Other Car Rental Programs/Partners (ie. Alamo, Enterprise, Sixt) - Enterprise in California

I know last time I looked into renting a car from Enterprise in California there were more restrictions that I could dream of. However its time again for me to make two rentals in Cali one in LA and one in SF and I was hoping to get some more info before I call Enterprise.


I've decided to rent the car from a non-airport Enterprise because of the price. The Glendale enterprise has a pick-up (I can't believe I'm renting a pick up) for $19 all in while the BUR: Bob Hope Airport in Burbank starts at $80+ for an econobox.


Question:

1. I know they advertise "we'll pick you up" can I have them pick me up from the Metro station? I know they won't go to the airport 10 miles away, but maybe a Metro station or the Galleria 1 mile up the street is doable?


2. Can I drop off this vehicle at another location (non-airport I assume) closer to LAX since i"ll be flying out of there the following day?


I will follow a similar scenario in San Francisco... I booked another pick up at a neighborhood location not too far from a BART stop, $29 all in for 3 days (versus SFO charging $92+ for econobox) I'd like to call them too to pick me up or maybe I'll just walk the extra mile.


And I would like to drop that pick up off at a location closer to OAK on the other side of the bay. Although since that drop off will be on a Saturday I'll have to make it by 12 noon... which I guess doesn't really matter whether its OAK or SFO as I'll still have some time to kill sightseeing before taking a 10pm flight and I understand I could take the train right to the airport (between SFO and OAK).


Your advise is always valuable so please chime in.

thanks,
--Russ

They should pick you up - their reps hate it but they will do it.

Enterprise generally don't do one ways but there are exceptions:

Renting in California
If you are picking up your rental vehicle in California, you may return it to select locations throughout the state of California. To reserve your next Enterprise one-way, call (866)-207-8836.

Certain restrictions apply.

You may be limited on where you can drop off and you can't book online.

yup, I saw the same disclaimer.

the good thing is the neighborhood enterprise I'm picking up from is about two blocks from the train station... unfortunately if I return it in Glendale at 7:45am... take the train to Union Station, then take the Flyaway bus to LAX I may not have enough time to grab a burger at the LAX In-N-Out... not sure if I'll be in the mood for a burger at 9am, or if they're even open that early, but I really wanted to do this on my next trip to LA... oh well!

--Russ

...I may not have enough time to grab a burger at the LAX In-N-Out... not sure if I'll be in the mood for a burger at 9am, or if they're even open that early, but I really wanted to do this on my next trip to LA...

All In-N-Out's are open 1030AM-1AM per their website. There are dozens of locations in the LA area. http://www.in-n-out.com/location_details.asp?id=117

All In-N-Out's are open 1030AM-1AM per their website. There are dozens of locations in the LA area. http://www.in-n-out.com/location_details.asp?id=117

just saw that too while checking out the web site... the good news is maybe I'll get some midnight munchies but I'm not sure how close to LAX I'll actually be... yes I know there's tons of In-n-Outs on the west coast, but the LAX location is famous on FT.





I got a different question about San Francisco Neighborhood (downtown) Enterprise. I've changed my reservation for a small pick up from the San Bruno, CA location which is one BART stop from SFO to a downtown San Francisco location near the Civic Center BART stop because the price was right... $19 all in per day vs. $29 all in at the previous place.



But after checking out Google Satellite Maps and Live Bird's Eye views, I'm a bit sckeptical about their selection. One thing that stands out at both of the above locations is they have no lot of vehicles outside of their buildings. In fact both the buildings look like residential properties without even a parking garage nearby. So where do they keep the cars?


I'm kind of spoiled by the airport locations and being able to choose a different car if I don't like what they give me, with the neighborhood edition I might have no choice in this matter.


--Russ

I'm starting to get a little paranoid about the condition of the car or truck.


Since I will be renting a "pick up truck" from both a neighborhood location in Los Angeles and San Francisco area, what sort of condition should I expect this vehicle to be?


I only ask because I am concerned that since its a pick up, its probably mostly used in a utilitarian manner and therefore might resemble a beat up piece of junk like a U-haul or a Home Depot rental.


I hope I'm wrong, but it would absolutely suck if my truck has worn out seats, broken interior bits, scuffed up exterior and dog hairs on the seats.

--Russ

Why did you book a pick-up in particular? Was it cheaper than regular cars? Oh, and watch that your credit card covers pick-ups should you be using it for insurance.

As far as condition my experience is that Enterprise has more like crew cab Colorados that are more for people with some extra luggage rather than hard use. That said Enterprise seems to re-fleet the least often of most agenices so expect something with a few more miles on it than normal, especiall at an off-airport.

That's my rambling 2AM two cents worth...best of luck :D

Just to be on the safe side, you might also want to verify that the rate includes unlimited miles, or at least enough miles for what you plan to drive.

the Los Angeles area Enterprise has about 100 or 150 mile limit, which shouldn't be a problem as I anticipate to stay strictly in the Hollywood area, unless I go to meet my friend for dinner at the Bear Pit BBQ http://bearpitbbq.com in Mission Hills. (or go to an In-N-Out somewhere near LAX)


the San Francisco location has unlimited miles and I plan to put about 300 to 400 miles on it driving up to Williams, CA and back.


I've had better luck with renting cars an Enterprise than with Hertz in getting a vehicle that I liked, so I'm not too worried about that, I just don't want a total junk.


I do expect to decline extra coverage and use my AMEX card instead.

--Russ