Car rental companies-who do you use?

fmingo36

fmingo36

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Going to be needing a car for our next trip and I was checking out Priceline. The prices range from $14 to $80 a day for the same size car. Now I know there are some off site companies so you are paying more for the convenience of not taking a shuttle but it seems a little crazy for that huge difference. Firefly in the airport and is almost $30 less than some of the more Know-names companies. has anyone ever used them? Any problems?
If you rent a car, who do you usually use?
 
SAV

SAV

Well-Known Member
I usually use Thrifty. Last year I made the mistake of trying Dollar and it was a disaster. I do know that both Thrifty and Dollar are owned by the same company, but I never had a problem with Thrifty.

The problems started right when we went to get the car. The line for Dollar was all through the queue markers and out about 15 people into the non queued markers. Thrifty had no line. It took over an hour to get through that line and able to go to the garage and get the car. When I finally got out there, there were only 2 cars left. One was awful, so I had to take the other. It seemed fine enough when we got out on the expressway, but then I started to notice the car was hesitating and just seemed like a dog when I got into the stop and go areas on-site. I was spending time at the Beach, so I needed a good car for the other part of my stay. I was hoping it was just a matter of it being so hot out, so I didn't do anything with it. The next morning, the same problem. So I called in to their customer service line and they said I would have to go back to the airport to get a different car. I was at the parks, so we waited until after Illuminations to make the run. I talked to the guy about the problem and he was great about it. He did tell me that "Hertz bought us so they send us all of their junky cars". He felt bad and ended up giving us a car 2 levels higher than we rented.
 
chptrk

chptrk

New Member
I've never used Firefly, so I can't comment on that, but I have used National, Hertz, Dollar and maybe Budget at MCO. I'm using Alamo for my next trip, most likely, so clearly I don't have an affiliation to any of them. I've done both At Airport and via Shuttle pick. Unless its a huge price difference, the experience of picking up the car at the Airport vs. taking a shuttle can't be beat in my opinion. I don't mind spending a little extra for the convenience.
 
nolatron

nolatron

Well-Known Member
We used Alamo on our last trip. I signed up with their alamo member thingy and did some sort of online pre-checkin stuff so after we got our bags we could walk right out to the cars, pick a car in our class and just show the paperwork we printed at home upon exit. Didn't have to wait in any line.
 
anchorman314

anchorman314

Well-Known Member
We've used Hertz and Alamo over the past few years. Nothing wrong with either one. If I had to pick, I think I'd go with Alamo only because they offer no-risk reservations. If you choose the 'Pay Later' option (it may be a bit more expensive, but nothing too insane), you can cancel the reservation without any penalty. On our last trip (May 2014), I booked the car about two months out for what I thought was a good rate. (I also used the Alamo Insider promotion.) About a week before the trip, the rate dropped, so I cancelled and re-booked. But instead of leveling out, the rate kept dropping, so I kept re-booking. The final reservation came the day before we left, and it ended up being about $75 less for the week than the original reservation.
 
M

MajesticHandz

New Member
chptrk said:
I've never used Firefly, so I can't comment on that, but I have used National, Hertz, Dollar and maybe Budget at MCO. I'm using Alamo for my next trip, most likely, so clearly I don't have an affiliation to any of them. I've done both At Airport and via Shuttle pick. Unless its a huge price difference, the experience of picking up the car at the Airport vs. taking a shuttle can't be beat in my opinion. I don't mind spending a little extra for the convenience.
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Using any of these known names from the Airport is a great idea, but caution must be applied as some of them, put up extra charges when the word "airport" is mentioned. You can as well check some comparison sites or use apps and find a suitable car, at an affordable rate. I usually will use carrentalsmarket app , book and pay later. I also agree with you, convenience matters a lot.
 
draybook

draybook

Well-Known Member
Alamo. No muss, no fuss and I used the self help kiosk and within 3 minutes we were walking towards our car. Plus, Alamo doesn't require a deposit, so that's a bonus.
 
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T

thomas998

Well-Known Member
draybook said:
Alamo. No muss, no fuss and I used the self help kiosk and within 3 minutes we were walking towards our car. Plus, Alamo doesn't require a deposit, so that's a bonus.
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I wouldn't use Alamo that is the only rental car company I ever had problems with in Orlando. I would however strongly suggest you don't use any rental at the resort or airport. Off-site places will be cheaper because they don't add in an airport fee or aren't in the Disney complex which has a steep premium. Off-site will also usually allow you to return the car to the airport for no additional charge. At most it has cost us $20 in cab fare to get to an off-site but has resulted in a minimum $120 / week savings and on one trip saved us almost $250 for one week and that includes the added cost of a cab to get there. Orlando rental cars companies seem to be hellbent on ripping off tourist that arrive at the airport so don't use that option if you can help it.
 
pug

pug

Well-Known Member
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I love the Avisbudget group and I always use them. They have the best cars too in my opinion :)
 
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draybook

draybook

Well-Known Member
anchorman314 said:
I used them for a local rental once. They gave me a car with an expired inspection sticker that I didn't notice until a few days after I picked it up.
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They are who we got our rental from after a guy wrecked into my wife's car. We only used them because it was covered by his insurance and it was their preferred rental agency. It was a 2014 Hyundai Elantra and was a piece of junk. It had major stains on the seats and the paint was peeling on the front bumper. Then they had the nerve to send me a notice from the Enterprise claims department after we turned it in claiming that we damaged the paint on the front. When I called them and notified them that I had taken video of the car the day we got it they were quick to dismiss the claim.

Well, my wife was hit again last month and we've got a car through Enterprise again. It's a Ford Focus and you can tell that the people before us ragged it out hardcore.
 
N

nancyormond

New Member
if you want good deals, I suggest checking flyertalk forum and head to thirfty, avis, etc. forums and check the deal and coupon sections. Pretty good deals with the discount codes.

One thing to note, if you are getting a car from Orlando airport, you might be better off trying an off airport agency. For summer time, it is pretty hard to get a cheap deal from orlando airport.
 
Much-Pixie-Dust

Much-Pixie-Dust

Well-Known Member
We had a very negative experience with the desk person at Dollar in Orlando. When I was asking him about some of the fees he was adding, (We had a $100 rental that was suddenly totally $450!). He made a comment that women from this country do not know their place. He was of another nationality. That comment hit me the wrong way and the fact that they were going to charge me another $50 so my husband could drive the car (The reservation was in my name). So I cancelled the reservation then and there before even getting the car, but they still charged my CC. I dealt with my CC company to get the charge taken off.

I have actually had good luck with Enterprise. I like that the price I reserve it at is the price I pay and both my husband and me can drive it. I have had an experience like @draybook had with a wreck and their insurance company saying it would only pay for a small car. I refused the Aveo and went directly to the other person's insurance to get a vehicle I felt safer in and the insurance company allowed for an SUV instead. Enterprise in MCO has always done right by me. We had one problem, the car wouldn't start with the key. It was a new Grand Jeep Cherokee when the keyless starts just came out. They were delayed in showing up to take us to get a new car. It took about 3 hours to get it sorted out and they told us they were coming within the hour. After talking with management at the airport via a phone call, a new car (nice convertible) was dropped off at our resort (we didn't have to go and pick it up) and the entire two week rental was comped. Management was waiting for us at the airport when we were dropping off. He apologized again for the situation.

Whichever company you use, always have a copy of your reservation in hand, to show the exact cost. Take pictures of car, inside and out while the rental car representative is with you. I always get a business card from the representative too.
 
draybook

draybook

Well-Known Member
Much-Pixie-Dust said:
We had a very negative experience with the desk person at Dollar in Orlando. When I was asking him about some of the fees he was adding, (We had a $100 rental that was suddenly totally $450!). He made a comment that women from this country do not know their place. He was of another nationality. That comment hit me the wrong way and the fact that they were going to charge me another $50 so my husband could drive the car (The reservation was in my name). So I cancelled the reservation then and there before even getting the car, but they still charged my CC. I dealt with my CC company to get the charge taken off.

I have actually had good luck with Enterprise. I like that the price I reserve it at is the price I pay and both my husband and me can drive it. I have had an experience like @draybook had with a wreck and their insurance company saying it would only pay for a small car. I refused the Aveo and went directly to the other person's insurance to get a vehicle I felt safer in and the insurance company allowed for an SUV instead. Enterprise in MCO has always done right by me. We had one problem, the car wouldn't start with the key. It was a new Grand Jeep Cherokee when the keyless starts just came out. They were delayed in showing up to take us to get a new car. It took about 3 hours to get it sorted out and they told us they were coming within the hour. After talking with management at the airport via a phone call, a new car (nice convertible) was dropped off at our resort (we didn't have to go and pick it up) and the entire two week rental was comped. Management was waiting for us at the airport when we were dropping off. He apologized again for the situation.

Whichever company you use, always have a copy of your reservation in hand, to show the exact cost. Take pictures of car, inside and out while the rental car representative is with you. I always get a business card from the representative too.
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I will say that airport locations for all agencies are leaps and bounds better than local branches, at least from my experiences. Airport locations have better rates and cars since most renters are either on vacation or business, so they stock the fully loaded stuff.
 
pug

pug

Well-Known Member
draybook said:
I will say that airport locations for all agencies are leaps and bounds better than local branches, at least from my experiences. Airport locations have better rates and cars since most renters are either on vacation or business, so they stock the fully loaded stuff.
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That's not always true
 

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