LAX Los Angeles Convertible Alamo

[benzb]

Hi,

First time bidding on a car through Priceline. I see a couple recent wins of convertibles at LAX for mid-20s, but the Hotwire rate for my dates (June 17 4pm to June 21 3pm) is $56 and when I enter any priceline bid under $41, a page pops up that says the offer is so bar below current retail rates it has no chance of being accepted - then it suggests that I bid $51 (good chance) or $53 (great chance).

My question is: do I start my bidding in the 20's, 30's or 40's?

Thanks!

[thereuare]

You should ignore the low chance / no change 'warning' message... although realistically you're likely looking closer to $50 than $25.

With one week to go before your rental the first thing i'd do is book a refundable back-up. Then assuming you'll have 7 bidding opportunities between now and your trip, i'd use the following bids, trying every 24 hours:

$35, $38, $40, $43, $45, $48, $50

Any questions feel free to ask.

Please use the PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links on the board to begin your travel purchases.

Good luck and let us know how it goes... keep us updated as to your progress.

[benzb]

Thanks for the detailed reply. Tried $35 this morning and was not successful but the follow up page proclaimed that the deal could be done for $48. As with Priceline suggestions for hotels, I imagine a bid lower than this may work so we'll bid again tomorrow.

[thereuare]

Since your rental begins soon, and rates can change quick so close to commencement dates, given the counter-offer you may want to consider making your next bids $40 and then $45 in hopes of getting closer to $48 faster... depending upon how much a $48 bid saves you vs. your back-up rental and your temperament should you move in slower dollar amounts only to find the $48 rate no longer available 3 days from now.

Please remember to start your bids with the links on the board, and not from any links in an email that PRICELINE may send over the next few days informing you that you are eligible to bid again.

Thanks for the update and good luck with your next round of bidding.

[benzb]

Took your advice to heart so I bid $42 which was not accepted. I had my brother try and he bid $45 (total $250) and was accepted by Alamo.

Happy with the savings though they don't come close to approaching the drastic savings we have all come to expect using PRICELINE for hotels. (Straight rental through Alamo would have been $300 and Alamo prepay would have been $270. HOTWIRE was showing $315 after taxes+fees.)

Used the PRICELINE link rather than the "try again" button on the priceline email, thanks again for the help!

[thereuare]

Congratulations on your success!

While the the discounts we often see with hotels, glad to see you saved some money on this rental and that you're happy with the results.

Thank you for sharing your win and using the PRICELINE links on the board to begin your bidding.

Have a great trip and don't forget the sunscreen when you're driving with the top down. :)