amandarawrrr

Looking for tips on how to get the best price on a car rental in either Seattle or Portland, or if this is even something in our budget. My boyfriend and I will be splitting our time between the two cities Sept. 1 - 9 (Labor Day week[end]) and the original plan was to Amtrak, but I'd really love to rent a car for at least a day to see the mountains and potentially see neighboring areas. I'd originally budgeted about $130 for the Amtrak, and after looking helplessly at car rental options, I think I'm willing to pay up to $250-275 (but I don't know if this is reasonable or not).

A little more info:
-We currently haven't decided which city we will spend the bulk of our time in first; our plane tickets are in and out of Seattle in the afternoon 9/1 and early morning 9/9.
-We are 22 and 24 and understand extra fees apply.
-I haven't decided if it will be cheaper for us to rent from the airport or a downtown location, whether it will be cheaper to return to the same city or not, and whether we should rent for a day or a few days or a week. I know there's typically airport and different drop-off location fees, and that it's generally cheaper per day to rent by the week.... but I have not always found this to be true and am getting a little overwhelmed by the variance in prices.
-I'm a AAA and Delta SkyMiles member, which means I have the opportunity to receive discounts through Hertz, so that's where I've been doing the bulk of my searching.

I can spend weeks trying to find the best airline prices no problem, but this? This makes my head spin. Again, we haven't decided which day we will rent the car, how long we will keep it, or where we will pickup/dropoff... I'm looking for suggestions on what the cheapest option will be in hopes of coming closer to those decisions. ANY tips you have for us car rental noobs would be amazing. Thank you!!

Buffy9297

I rented off site when I flew into Seattle many years ago. It was considerably cheaper and I could return the car to the airport. I think I've read and heard from others that off-site places are somewhat cheaper. I know that was the case in Seattle, but I have never rented off-site anywhere else. (And I'm the opposite of you....the best airlines prices make my head spin! I'm so confused!)

thursdaysd

Off-site will be cheaper.

Check enterprise.com, which will also pick you up and drop you off.

Public transport is good in both cities, and parking expensive, don't bother with a car while you're in town.

maxima

another option may be to join Zipcar and rent by the day. You will not need a car in either city. You can rent a car for a day, see the mountains, etc. and take the train between cities.
if you currently own a car, then you are most likely insured for personal injury to yourself or others under your own insurance, in case of an accident. however this would not cover you for any damage to the rental car.. which is why many people will include in the cost of rental the added cost for damage to the vehicle. some credit car companies offer special plans when you rent.american express has a plan that costs a flat rate of about $25, which gives you coverage for damage to a rental vehicle and is cheaper than paying a car rental company per day for that type of coverage.
you can call your card company and ask
you should return your car with a full tank of gas and avoid fees from the rental company dont pay the rental company for gas in advance. if you are a member of a club such as BJ's , you may get a better rate than the AAA rate.
there are a lot of fees with rentals,, its one of the ways cities get tax revenue.. so price out the entire cost before renting

Rastaguytoday

If you're renting in Seattle, try Rent-A-Wreck.

I've actually used this company more than once for rentals on the cheap.

Their cars are decent and their rates are great. It's a way to rent fairly cheaply with a reliable car.

Hopefully, you're over 25, or you won't be able to rent from any agency.

Tentek

Try hot-wire.com for car rentals, much cheaper in my experience.