Chicago Downtown (203 N. LaSalle)
Feb 28, 2011, 11:52 pm
#1
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Join Date: May 2000
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Chicago Downtown (203 N. LaSalle)
Since the DC Union Station thread has been helpful to me as a visitor, I thought I'd start a thread about this location. The garage entrance is on La Salle, but the counter is on the Clark Street side. It is right under the CTA Clark/Lake stop. It is a joint National/Alamo location with a shared inventory - space for about 25-30 cars.
Cons:
- They have a lot of novice customers.
- They have no fuel pumps, so you get cars with less than a fulll tank. This will be a hassle if you're returning elsewhere. The lady in front of me ended up with a car with only a quarter tank, fortunately she didn't have to go far and she negotiated paying $10 to bring the car back empty. Given that gas at the nearest station is $3.79/gallon right now, she probably got a good deal.
- Not open 24/7. Don't think they're open on Sunday at all.
- Generally higher weekend base rates than ORD/MDW, mostly because they don't count in the last minute specials.
Pros:
- Much lower weekday rates than ORD/MDW. I've found $36-$48/day when looking for various trips.
- Minimal taxes. No $4-$8/day airport fee, for example.
- The staff can figure out when you are NOT a novice customer, and don't give you a lot of nonsense upsell talk.
- I had no problem getting upgraded on my FCAR rental to a full leather/sunroof/Sirius Grand Cherokee. All I said was "Sure, I'll take the Charger, unless you have an SUV you'd like to unload on me..." For 400 miles of driving, I'm happy to pay the 7-8 mpg penalty in extra gas (so about $23 for my three-day rental) for a MUCH better ride.
Cons:
- They have a lot of novice customers.
- They have no fuel pumps, so you get cars with less than a fulll tank. This will be a hassle if you're returning elsewhere. The lady in front of me ended up with a car with only a quarter tank, fortunately she didn't have to go far and she negotiated paying $10 to bring the car back empty. Given that gas at the nearest station is $3.79/gallon right now, she probably got a good deal.
- Not open 24/7. Don't think they're open on Sunday at all.
- Generally higher weekend base rates than ORD/MDW, mostly because they don't count in the last minute specials.
Pros:
- Much lower weekday rates than ORD/MDW. I've found $36-$48/day when looking for various trips.
- Minimal taxes. No $4-$8/day airport fee, for example.
- The staff can figure out when you are NOT a novice customer, and don't give you a lot of nonsense upsell talk.
- I had no problem getting upgraded on my FCAR rental to a full leather/sunroof/Sirius Grand Cherokee. All I said was "Sure, I'll take the Charger, unless you have an SUV you'd like to unload on me..." For 400 miles of driving, I'm happy to pay the 7-8 mpg penalty in extra gas (so about $23 for my three-day rental) for a MUCH better ride.
Jul 3, 2011, 12:00 pm
#5
Join Date: Jul 2011
Posts: 5
Hi everyone!
I'm from Italy, and i'll be in the USA this summer for a road trip from Chicago to San Francisco.
I reserved a Luxury car at 203 N LaSalle. Do you know what kind of L/car could i find? Does anybody knows if National or Alamo got the Ford Mustang at Chicago Downtown?
Thanks a lot, guys!!
I'm from Italy, and i'll be in the USA this summer for a road trip from Chicago to San Francisco.
I reserved a Luxury car at 203 N LaSalle. Do you know what kind of L/car could i find? Does anybody knows if National or Alamo got the Ford Mustang at Chicago Downtown?
Thanks a lot, guys!!
Jul 4, 2011, 3:58 pm
#9
Join Date: Jul 2011
Posts: 5
Please don't scary me!!
P.s. Excuse me for my american english!
Jul 6, 2011, 12:23 pm
#10
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My guess is that for "luxury" you'll be offered to take whatever car you'd like from what they have in stock. It's possible that they might have somebody drive a car down from O'Hare. When I had a Full Size SUV reservation at DC Union Station, they appear to have ferried over an Expedition for me from National Airport.
But I'd be a little worried that they may not have anything better than a full-size sedan or a standard SUV. Are you staying at a downtown hotel? If so, you might want to stop in a couple of days in advance and introduce yourself and ask them to keep something in the luxury category for you.
But I'd be a little worried that they may not have anything better than a full-size sedan or a standard SUV. Are you staying at a downtown hotel? If so, you might want to stop in a couple of days in advance and introduce yourself and ask them to keep something in the luxury category for you.
Jul 6, 2011, 1:30 pm
#11
Join Date: Jul 2011
Posts: 5
My guess is that for "luxury" you'll be offered to take whatever car you'd like from what they have in stock. It's possible that they might have somebody drive a car down from O'Hare. When I had a Full Size SUV reservation at DC Union Station, they appear to have ferried over an Expedition for me from National Airport.
But I'd be a little worried that they may not have anything better than a full-size sedan or a standard SUV. Are you staying at a downtown hotel? If so, you might want to stop in a couple of days in advance and introduce yourself and ask them to keep something in the luxury category for you.
But I'd be a little worried that they may not have anything better than a full-size sedan or a standard SUV. Are you staying at a downtown hotel? If so, you might want to stop in a couple of days in advance and introduce yourself and ask them to keep something in the luxury category for you.
But the fact is: I already paid the rate!! So, i think, they cannot give me a full-size or a standard, if I paid (more) for a luxury. This wouldn't be fair!
Last edited by CMontheroad; Jul 6, 2011 at 2:33 pm
Jul 6, 2011, 3:09 pm
#12
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Thanks for the advices! My voucher said that the category is Luxury - Cadillac DTS or similar. Anyway, I'll try to call when i'll be there even if it is not easy for me to talk to the phone in english
But the fact is: I already paid the rate!! So, i think, they cannot give me a full-size or a standard, if I paid (more) for a luxury. This wouldn't be fair!
But the fact is: I already paid the rate!! So, i think, they cannot give me a full-size or a standard, if I paid (more) for a luxury. This wouldn't be fair!
Jul 7, 2011, 10:28 pm
#15
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Join Date: Nov 2000
Location: ORD (MDW stinks)
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Pro for me is the price when ORD is too high, Con is lack of nice cars to choose from.
Another con I've noticed is that the cleaning crew doesn't do the best of job at this location