Budget Travel - Cheap minivan / car rental in Florida

My friends are flying in to Tampa and will need a car, preferably midsize. Unfortunately they cannot find a rate cheaper then $420 for 4/3/07-4/11/07.
Any suggestions how to get a cheaper rental would be appreciated.

have they tried Priceline?

Yes. No luck

i gotta tell ya, i've been trying to find a car in tpa for a week in may and i'm really surprised how expensive it is there. anyone know why that is? i'd recommend your friends do what i did--rent a car on a cancellable rate elsewhere, then keep trying priceline every few days.

fwiw, i got my cheap rental at budget through carrentals.com...i checked for your friend's dates (using 10am) and got a rate of $534, so your friends are doing better than i did. :(

Try autoeurope.com...I checked for your dates and the rate is 121.50 GBP(~ $250)...

YOUR RENTAL INCLUDES

* Booking Date : 12-Mar-2007. Airport Surcharge for rentals commencing at an airport location.
* Unlimited mileage and fire insurance. Liability Insurance for injuries or damages to persons or things outside the vehicle.
* Rental includes Collision Damage Waiver and Theft protecetion for the vehicle with Zero excess therefore client should not purchase any additional insurance at time of pick up . The local supplier may charge an excess you may reclaim this charge providing you complete an accident report form on returning your car then forward a copy to Auto Europe .



RENTAL DOES NOT INCLUDE

* Local toll, highway fees, or travel stickers which may be required by local authorities.
* Insurance coverage for personal injuries to driver or passengers. Optional coverage may be offered locally for an additional fee.
* First tank of fuel. Car should be returned as empty as possible, as no refunds are given for unused fuel.
* Overstay Fee of $10.99 USD per day in addition to the daily rental rate, in the event that rental is extended after commencement.
* Fuel - A tank of fuel must be purchased locally. Customer should return the vehicle as empty as possible.


I have used them earlier and had no problems...whatsoever....

My friends are flying in to Tampa and will need a car, preferably midsize. Unfortunately they cannot find a rate cheaper then $420 for 4/3/07-4/11/07.
Any suggestions how to get a cheaper rental would be appreciated.
Try Carhire3000 (www.carhire3000.com). It's a UK based company.

For dates in question they quote UK£123 (about US$250) for a Chevrolet Cobalt and about US$350 for a Dodge Charger

wow, iamanil and farci, thanks for the tip.

carhire3000 cut the price for my dates by HALF!!!

a couple of questions:

i couldn't find the u.s. in autoeurope's drop down menu...was i missing something?

any knowledge if use by us citizens (vs uk) causes problems?

also, i note that you have to pay a deposit up front...farci, i'm assuming you've used the service before, and had no issues? thanks!

wow, iamanil and farci, thanks for the tip.

carhire3000 cut the price for my dates by HALF!!!

a couple of questions:

i couldn't find the u.s. in autoeurope's drop down menu...was i missing something?

any knowledge if use by us citizens (vs uk) causes problems?

also, i note that you have to pay a deposit up front...farci, i'm assuming you've used the service before, and had no issues? thanks!
I have had very good experiences with Carhire3000 including their customer service which is excellent. There's even an '800' number from USA.

Re deposits I can't advise. They claim 'no cancellation fees' and indeed I have previously done so without charge.

Concerning US vs UK citizens I can't imagine your money is worth less than us Brits, unless the credit card address makes a difference.

Call them free before confirming the reservation - I would be interested in your feedback

be sure to have something reserved, as I have come into TPA and found no cars especially this time of year. It may be better to pick up your car at an off airport location via a short cab ride, such as to Clearwater or St. Pete beaches if that's your destination.You should be able to find cheaper rates also, just check. While the off airport locations may not have a huge choice, they do keep a fair amount of cars at their locations.

Thanks everyone for your suggestions. I forwarded them to my friends. I think they might consider what Tigerpaw580 suggested. Take a cab and rebt elsewhere. They kind of want to stay awayy from a pre-paid car rebtal.

PS What is going on in Tampa this time of the year?

You should be able to find cheaper rates also, just check.

Not to mention those obscene airport taxes that a lot of cities levy to pay for their sport stadiums.

And if there's a larger group taxi may be the way to go, otherwise a lot of places have Super Shuttle or a similiar company that will also take you to your destination.

EmailKid

not sure if your friends are still looking, TAHKUCT, but i got an email from dollar with a promo code KISSE that got me the same cheap--yet cancellable--rate i was getting from carhire3000.

it's specifically with dollar rent-a-car for rentals in florida.

This is considered peak "spring break" and spring travel season for Florida, and the cars are scarce.It does let up some as of the 1st of April,but if you have a flexible schedule May and September is best for visiting Florida.Even the theme parks are easier to deal with.Native Floridians like me try to visit Disney and the like then (well, plus we get a Florida resident discount then too on certain dates at Disney, Universal, etc.)

I think the standard guru advice is to try the neighborhood car rentals first and, if all else fails, consider truck renters that serve the moving market. Though it may not work as well in April as around Christmas.

This may not help as to specific dates, but I got a fair rate for a week (5 days) from a St.Petersburg Budget rent-a car office for a Ford Focus.I tried to recheck just now but couldn't get the site to give me an answer as to rates.You might be able to get that rate at TPA airport and I have heard from others that the Dollar/Thrifty just off the airport sites have good rates, they have mostly Hyundais and Kias.

not sure if your friends are still looking, TAHKUCT, but i got an email from dollar with a promo code KISSE that got me the same cheap--yet cancellable--rate i was getting from carhire3000.

it's specifically with dollar rent-a-car for rentals in florida.

Thanks Karenkay. They just booked using Dollar for $220. However could not use a coupon, coupon rate was sold out.

My friends are flying in to Tampa and will need a car, preferably midsize. Unfortunately they cannot find a rate cheaper then $420 for 4/3/07-4/11/07.
Any suggestions how to get a cheaper rental would be appreciated.

Have you checked this? http://www.cheap-car-rental.com/usa_index.asp Generally they provide very good price!

I am going to Orlando in May, and man, those minivans are expensive

I got a deal with Alamo for a SUV for $200 for 6 days, but I really wanted a minivan, but those are in the $300-$400 range :eek:

I "should" be getting a couple coupons for free rentals at thrifty, but I doubt they will get here in time, they take forever :rolleyes:

Anobody know of a good deal for a minivan?

I am going to Orlando in May, and man, those minivans are expensive

jfe,

we already have a Florida car rental going, so I am merging your thread with that one. There are some good suggestions there, hopefully they are useful, or someone will add specific minivan recommendations.

Thanks for understnding !

EmailKid
Budget Travel Moderator