JFK NYC Minivan Budget

[atra79]

Hi,

I need help in bidding for a minivan in JFK with the following start and end dates -

Start - 07/20 11..00am

End - 07/24 08:30am

Car Type - Minivan

Hotwire price is $378.31 which turns out to be $95/day

I tried with various bids on priceline starting from

$35

$40

$45

$50

$55

$60

Non of the bids were accepted. With $60 bid I got this message -

" Currently there is no availability for the car type you selected."

Please guide with this bid. Is LGA an option to think of? My flight is for JFK.

Thanks,

[thereuare]

Is that $95 before taxes and fees?

Using our Car Rental Checker what is the best rate you're able to find on a Minivan (and from which company)

Where is your first stop (after picking up the minivan) on this trip... i'm assuming you're staying in Manhattan.

[atra79]

$95 is after taxes on hotwire..

From Car Rental checker, I could see the cheapest rental from Budget with 102/day with total $513.91

I am planning to go to Niagara falls from JFK....

Please help.

THanks,

[thereuare]

One issue you may have is that although cars some with "unlimited milage"... not all car rental companies will allow you to take the car out of a given vicinity. Taking the car to Niagara Falls (and more so if you're crossing the border to the Canadian side) may violate your car rental agreement. Some car rentals companies now install GPS tracking systems in their cars to watch for this and you can get a hefty bill upon your return. Not sure if traveling to Niagara Falls would be an issue from JFK, but i would certainly call a few of the 'major' rental companies to see if this would be allowed on a rental before proceeding further with the opaque suppliers.

[atra79]

Thanks.. however I am not planning to go to Canadian side..

I think Enterprise has got limited mileage... However they provide unlimited mileage in tri-state area - NJ, NY and CT.. hoping it will work fine..

However I am not able to get anything even with $62.. Am I bidding less? Please suggest..

[thereuare]

You can go up to about $70 and still be under HOTWIRE's price.

While priceline is usually a little cheaper than HOTWIRE, it's not always the case, and the statement is more appropriate for hotels... less so for a car rental.

Why not just raise your bid closer to the $70 mark to see if you can beat the hotwire rate, if not, just take the HOTWIRE offer which is still $125 less than your next best alternative.

[atra79]

Tried $65, $70..

Finally $71 was accepted. Total $379.72 - Budget Minivan

Hotwire price was $74.51 Total $382.31

Saved only $2.59 over hotwire.. However Budget website total is $513.91 thereby saving $134.19

Thanks for your help..

I used Savingsbarn.com link..

Thanks

[thereuare]

Congratualtions on your success!

You did save ~25% vs. a traditional booking... so not too bad for this area.

Glad you got it settled... now to take care of the rest of the trip planning!

Thanks for using the PRICELINE links at SavingsBarn.com to begin your bidding.

Have a great trip.