Budget Car Rental

Old Dec 26th, 2011, 04:33 PM
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Budget Car Rental

I'll be in Florida in March, flying into Orlando on a Thursday and flying out of Tampa the following Monday. For a Ford Focus-size car, Enterprise is showing a rental fee of $990 (WTF?) and Hertz is showing $425. Budget Rental is showing the same size car for a fee of $275 if I pay for it online now.

The plan includes unlimited mileage. None of the fees include a CDW, as I will be paying with a credit card that covers that.

Has anyone used Budget? Any success, concerns, etc.?
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Old Dec 26th, 2011, 04:52 PM
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I wouldn't prepay a car rental this far in advance. Rates fluctuate a lot and they're liable to go down. $275 sounds high for a 4-day weekend rental,you qualify for "weekend rates" if you are picking up the car after 12 noon on Thursday.
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Old Dec 26th, 2011, 04:59 PM
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Tracy - when do you suggest I rent a car? Thanks!
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Old Dec 26th, 2011, 06:14 PM
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Keep watching as your trip gets closer. I had the same issue (rates for a week in FL near $900) but I was able to get a $299 rate by booking just 2 weeks before our trip.

I've used Budget for years and have been very satisfied.
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Old Dec 26th, 2011, 07:16 PM
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We've had good luck using Priceline for car rentals.
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Old Dec 26th, 2011, 07:20 PM
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Unless you want to bid on Priceline, you can probably get a deal on Hotwire. I priced Christmas rentals in Tulsa, OK, and got $450 for the price, and then I was able to get the car for my entire 2-week stay on Hotwire for $245 (prepaid). Prepay is not really a bad deal, and prices will actually go up the closer you get to that weekend, which is probably a big spring break weekend, which explains the high prices. I generally find that 2 or 3 weeks before is too late. You can usually lock in the best deals on Priceline or Hotwire about 4 or 5 weeks in advance, but you have to prepay for a nonrefundable reservation to get that.

People are finding that cars are generally ungodly expensive in Florida this year. I suspect those rates won't hold, but I'd hate to wait until the last minute when I might not have a choice.
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Old Dec 27th, 2011, 01:25 AM
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I think you are also asking about whether Budget is a good company to rent from. I have rented from all the majors over years of business and leisure travel, and they are all pretty much the same.

Some are now eliminating roadside coverage without a special fee, which seems pretty cheesy to me since they are taking no responsibility for renting what might turn out to be a junker. None of them guarantees you a specific car, and you may reserve a compact and get a larger car, which sounds great until you pull up to the gas pump.

Tampa has one of the best rental car facilities I have ever used. It is extremely convenient to the terminal.
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Old Dec 27th, 2011, 03:21 AM
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If I'm reading this correctly, it sounds like the OP is doing a one-way rental: picking up in Orlando & dropping off in Tampa. That may explain the higher quotes.

I'm also not seeing an apples-to-apples comparison. You quote the rate for Budget as a prepaid (which I presume is nonrefundable?) but the other rates sound like they can be cancelled. What is Budget's nonprepaid rate for the same time?

Since I'm always leery of prepaying too far in advance in case of change of plans, illness, etc., my suggestion would be to lock in the lowest cancellable rate now, and then keep checking to see if rates drop further. You could also check Hotwire/Priceline as you get closer to leaving.
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Old Dec 27th, 2011, 04:41 AM
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Doug is right - I live here in Central Florida and can vouch for the notion that March will be peak season. Prices will be high, and inventory very low. We use Budget frequently, they are generally excellent.

I'd say go for it and lock in something now.
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Old Dec 27th, 2011, 04:53 AM
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Oh, forgot to answer your question re: Budget. I've used them numerous times (as well as the other various agencies) and they're all fine.

The only problem I ever had with Budget was when returning a car. I was so focussed on making sure I wasn't charged for any perceived damage, that I failed to pay attention to any other part of the receipt. I was subsequently charged almost twice what I was supposed to pay. When I called to investigate, turned out they claimed I hadn't turned the car in until 5 days later. It was a bit of a hassle since I had to send in airline stubs to prove I had left town earlier, but I did eventually get it straightened out.

Lesson learned. I now check the receipt to make sure it has the correct returned date & time.
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Old Dec 27th, 2011, 06:03 AM
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Thanks for the replies. Most of this trip is business-related, so I'm wondering if trip insurance would be a good idea, and if so, how that works when I'm charging the airfare and car rental to my company card. I'll have to look into that. I would imagine it would work the same as if I were paying for the whole trip myself (I'll reimburse the company for the two days I'm using the car for my own).
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Old Dec 27th, 2011, 06:38 AM
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If there is a chance your plans could change, then yes, trip insurance is a good idea, but it will be expensive.
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Old Dec 27th, 2011, 09:21 AM
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Doug - they shouldn't change, as I am the coordinator of our university's Disney College Program and I have to visit the students working at Disney during the spring semester, so, unless some major storm hits the east coast that week (which is always a possibility), I won't be changing my plans.
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Old Dec 27th, 2011, 09:26 AM
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I got a quote from Travelguard for $52 for basic coverage, and $70 if I add the flight ("in case of an accident) coverage. That's not really not a bad price.
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Old Dec 27th, 2011, 11:02 AM
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You should be able to get that same rate from DollarCar.com without the pre-payment requirement. Then you can lock in a reservation and still have a couple of months to shop around/ watch for specials. Dollar has good service in Florida and it just so happens that they allow Orlando one-way rental only to Tampa.
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Old Dec 28th, 2011, 03:25 PM
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Joe - I reserved a car from Dollar, and as you mentioned, did not have to submit any payment information. The fee was $237, which I think is probably about the lowest I could get for March in Florida, especially with the different pick up and drop off points. Thanks!
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Old Dec 29th, 2011, 06:26 PM
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Good for you, twina49! Have a wonderful time! Actually, I am glad you didn't go Enterprise... we use them for local business trips and I do not care for their overall maintenance or service in this area.

Let us know how things go.
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Old Dec 30th, 2011, 03:06 AM
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The best car rental site I have found is appropriately named: www.carrentals.com, and they give you the lowest prices for all the companies. I use it every time I travel and love it.
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Old Dec 30th, 2011, 04:09 AM
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Tom - I checked that site (will bookmark it for future use) and got the same price as the one Dollar quoted me. I reserved a Ford Focus sized car, as there will only be two of us, the gas mileage should be better and that size is comparable to my own car.
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