We are doing a 3 week US road trip next month from Seattle to Las Vegas.
Just the two of us with 2 large suitcases and 2 cabin bags. Estimate 2.5 to 3K miles.
Due to the different pickup and drop off locations only a few Companies will quote.
Budget will do a Ford Focus (I assume this will be a saloon) for just short of £700 inclusive of one way fees and insurance that means we have no financial responsility for the car.
I hired a Toyata Auris 1.8 auto in NZ last year, which did a grand job except that the boot was too small for 2 suitcases. One ended up on the back seat.
So, will the Focus do the job or is it worth upgrading to a bigger Fusion (not the same as the UK Fusion) or Taurus for around £100 extra?
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I would upgrade, even if only for the comfort, you are going to spend a lot of time in the car and it would be £100 well spent.
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Try a Nissan Sentra. You need intermediate sized car as minimum.
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You're most unlikely to get the actual car you pick - most US rental companies are widely using Korean cars or Japanese cars - so I wouldn't get too hung up about a specific car. If the collection facility isn't too busy, and/or you're quite assertive, then you may be able to choose, especially so if you buy an upgrade at the desk.
Have you tried someone like USRentaCar or even Expedia (I don't think you get one-way quotes online with Expedia) for a quote? But make absolutely certain that the one-way charges are included as they can be high.
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>> Try a Nissan Sentra. You need intermediate sized car as minimum.
Having had a Sentra in the States for a 2 week fly/drive last year; didn't get on with the CVT at all.
i969.photobucket.com/albums/ae173/focushj/DSCF0268.jpg
it's the one on the left :)
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>>I hired a Toyata Auris 1.8 auto in NZ last year, which did a grand job except that the boot was too small
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I hired a Toyota Auris auto in Capetown a couple of years ago.
The worst car I have ever driven. The auto box was so bad I swopped the car after 24 hours.
I would guess you would be offered an auto Auris in the USA.
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I haven't done this myself, but a mate used to do US road trips quite often.
Part of the pleasure of the trip was having a proper car, a US gas guzzling power house.
Mustang, Charger SRT, even a Genesis, or whatever takes your fancy.
The likelihood of any of us mere mortals living in what's left of Britain ever being able to run something like those ever again have vanished forever, go on, you may never get the chance again.
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i have to agree. a road trip isnt an adventure without a big block chevy engine
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USRentacar good price but $500 extra one-way fee
£3K for a Mustang. Tempting but.....
£4K for a Volvo S80.
Not too worried about getting a Jap or Korean car.
My current car is a diesel Ceed and previous 2 Primeras.
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It was a long time ago but we hired a Mustang. I'd love to do it again.
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We hired a Dodge Avenger which accomodated 4 of us in comfort and masses of boot space.
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We always hire a standard SUV class from Hertz. Like you there are just the two of us but we like to have plenty of space.
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Corvette Stingray. You know it makes sense.
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as some others have said , you probably wont get the exact shown , its just that size of car
my advice , book something the size you need , and if theres something tasty there ask about a upgrade at the desk
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Thanks for all of the advice. Some I (my wallet) might not take though :o)
I think the choice of cars at a reasonable price is fairly limited due to the distance between pickup and drop off.
Hertz don't give prices for an additional driver on their website. I need to contact their Seattle office to find out. Budget $6/day from their website.
One odd thing on Hertz. Most cars are cheaper if booked in advance but they are offering a Camry from the 'Green Selection'. £800 advance payment, £650 pay at pickup.
I will rent an intermediate or full size from either Budget or Hertz. I shall let you know what I end up with.
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I'd call www.carhire3000.com (who can't do an online quote for Seattle to Vegas for some reason) as they are generally fairly keen with their pricing. 0800 358 7707
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Carhire3000 will quote in the other direction.
£400 for an intermediate but does not include the one-way fee.
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Hired one way from them more than once and there was never any one-way fee.
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"and there was never any one-way fee."
Depends very much which way you go. For example Alberta to Vancouver is a very popular one way hire - a fantastic drive through the Rockies. Not nearly as popular in reverse so you can get Vancouver to Alberta for a much smaller or even no fee. You are effectively delivering the car for them
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>> >> "and there was never any one-way fee."
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>> Depends very much which way you go.
In the US you're usually Ok as long as it's within the State, but move from State to State and there's usually a one-way-fee.
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we used Budget ( not recommended ) hired large 4x4 , well worth it for suitcases etc did 4000 miles plus in over a month . Collected at LA, shed loads of hassle, even though booked through travel company with all the paper work and extra ins paid for and we had even paid for the car to be returned empty of fuel. Budget had attitued.
We Travelled california and Arizona and returned the car to Budget in San Fransisco, trouble was the office had moved but no one new where it was and the Sat Nav kept taking us to the old address ! WE then offered to return to another Budget office but they wouldnt accept the car and we had about 2 hrs left before catching the plane.
Eventually after calls to the UK and heated arguments in San Fransisco we left the car there but very unpleasant experince ! worst ever in fact. Budget had no customer service at all plus they charged us an extra $310 for insurance and fuel that we had already paid for in the UK ! It has just taken over 6 months to get it refunded .
From a personal point of view I wouldnt touch Budget! I would rather of paid even more and had the service.
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Used Hertz last year for the Sebring. I deliberately chose the main depot in the city (O'Farrell in SF) as I knew the service would be best.
The car was in top nick, paperwork ready for my arrival and just handed over my Hertz Gold card, didn't even want my driving license.
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I routinely use Kayak.co.uk to source the cheapest car. I rent about once a month in the US, and normally get an intermediate, and it's generally very cheap.
The Ford Fusion is probably one of the best cars I have had over there - spacious, reasonably fast and a good stereo. I wouldn't fancy doing serious mileage in an SUV - I had a Chevvy Suburban to do NYC - Chicago and back last summer and compared to a proper car it was a nightmare. Still, it made a brilliant noise when you put your foot down (6l V8). 12.6 mpg wasn't good though.
Incidentally, if you like to have music or audiobooks, take a 3.5 mm to 3.5 mm cable with you for your mp3 player - I've not had a hire car in 3 years that didn't have an aux in. Makes a helluva difference on a long trip. Oh, and if you get a choice of vehicles (most co's do give you it now), look for one with Sattelite radio (the radio will be badged Sirrius). Means you can get radio anywhere, and includes the World Service and Radio 1 (timeshifted to EST).
Last edited by: Statistical Outlier on Sun 6 Mar 11 at 17:28
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if you decide to use hertz , quidco do 10% cashback , plus you can join thier gold club and use a code for another 10% off
pm me if you need finding codes
hertz are often a tad dearer , but have the newest cleanest cars
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>> I wouldn't fancy doing serious mileage in an SUV..
I always hire an SUV in the US, the bigger the better, and got a Cadillac Escalade from Hertz on our last but last trip, which actually wasn't too bad on MPG as the V8 engine switches into V4 mode when cruising, returning about 20MPG (US) at Freeway speeds. But others I've driven can be doing 12 or so, which would get expensive on a long trip.
US SUV's are generally softly sprung and supremely quiet & comfortable, so great for cruising. One snag for touring is they never have load space covers so baggage would be exposed. The rear windows are generally very dark though so not easy to see in, unless you leave light coloured things on show.
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My experience with the large SUVs (Chevvy Suburban, Toyota V8, Jeep) is that they are very softly sprung, but have almost no abilty to deal with hard edged bumps. Joints in the road come crashing through into the car, while the steering is vague and the gentle roll unplesant as a passenger. To be fair, the two US vehicles were both far superior to the Toyota, which lurched alarmingly at some road imperfections.
A relaxing place to be? I just don't see it myself.
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>a road trip isnt an adventure without a big block chevy engine
There hasn't been a Big Block option on any Chevy car for donkey's years (late 70's I'd guess).
I did similar trips a few years ago while we were living in the US. LV to SF and back via Death Valley and Yosemite etc. and the advice I would give is:
Don't take suitcases, take a couple of soft hockey bags - they're easier to stuff in the trunk or back seat and much easier to drag up motel stairwells.
Organise and split your clothes between the two bags so you only need to take one to your room. Transfer items for washing to the bag that stays in the trunk as you go along.
Don't take loads of clothes with you. You can re-stock your wardrobe with casual gear at half the UK price.
Don't expect to stick to a fixed timetable. There will be places where you'd like to spend another day. I usually got reception to book my next hotel room as we were checking out or just chanced it if there was plenty of choice.
Hotel rooms in LV are freely available and ridiculously cheap mid-week but prices rise substantially and become scarce at weekends when the gamblers fly in. If you like Indian food there's a good restaurant in the 4400 block on Paradise Road. Used to be called Ghandi but I think it's now called Origin India. Ask for Bill (real name Raees Abid, an ex-pat Brit).
Book a car that will make your holiday extra special, you're going to spend most of your time driving the thing. A Focus, Fusion or Taurus wouldn't do that for me.
Lastly, buy a copy of Frommers USA before you go and use it as a starting point for Googling the places and hotel/motel/restaurants you want to visit.
It's an amazing trip, you'll love it.
Kevin...
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Try the Ford Fusion with the V6 engine. Mondeo size, goes like the proverbial, and a very pleasant place to be. Cheap, too.
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AF, seconded, great car. I had a Ford Falcon in Australia recently, and that was the same. Unassuming, and very easy to lose your licence in I'd think.
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I ended up with a Mitsubishi Galant. Not opened the bonnet but would guess it is around 2.5L and V4.
Very comfortable (except the very hard centre storage/right arm rest) , quiet and has handled the twisty bits OK. Cruise control but no aux/USB in - Local radio stations have been good though.
I have been suprised by the amount of Hondas and Toyotas. Plenty of very large 4x4 probably necessary in the winter.
Nice and sunny but a little cold in Washington and Oregon.
Both very beautiful states along the coast. Friday Harbour in the San Juan Islands was a big highlight.
Some snow showers on our trips inland through the mountains.
We hit California in the next few days.
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Hoping to do the Las Vegas, San Fransisco, LA thing in September......any tips would be welcome. Will be getting a cooking car rather than the Mustang we had last year...austerity and all that.
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Yeah tip one
Dont do the LA thing! whats to see!
Tip two, check your passports now, and get your ESTA renewed on line.
I will compose my thoughts and tips from the trip I did last October.
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ESTAs last a year, I think PU may already have a valid one...? They also now cost, something like a tenner...
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PU - You are probably aware of these people?
www.insurance4carhire.com/
£65 for 31 days excess in USA including up to 7 drivers. I heard, but cannot confirm, that some USA hire companies do not accept this cover. Something to do with them charging $20 a day perhaps?
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>> £65 for 31 days excess in USA including up to 7 drivers. I heard, but
>> cannot confirm, that some USA hire companies do not accept this cover.
You don't need excess cover in the US as there's no excess charges on insurance there. They're illegal in most States.
You can get cover which takes care of all your insurances so you can then hire at the local basic rate in US Dollars. However this is probably no cheaper than buying an all-inclusive deal in the UK.
As you say, rental companies sometimes don't accept other cover, and even where they do you might have to pay for all damage claims yourself and then claim it back.
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"I will compose my thoughts and tips from the trip I did last October."
Can you remember that far back?
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Of course, I am retired, I haven't got out of bed since.
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We are only going as far as Santa Barbara, before heading to the Grand Canyon with an overnight stop at Death Valley. Four nights in Vegas before heading home.
Tips? Visit Oregon and Washington :-)
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You'll like Stanta Barbara. Some good resurants, nice bit iof beach. There is a good place for breakfast on the beach at the other end of the beach from the pier.
Try and catch the HUUUUUUUUUUUUUGE long distance passenger train that stops at the station around 7:00pm. Its a real spectacle, then walk 400 yards up the main street for some good fish and chips from an ex pat. They also have a "kahoona burger" bar. Think Samuel L Jackson.
Edit
Breakfast spot is the East Beach Cafe corner of Corona del mar / east cabrillo blvd.
Last edited by: Zero on Sat 23 Apr 11 at 16:48
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Unless you're compulsive gamblers 4 nights in Vegas is too much. One night is doable, 2 is plenty, 4 is overkill.
Spend a day north of Phoenix and head towards Sedona and Flagstaff. Easy drive in a day and beautiful scenery, and the temperature is spot on even in the summer. Can recommend the airport restaurant at Sedona - brilliant food and great views, and you don't need access to the airport to eat there.
Flagstaff is a great; it's more or less on the way to Vegas from Phoenix anyway, and you can drive along a bit of the old Route 66. :-)
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>> Unless you're compulsive gamblers 4 nights in Vegas is too much. One night is doable,
>> 2 is plenty, 4 is overkill.
Depends where you stay. The venetian for example has 5 pools and terraces to while some time away. A day can be spent at the hoover Dam / lake mead. You have to visit the Freemont Area one night for the street concerts and take in the atrmosphere. All the main theme hotels take a couple of night to explore.
3/4 nights is about right.
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'spose it depends if you like Vegas or not.
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its an experience for sure. Done it twice, once about 30 years ago, doubt I will do it again wouldnt miss it tho. Its not every day you see pirate ships sailing round hotels, 400 metres of the venice grand canal above a gambling hall, a volcano explode on the side of the street, shops in an ancient roman town (with girls in togas)!
Last edited by: Zero on Sat 23 Apr 11 at 17:10
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I'd say you've got to go to Las Vegas, went there for a month last year. It is a great place, it's not just for those who gamble, I didn't gamble at all you don't need to there's so much to do. Like zero said the casino's are massive, so I don't think we went to the same place twice and I bet we were out 25 nights of the month. Although it is a bit full on 24 hour a day town so it might be a bit much for some.
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McP,
Try to get to Lake Tahoe if you can. It is a lovely drive around the lake...Ernies for bfast/brunch at South Lake Tahoe, then 50 heading west, south on 49 from Placerville, then 120 into Yosemite, which for me always exceeds expectations. Roads into Yosemite from the East may well still be closed due to snow. Then an easy day's drive back to the coast and the Pacific Highway South from SF, visiting the aquarium at Monterey (and reading Steinbecks Cannery Row).
Such fun.
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went to orlando at xmas. hired from alamo, got there car lot and was told just pick a car and come over to the check out.WHAT any one? . yes sir, any one you like ,just pick one and go!
talk about a kid in a sweet shop , there were 40 cars to choose from . picked a chevy, with good visability and comfy seat.
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Thanks for the tips and suggestions. The last 8 days are pre-booked, so we are pretty limited with time for any major diversions.
Yossemite was on our original plan but yes likely blocked with snow from the East.
Vegas will be an experience. It will be nice to have a base for a few days.
We have been moving on most days.
How on earth do you end up at an airport for a meal??? :o)
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Yeah, the Tioga pass is still blocked
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Which car to hire in US - Old Navy
