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SLC $55 SUV Alamo 8/16 - 8/20


thereuare
By thereuare,
in

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Relative needed an SUV for an upcoming trip and asked for help, although he's not the type to care about saving a few dollars here and there. He doesn't mind paying full boat and is looking for the fewest inconveniences as possible (so i cautiously agreed to help). As well, he's admittedly not computer literate, although he's definately trying.

Only wanted an SUV and best rate i could find was 3 rental companies in the $58-$59 range, with the rest in the mid-$70s. Only problem is that they needed unliimited miles, and the $58 and $59 rates were limited to 150 miles per day. Couldn't risk using an internet coupon/code with him because if he was asked for any identification, membership, or anything along those lines, he wouldn't handle it too well (notice the above about wanting the fewest inconveniences).

Checked Hotwire who had an offering at $58 so figured that would be fine, even with their fee, since it would provide unlimited milage. While on the phone i walked him thru the process, starting at SavingsBarn.com, and when he got to the Hotwire screen it read $64/day (even though minutes earlier i had pulled it up at $58!!!) I told him to forget it and try the search again later.

On a chance i directed him back to SavingsBarn and directed him thru a priceline rental car screen. I took a stab at $55 based upon Hotwire's previous rate and the fact that i knew my relative's patience would be wearing thin at this point and he wouldn't want to ever try the process again (ie- i had one shot at it). He was accepted at $55 with Alamo for an SUV. Ended up saving about $25 net plus gets unlimited milage. He was quite pleased.

Only thing that worries me is that Alamo shows they're sold-out for that vehicle type when i called them on the phone and when i checked their website, so i really hope it goes smoothly for him.

Any comments are welcomed.

Please use this HOTWIRE and these PRICELINE LINKS: HOTELS, CAR RENTALS, and AIRFARE to begin your travel purchases

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I last flew and rented in SLC about 2.5 years ago (a year before the Olympics) and also rented from AL. They put me into an Isuzu Rodeo even though I had a regular mid-size car (it was January and snowing and I had a 60 mile drive so I was grateful). I did see lots of SUVs in the garage. Again , this was 2+ years ago.

IIRC, Alamo and the other rental car companies are in a common rental facility and garage that you can walk to from baggage claim (I think that the facility was built in preparatrion for the Olympics) so at leadst he won't have to wait for a shuttle bus.

As someone posted in another thread, AL and ZL (National) have merged their fleets and facilities in many cities, I'm not sure if SLC is one of them, but if so, maybe there will be a larger pool of SUVs to draw from.

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Only thing that worries me is that Alamo shows they're sold-out for that vehicle type when i called them on the phone and when i checked their website, so i really hope it goes smoothly for him.

Similar to hotels, no matter how you make the reservation, you cannot absolutely be guaranteed to get exactly what you requested. :)

A lot of it is just timing... someone else may return their vehicle late or be involved in an accident, a whole bunch of vehicles may come back at the same time and still require cleaning, etc.

Our experiences with Alamo and Priceline (in California and Florida) have been very positive. And any time a car rental company has had problems providing the vehicle we requested, they have usually worked really hard to make us happy and find an acceptable alternative. (Except San Jose, CA - where ALL the car rental companies could be really flakey at times, but that was a few years back in the high-tech boom when things were really crazy there)

Your relative is so specific in his vehicle type, though... if I were him, I would probably call a day or two ahead to the actual SLC rental office and inquire about the reservation and any potential issues (is he arriving late in the evening or anything?). He will probably not have any problems, but if he really wants a SUV, it is best to check ahead and confirm the reservation details and also think about what might be an acceptable alternative, just in case.... sometimes, they will offer you a temporary vehicle for one day or a part of a day, until they can provide the one you really want. But I have picked up reserved cars with no problem, even after they show being sold out.

Too bad you didn't have a bit more time to play with bids, that rate sounds a bit high. But then you saved him some money and he's happy, so that's the main thing, right? :)

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Thanks for the feedback/comments.

I chose that amount because of the chatter that the savings with Rental Cars aren't that great, Hotwire's price was $58 (and then jumped to $64 when he was ready to book), and all the other sources indicate rates of $58-$75. If the direct/Orbitz booking was unlimited milage i probably wouldn't even had trird Priceline/Hotwire.

I had no idea what an SUV would cost for the day, and was a little surprised at the price, but i guess that's the going rate since that's the cheapest i was able to pull up thru a variety of sources. What really blew me away was the taxes and fees (airport rental car fees i presume, not the $5.95 Priceline fee) amounted to about 30%!!!!

Please use this HOTWIRE and these PRICELINE LINKS: HOTELS, CAR RENTALS, and AIRFARE to begin your travel purchases

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