IAH Houston Standard Enterprise

[dddhotelll]

Hi I just booked a hotel in Houston using the PRICELINE link from this website. Now I'd like to add a car rental during my stay. Priceline gave me the following rates, 21 per day for mid-size, 23 for economy, 26 compact, 27 standard, and 28 full-size. I'm wondering if those are good prices or by bidding I can get better off. Never bid for car rental before so I'd really appreciate your suggestions! We are two people and don't have much luggage. What size of car do you think will be of best value to us? Thanks!

[dddhotelll]

we will pick up and drop off the car at IAH airport.

[thereuare]

You can probably do better by bidding, and usually rental agencies have the most inventory for compact and economy cars, so this is often where the best value lies... but it becomes a question if you're happy driving an economy/compact vehicle for a week. Some people just want to spend a little more and drive a nicer vehicle (that they might otherwise not be able to afford to purchase for their driveway) while on vacation... others just view a rental car as transportation for the week and want the least expensive (even if they'd never purchase this type of car as their 'daily driver' at home).

Let us know your thoughts and which car class(es) you'd like to try for, and your maximum bid at each class, and we'll advise accordingly.

Thanks for using the PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links on the board.

[dddhotelll]

thereuare, thanks a lot for your reply. I'm interested in a compact car. Do you think 15 per day can be a reasonable bid or should I go higher or lower from there? Thanks.

[thereuare]

I would start at $13/day and then every 24 hours add $2 to the previous bid (so $15, $17, $19, $21) with $21 being your maximum bid after 5 days of bidding.

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

Any questions feel free to ask.

[dddhotelll]

thanks for the advice. I tried $13 yesterday but was rejected. I will try to bid at $15 today. I have a question, is insurance included in the final price? If not, how much does it cost?

[thereuare]

No, insurance is not included in your bid price (which can easily cost as much as you're currently bidding) and can be bought directly from the car rental company when you pick up the vehicle.

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

Keep us updated on your progress and let us know if we can be of further help along the way.

[dddhotelll]

When I started to look for this rental, I was using priceline and received many advices from thereuare. However they refused my bid at $15 today and proposed $19 for a compact car. I just checked on hotwire, the list price for compact is $15.99, a better deal! Also they have a "special car" (Compact size or larger but priced low like a compact** ) at $18. I'm wondering what that is. Is it worth the money in your opinion? And also what kind of "location" will be the most convenient? Counter in airport; Shuttle to car, or On Airport - Shuttle to Vendor? My flight arrives at 11am and departs at 9am. Thank you again for this great forum!

[thereuare]

Please keep all posts for the same stay in the same thread.

'Counter in Airport' is almost always the most convenient.

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

Let us know what you ultimately decide for this trip.

[dddhotelll]

FINALLY BOOKED! The price on hotwire today is crazy! I got a standard car at:

Car daily rate: $14.33

Rental days: 7

Estimated taxes and fees: $81.54

Estimated subtotal: $181.82

It's from enterprise, On Airport - Shuttle to Vendor

[thereuare]

Congratulations on your success!

Glad to see you received a great deal on this rental and are pleased with the results.

Thank you for sharing your results and using the HOTWIRE links on the board to begin your purchase.

Have a great trip!