Originally Posted by
mike_la_jolla
I second this. OAK is much better for SF than SJC or SFO. SJC, in reality, is nowhere near SF. Neither is SFO, but that is a different discussion. Aside from renting car and driving it, I'm not even sure how to get to SF from SJC. The only downside to OAK is the hostile bus drivers on the BART bus. And the Coliseum BART station leaves much to be desired.
OAK is much less prone to the delays that plague SFO. And the BART ride is much, much shorter. You just have to endure that bus .......
I disagree with this advice. The OP is renting a car, but even if the OP were taking Bart, SFO is both easier (with Bart in the terminal) and nicer.
As to SJC, I don't know the answer to this, but are rental cars in the short term garage across from the terminal? If so, I think it's going to be a good option for the OP. It's a longer drive than SFO (30+ minutes more) but you'll save some time renting and returning the car. Add better flight times to that and I would probably pick SJC.