Road Tripping in the USA!

OllyM · 7 Feb 2017 at 16:15

[TW]Fox;30478896 said:
There are two Impalas, the old model Impala Limited which they still make for fleets and the decent current model Impala.

Rental firms generally place the crap one in Full Size and categorise the good one as a Premium.

Production of the Impala Limited finished in May 2016 so hopefully they'll completely disappear from rental fleets soon.

wingnutta · 8 Feb 2017 at 10:54

OK, i go to Orlando in March for 2 weeks for the usual theme park stuff. Have done car hire seperate with Alamo and have taken the gold package to get all the insurances i need and therefore can refuse at the desk when i arrive (have been told the gold package does this and it seems to from the small print).

Has anyone been recently that can offer any advice as to any other "tricks" the salesperson might try? Or things to look out for? Im aware of the do you want to upgrade one (when they dont have your car in and therefore you get a free upgrade anyway)...

Just curious of any other up-to-date hints (did a search and last thread about it i found was circa 2013)...

Thanks

PermaChanged · 8 Feb 2017 at 10:56

How old are you? They have a young driver policy over there which if I remember correctly costs $25 per day if you're under 25.

[FnG]magnolia · 8 Feb 2017 at 10:58

wingnutta;30482241 said:
OK, i go to Orlando in March for 2 weeks for the usual theme park stuff. Have done car hire seperate with Alamo and have taken the gold package to get all the insurances i need and therefore can refuse at the desk when i arrive (have been told the gold package does this and it seems to from the small print).

Has anyone been recently that can offer any advice as to any other "tricks" the salesperson might try? Or things to look out for? Im aware of the do you want to upgrade one (when they dont have your car in and therefore you get a free upgrade anyway)...

Just curious of any other up-to-date hints (did a search and last thread about it i found was circa 2013)...

Thanks

You probably want this in Motors and/or to have TW Fox respond. He's alarmingly well informed on this stuff.

D.P. · 8 Feb 2017 at 11:08

They will try to sell you every kind of insurance under the sun. Some insurance you will need, but stuff for baggage or medical you will be covered from holiday insurance.

They will try to upgrade you. Double check prices online to see if that kind of deal is decent. Sometimes it is, e.g they are running low on your size of car and trying an honest way of upsizibg at a fair price. Often they just want more money, they are paid commission on upgrades. Sometimes they don't even have your model in stock so will try the upgrade at cost first , then when you decline they will upgrade you anyway.

They will try to sell you GPS at something crazy per day. Cheap to go to Walmart and buy a new unit..

Gas, they will try to sell you a tank of cash at low rates, you don't refill at the end. If you can guarantee returning the car with the warning light on then you do get cheap gas but if you leave even 1/4tank it's terrible

Joe T · 8 Feb 2017 at 11:31

The full tank of gas is normally included as part of the Gold package.

roadie · 8 Feb 2017 at 12:32

Definitely return the car with a full tank of gas option.

Take photos of any damage you see at all on the car.

Remember to drive on the other side of the road.

Have change (ie quarters) for the toll on the road into Orlando from the airport.

[TW]Fox · 8 Feb 2017 at 12:51

US rentals with Alamo booked from the UK website include all insurance you need and Alamo operate a full to full fuel policy as standard.

wingnutta · 8 Feb 2017 at 13:01

Im over 40 and other driver is over 50 lol....so no issues there. I was hoping that the gold package covered everything so that they might just let me have the car i booked and get on with it - no hassle kinda thing but i guess im hoping for too much!

So it seems (thankyou fox) that insurance is ok so i can refuse everything they throw at me. Guess the upgrade one is a certantity...Have a dodge caravan and 6 of us....I just know they will say thats too small (with luggage) and i guess it will be tight, BUT others online say its ok, and to be honest if i have to do two trips im not that bothered!...

Will do on the quarters front and photos too - good call that!... i hate hiring cars i really do...

Nasher · 8 Feb 2017 at 13:08

The steering wheel is on the wrong side which can be annoying.

wingnutta · 8 Feb 2017 at 13:13

Also - do the states require that code thing from the .gov website???

Myshra · 8 Feb 2017 at 13:48

wingnutta if you're going to orlando international you can sort everything with a touchscreen computer they have there (this is from 18 months ago) You can say no to everything easily, you get a print out of the agreements etc... that you take to the garage where they will tell you where to go to get your car. keys were in it for me (i had a compact, they had rows of standards and just said take one) i took it out the garage through a booth where a person inspects the car, checked some more paperwork then they let you out and you're done.

Joe T · 8 Feb 2017 at 16:39

[TW]Fox;30482717 said:
US rentals with Alamo booked from the UK website include all insurance you need and Alamo operate a full to full fuel policy as standard.

Gold gives you full to empty though doesnt it?

wingnutta · 9 Feb 2017 at 11:56

Myshra;30482935 said:
wingnutta if you're going to orlando international you can sort everything with a touchscreen computer they have there (this is from 18 months ago) You can say no to everything easily, you get a print out of the agreements etc... that you take to the garage where they will tell you where to go to get your car. keys were in it for me (i had a compact, they had rows of standards and just said take one) i took it out the garage through a booth where a person inspects the car, checked some more paperwork then they let you out and you're done.

Yes i am - that sounds like a good idea!! - I will look out for that!

lee1101 · 21 Feb 2017 at 15:00

Checked in at the Cosmopolitan last night. Not a bad view from the balcony!

Bennie-Mac · 21 Feb 2017 at 23:21

lee1101 said:
Checked in at the Cosmopolitan last night. Not a bad view from the balcony!

Wish I knew the cosmopolitan existed, booking.com don't seem to have the place listed and I used them to book all my hotels. Would probably rather have stayed there than in the V'dara but my first night has already been paid for... Cracking view you have!

Howard · 23 Feb 2017 at 07:29

When's the best time to think about booking flights for a trip to Florida in October? Are you likely to get cheaper prices if you wait until it's less than 6 months in advance?

Is Virgin Holidays still about the cheapest for car hire?

acemastr · 24 Feb 2017 at 14:53

wingnutta said:
OK, i go to Orlando in March for 2 weeks for the usual theme park stuff. Have done car hire seperate with Alamo and have taken the gold package to get all the insurances i need and therefore can refuse at the desk when i arrive (have been told the gold package does this and it seems to from the small print).

Has anyone been recently that can offer any advice as to any other "tricks" the salesperson might try? Or things to look out for? Im aware of the do you want to upgrade one (when they dont have your car in and therefore you get a free upgrade anyway)...

Just curious of any other up-to-date hints (did a search and last thread about it i found was circa 2013)...

Thanks

The sunpass option is good if you plan on doing a lot of driving, the tolls are mostly toll-by-plate and the charge will go to your rental company, this way they give you a device that sticks to the windscreen and is billed that way (we all have them here). Check on how much it costs though, they can be pricey.

My parents came over into Orlando airport and basically they give you a row and you walk down it and choose the car you want (at the airport), that may be the case with you depending on where you'll pick up from.

nitram100 · 25 Feb 2017 at 11:27

Just booked my flights with girlfriend and her sister, we were gonna start in LA but decided San Fran instead.

We actually booked flights to Oakland, CA as opposed to San Fran as they worked out 120 quid cheaper and with better airline (BA).

Anyone any experience of road tripping from Oakland? We're thinking of driving down Pacific Coast highway first. We have 4 weeks from 1st June so plenty of time!

lee1101 · 26 Feb 2017 at 18:03

Just got back from 5 nights in Vegas. We stayed in the Cosmopolitan which was fantastic. Very clean and modern and the room was amazing. We had a fountain view with a terrace (above) which was incredible.

We hired a car for 3 days as we wanted to explore the surrounding areas rather than just stay on the strip for 5 days. This really made the holiday and I would highly recommend anyone who is planning a trip to Vegas to head out as there are some amazing national parks all within driving distance. We visited Red Rock Canyon, Mount Charleston and The Valley of Fire. They were all incredible and so quiet which was awesome.

We paid for a standard Mustang Convertible through Alamo (V6/ecoboost) and were offered a free upgrade to a V8 Camaro SS. Really wanted to try the new Mustang but couldn't turn down the V8!

We also had a Grand Canyon Tour through Maverick which consisted of a flight to the South Rim followed by a little 'Trolley' ride to the different viewing locations. This was a great day and the Grand Canyon is stunning

The only downside was the weather was overcast so the pictures all look a little flat, mainly due to my poor photography skills!

On the final day we drove to the Hoover Dam. This was a little disappointing after visiting the above as it was so busy and not quite what we were expecting. Still worth a visit but would be bottom of my list if I was to return again.

Anyway, here's a few pictures, slightly car themed!

We plan on doing a West Coast drive next year so will visit the places we didn't have time for then