the car insurance and umbrella liability coverage. Verbally both departments said it'd be covered but the Umbrella liability department was more convincing talking about it becoming more common for people to rent out their houses at times and leave a vehicle to be used at the same time. In the absence of written documentation I still don't think I'd be comfortable but thought I'd pass along the additional information.

 

[Ken555]

I booked another car from Budget today for Maui at a discount, though I haven't had time to investigate Turo yet. Now I have four bookings... For those considering Maui, if you pickup at JHM it will be less than OGG, and I was able to drop off at OGG at the same price. I've never taken an uber/taxi/shuttle from OGG to WKORV but I figure it's ~$65 per person. For my dates renting from OGG now starts at ~$1250 via Costco.

 

[easyrider]

I booked another car from Budget today for Maui at a discount, though I haven't had time to investigate Turo yet. Now I have four bookings... For those considering Maui, if you pickup at JHM it will be less than OGG, and I was able to drop off at OGG at the same price. I've never taken an uber/taxi/shuttle from OGG to WKORV but I figure it's ~$65 per person. For my dates renting from OGG now starts at ~$1250 via Costco.

Kihei rent-a-car is renting cars on Turo. I saw a 2015 Nisan Sentra for $25 a day. With the best Turo insurance it would be about $47 a day all in. I will be checking the other rental agencies as the year drags on but we will likely keep our Turo rental.

Bill

Take a trip in Kihei Rent a Car’s Nissan Sentra

Explore the highways and byways of Kihei in Kihei Rent a Car’s Nissan Sentra on Turo, where you can book the perfect car for your next adventure, courtesy of local hosts.

turo.com

 

[controller1]

I booked another car from Budget today for Maui at a discount, though I haven't had time to investigate Turo yet. Now I have four bookings... For those considering Maui, if you pickup at JHM it will be less than OGG, and I was able to drop off at OGG at the same price. I've never taken an uber/taxi/shuttle from OGG to WKORV but I figure it's ~$65 per person. For my dates renting from OGG now starts at ~$1250 via Costco.

So do you have four bookings for the same dates? If so, don't you think you may be part of the reason prices are high? With four bookings of which only one will be used you have artificially increased the demand and thus the price. When multiplied by others doing the same . . .