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Car hire in the US

 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
Do any fellow snowHeads have access to any US car hire deals that I can tap into or any recommendations re rental companies etc?

Looking to hire a 4WD (preferably a SUV) from Salt Lake City airport (or v.close to) for a 10 day or two week hire depending upon whether we get the SLC/Snowbird shuttle to & from the airport - although the cost/hassle of the shuttle for four will probably mean it's best to hire for the two weeks.
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 Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
spyderjon, I would still use FleetEurope/Holiday Autos as previously discussed on other car hire threads. They use Alamo/Dollar almost exclusively in the US.

http://www.fleeteurope.co.uk/main.aspx?page=wwh

If you are flying BA try the BAHolidays site and you should check ebookers as well. If you direct to the companies themselves , use the US sites but beware they have all the 'add-ons' , few do 'All Inclusive', it just isn't a US-thing.
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 Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
spyderjon,

Booked a cheap SUV with the airline network last year in san fran which seemed cheaper than most other companies and didn't have any addded extras as all were included. I think it cost about £250 for 10days, granted it was a compact SUV (Jeep Cherokee)
snowHead
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acanno, eEvans, Thanks for the info, I'll check them out.
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 Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
I'll echo acanno's recommendation for airline network. Used them a couple of times - very cheap. Think I paid less than £140 for 6 days hire of an SUV, including all insurance and a full tank of fuel. I think they exclusively use Dollar. They also don't charge any one-way drop off fees between any destinations in Nevada and California, but not sure about Utah (I picked up in San Fran and dropped off in Reno, also picked up in LA and dropped off in SF).
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Another recommendation for Airline Network for car hire in the US, although I have only hired economy class vehicles, not SUVs. Their inclusive deals e.g platinum cover, are well worth taking out - it includes CDW, extra liability cover, 2nd driver, free tank of gas, local taxes etc
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 Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
I've also used Airline Network after comparing rates with several different companies.

As an alternative to getting an inclusive package with all the insurances, you might find that getting an annual policy which covers you for CDW and SLI might be a cheaper option, especially if you plan on visiting the US more than once within 12 months. My travel insurance policy provides this cover, and I think you can buy a seperate annual policy for £99. I'll look up the details if you're interested.
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 After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
£425 for 14 days denver to denver Full size SUV incl second driver over 25. on Airline Network

sounds ok ?
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I called Airline Network. Excellent service I must say. Although there's a 'Dollar' depot at SLC they unfortunately can't offer anything bigger than a 4 door saloon. With 4 of us plus all our gear we're gonna need something bigger.
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OK. Have you tried holidayautos.co.uk? Note sure when you're going, but I've just checked 10 - 20 March, and they can do a Chevy Blazer for between £340 and £400 (depending on what insurance options you want).
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
Here's what I do: start with a car rental search on a travel website like www.travelocity.com or www.expedia.com It will give you cost comparisons between about five car rental/hire companies and may have a deal you will find acceptable. You can reserve the car and date with a credit card and easily cancel at no cost very close to pick-up time if you find a better deal. To look for better deals select a few car rental companies from the list generated by your travelocity query and go direct to their individual websites such as www.dollar.com or www.alamo.com and plug in your city and dates. They may offer an even better deal than travelocity. Good luck. SUVs can sometimes cost double the price of a midsize sedan, but that might not be much of a factor if 4 adults are contributing to the cost.
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 And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
If you rent an SUV, be careful on your drive from SLC to the hills. When I visited Park City, I got a shuttle from SLC airport, and our driver had a fund of entertaining stories about the frequency with which rented SUVs spun off the highway. - Apparently a combination of drivers unused to winter conditions and the high centre of gravity of these vehicles. Shock
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 So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
Anyone got experience of carhire3000.com?
They seem to give the best rates for USA, but the sceptic in me is worried as there are no "big names" mentioned.
CW
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 You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
Acacia, nothing to do with crap design of american suv's in comparison with our landys ??
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 Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
spyderjon, don't forget to call your airline and have them put you through to their rental car partners. It may just be your best deal. I have done this several times.
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 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
JohnnyC, good call.
spyderjon, it's United.

Just did a quick check through them using Budget, and it came up with $1124 for a Jeep Cherokee.
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 Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
With Avis, it gave £439.20 for a Chevvy Trailblazer
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 Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
its bit cheeper with dollar i found
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I don't mind driving a saloon/hatch provided I've got chains in the boot but got burnt by Holiday Autos last year - they used Alamo in SFO who had a no chains policy - ridiculous when HA were advertising them as ski car rentals. Anyone know of any other rental companies who have a no chains policy, Dollar rented them with the cars last time I used them so I'm inclined to go with them but phoning the company direct is no help as the reservations clerks in Dallas or Croydon or whereever have no idea.
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 Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Royal wrote:
Acacia, nothing to do with crap design of american suv's in comparison with our landys ??


this from the guy who tells me it's his dream to drive a chevy 4wd in the rocky mountains?

no royal.....it's the tourist behind the wheel on a 11k mountain pass road in a blizzard who thinks 4wd makes him emerson fittapaldi.

the problem with tourists in the rental cars involves a few factors.

1. the rental cars are equipped with oem all season tires that often are nearing the end of their lifespan. anyone living in the mountains puts four new snowtires on 4wd vehicles every winter. oem tires on rental cars aren't particularly good.

2. imho the biggest cause of surprise/accidents are rapidly changing road conditions. i drove berthoud pass four times in the last two days. the pass got two feet of snow and it has blown for two days in near zero temps at night. withen a half mile it could go from dry pavement, to slush, to frozen hardpack. all depending upon wind, sun, where the magnesium chloride had worked, etc.

4wd or awd is great to pull a vehicle out of a hole, going uphill, in axle deep snow. it does little to help in curves or downhill.
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Rusty, youve got a memory like an elephant, i did have to look up fittapaldi on google though!

Yes, im very much looking forward to driving in the rockies, is it true you guys dont grit the roads with rock salt when it snows ??

I drove a hummer about 5 years ago with the USMC and managed to get it stuck in the sand where my landrover would never have got stuck, when we tried to tow it out the halfshaft snapped and lost all traction to the wheels !

You cant beat a landy, although its a bit agricultural inside.

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 Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Well our SUV is now booked. Slight problem in that only a few of the SLC car hire branches offer SUV's so there wasn't much to compare in the end & all of their prices were around $1100 when the 'extras' were included & the dreaded state tax (that's never included in their initial offerings) was added Mad .

eEvans, many thanks for link to Holiday Autos via FleetEurope. This gave us a saving of nearly 30% compared to booking via Holiday Autos direct site.
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 After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
Don't get a Chevvy BLAZER or TRAILBLAZER they are one of the worst cars i have ever driven..................complete bobbins!!!
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 You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
Royal wrote:

Yes, im very much looking forward to driving in the rockies, is it true you guys dont grit the roads with rock salt when it snows ??

I drove a hummer about 5 years ago with the USMC and managed to get it stuck in the sand where my landrover would never have got stuck, when we tried to tow it out the halfshaft snapped and lost all traction to the wheels !

You cant beat a landy, although its a bit agricultural inside.



my dream is to someday own a british racing green land rover.

the roads get treated. it's an interesting situation. i will preface what i say with it may well be myth. the skiing powers seem to mandate that Interstate 70 from denver to summit county be clear. this isn't the only place in the state where a liquid is used, however, it's the only interstate highway i know of. as soon as it starts to precipitate, liquid mag chloride is applied. it is "supposed" to prclude snow piling up on the road. sometimes it works and sometimes not.

the mountain passes are treated with a sand like mixture that has an ice melt component to it. if the temps aren't too low it will work. if it is really cold it provides a little traction and that is about it.

the rule i use is to treat the surface as though it's glare ice. speaking of ice, there actually is a winter driving school in steamboat that is fairly well known.
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