[In our last episode, Corco stated his intention to rent a car and drive to Tulsa.]
Make sure you can take it that far Corco - rental companies often frown on taking it beyond a certain distance.
I've driven their cars a few thousand miles on a couple occasions over the course of 3-4 days to states as far away as Missouri, so it should be fine. These people are great- the Enterprise in Laramie doesn't even apply a surcharge to folks under 25, which is awesome.
Last time I rented I asked for about 7 states (they ask what states you'll be taking the car to) and laughed and said "Why don't you just fly" to which I just laughed, and then they gave me those states and all was good
And if not, it will cost pretty much exactly as much to take my own car (significantly worse gas mileage, plus costs of oil/maintenance offset it), so that'll work just fine too if need be
Quote from: Master son on January 12, 2010, 07:50:24 PM
Make sure you can take it that far Corco - rental companies often frown on taking it beyond a certain distance.
They do? 18 years ago, my dad, brother and I rented a car in Lexington and we drove it all the way west to Vegas and north to Yellowstone before returning back to Kentucky. Not a word was said...
Quote from: hbelkins on January 12, 2010, 11:33:20 PM
Quote from: Master son on January 12, 2010, 07:50:24 PM
Make sure you can take it that far Corco - rental companies often frown on taking it beyond a certain distance.
They do? 18 years ago, my dad, brother and I rented a car in Lexington and we drove it all the way west to Vegas and north to Yellowstone before returning back to Kentucky. Not a word was said...
Yes, the only time there was anything on a rental contract was in 2000 when I rented a car in California and it said that I agreed not to take the car into Mexico. Since I was renting it in Sacramento, that was not a big problem!
I tried to rent a car 5-6 years ago in Pittsburg, KS and I wasn't allowed to go out of town with it, which was stupid. :pan:
There's not too terribly much to do in Pittsburg KS that would require a rental car!
There were cars I rented from Dollar and Enterprise that had a contract that disallowed taking the car outside the state it was rented in and surrounding states - the latest one from Enterprise in California (Sac-town) said Oregon and Nevada.
Its in the fine print.
Quote from: Scott5114 on January 13, 2010, 05:15:06 AM
There's not too terribly much to do in Pittsburg KS that would require a rental car!
My old van blew its transmission and it was going to take a week to fix it, so I needed a way to get home.
Quote from: Master son on January 13, 2010, 08:23:54 AM
There were cars I rented from Dollar and Enterprise that had a contract that disallowed taking the car outside the state it was rented in and surrounding states - the latest one from Enterprise in California (Sac-town) said Oregon and Nevada.
Its in the fine print.
This Enterprise location definitely allows you to take it to all 48 states- you just have to tell them which ones ahead of time
Quote from: Master son on January 13, 2010, 08:23:54 AM
There were cars I rented from Dollar and Enterprise that had a contract that disallowed taking the car outside the state it was rented in and surrounding states - the latest one from Enterprise in California (Sac-town) said Oregon and Nevada.
Its in the fine print.
It definitely depends on the rental car company you go through. I will even go further and say that it may also depend on the location you're renting a car from.
As for me, I always rent through a company that has Jeff Kitsko's PAHighways.com as a member of their affiliate program, since I'd rather give my money to Jeff anyway (my understanding is that he gets a small cut of the rental fees).
I've rented cars through Thrifty in Georgia and Utah (their rule was that you had to keep the rental car on their side of the Mississippi River), Avis in Nova Scotia (I believe you just had to keep the rental car within Atlantic Canada and Quebec) and Dollar in Oregon and Arizona (the rule was that you could only keep the rental car within that state or a neighboring state).
As for the Tulsa meet, there's no way I'll be able to make the meet given the time. Perhaps I will swing by at some point in the future, though.
most of the time, if you rent from a local place, they will confine you to certain states, but if you rent at the airport, they let you take it anywhere in the US and Canada.
Quote from: hbelkins on January 12, 2010, 11:33:20 PM
They do? 18 years ago, my dad, brother and I rented a car in Lexington and we drove it all the way west to Vegas and north to Yellowstone before returning back to Kentucky. Not a word was said...
that is because 18 years ago, rental cars were not equipped with a GPS-based tracker, so they had no way of knowing where the car was.
Rental car companies piss me off. My mom always insists on using Hertz, which has a renting station in a strip mall within walking distance of my apartment. They refuse to rent to anyone under 25, nor permit anyone under 25 to drive their cars, regardless of who's actually renting. So, after passing age 18, I can enter a casino and gamble (and work there!), purchase cigarettes, join the U.S. Army, select the President of the United States, and legally enter contracts; upon turning 21 I will be permitted to purchase and consume alcohol, and only four years after that, when I will have been driving for nine years, will I be permitted to rent a car. Does this make sense? Apparently their cars are more difficult to figure out and not wreck than the Electoral College!
Its business, not law. Insurance rates for 24 and under are way higher because insurance companies have compiled a history of younger drivers having more incidents (crashes, tickets, etc). A majority of younger drivers aren't really "ready" to drive despite having their licenses. They represent a liability and that is something that car rental companies generally don't want to deal with.
So charge me more, not deny me service–that is what the insurance companies do!
Quote from: agentsteel53 on January 13, 2010, 08:24:09 PM
Quote from: hbelkins on January 12, 2010, 11:33:20 PM
They do? 18 years ago, my dad, brother and I rented a car in Lexington and we drove it all the way west to Vegas and north to Yellowstone before returning back to Kentucky. Not a word was said...
that is because 18 years ago, rental cars were not equipped with a GPS-based tracker, so they had no way of knowing where the car was.
Actually, when I rented a car for my trip to Arizona last week, I was asked if I wanted a GPS. I refused that as part of the package, but you may be on to something with GPS-based trackers.
Can you rent a car, in say, Atlanta, and drop it off in Chicago or do you need to bring it back to the place where you rented it?
Quote from: Chris on January 14, 2010, 08:01:37 AM
Can you rent a car, in say, Atlanta, and drop it off in Chicago or do you need to bring it back to the place where you rented it?
All of the big car rental companies allow this, and I've never had a rental contract that wasn't unlimited mileage. I tend to stick with the big names though that cater to business travelers. National is my favorite, Hertz and Avis are decent as well. You may have a "one-way rental" surcharge, but not always. They tend to be more lenient with the one-way surcharge if both points are within the same state.
Budget, Dollar, Thrifty, and Enterprise are discount car rental companies. The cars are cheap and in poor condition (most Enterprise cars don't even have cruise control!), service is bad, and they sometimes throw in hidden mileage caps and the like. Avoid them at all costs.
Quote from: Chris on January 14, 2010, 08:01:37 AM
Can you rent a car, in say, Atlanta, and drop it off in Chicago or do you need to bring it back to the place where you rented it?
Some rental companies allow this, but you're subject to a steep drop charge. Personally, I wouldn't recommend doing this.
Quote from: Scott5114 on January 14, 2010, 05:14:39 AM
Rental car companies piss me off. My mom always insists on using Hertz, which has a renting station in a strip mall within walking distance of my apartment. They refuse to rent to anyone under 25, nor permit anyone under 25 to drive their cars, regardless of who's actually renting. So, after passing age 18, I can enter a casino and gamble (and work there!), purchase cigarettes, join the U.S. Army, select the President of the United States, and legally enter contracts; upon turning 21 I will be permitted to purchase and consume alcohol, and only four years after that, when I will have been driving for nine years, will I be permitted to rent a car. Does this make sense? Apparently their cars are more difficult to figure out and not wreck than the Electoral College!
All of the car rental companies have this policy, except maybe Enterprise which charges an under-25 surcharge of $50/day. The only exception is if you are working for a company with a rental contract for employee travel. Those contracts usually allow rentals to under 25 if traveling on company business. It sucks, but that's the way it is. Blame the insurance companies.
Quote from: corco on January 13, 2010, 10:06:22 AM
Quote from: Master son on January 13, 2010, 08:23:54 AM
There were cars I rented from Dollar and Enterprise that had a contract that disallowed taking the car outside the state it was rented in and surrounding states - the latest one from Enterprise in California (Sac-town) said Oregon and Nevada.
Its in the fine print.
This Enterprise location definitely allows you to take it to all 48 states- you just have to tell them which ones ahead of time
The Enterprise at the Baton Rouge airport tried to limit me to the state of Louisiana. I objected, since I had business in both Baton Rouge and Monroe, and the fastest route between the two cuts through Mississippi. They relented, and added Mississippi to the geographic restriction.
True, the following weekend I drove almost to Texas, and almost to Alabama, so there was much more mileage than they hoped for, though they didn't complain about that. (Nor on some of my other long rental car adventures, such as one trip about 4000 miles from San Diego to San Jose via Portland and Lake Tahoe.)
QuoteAll of the big car rental companies allow this, and I've never had a rental contract that wasn't unlimited mileage. I tend to stick with the big names though that cater to business travelers. National is my favorite, Hertz and Avis are decent as well. You may have a "one-way rental" surcharge, but not always. They tend to be more lenient with the one-way surcharge if both points are within the same state.
Budget, Dollar, Thrifty, and Enterprise are discount car rental companies. The cars are cheap and in poor condition (most Enterprise cars don't even have cruise control!), service is bad, and they sometimes throw in hidden mileage caps and the like. Avoid them at all costs.
I've never had any problems with at least Enterprise, and even in getting their bargain basement cars, all have had cruise control
Quote
All of the car rental companies have this policy, except maybe Enterprise which charges an under-25 surcharge of $50/day. The only exception is if you are working for a company with a rental contract for employee travel. Those contracts usually allow rentals to under 25 if traveling on company business. It sucks, but that's the way it is. Blame the insurance companies.
This is incorrect as of about 10 years ago. As someone who rents frequently as an under-25er, I can tell you matter-of-factly that Enterprise's default fee for renters 21-24 is $15/day, waivable at many locations near college campuses. Most of the major rental car places now will rent to 21-24 for about $25-35/day. In the last year I've rented from Hertz in Boise (multiple times), National in Seattle, and Enterprise in Laramie WY (multiple times) and have never been turned down.
I've rental cars in North America on several occasions and they've never come with geographical restrictions apart from Mexico and some that don't allow travel within NYC. As someone mentioned earlier, perhaps it's because I've always picked the cars up at airports. Canadian cars can also be driven within the lower 48.
I've rented one way on one occasion and the surcharge doubled the rate but as it was in a small city they only had a couple of cars so I got a minivan even though I pre-booked a full size sedan. I seem to do well for free upgrades. Last year in Phoenix after waiting for an hour because the line was outside the door I ended up with an SUV because they had no full size cars left.
Here in Europe there's also discrimination against younger drivers. 23-25 seems to be the cut-off age with 21-24 being subject to a surcharge. As others have said, it's because statistics show that young drivers are a higher risk and it's obvious the rental car companies don't want their cars being returned wrecked.
In 1993, I wanted to drive from Los Angeles to Denver, Colorado for a convention of insulator collectors, and I knew my poor old 1979 Dodge wouldn't be able to make the trip, so I went to National and rented an Oldsmobile Cutlass Ciera, I think it was. I told them I wanted to use the car for a very long road trip through several states, and it was no problem. I drove that car about 5000 miles, through Nevada, Utah, Colorado, Wyoming, Montana, Idaho, Oregon and down the length of California. Had a great trip and added some nice insulators to my collection.
Quote from: corco on January 14, 2010, 09:26:23 AM
I've never had any problems with at least Enterprise, and even in getting their bargain basement cars, all have had cruise control
I've only used Enterprise a few times, but I've never had cruise, power windows, or anything like that. Maybe I'm just unlucky, but these have always been "intermediate" level cars. My other problem with them has been with how long it takes to get a car. With most of the big name companies, they're either right at the airport terminal or within a short (< 5 minute) bus ride. Enterprise in my experience is always at least a 15-30 minute bus ride from the terminal. Then, when you get there, you have to wait in 3 different lines: the line at the counter, the line to be walked to your car, and the line at the parking lot attendant. One time it even took over 2 hours from when I got on the shuttle bus at the airport until I left the parking lot with my car! Compare this to National where I walk out, pick out a car, then wait maybe 5 minutes tops to leave the lot, or Hertz where I walk to the parking spot listed on my reservation and again wait maybe 5 minutes to leave the lot.
My Enterprise experiences were always in big cities and always when there was a big event going on which resulted in the other companies being sold out. The absolute worst was when I had to make a last-minute trip to San Diego during ComiCon. Flights were sold out, cars were sold out, hotels were sold out, it was a mess! I was really confused about it until I actually got to San Diego and realized it was the week of ComiCon.
Quote from: corco on January 14, 2010, 09:26:23 AM
This is incorrect as of about 10 years ago. As someone who rents frequently as an under-25er, I can tell you matter-of-factly that Enterprise's default fee for renters 21-24 is $15/day, waivable at many locations near college campuses. Most of the major rental car places now will rent to 21-24 for about $25-35/day. In the last year I've rented from Hertz in Boise (multiple times), National in Seattle, and Enterprise in Laramie WY (multiple times) and have never been turned down.
I stand corrected about the under-25 surcharge. It's been a while since I've had to deal with this.
I will say I've had to wait for cars with Enterprise- the times I've rented here in Laramie it's always "The car is getting its oil changed but it's ready, just hold on a few minutes" or "The car just got back, please wait as we clean it," and that's always sort of annoying
By the way, on the subject of underage car rental- it reminds me of when I first started going to college in Seattle and hadn't bought my car yet and had no car. I was 18, putting me out of the range of any rental possibility, and I desperately needed an automobile for a day. After much searching, I found the only place I could get a vehicle was U-Haul.
So- at 18 I was able to rent a 10' Box van (at an admittedly high price, but with no age related fees), but it's not until 21 you can even rent a car mostly, and not until 25 that you can usually do it without paying some ridiculous surcharge.
I could have rented a 26' Van, so the moral of the story is 18 year olds can rent 26' moving vans, but if they try to get a Ford Taurus it's impossible
I haven't had to wait for rental cars with Dollar or Thrifty, and I've even had some car upgrades from them. Every time, the car has featured air conditioning, cruise control, etc. However, the time I rented through Avis, in Yarmouth, Nova Scotia, there was a computer problem that held me up for about an hour. According to their manager, they had been having Internet connectivity issues with Aliant (an Atlantic Canadian ISP), who had placed their connection in Miramachi, New Brunswick. It made Avis unable to check out any cars from that location over the course of a couple of days. Fortunately, Yarmouth has two car rental locations and I was able to get a rental car checked out through their ferry terminal location instead.
At the age of 21, I once rented a 9-seater van for work in the Netherlands. No surcharge was charged.
As credit cards are not common methods of payment in the Netherlands, I had an accident in southern France, and I wanted to rent a car in France, but I couldn't because I didn't have a credit card (back then). I had to take the TGV (French High Speed Rail) back home. Fortunately, I had good insurance, so the ANWB (like triple A) payed for the ride home. Now I have a credit card to rent a car if necessary.
Quote from: Truvelo on January 14, 2010, 09:33:46 AM
I've rental cars in North America on several occasions and they've never come with geographical restrictions apart from Mexico and some that don't allow travel within NYC.
Ah, of course. :-D
Quote from: Duke87 on January 14, 2010, 02:44:02 PM
Ah, of course. :-D
Why is that? Is it because of the heavy traffic and the risk of a minor fender bender?
Quote from: Truvelo on January 14, 2010, 03:00:52 PM
Quote from: Duke87 on January 14, 2010, 02:44:02 PM
Ah, of course. :-D
Why is that? Is it because of the heavy traffic and the risk of a minor fender bender?
And, possibly higher risk of theft, like if you go to the Bronx.
Yeah, it's been awhile since I was under 25, but IIRC, I couldn't get a car unless under circumstances for work and maybe not even then.
I remember having a job interview in Akron at age 20 and they had to pick me up at the airport because I couldn't rent a car.
I would imagine it is the heavy traffic - Manhattan is a very, ahem, unique driving environment. The risk of theft in the Bronx is significantly lower than in other major cities in the US, but the rental car companies may be going on the late 1980s statistics and anecdotal evidence.
I've never had any mileage restrictions when renting a car, although most times I've rented for business at the University and they had a corporate contract through Enterprise. We were always told that driving in Nevada and surrounding states would be free, and taking it out of the surrounding states would incur a mileage fee.
On the same token, the university contract allowed drivers 21 and over to drive with no extra fees.
In regards to lack of cruise, etc - that depends on what type of car you rent. Compact or intermediate cars from those companies normally will not have the "extra toys." I've rented from Thrifty and Dollar (Intermediate class) in the last two years and both gave me PT Cruisers with no cruise. :pan: (NOTE: These were business trip rentals). I rented a full-size class from Enterprise last year (personal trip) and got a 2010 Impala - had cruise, PW/PD, Aux Jack for MP3 player, etc.) Also the time between counter and car wasn't that bad at the Enterprise I rented at - which was on the Sacramento Airport campus - which groups its car-rental agencies away from the terminal.
Cruise control is just a luxury. I can drive perfectly fine for 12 hours in a row without cruise control, done so numerous times. AC is much more important than cruise control to me. I wouldn't want to drive longer than half an hour in a hot car during the summer without AC.
Quote from: Chris on January 15, 2010, 05:47:09 PM
Cruise control is just a luxury. I can drive perfectly fine for 12 hours in a row without cruise control, done so numerous times. AC is much more important than cruise control to me. I wouldn't want to drive longer than half an hour in a hot car during the summer without AC.
I agree with you totally. I haven't had working cruise control in a vehicle I own for nearly four years now and I don't really miss it.
However, trying to drive around without air conditioning in a Tennessee summer? Not if I don't have to!
Quote from: Chris on January 15, 2010, 05:47:09 PM
Cruise control is just a luxury. I can drive perfectly fine for 12 hours in a row without cruise control, done so numerous times. AC is much more important than cruise control to me. I wouldn't want to drive longer than half an hour in a hot car during the summer without AC.
I disagree. The scope for cruise control is admittedly more limited in Europe because traffic densities are higher in rural areas (both on motorways and ordinary roads) than is the case in the US, and the expectation is that drivers will adjust their speed up or down to maintain correct lane position (i.e., keep to the nearside unless overtaking) rather than stick firmly to the speed limit. However, I have owned and driven cars with and without cruise control in two continents and I consistently find it much more tiring to drive long distances without cruise control. I generally route myself so that I can maintain correct lane position without frequent changes of speed, so cruise control leaves me free to enjoy the scenery, the road alignment, etc. while completely ignoring the issue of speed limit compliance. The only country I have driven in where I didn't really miss cruise control was Ireland, and this was largely because I spent much of my time on tortuous country roads where I had to vary speed and throttle position frequently to take curves safely. The Irish motorway network is now many times bigger than it was when I visited and I suspect I would now find it trying without cruise control.
On the other hand, I have crossed the desert on I-8 in early September without air conditioning, voluntarily--the car I was driving had working air-conditioning. As a general rule, I avoid using the air conditioning unless I have passengers and have to run it for their comfort, or when it is necessary for the defroster to operate efficiently in very cold weather. Even in hundred-degree weather, at 70 MPH with the vents open and the blower running, all a healthy and reasonably thin person really needs is plenty of fresh cold water in an insulated container.
I don't recommend making an A/C-free midsummer desert crossing without special preparation, though. This preparation needs to include an old T-shirt, an old pair of trousers, an old belt or pair of suspenders for the trousers, and a large bath towel for the seat. The reason for this is that even with plenty of ice water for drinking, you will still sweat enough to shift clothing dyes and permanently stain an uncovered car seat.
Quote from: J N Winkler on January 15, 2010, 06:51:58 PM
I disagree. ... and I consistently find it much more tiring to drive long distances without cruise control. I generally route myself so that I can maintain correct lane position without frequent changes of speed, so cruise control leaves me free to enjoy the scenery, the road alignment, etc. while completely ignoring the issue of speed limit compliance. ...
Well, we're getting into an area of personal preference here. I find I stay awake better without cruise control. Also, it's physically more comfortable not using CC for me. When I've used CC, I put my right foot away from the throttle and that is usually less comfortable than having it on the gas.
Quote from: J N Winkler on January 15, 2010, 06:51:58 PM
On the other hand, I have crossed the desert on I-8 in early September without air conditioning, voluntarily--the car I was driving had working air-conditioning. ssary for the defroster to operate efficiently in very cold weather. Even in hundred-degree weather, at 70 MPH with the vents open and the blower running, all a healthy and reasonably thin person really needs is plenty of fresh cold water in an insulated container.
Maybe 100 degrees in the desert, but 100 degrees in the American south is a whole different animal as the humidity in the summer is often 80-100% when the temperature is in the 90s.
Also, while I'm reasonably healthy, I'm not thin so that plays a factor, too.
Quote from: Truvelo on January 14, 2010, 03:00:52 PM
Why is that? Is it because of the heavy traffic and the risk of a minor fender bender?
And the behavior of the drivers. Forget everything you were ever taught about defensive driving, in New York, it's all about offense. Merges are about playing chicken. And hugging the rear fender of the guy in front of you to avoid getting cut off.
Try driving out of Manhattan the day before Thanksgiving. It's fun, really!
Quote from: mightyace on January 14, 2010, 05:25:36 PM
And, possibly higher risk of theft, like if you go to the Bronx.
Actually, there are some pretty nice parts of The Bronx. And parts of Brooklyn that are worse. But yes, there is a liability if you're not smart... not so much outright theft of the whole car (that's difficult), but getting your window smashed and stuff stolen out of it (easy). And then there's the things you can shrug off and not care if it's your car, but will be a problem for a rental, such as getting your bumper dented by someone trying to parallel park in too tight a space, or having random (possibly drunk) idiots key up your paint job.
Quote from: Chris on January 15, 2010, 05:47:09 PM
Cruise control is just a luxury. I can drive perfectly fine for 12 hours in a row without cruise control, done so numerous times. AC is much more important than cruise control to me. I wouldn't want to drive longer than half an hour in a hot car during the summer without AC.
I'd even take that a step further: I will elect
not to use cruise control, even if it's available. The idea of having my foot off the pedals just freaks me out.
I was never much of a cruise control user until I started driving across Wyoming, where there's virtually no traffic and high speed limits. I can just set at 5 MPH over and call it good. For me, if I don't have it on, I'll quickly find myself going 80-85 MPH down 287 in rural Wyoming, because there's really no reason not to except a sign that says so (and at night, deer, but I don't go much more than 60 at night on rural two lane roads because of that).
As far as A/C is concerned, almost any car made in the last 15 years shows a negligible difference in gas mileage at best between having it on and having it off. I used to never use it to save fuel, but then I realized I wasn't actually saving much fuel, so it started staying on. That said, if it's 100+ degrees and I'm on the freeway I turn it off or use it sparingly just so I don't risk overheating
Quote from: Master son on January 15, 2010, 05:02:54 PM
In regards to lack of cruise, etc - that depends on what type of car you rent. Compact or intermediate cars from those companies normally will not have the "extra toys." I've rented from Thrifty and Dollar (Intermediate class) in the last two years and both gave me PT Cruisers with no cruise. :pan: (NOTE: These were business trip rentals). I rented a full-size class from Enterprise last year (personal trip) and got a 2010 Impala - had cruise, PW/PD, Aux Jack for MP3 player, etc.) Also the time between counter and car wasn't that bad at the Enterprise I rented at - which was on the Sacramento Airport campus - which groups its car-rental agencies away from the terminal.
I honestly didn't even know they made cars without cruise control anymore until I rented from Enterprise. Same goes for manual-control side mirrors. I don't consider those "extra toys" any more than I do the radio or the A/C. It would be like staying in a hotel without internet access. Even if you don't use it, you expect it to be there.
Enterprise is also famous for being the company that made Chevy remove standard safety features like the side airbags from some of the cars (Impalas I think) that they bought to save a few bucks.
Are there any national chains in the US that rent out vehicles with manual transmission?
It occurred to me that (not counting moving trucks) three of the last four rental cars I've driven were manual transmission. But the only one that was from a major chain was outside the US.
2002 – A couple of friends and I took a road trip from the Chicago suburbs to Ouray (Colorado). We rented an Oldsmobile Alero with an automatic for the trip. But, while we were there, we rented a five-speed manual Jeep Wrangler from Colorado West (https://goo.gl/maps/vtSuMSEHBk3euHiY8) for a day or two, and we did a big loop in it that included Ophir Pass and Imogene Pass.
2006 – For our honeymoon, my wife and I flew into Puerto Vallarta (Jalisco). From the airport, we took a taxi to BucerÃas (Nayarit) and rented a five-speed manual Chevrolet Chevy from Gecko Rent a Car (https://goo.gl/maps/NMZLUKhW6csc4hvG9) for the week. We put probably around 500 miles on it while we were there.
2023 – I just got back from a mission trip in Mexico on Sunday evening. Six of us drove down in our car, while the others flew into Monterrey (Nuevo León). At the airport, we rented a six-speed manual Nissan extended cab Frontier/NP300/Navara/whatever from Avis (https://goo.gl/maps/AJuwKRCWEayNJL2A7). We used it extensively and probably put around 400 or 500 miles on it during the week.
I can't say I've seen manuals at any of the big chains in the US. When overseas, you typically have to pay a surcharge for an automatic. I was surprised, however, that automatic was the standard issue when I just rented a car in Oman earlier this week.
Quote from: kphoger on June 15, 2023, 03:30:10 PM
Are there any national chains in the US that rent out vehicles with manual transmission?
Quote from: JayhawkCO on June 15, 2023, 03:53:17 PM
I can't say I've seen manuals at any of the big chains in the US. When overseas, you typically have to pay a surcharge for an automatic. I was surprised, however, that automatic was the standard issue when I just rented a car in Oman earlier this week.
Last time I checked, Budget in Kansas City was the last remaining chain to offer stick shift rentals. All of the Budget locations in the Kansas City area had access to them just a few years ago. I've rented a bunch of stick shift vehicles from major rental agencies, but all of them were abroad. It was fun renting one in the U.K. and then taking it across to France on the other side of the Chunnel. Good thing that I'm almost ambidextrous.
Quote from: Dirt Roads on June 15, 2023, 09:28:53 PM
Quote from: kphoger on June 15, 2023, 03:30:10 PM
Are there any national chains in the US that rent out vehicles with manual transmission?
Quote from: JayhawkCO on June 15, 2023, 03:53:17 PM
I can't say I've seen manuals at any of the big chains in the US. When overseas, you typically have to pay a surcharge for an automatic. I was surprised, however, that automatic was the standard issue when I just rented a car in Oman earlier this week.
Last time I checked, Budget in Kansas City was the last remaining chain to offer stick shift rentals. All of the Budget locations in the Kansas City area had access to them just a few years ago. I've rented a bunch of stick shift vehicles from major rental agencies, but all of them were abroad. It was fun renting one in the U.K. and then taking it across to France on the other side of the Chunnel. Good thing that I'm almost ambidextrous.
One of my co-workers had rented a car in Albany, Georgia a few years ago and she'd rented a manual Ford Fiesta. Maybe they use it as a carrot to get renters to pay more for a higher class of vehicle, someone just got a good deal on them, or someone goofed.
That Avis location probably owned the vehicles; it's not uncommon for the smaller airport outlets to do that, rather than share them amongst the bigger fleet of rental pools throughout the country. One big drawback is that the small locations will fine you heavily if you return it to a different location, and make sure to warn you of the additional costs which are much greater than other locations.
If you find yourself in a situation where you must rent from one location and return it to another, I suggest returning it to the same place on the final "day" and then do another one-day/one-way rental. They recharge each previous day of rental with the greater rate if it is not exchanged first, which is typically 50-100% greater. Some locations which are nearby or in the same state do not have a surcharge (Florida is sometimes good for this), but I would check with the rental car company
before booking that airline ticket.
Quote from: kphoger on June 15, 2023, 03:30:10 PM
Gecko Rent a Car (https://goo.gl/maps/NMZLUKhW6csc4hvG9)
Any reason this place is in English rather than Spanish?
I've never seen a manual offered by a major rental chain in the US. Some of the smaller local chains that rent "exotics" or sports cars sometimes offer them on cars like Porsches or similar, but I don't think those really count in the spirit of what kphoger is asking. Funny thing is, though, earlier this year I was using the Hertz app to make a reservation (I use Hertz based on my membership tier) and I noted their app uses a diagram of the sort you see on the top of a manual shift knob to denote the word "transmission."
Quote from: 1 on June 16, 2023, 08:15:02 AM
Quote from: kphoger on June 15, 2023, 03:30:10 PM
Gecko Rent a Car (https://goo.gl/maps/NMZLUKhW6csc4hvG9)
Any reason this place is in English rather than Spanish?
It's a big area for tourists, expats, and corporate vacations. IIRC, the rental agency is actually operated by a trilingual French expat.
Quote from: 1995hoo on June 16, 2023, 08:34:58 AM
I've never seen a manual offered by a major rental chain in the US. Some of the smaller local chains that rent "exotics" or sports cars sometimes offer them on cars like Porsches or similar, but I don't think those really count in the spirit of what kphoger is asking. Funny thing is, though, earlier this year I was using the Hertz app to make a reservation (I use Hertz based on my membership tier) and I noted their app uses a diagram of the sort you see on the top of a manual shift knob to denote the word "transmission."
Skeuomorph: Sort of how a 1960s-era telephone handset is used for a phone call, or a mercury thermometer is used to denote temperature, a manual shift lever (sometimes with a double-H gate) denotes a vehicle transmission type.
The once-basic basic automatic range control lever has "evolved" into at least twenty different designs over the last 15 years or so, which doesn't immediately explain its function until one is familiar with it for a few moments.
For what it's worth, that six-speed manual Nissan pickup was an awesome rental. It took no time at all to get used to the clutch. At first I wished 2nd and 3rd gears were closer together, but it ended up that the low gearing in 2nd made it really easy to drive slowly around town. The second row seating was narrow (like our old Pathfinder) but halfway decent to ride in, and we used the cargo bed for both materials and people throughout our time there. We took it 8 km up a desert track for a village work project once, and it handled it like a champ.
The only time it was even a tiny bit annoying was when there was road construction on the toll road from Monterrey to Saltillo. One lane was closed on a steep uphill, and traffic was crawling along at 0.00003 mph. Even that granny gear couldn't handle that low of a speed without needing some clutch work. Really made me appreciate the skill of the truckers in front of me.
Our pastor drove it back to Monterrey, and he did say he once went to downshift from 5th to 4th for a hill but accidentally went into 2nd instead...