OT: Best rental car company

[jaydogsmooth1]

Hertz?
Enterprise?
Avis?

Customer service, points, upgrades, ease of getting to car once in airport, loyalty programs, amount of locations, etc.
What say you?

 

[T2Kplus20]

Hertz?
Enterprise?
Avis?

Customer service, points, upgrades, ease of getting to car once in airport, loyalty programs, amount of locations, etc.
What say you?

We use Alamo. Very easy process, all online, no counter, just go to the car. Good airport locations. Don't care about points or upgrades, so we are unfamiliar with what they offer.

 

[Section124]

I have always been a Hertz guy (due to business), but I have had good fortune with most (Budget, Enterprise, etc.). I have found Hertz cars to be in better condition that the others but I really don't rent that often now (mostly Uber now). I did use Budget on my last trip and the car was a little beat up (dings on exterior) but fine for what I needed (and paid). They are mostly the same (depending on the airport).

 

[DennisHajekRC84]

Hertz Customer Service has really gone downhill. STAY AWAY from THRIFTY.

 

[kupuna133]

Used to use Hertz exclusively due to business. Had the best upgrade and points programs. Saw a significant decline in customer service around 10 years ago. Now I have had good luck with app based private rental services. Specifically Turo. Last 4 years for vacation have used various times and simple as can be. Came in handy in 2021 when it was nearly impossible to find rental car availability and haven’t looked back. Have been renting luxury SUVs at 25-30% of the cost of regular SUVs at rental companies. Late model Mercedes and Audis for 50-80 per day.

 

[Plum Street]

I like enterprise . Too bad they still don’t pick you up.
If you buy a used car that is just a few years old, good chance the “one owner” was a rental car company.

 

[RUTGERS95]

Hertz?
Enterprise?
Avis?

Customer service, points, upgrades, ease of getting to car once in airport, loyalty programs, amount of locations, etc.
What say you?

you are one of my favorite posters by far but you just brought the board to a new off season low lol

next need a thread; 'do you use salt, pepper or both' lollolololololol

 

[jaydogsmooth1]

you are one of my favorite posters by far but you just brought the board to a new off season low lol

next need a thread; 'do you use salt, pepper or both' lollolololololol

LOL
I knew this one might draw that response but traveling has picked up a lot with work and I figured what better place to ask then resident board members who have experience with this type of thing !!

 

[RUTGERS95]

LOL
I knew this one might draw that response but traveling has picked up a lot with work and I figured what better place to ask then resident board members who have experience with this type of thing !!

I'm just busting you

I used to work for Deloitte used them all and it's really location dependent on service etc..

enterprise had 'better' cars though

 

[RRosenwald]

Since we are talking rental cars on the Rutgers board - I am planning to go to the Rutgers USC game and renting a car out of LAX. I really want to use my Credit Card Rewards points to pay for the rental but I also don't want to pick a company that is going to charge me unnecessary fees, have me waiting forever, and whatnot. I realize rental out of LAX is not the greatest. Any good stories from anyone on a company out of LAX?

 

[JayDogSmooth]

I'm just busting you

I used to work for Deloitte used them all and it's really location dependent on service etc..

enterprise had 'better' cars though

I’ve been able to get in some really nice Marriott hotels over the years thanks to the Deloitte code!!

 

[RUTGERS95]

I’ve been able to get in some really nice Marriott hotels over the years thanks to the Deloitte code!!

lol oh I've got some stories

our admin did my travel but man did I love the perks, miles, etc.. during the mf global debacle, i stayed in chicago so much that the W, knowing I loved their coffee, sent me a case of their coffee and the coffee maker they use!

 

[Knight Shift]

Have had bad experience with Hertz. Pretty much 100% of the time, we go with Alamo/Enterprise. Have never had an issue. Have used Avis, and they are OK, but Alamo experience has been better.

 

[JayDogSmooth]

lol oh I've got some stories

our admin did my travel but man did I love the perks, miles, etc.. during the mf global debacle, i stayed in chicago so much that the W, knowing I loved their coffee, sent me a case of their coffee and the coffee maker they use!

Love W’s
Once you starts staying at them, you don’t wanna stay anywhere else

 

[rubaseball78]

I use National when I travel for work primarily because I like Emerald Aisle to bypass counter. For personal travel I usually rent based on cost thorough Expedia, Priceline often with Dollar, Thrifty, Budget, etc. Really haven't seen major differences.

 

[TRU2RU]

I like enterprise . Too bad they still don’t pick you up.
If you buy a used car that is just a few years old, good chance the “one owner” was a rental car company.

Used Enterprise last Friday in New Orleans & Enterprise picked us up at the Roosevelt Hotel & offered to bring us back to hotel when dropping it off

 

[RUTGERS95]

Love W’s
Once you starts staying at them, you don’t wanna stay anywhere else

absolutely

 

[AntiG]

SIXT is my favorite

 

[newell138]

I guess it depends on where you are renting? I always use Hertz and have never had an issue. No customer service involved really as you just walk to the lot and pick a car other than the people at the gate checking you out.

 

[megadrone]

Since we are talking rental cars on the Rutgers board - I am planning to go to the Rutgers USC game and renting a car out of LAX. I really want to use my Credit Card Rewards points to pay for the rental but I also don't want to pick a company that is going to charge me unnecessary fees, have me waiting forever, and whatnot. I realize rental out of LAX is not the greatest. Any good stories from anyone on a company out of LAX?

I would avoid Thrifty at LAX -- long wait times when I was there but I'veonly been to LA once

 

[yesrutgers01]

I have always been a Hertz guy (due to business), but I have had good fortune with most (Budget, Enterprise, etc.). I have found Hertz cars to be in better condition that the others but I really don't rent that often now (mostly Uber now). I did use Budget on my last trip and the car was a little beat up (dings on exterior) but fine for what I needed (and paid). They are mostly the same (depending on the airport).

I am the same where I just Uber now on business trips.

 

[rurichdog]

I prefer Hertz, they've always done right by me, whether I rented at an airport or otherwise. Enterprise has screwed me or attempted to screw me every time I rented from them (and that's only when it isn't my choice) so I avoid them as much as humanly possible. If you rent from Enterprise, grab a flashlight and spend an hour before even starting the car detailing every tiny minute scratch and discoloration in and on the car. Those crooks will break your balls about every minor scratch when you return it.

 

[jaydogsmooth1]

I was leaning towards Avis or Hertz as those are two of the biggest ones, I already have points with both, and they're both at EWR, most of the airports I fly into for work, and the ones I fly into in Florida

Initially I was going to go with Avis, as they have some sort of a partnership with United where you can earn United points by renting Avis cars

I opted for Hertz b/c they have the same deal except with Marriott - honestly, I'm not sure how that all works re. getting the Marriot points by renting Hertz cars ??

 

[voltz99]

Have not had any real problems with Budget, Alamo or Turo.

 

[dfr1966]

If it's personal travel, if you're a Costco member I'd suggest booking through Costco Travel. Very easy to compare and the rates have been better than booking through the rental car companies

 

[RC1991]

Since we are talking rental cars on the Rutgers board - I am planning to go to the Rutgers USC game and renting a car out of LAX. I really want to use my Credit Card Rewards points to pay for the rental but I also don't want to pick a company that is going to charge me unnecessary fees, have me waiting forever, and whatnot. I realize rental out of LAX is not the greatest. Any good stories from anyone on a company out of LAX?

If you can, possibly fly into Orange County (John Wayne). The rental car pickup there is so much easier than most as the counters are right in the terminal and just a walk across the street to the cars. No shuttle busses.

As far as rentals have used Hertz, Avis, Budget, Enterprise all recently and each was good. Gold membership at Hertz so nice to skip the counter and decent selection of cars. Heard good things about Sixt but they are not at every location.

 

[dollarbill]

My recent Budget rental had 83k on it. Left airport at 11 pm and thought the headlights were weak. Found out only one was working. They did knock $100 off the bill when I complained. I do all my rentals through Costco. I like having them behind me if there is a problem, and there will be. $$$$

 

[colbert17]

SIXT is my favorite

I had a similar experience with SIXT.

 

[colbert17]

Last time I was in EWR I had made a reservation for a compact. Since I only drive in the US I like to be a small target. When I went out to the car it was the size of a M-1 Abrams. The car would have been out of gas before I left the lot. I went back in and magically they were able to find a smaller car for me.

 

[AntiG]

I had a similar experience with SIXT.

View embedded media

Lol love that scene

I'm pretty surprised, I've rented from them like 8 times and never had any issues, and they always give you top of the line vehicle brands like BMW, Mercedes, etc. for the same price as any other rental company.

Hertz and Avis on the other hand, everytime the website is better than what I get.

 

[RUBubba]

I've been using Avis, so I guess I have some kind of status with them. Only rent a car maybe once or twice a year, if that. Always seem to end up with a better car than I picked, they worked nicely with me when I pre-paid for a rental at one airport, but due to a cancelled flight ended up at another and had to do a one way rental. Another time during an absolute sh-t show at SFO airport, people yelling and screaming because they had to wait for a car, they ended up sliding me a convertible. Definitely kind of cool driving down PCH in a convertible.

Then again, I'm also an incredibly nice guy, so maybe that helps... :-)

 

[e5fdny]

I've been using Avis, so I guess I have some kind of status with them. Only rent a car maybe once or twice a year, if that. Always seem to end up with a better car than I picked, they worked nicely with me when I pre-paid for a rental at one airport, but due to a cancelled flight ended up at another and had to do a one way rental. Another time during an absolute sh-t show at SFO airport, people yelling and screaming because they had to wait for a car, they ended up sliding me a convertible. Definitely kind of cool driving down PCH in a convertible.

Then again, I'm also an incredibly nice guy, so maybe that helps... :-)

Aren’t you a pretty big guy too?

Maybe the counter help was a little scared of “gettin this big dude mad at us.” LOL

 

[RU_87]

I use National when I travel for work primarily because I like Emerald Aisle to bypass counter. For personal travel I usually rent based on cost thorough Expedia, Priceline often with Dollar, Thrifty, Budget, etc. Really haven't seen major differences.

I prefer National as well...Emerald Isle is great. I've used them for personal (vacation) travel as well but also try to look at what's lower. I've sometimes settled in on Alamo for personal use. More recently (in 2023), I thought I'd see what Kayak offers but then used Kayak's recommendation to then go direct to the company. It worked great once and backfired the next time. First time was flying to San Fran but leaving car in San Diego. Kayak recommended Wisecars. They were outside of the airport, had a small bus waiting for me based on my flight when I arrived. Cars were ok...a couple had some minor dents...but they let me select which one. It also wasn't very costly to drop it off in San Diego. Overall great experience. Next time I tried to do something similar out of Orlando. Kayak recommended HUB Rent-a-Car. It said it was unlimited miles, will take your car insurance, etc. I get down to Orlando, can't find their shuttle, calling went to a recorded message, Airport help never heard of HUB, so I took an Uber to the location. Saw their shuttle which was a shared shuttle with other names on it...so HUB was inconspicuous on the shuttle...chalked it up to my issue of identifying shuttle. Went inside office to get car...long wait with one person at desk. Everyone complaining about something...unlimited miles only in Florida / can't leave state, etc. Finally gets to me...and I've got my insurance info, a letter from insurance as a backup...but they won't take my insurance. I have New Jersey Manufacturers Insurance...arguably one of the best in NJ. They'll only allow insurance from companies they consider major (Allstate, etc.). Made me pay for insurance when I didn't have to...seemed like they were doing the same to most. It was a bait and switch. Surprised Kayak puts up with them ...but since i didn't book directly through Kayak and only used them to identify a cheap rental, I couldn't complain to them. From this point forward, I'll stick with National and other name brands (Hertz, Avis, Alamo, Enterprise-which owns National now, etc.). I'd probably try WiseCars again if its an option.

 

[RUBubba]

Aren’t you a pretty big guy too?

Maybe the counter help was a little scared of “gettin this big dude mad at us.” LOL

Ha. I technically am bigger than the average American male, but by no means am I an intimidating guy. I was so super nice to the girl behind the counter, "take your time"... "i understand, I'll just sit over there and way", " I get it, you're just waiting for the runners to bring the cars" etc. The Mustang wasn't the most comfortable for on an every day basis, but for a few days, it was great.

 

[e5fdny]

Ha. I technically am bigger than the average American male, but by no means am I an intimidating guy. I was so super nice to the girl behind the counter, "take your time"... "i understand, I'll just sit over there and way", " I get it, you're just waiting for the runners to bring the cars" etc. The Mustang wasn't the most comfortable for on an every day basis, but for a few days, it was great.

And a smooth operator too.😎

 

[thegock]

SIXT is my favorite

I tried Sixt out of PBI last February and they didn't have the vehicle I reserved off the first morning flight and, most tellingly, tried to stick us with a cheaper ride at the same price. I will go back to Avis, my favorite next month's vacation.

 

[RUevolution36]

Hertz has been my go to from years of traveling for work. Enterprise would be my 2nd choice.

Wouldn't bother with the others tbh. My colleagues would go with Avis and their cars were crap and the pickup/return process at the airport was more difficult than necessary.