Relatives will be working in the UCLA area for six months, beginning in Sept or Oct. Besides needing housing, they'll need to lease a car. (They're over 25.) Will they have a problem, with one American license and one international drivers' license? Any suggestions on agencies which won't charge huge amounts? They'll need American auto insurance, too.

Check a company called Rent a Wreck. Lots of actors use them....

We did a 3 month rental from Hertz which only amounted to ~$550/mo including the taxes which in CA are quite high! We had requested a Toyota Camry and ended up w/a Toyota Avalon, a really nice car. That is a weekly rental fee of <$150 which struck me as amazingly reasonable!

I am not sure how you address the insurance issue. Maybe start by calling a local Triple A and see what useful info they might provide.

I would just guess that the "int'l DL" is going to require more insurance. Check on how that can be worked around. Or tell that one to drive carefully/not on the agreement.

Seems to me most places don't rent for more that 30 days. I guess all that means is you rent it 30 days at a time.

I would avoid Rent A Wreck. I used them and they have really bad cars. I would stick with a brand name.

The best way to save money is to not take the rental insurance, which can cost you more than the rental rate. Look at using a credit card that will cover you or joining a travel club or getting coverage with your personal insurance.

As I said, we had a Hertz rental for 3 mos earlier this year, so one can rent for >1 month. If there is an upper limit, that I cannot say.

Try Enterprise Rent a Car.

http://www.enterprise.com/car_rental...n.US&page=home

Their website states the non-U.S. citizen must present passport and driver license of home country. If a non-European citizen, an international driver's license required.

Enterprise used to have restrictions against driving the cars out of California, but I think that's no longer the case. Make sure your kin understand all policies before committing. Enterprise should also be able to answer questions about insurance, minimum coverage amounts, etc.

Enterprise even has a limited number of hybrid vehicles!

Also make sure they know that they can NOT take any rental cars into Mexico. Its tempting to visit Tijuana, but they will need to park on the San Diego side of the border and walk across.

Well,if they really want to go to Tijuana, they can get in touch with Doug

Wonder how leasing would work. 6 months is a long time to rent.

Thank you all for the suggestions!
Maybe a membership in an auto club will be a Chritmas gift. I've contacted Enterprise, so far, and their monthly rates are not unreasonable - they even drop a tiny bit after the second month. I know to avoid airport pickup so you don't get the extra 17% taxes... and I'll look into Rent a Wreck. it's good to know pros and cons!