Road Tripping in the USA!

[Howard]

Bizarre that that's nearly £200 cheaper than with Alamo directly. You can get Quidco cashback with Alamo, but that doesnt cover the difference at all.

Yep, no idea why but hey, it works. When I hired the Tahoe (and actually got given a Surburban ) Virgin Holidays for Alamo were considerably cheaper than anywhere else, even Alamo themselves. And this was a lot cheaper than any of the other companies were offering a full-size SUV.

 

[Maccy]

@VincentHanna I just went onto rentalcars.com and got a Mustang for those dates and locations for £561 so I don't think you're trying very hard

 

[VincentHanna]

They quoted me £620 yesterday!

 

[mohawk]

Sadly for us i dont think a mustang will fit all the luggage we will need for our 4 week trip. Would people recommend an SUV or just a normal full size car instead?

 

[Peerzy]

Sadly for us i dont think a mustang will fit all the luggage we will need for our 4 week trip. Would people recommend an SUV or just a normal full size car instead?

I went on a 4 week trip with a Mustang, it was actually my Honeymoon.

2x large duffel bags fitting into the boot (still plenty of room for a rucksack and a few shopping bags) and then 2 hand luggage duffel bags across the back seats.

 

[mohawk]

I went on a 4 week trip with a Mustang, it was actually my Honeymoon.

2x large duffel bags fitting into the boot (still plenty of room for a rucksack and a few shopping bags) and then 2 hand luggage duffel bags across the back seats.

can you remember roughly how much it cost you?

 

[Peerzy]

can you remember roughly how much it cost you?

£1014.77
29th July 2015 until 25th August 2015
Seattle/Tacoma International Airport
Standard Convertible booked through Virgin Holidays (Alamo)

 

[mohawk]

The best quotes ive seen so far have been about £1500 but we are doing 1 way which adds on some!

this is also for our honeymoon so having a mustang or equivalent would be awesome especially down the pacific coast highway!

 

[Peerzy]

The best quotes ive seen so far have been about £1500 but we are doing 1 way which adds on some!

this is also for our honeymoon so having a mustang or equivalent would be awesome especially down the pacific coast highway!

Is the 1 way within CA? If so that shouldn't add any cost.

My rental was in 2015 and the pound has dropped significantly against the dollar since then, although not quite that much.

 

[mohawk]

Is the 1 way within CA? If so that shouldn't add any cost.

My rental was in 2015 and the pound has dropped significantly against the dollar since then, although not quite that much.

no from Seattle to Los Angeles. hmm some tough decisions to make. might just book a normal car and then see if we can upgrade/fit bags in when we get there!

 

[Peerzy]

Oh, that is a fairly long one way (and a shame you're not going down to San Diego, as that's the best city in CA!).

TBH £1500 for that is probably about right assuming the one way fee is included.

Upgrading at the depot will be much much more expensive.

I've rented a standard convertible from Seattle twice and both times I've actually got a CA registered Mustang.

 

[mohawk]

Oh, that is a fairly long one way (and a shame you're not going down to San Diego, as that's the best city in CA!).

TBH £1500 for that is probably about right assuming the one way fee is included.

Upgrading at the depot will be much much more expensive.

I've rented a standard convertible from Seattle twice and both times I've actually got a CA registered Mustang.

we are going to head down to san diego for a few nights, just flying home from LA.

 

[Peerzy]

we are going to head down to san diego for a few nights, just flying home from LA.

Good to hear! TBH assuming you are going in peak times (mid June - mid Sept) I'd probably be accepting £1500 as 'fair' with anything less than £1400 a good deal (if it includes all one way fees).

 

[VincentHanna]

£1014.77
29th July 2015 until 25th August 2015
Seattle/Tacoma International Airport
Standard Convertible booked through Virgin Holidays (Alamo)

It's possible you had the 5th generation Mustang Convertible which had 9.6 cubic feet

6th generation has 11.4 cubic feet.

 

[Peerzy]

It's possible you had the 5th generation Mustang Convertible which had 9.6 cubic feet

6th generation has 11.4 cubic feet.

I've had both the 5th and 6th gen Mustangs when renting in the US (and I owned a 5th gen in the UK). The newer model has slightly more space but you'll still need duffel bags due to the boot opening shape and size. You'd fit 1 hard large suitcase in with loads and loads of spare space, but would never be able to get the second hard case in.

 

[b0rn2sk8]

There is also the issue if you are hotel hopping you really don't want to be leaving your bags on the back seat of the car when it's unattended. While a suitcase is probably less attractive than a backpack, it's just asking for trouble.

If you are getting a convertible, get some duffel bags that fit in the boot.

 

[OllyM]

Be careful with Hertz, they tend to keep rental cars a lot longer than other firms for some reason. I tend to try and avoid them. Alamo / National always seem to be the best as they allow you to pick your car and have decent stock.

The last Hertz rental I picked up had 9 miles on the clock so you can sometimes get a new car from them.

They also do Gold Choice at certain airport locations now so you can pick your own car if you sign up to their Gold Plus Rewards program.

I've booked with Hertz directly this time - cheaper than Alamo (even through Virgin). £600 for an Elite Standard SUV/Crossover (LR Discovery / Infiniti QX60) for 12 days. (Additional driver extra). £54 cashback too.

Make sure you sign up to Gold Plus Rewards, one of the benefits is that it waives the additional driver fee if you want to add your spouse.

 

[Joe T]

Make sure you sign up to Gold Plus Rewards, one of the benefits is that it waives the additional driver fee if you want to add your spouse.

Yes, I did that, it saved 5% on the booking, and the email I received last night gave me the good news about the spouse as second driver. Thanks

 

[Buffman]

If I'd like to go San Francisco to LA to san Diego (West Coast cali) or the other way round how many days should I give it for each place (driving in between)?

Considering doing this, then possibly a couple (say 3) days in florida. Reckon circa 5k will cover it for two people? (nearer 10k?)

Considering going next year mid may, is there deals from booking the flights etc very early?? (say 6months in advance?)

 

[b0rn2sk8]

Why the 3 days in Florida? That's 3 weeks on its own.

To answer your actual question, 14 days but depends how long you want to stay in SF, LA and SD, also how many stops in between. £5k should be fine.

Monitor flights on sky scanner via email alert, buy when it drops. Early does not equal cheap, prices vary wildly right up until boarding. Though fling to SD or SF is more expensive than LA so I am note sure what you should be aiming for there and its also complicated by you not doing a direct return.