Uhaul, Budget, or Penske

[Nick1994]

My great-aunt is moving to San Diego from Phoenix within the next 6 months. I'll be moving her in a moving truck and towing her 2006 Hyundai Sonata. I'd prefer to tow it on a car hauler and not a dolly. The drive is very flat but there is one big hill climb.

Which of the trucks is the best to rent? I know Uhaul is gas trucks and Penske is diesel, I want to rent the largest truck they have. Uhaul and Penske is 26' and Budget is 24'. I rented a 26' Penske before and it was a nice new truck but was the slowest thing imaginable, which isn't that big of a deal. One thing I noticed is the Penske trucks seem bigger, I think Uhaul's measurements include the overhang over the cab and Penske doesn't have that. Not sure about the measurements though.

Are Budget trucks gas or diesel?

What's the gas mileage difference between the gas and diesel?

Uhaul is $273 plus tax
Budget is $262 plus tax
Penske is $363 plus tax

 

[UNC017]

Can't address your specifics about mileage, but in my experience Penske trucks are the best-maintained of the ones you mention, U-haul probably the worst, though I have no direct experience with Budget. My brother-in-law and sis-in-law recently rented a Budget and drove it from El Paso to Austin. It made it, but the A/C barely worked and the tires were a little sketchy. A co-worker and I once got a U-haul rental that had such a big exhaust leak that we refused it before we got a half mile. Never had an issue with a Penske.

 

[Ramblejam]

Originally Posted By: 440Magnum
Never had an issue with a Penske.


Agree. Rented the DuraStar/DT diesel (26') a few times, and never had an issue. However, they were completely gutless with a car in tow, incredibly noisy, governed too slow, and rode especially rough.

With U-Haul, you never know what you're getting. With that said, I lucked out with a newer GMC medium duty/8.1L big block (26'), and found it considerably more pleasant to not only drive, but load as well (floor is significantly lower than Penske). If you can pick your truck out, I'd have no qualms recommending U-Haul.

 

[Oldmoparguy1]

I had 1 experience with Uhaul. It was terrible! Given the choice, I'd go with Penske.

 

[Cadenza]

I've moved my kids and nephews and nieces a lot and from I have deliberately chosen Penske several times just to avoid the grubbiness of the other two. U-haul in a big city can really put you off your kibble.

 

[Yah-Tah-Hey]

The last U Haul I used had to be towed into Grand Island,Nebraska after the vacuum pump bracket broke the belt got tangled up with the other belts. No vacuum pump, just enough braking to get the pos stopped and hello tow truck. Two days for local International shop to get a new bracket. Turned the pos in at Columbus and the guy told me those brackets were so trouble prone that the local International shop carried them. Ryder was the best rental truck I ever used but their dealers are few and far between.And let me add that taking a 24' U Haul down the west side of Rabbit Ears Pass will have you remembering every prayer the sisters ever taught you.

 

[Chris142]

Figure 8 mpg with gas and 10 with diesel. Hardly enough difference so dont base your decision on that

 

[mclasser]

I've used both Penske and U-Haul in the past. Penske had better rates and a nicer truck.

Make sure you ask your insurance company what coverage (if any) they give you on rental trucks. In my case, it was nothing so I had to buy insurance from Penske.

 

[wildcatswo]

I admit having a bit of a vendetta with U-Haul. Back in the Spring of 2014, the pregnant wife and I were making plans to move back to the U.S. I checked U-Haul's website and confirmed that I could use a four-wheel dolly to tow my wife's vehicle from Michigan to Texas without issue. My truck owner's manual was good with it too. Lo and behold, they change the policy practically while we're flying back to the U.S. Now my 9-mo pregnant wife is driving the CR-V on a cross-country trip with me in the Tacoma.

Why the policy change? Because U-Haul was apparently letting people tow Tundras with Priuses (not literally, but you know what I mean) and getting themselves sued constantly. And indeed, my wife ended up getting in a minor accident on said trip.

Moral of the story: Lawyers ruin everything.

 

[Inspecktor]

I have had good luck with Budget and Penske. Helped In-laws move from Washington state to Oklahoma several years ago. He had a 24 foot big block GMC. The gas engine was more than up to the task, plus much quieter than a diesel.

 

[The_Jeff]

Uhaul trucks are awful. Their tow dollys are actually quite good. I'd look around CL for a gently used dolly though for $500 that you could resell at your destination. A car on dolly will turn better than a dual axle trailer that scrubs, and on a 24 foot truck you won't even feel it back there.

 

[Ramblejam]

Originally Posted By: eljefino
Uhaul trucks are awful.


You should know better than to speak in absolutes.

 

[Donald]

Originally Posted By: Nick1994
My great-aunt is moving to San Diego from Phoenix within the next 6 months. I'll be moving her in a moving truck and towing her 2006 Hyundai Sonata. I'd prefer to tow it on a car hauler and not a dolly. The drive is very flat but there is one big hill climb.

Which of the trucks is the best to rent? I know Uhaul is gas trucks and Penske is diesel, I want to rent the largest truck they have. Uhaul and Penske is 26' and Budget is 24'. I rented a 26' Penske before and it was a nice new truck but was the slowest thing imaginable, which isn't that big of a deal. One thing I noticed is the Penske trucks seem bigger, I think Uhaul's measurements include the overhang over the cab and Penske doesn't have that. Not sure about the measurements though.

Are Budget trucks gas or diesel?

What's the gas mileage difference between the gas and diesel?

Uhaul is $273 plus tax
Budget is $262 plus tax
Penske is $363 plus tax


Uhaul trucks are poorly maintained and when I rented one a few years ago, one the morning of the rental they told me where the truck was and it was 45 minutes from a local Uhaul. They do not move the trucks for customers.

I would go for a well maintained truck even if its $50 more.

 

[Donald]

Uhaul often puts a handtruck with blankets in the back of the truck attached with a tag you can tear off and then pay extra for the handtruck and blankets. If you do not want to use it its in your way and takes up space. Buy a handtruck and moving blankets at HF if you need them. HF moving blankets are much metter than Uhaul ones.

 

[JTK]

Originally Posted By: Chris142
Figure 8 mpg with gas and 10 with diesel. Hardly enough difference so dont base your decision on that


Agreed. Figure on 8-10mpg at best for either. You could get a roach coach of a truck from any of them.

 

[Joe_Power]

Ryder

 

[splinter]

I choose Penske. 'The Captain' runs a tight ship and hires competent and engaged personnel.
What with all the challenges involved with relocation a few extra dollars for minimizing rental hassles is money well spent imho.

It's telling rental firms often charge more for one-way vehicles destined out of California than those headed into California.

Nevertheless, San Diego is a beautiful area so do plan to cool your heels here for at least a few days after all the heavy lifting!

 

[The_Jeff]

Originally Posted By: Donald


Uhaul trucks are poorly maintained and when I rented one a few years ago, one the morning of the rental they told me where the truck was and it was 45 minutes from a local Uhaul. They do not move the trucks for customers.


Availability of Uhauls is not what their website indicates it to be. I suspect the affiliates do cash rentals and don't put the reservation through the Uhaul system unless there's a problem, and then they can back-date it.

Wife and I went through this renting a Uhaul we thought we had reserved in our names.

A truck I rented in the Northeast had Arizona fleet plates and no apparent state inspection. Its steering was massively sloppy, making me glad I wasn't on any windy bridges.

 

[bladecutter]

I've used all three, but U-Haul many more times than Penske or Ryder.

If you can, rent from the largest U-Haul location nearby, as that will give you the best selection of trucks and trailers to look over, before accepting the vehicle. Make sure you test drive it, and inspect the tires before signing the contract. If they give you any lip, just tell them that the last time you rented, it broke down on you, and you're trying to prevent that from happening again.

Always grab the newest truck in their fleet, if at all possible.
Just look at the door jams to inspect the built date sticker.

And one last thing - if the truck has over 50k miles on it, it might be worthwhile to dump a bottle or two of Techron Fuel System Cleaner into the tank before you start your trip. I had a Ryder truck that I was using on a move from Denver to NYC back in '98, and the truck had a noticeable miss when I picked it up. A couple bottles of cleaner, and it was running real good a couple hours into the first leg, and was running like a new truck by the time the 1800 mile trip was finished. Fuel mileage increased quite a bit after the first tank, too.

BC.

 

[Dave Sherman]

I've used U-haul a couple of times. Last time was with a 17' truck with no working running lights. Headlights OK, and signals worked, but that was it. When I turned it in and called their attention to the lights being out they did not seem overly concerned that it wasn't really street legal.