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rental car minvan from SFO to lax?

rental car minvan from SFO to lax?

Old Sep 25, 2011, 1:47 pm
  #1  
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rental car minvan from SFO to lax?

Here is my issue :
I'm planning a trip for 6 people from dfw to SFO and then drinving to lax and fly from lax back to dfw.
The price for a van on dec 25th 2011 to 12/31/2011 is close to $1000. Taking rental at airport always
Please help me
puncovsky is offline  
Old Sep 25, 2011, 1:53 pm
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Have you tried Priceline?
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Old Sep 25, 2011, 3:19 pm
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Have you considered renting a car @ SFO, flying SFO-LAX and renting another car for your time there?

Even with 6 people, it may actually be cheaper. I know flights are typically expensive around Christmas, but it's generally not as bad on Christmas day.

I just looked at alaskaair.com, and see that you can get a flight from SJC for $83, or OAK/SFO for $89. Even with checked bag fees, you might end up saving money. And it's very likely that you'd save more time here. I think the drive from SFO-LAX is pretty brutal, though it may not be as bad on a holiday.

Note: There's a $20 fee per rental to rent at SFO. So even for a short rental there, it might be somewhat expensive. I've priced a 2 day mid-December rental at SFO at $115-$193, depending on the codes I've used.
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Old Sep 25, 2011, 3:22 pm
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It is often cheaper to rent at OAK--you can easily take BART there from SF. Or try Hotwire or PL.

Also, how are you planning to go. If down Interstate 5, I agree that flying may be better. Down Highway One on the Coast it is really a two day trip. Or, you could take Amtrak along the coast route which is very lovely.
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Old Sep 25, 2011, 3:29 pm
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Old Sep 25, 2011, 3:38 pm
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Old Sep 25, 2011, 11:02 pm
  #7  
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if you are driving to see the coast etc

$1000 is the going rate for a minivan one way. You could check out pricing on Amtrak but I am assuming it'd be about the same.

You could also try seeing what a rental from downtown SF to LAX would be if it'd be any cheaper.
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Old Sep 25, 2011, 11:22 pm
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rent OW only for the days you will actually move from SFO to LAX and rent locally at SFO and/or LAX for the remainder.
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Old Sep 28, 2011, 9:16 am
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Is this for a 7-passenger van? What days are where? Minivans are expensive. I assume you've looked into alternatives, such as a larger SUV or renting two sedans. You don't say what, if any, discounts you could sue and whether your price includes insurance. On a recent trip I used discount codes from Costco and from AARP, and in the past I've used codes from airline frequent flyer programs. I looked into Priceline and Hotwire but in our cases they were not less expensive. Are you arriving at SFO and then driving to L.A.? As noted, having a car in SF itself can be a liability, due to traffic and parking fees, even at hotels. Sometimes you can save money from renting at an off-airport location (e.g., downtown SF), though you will likely have a much smaller selection of vehicles to choose from (not sure if they always have minivans). One-way fees aren't always listed as such; sometimes there is just a higher (sometimes much higher) base fee. I found this to be true with Enterprise, for example (which is one company that doesn't normally allow one-way rentals except between airport locations).

I-5 is the quickest route to L.A. The part over the Tehachapi Mountains can be closed by snow, but that is usually for a fairly brief period of time. You might say why you want to drive vs. flying or taking the train (of course, you'd still need a car in L.A., even if you don't use on in S.F.).
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Old Sep 28, 2011, 2:50 pm
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I do this alot, albeit in the other direction LA-SF and usually pay about 850 for a 7 day rental @ Dollar. Its funny that although I usually specify a minivan I seem to get one even if I reserve a compact.
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Old Sep 29, 2011, 3:30 pm
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try rental car magic. They found me a similar one way for Christmas week for $570 from Dollar
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