No Rental Cars

[wolfox03SS]

Off topic:

Tried to help a friend to very recently purchase and finance a used vehicle. Found what he wanted at a decent price on local lot. He told them to p*ss up a rope.

A $4250 used daily driver was already $1k over fair market. If it were optioned a teir up, with factory AWD and steering wheel flappy-paddle shift, maybe $4k, max.

But they refused a $1.5k down payment and his sub-730 credit score, demanding a new Lexus monthly payment schedule.

Pandemic pricing I think, on all fronts is going to take a few years to settle out. Since then, he has taken his monies to an independent shop to fix up his old rig and pay me to swap out broken exterior door plastics and handles, mirrors.

There are little to scant microchip makers in business. It's skewing the prices on home electronics, computers, game consoles and unfortunately; vehicle modules. It is not just skewing prices... but simple availability of raw components to build modules and ECU's has evaporated.

Soon, we'll all be driving our lawn tractors to the mall and grocery store.

 

[PandaBear]

It's good to note that one of the arguments for EV ownership has been rental cars. That is, rent something if your EV is not up to the task. Such as towing a travel trailer or carrying your family on a long highway trip.

It has been my point all along that rental companies have traditionally been terrible at providing something more capable than a Nissan Altima. Now, it seems that just getting any rental at all, when you need it, takes an act of God. Hertz closes at 3PM at HPN (a NY airport). Not because they don't have flights, but because they don't have cars and they don't want to work.

You can rent a "used car" on the lot from a Toyota dealership that they are listing for sales. Their price is actually competitive.

If I were to get something today I would buy a used plug in hybrid like Chevy Volt, they depreciate like a rock but they are a very good deal if done right, and gas saving is good (if plug in). Even if it only last 5 years you would come out ahead.

 

[Davejam]

This conversation took a turn off topic.
I have a vacation planned, only rental agency that let me book something was AVIS, everyone else showed no availability.
Extremely worried now that there won't actually be a rental car for me when I show up.

 

[supton]

There are little to scant microchip makers in business. It's skewing the prices on home electronics, computers, game consoles and unfortunately; vehicle modules. It is not just skewing prices... but simple availability of raw components to build modules and ECU's has evaporated.

Not sure what you mean here? There's quite a few semiconductor manufacturers, and pretty much there is a second-source for any given IC. Maybe not pin for pin compatible, but options typically exist--nobody likes over-reliance on a single supplier.

 

[GON]

This conversation took a turn off topic.
I have a vacation planned, only rental agency that let me book something was AVIS, everyone else showed no availability.
Extremely worried now that there won't actually be a rental car for me when I show up.

What you must do is sign up on Avis website for Avis preferred. Put in your DL and your Credit Card. Will make a huge difference.

I rent four to five cars per week. Expect issues in South Florida (especially Tampa) and Texas. The rest not so bad.

I think you will be more than fine with Avis if you sign up with preferred. National, Budget, Enterprise, SIXT are all doing fine.

Under no circumstances should one rent from Hertz, Dollar, Thrifty, Fox or Ace. Expect a multi hour line and wait, and huge sales pressure for upgrades, insurance, etc.

 

[zzyzzx]

Rental cars sold off a lot of their inventory... What could possibly go wrong???

They are going to keep their cars longer. Now every car rental place will be rent-a-wreck.

 

[Deamos]

This conversation took a turn off topic.
I have a vacation planned, only rental agency that let me book something was AVIS, everyone else showed no availability.
Extremely worried now that there won't actually be a rental car for me when I show up.

I have the same worry for a reservation I booked in March for a trip I'm taking in Mid-June. It's been confirmed and so on, however, I worry we'll show up at the rental desk and they'll just shrug and tell us we're out of luck. Guess we'll see what happens.

 

[Quattro Pete]

Just rented a car earlier this week in FL. No problems with inventory, but the rates are significantly higher than they used to. It was close to $100/day with all taxes included. Also, the rental desk was short staffed - many employees out sick with covid.

 

[Deamos]

Just rented a car earlier this week in FL. No problems with inventory, but the rates are significantly higher than they used to. It was close to $100/day with all taxes included. Also, the rental desk was short staffed - many employees out sick with covid.

Rates are through the roof right now. I booked when I did for giggles, and my normal process is to check prices as I get closer to a trip.

At my most recent check, the same rental category is about 2.5x as expensive as what my reservation price is, and that was what I'd consider a bit on the high side. Glad I reserved when I did.

Craziness. If my destination wasn't so far, I'd drive my shiny new CX-5 to where my trip is, but sadly that's not in the cards right now.

 

[Wolf359]

I have the same worry for a reservation I booked in March for a trip I'm taking in Mid-June. It's been confirmed and so on, however, I worry we'll show up at the rental desk and they'll just shrug and tell us we're out of luck. Guess we'll see what happens.

Better remember this skit so you can play it back at the counter.

 

[Falcon_LS]

If you are lucky enough to book a rental vehicle, the rates are insane. Planning a trip back in July, and while I paid $38 per day for a GMC Yukon XL with Sixt on my last trip back in 2019, the rate is now $277 per day!!! $8,310 for a rental, is this some kind of joke?!

 

[Wolf359]

If you are lucky enough to book a rental vehicle, the rates are insane. Planning a trip back in July, and while I paid $38 per day for a GMC Yukon XL with Sixt on my last trip back in 2019, the rate is now $277 per day!!! $8,310 for a rental, is this some kind of joke?!

Are you renting a car for a month? Probably cheaper to buy a car and sell it at that rate or just use a rental site like Turo or just Uber and Taxis at that rate. The reason you rent a car is that it's cheaper than taking a taxi. But not at that rate.

 

[Huie83]

This conversation took a turn off topic.
I have a vacation planned, only rental agency that let me book something was AVIS, everyone else showed no availability.
Extremely worried now that there won't actually be a rental car for me when I show up.

We just got back from vacation in AZ where we rented through National. We do the deal where you pick a car from the row and go. We arrived at 2PM and there were no cars left in the row, an older gentleman grabbed the last one as we walked up. Luckily as we were standing there someone had just returned a Rav4, we nabbed it right away...

The line for the rest of the rentals where you have to check in was between 20 and a few hundred ( yes a few hundred!) deep.

Last month in FL the rows of cars were full even during spring break so it could be location dependent.

I have heard from a friend at a large national dealer, rental agencies are clearing out used and new car lots of vehicles they can use, typically anything low mile in the rental car categories. That could explain the even lower inventory of new and used as well as the price hikes.

Glad I purchased my last vehicle in the end of 2020!

 

[Quattro Pete]

The reason you rent a car is that it's cheaper than taking a taxi. But not at that rate.

Have you taken Uber or taxi lately? Their rates have gone up significantly as well, at least around here.

 

[Wolf359]

Have you taken Uber or taxi lately? Their rates have gone up significantly as well, at least around here.

But it's probably still cheaper than $277 a day to rent a car. Normally renting a car is supposed to be cheaper than an uber/taxi. The $20 a day U Haul plus mileage is probably cheaper.

 

[Quattro Pete]

But it's probably still cheaper than $277 a day to rent a car.

Depends on distance traveled, I suppose.

 

[Falcon_LS]

Are you renting a car for a month? Probably cheaper to buy a car and sell it at that rate or just use a rental site like Turo or just Uber and Taxis at that rate. The reason you rent a car is that it's cheaper than taking a taxi. But not at that rate.

Anywhere between 3 weeks to a full month for the duration of the trip. More so than getting from A to B, I do a lot of interstate driving and put on anywhere between 10,000 - 12,500 miles; not something you can do with an Uber or a taxi. Hence the preference for a Yukon XL or a Suburban.

While there is always the option of buying a car, with an extremely busy schedule, it is a lot more convenient to rent; pick it up at the airport upon arrival, return it before departure and move on with life. Especially after a 22 hour trip across the globe! Over the years, Sixt have been great to me with both their rates and their vehicles, and I guess being a somewhat regular client every four months with a 21-30 day rental three times a year, it makes sense. Obviously last year was a very different story, but unless I absolutely have to go in July, I'm going to hold back. At least until new cars are available again, and these insane rates go down. I never paid anything close to $8,000 when you factor in all the rentals over the past four years!

 

[PandaBear]

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/arti...?utm_source=google&utm_medium=bd&cmpId=google

 

[Jarlaxle]

This conversation took a turn off topic.
I have a vacation planned, only rental agency that let me book something was AVIS, everyone else showed no availability.
Extremely worried now that there won't actually be a rental car for me when I show up.

As you should be. Make SURE you have a backup plan.