Renting a Car

[thetreble 19]

So, now that I've got to get this nexus thing done this month, I'm going to book a flight to Toronto. I don't like to be at home without a car though because my parents only have one and when I come home I'm usually visiting my friends.

Any ways, have any of you ever rented a car in Ontario/Canada/wherever? What company did you use? Did you have any problems with them? Was it expensive? I've never done it before.

[trailmix 77]

So, now that I've got to get this nexus thing done this month, I'm going to book a flight to Toronto. I don't like to be at home without a car though because my parents only have one and when I come home I'm usually visiting my friends.

Any ways, have any of you ever rented a car in Ontario/Canada/wherever? What company did you use? Did you have any problems with them? Was it expensive? I've never done it before.

We rented a vehicle twice - both times from National Car Rental - they were really nice, no problems at all - I don't remember the pricing, but it wasn't overly costly.

[thegordons2009 1]

Enterprise has really good prices.

[Misty1979 0]

Alot of vehicle rental companies have a huge fee if you're under 25...so as long as you are 25+, you should be ok pricewise.

[Krikit 1,164]

I, also, found Enterprise to be very good in Canada.

[SapphireDreams 71]

We've also rented from Enterprise before, they have good weekend specials. When you rent direct from the airport, it is often more expensive. So if you can rent a car in your city, then it might be cheaper.

Usually we just look at all the online sites and get pricing on there.

If you have car insurance already for your car, call them and find out if you are covered in Canada as well for a rental. R has Geico and he was covered when he called them.

It's true though, they do charge more for under 25. I think it's around $20-30/day extra.

[Flames9_RN 358]

You really just have to look around. At 1 time every time I checked budget had the lowest prices, but the past few yrs that hasnt been the case. back iN may when we rented a car in Vancouver, Thrifty had the best deal. Sometimes one gets the best deal by going directly to the car rentals site, other times its expedia or travelocity. 2 great sites that I like to use (as they check the big sites for you) are http://www.kayak.com/ and http://www.mobissimo.com/search_airfare.php great to use for airfare as well. But ensure you check the actual rental agencies site!! I know on thrifty, they have what they call "The Hot Deal" and sometimes it is pretty decent! As well i never take ANY of their insurance that they offer as my personal auto insurance covers it, and sometimes ur credit card will too (but its very very basic)

As well when you pick up the car, they SOMETIMES offer u cheaper gas price. They say to get the benefits of that, you have to return the car on fumes,lol I have always just filled it up on my own! That way I know exactly what I'm paying for, and it isn't usually that great of a deal if any! Just spend some time going over the rates! Most do give discounts if your a member of Costco, federal employee, etc etc! And ensure they are giving you unlimited mileage!!

[thetreble 19]

I'm 25 so I don't have to worrya bout the extra fees.

Unfortunately it would be easiest for me to pick it up at the airport so that no one would have to even come and pick me up. I don't mind if I have to pay some extra money.

thanks for all the info though guys! it definitely helps.

[CDAgirlMI 51]

If I were you, I'd just get someone to pick you up, then go to another rental location instead of getting it from the airport. The fees are a lot. I know you said you don't mind paying more, but I would find out how much the extra fee the airport locations charge.

[carslo 0]

I did a road trip from Vancouver to Saskatchewan awhile back, my poor car could never do the Rockies, so I booked a car on www.hotwire.com which I could pick up at the airport. The price was way cheaper than Budget or National - it was Alamo and even when I found out who the provider of the car was the price was way lower than what they had advertized on the Alamo website. So do try hotwire. I have never benn stung by them yet and have been using them for about 7 years now.

Janet

[shawna7 4]

I always fly into Buffalo and rent a car there and drive into Toronto. I find the flights are WAY cheaper..and so is the car..just a thought.

[MapleLeafBaby 1]

I used to work in the insurance industry and we had contracts with all the car rental co's.

Generally Enterprise and Budget are good. Enterprise sometimes has a deal that you get extra days free. If you are dropping off at same location, there shouldn't be extra costs. You can get a small size car for about $25/day.

If you have Canadian insurance, you don't need to buy their coverage. Sometimes it's worth buying their collision/comp coverage (liability is automatic) cause if something happens, it won't go on your record and the claim goes through them. Their coverage is about $13/day. If you have AAA or CAA, they may offer discounts. Also, they have on line discounted rates, as they try to encourage use of booking through their website.