beachies7500

We have 5 days late April in Phoenix area and as far as we want to range around the state! Thought it would be fun to rent a jeep for that time. Any good suggestions for rental companies that might pick up at Sky Harbor Airport?

tomfuller

Is it your intent to drive it off road or on dirt roads?
Check the rental contract. If it breaks down or is wrecked far from a paved road, you are in deep trouble.
There are several brands other than Jeep that have 4WD or AWD. My most recent car rental was an AWD Chevy Equinox which got fair but not great fuel mileage.
My tip is to do a good car wash (underneath) before you turn it in if you have been off paved roads.

NewbE

Look online to see which rental agencies are located at Sky Harbor; then check each of their websites for a list of vehicles they rent. But I daresay all of them offer some type of 4WD; I'm sure you'll easily find one that fits your idea of a "jeep".

The thing is, it's illegal to off-road in most places in AZ--you can't just drive off the paved road and go for it, because it's all either private land or protected. And a 4WD car/jeep will cost more to rent. Sorry if I'm misunderstanding your intentions! By all means rent a jeep if that's what you envision; I just want to be sure you're clear about what it can be used for.

WhereAreWe

Is it safe to assume you mean a Jeep Wrangler?

If so, then another 4WD/AWD vehicle is not really the same in terms of the fun factor.

As already mentioned, the major rental companies prohibit off-road driving. If you find a company that allows you to go off-road, expect to pay for that privilege.

Lastly, why do you think it would be fun? I've owned a Wrangler. They are a real comfortable ride, get terrible gas mileage and are at their best going off-road. If you have the idea that it would be fun to take the top off and go driving around enjoying the open air, keep in mind that you probably won't be able to take the top off. I doubt you'll find a Jeep with a soft top available to rent, and you can't take a hard top off without having somewhere to store it (which is unlikely if you're on vacation).

A convertible is a better idea if you just want the top-down open air experience, IMO.

dfrostnh

I'm surprised NewbE says it's illegal to off-road in most places in AZ since ds has friends near Phoenix who are very active off-roaders and belong to a local club. It was easy to google a website for a list of trails in AZ that looked to be carefully rated in terms of difficulty. One trail had a video which shows going from pavement and easy unpaved road to big chunks of rocks which looked like sections that required "spotters". The trail descriptions are great reading "Description: A great 20 mile round trip. Route follows old military road built in 1863. Visit Fort Reno after completing trail. Steep, narrow and extremely rutted. Very tight brush. Lockers recommended. East side is a narrow shelf road with one dangerous tippy spot, especially for full-size vehicles. Remote location."

Very tight brush probably means at the minimum paint will get scratched. I doubt rental jeeps will have lockers. I really hate dangerous tippy spots. It's also possible to find recovery services which is a big hint that people do get into trouble and recovery is expensive.

It's very important not to travel alone. My first offroad experience was a fun Pink Jeep tour in Sedona. It was an extremely easy trail off a public dirt road. A good driver also provides interesting narration. Even if you found a rental jeep that allowed offroading, offroading requires driving skills that take experience and extra equipment. If you watch the trail video (Sunflower Mine), I think it shows at some point a non-modified jeep would have to turn around ... but where? http://azoffroading.com/arizona-trails/

Just don't want to see anyone get into trouble. I think a guided tour would be a fun and safe alternative.

diann24

We will be in Sedona for a week one month from today. We have secured a tour from pink jeep tours. It is rather expensive! I can see why someone would rather do there own tour if possible. I was surprised at the cost of this tour. We will have a car but everyone says this is a fantastic tour.

dfrostnh

diann24 the Pink Jeep driver provided wonderful information about the area. We got out to walk to the canyon edge. I think that makes a big difference over going someplace alone.

DebitNM

IF you aren't an off road driver on a regular basis -- it is much better to do a tour. It is an entirely different way of driving and a novice can find themselves in precarious situations at best and incurring damage to vehicle at worst.

diann24

dforstnh that is a good point. On tours you are most always provided with wonderful info that one would otherwise miss had they been on there own. I am glad you enjoyed the tour.

NewbE

Dfrostnh, but it is illegal to off road in most places! Not all places. Your information is very useful.

dfrostnh

NewbE if I hadn't known there was an active offroading group I wouldn't have looked for more info. I also remembered an old post where someone wanted to take a road that turned out to be a road too difficult for a rental car so I wanted to make sure a tourist didn't end up going on something that started off looking like a decent dirt road. One of ds' first experiences with a friend "testing" out a new 4x4 (unmodified) was discovering someone stuck and seriously dehydrated. They shouldn't have been out alone and didn't expect to get stuck. Around here some people think it's ok to offroad under power lines but it's not so it's good to point out that in most places it's illegal. Just because you might see tire tracks doesn't mean it's ok.

Ackislander

NewBe, I am not impugning you or your information, but I follow a lot of off-road forums, and members are constantly going on off-road trips in Arizona on both BLM and other land. Some of these are trips on old mining claim roads and others are real up-the-canyon-over-the-rocks trips that do require modified equipment.

But I am interested in the source of this information if you could help.

But as to the OP's original question, yes, absurdly, most rental contracts do prohibit driving vehicles off-road, even 4wd. Go figure. My guess is that if you stayed on marked county and state roads that happened to be gravel, you would be Ok, but what do I know? If you are serious and know what you are doing, you might contact an off-road shop and ask them what you could do.

If you don't know what you are doing, as dfrost notes, the consequences can be dire, and a simple tow will cost a fortune.

(by the way, dfrost, nice to meet you here! We are a long way from New England, but your advice is still good)

DebitNM

I *think* Newbe might mean it is illegal to go off road in a RENTAL car, not your own car. We have done so in AZ and CO and NM, but have lots of experience. Even then, as I said above, it can be harrowing - most of the time because of other inexperienced drivers; often in rental cars. We have seen this all to frequently.

NewbE

Guys, I'm not arguing with anyone! Off-roading is a popular pastime, but my point was that you can't just drive off road anywhere you please (a simple and obvious point, granted). As I said, dfrostnh posted great information. When we lived in AZ, we had friends who suffered fools driving onto their property off the main road, and the preserve where I volunteered also struggled to keep stray drivers off protected land--that's where I was coming from with my comment, that tourists are not likely to know where it's OK to venture off road, unless they have the information provided in this thread. Add to that that rental car companies don't want their vehicles taken offroad, and the OP's idea sstarts to seem questionable...

<My guess is that if you stayed on marked county and state roads that happened to be gravel, you would be Ok, but what do I know?>
This really is where it gets silly, I agree. I am not an off-roader, but I have popped a tire and done some minor damage to my own Jeep on a washboard road in AZ, a perfectly "legal" road. You don't have to go off road to encounter hairy conditions! (I might have avoided all that had I been going slower, which is where the point about having experience off road rings true.)

nytraveler

It's not just a ow that can cost a fortune. If you rent a car that does not specifically allow off road driving and you do drive it off road then any insurance you buy - or your own insurance - is invalid. So you can be on the hook for many thousands of $ for any necessary repairs.

IMHO simply not worth the financial risk.

janisj

All this discussion of off road could be irrelevant. The OP hasn't been back and we don't know if they are even considering off-roading. They only asked about renting a jeep.

NewbE

Janisj, and your point is? I didn't realize that discussions that continue without the OP are a problem.

dfrostnh

Thanks, Ackislander. DH, the careful driver broke an axle today. And once, not expecting it to happen, ds rolled over with his young daughter. Fortunately, great roll cage and 5 point harnesses.

Ackislander

Great clarification, NewBe.

It is pretty irresponsible just to take off into the local scrub without inquiring.

But then I could tell you stories about the stupidity of people four wheeling on Nantucket, where it is legal to drive on most beaches.

But I'll spare you.

beachies7500

Thanks for the advanced course on off-roading!! Your insights have been great. We decided to rent a Ford Escort and not off-road. We just drove back to a little chapel and onto a ranch for horseback riding 10 years ago when we were there, and we thought it might be fun to do something tamer, like that....