SmilingBoy

Hello,

planning my first vacation to North America, and it looks like it will be Western Canada in July. So the idea was to rent a car in YVR and drive to YYC in two weeks or so. Being from Europe, I know that the rental car market is very different in North America (a lot cheaper mainly, but also more taxes), so I was wondering if you have some advice.

I have checked 19 July to 5 August with Hertz, Alamo (who forwarded me to National) and Avis. National seems to be very cheap (CAD 860 all-in for a full size or a standard), Hertz more expensive (CAD 1100 all-in for a full-size or standard using a SN Brussels Airlines AWD) and Avis says it is sold out.

Does this sound like the right amount for 17 days? Why is Avis sold out more than half a year in advance? Do the various corporate rates I have through FFP or hotel programs reduce the rate significantly even for such long rentals? Are there any other car rental companies I should consider (Sixt and Europcar do not seem to be active in Canada)? Do you think it is worth it to take a cab from the airport to an off-site location to reduce tax? And would airport tax be required for drop-offs at an airport? What is the difference between full-size and standard?

I have 'elite' status on Lufthansa (Senator), Eurostar (Carte Blanche) and Hilton (Silver, not very elite, I know) and lots of basic memberships.

Sorry - lots of questions - but I would be grateful for any help or pointers where to get more information.

Thanks!

SmilingBoy.

obscure2k

Moving this thread to the FT Canada Forums.
Obscure2k
TravelBuzz Moderator

tjl

The rental car company web sites will show sample cars, although you may not be familiar with the models.

Where you are, you probably see a lot of first generation Ford Focuses around. This is a typical "compact" car at US and Canada rental car companies that have Ford-heavy fleets (except that it will be a sedan instead of a hatchback). GM and DC heavy fleets will have similar size cars as "compacts", although the most common GM "compact" car, the Chevrolet Cobalt, is slightly smaller inside than the Focus.

A "full size" car is usually something like a Chevrolet Impala, Ford Taurus, or Chrysler 300. Probably similar in interior room to a Mercedes S-class or BMW 7-series, but less fancy.

An "intermediate" car is nominally between a "compact" and a "full size" car, but there is considerable variation -- sometimes it is smaller than a Focus (e.g. Toyota Corolla or older Chevrolet Cavalier -- this listing I saw at a rental car company whose "compact" was a Focus), but sometimes it is nearly as big as a "full size" car (e.g. new Hyundai Sonata).

There is no standard for a "standard" car. Check the rental car company web site for what it is at each rental car company.

thegeneral

Get ready for probably the most beautiful drive of your life. The mountains and wildlife on that drive are amazing. I'd check to see if any of your credit cards or regular car insurance might give you some coverage. The insurance that the rental companies sell is pricey. The only other company I can think of that you might want to try is Budget.

The run down of NA rental companies is that Hertz and Avis are the highest service agencies and generally cost a little more. They cater to the corporate market. They will always have lots that are either at or close to the airport. The other companies will be a little cheaper, will be pushier with upselling insurance and the cars tend to be a little less nice but cheaper. This would be something like National or Budget. There are also smaller rental companies that will be a little cheaper again but will be farther from the actual airport.

I'm not sure why Avis says they're sold out. Perhaps there's a convention in town that day. They might also not want to do a one way rental. I haven't rented National but you should look at what kind of car you'd get from them vs. Hertz. Either way, I'd stick around the airport and wait for something I liked to come in. For Hertz, I usually try to get a Mazda 6 for midsize. That would be a great car for the roads in the rockies. Not sure how many people you're going to have though. If you get a full size, it will probably be something generic like a Taurus.

Have a fun trip.

tjl

The compact and intermediate Ford, Mercury, and Mazda cars tend to be among the sportiest of the ordinary sedan type of cars sold in North America, which makes them better suited for mountain driving (larger Ford and Mercury cars like the Taurus and Sable tend not to be that sporty). Toyota, Hyundai (except the smallest), Kia (except the smallest), and Buick cars tend to be on the soft side, so they may be more of a chore to drive in the mountains.

Braindrain

When renting from YVR, I find the cheapest prices come from Thrifty and Budget.

tjl

Some people seem to be griping about the Budget location at YVR:

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=528534

YVR Cockroach

but maybe it's because you're on OW rates (higher daily rate but no drop off fee) at least for Nat'l. Avis might simply not want to do OW rentals or has sold out of its YVR-YYC allocation (fewer YYC-YVR rentals?)

If you are planning to stay in Vancouver for a few days at first (or will pass Vancouver en-route to YYC), break down your rental into 2: Do a local rental first and switch to a OW rental once you leave Vancouver for YYC as you usually will get a lower rate for the local rental. You usually can keep the same car.

Also, DON'T rent at YVR (airport) as the surcharge (some 14% on all other rental costs, fees and taxes) is too high. Take a bus/taxi into town and rent from there. It'll save some $100 on your rental from Nat'l if that's YVR pickup (no charge for drop off at airports).

PM me with your e-mail address and I'll send you some 2 class UPG/$ off coupons from Entertainment (unless you already have access).

As for cars, National treats the Chrysler 300 as premium, Chevy Impala/Ford Fusion/Toyota Camry) as a Full, Malibu as an Intermediate (I like the Malibu but don't care for the new Impala). I've really enjoyed driving Chryslers and Chevys (Impala and Malibu) fast on the Coquihalla. The Buick is too white knuckle for me.

Hertz seems to be defining one-class smaller cars as the same as National's so a Chrysler Sebring is treated as full size at Hertz while an Intermediate at National.

I'd examine Avis and Budget rates very carefully these days. Previously mileage was unlimited but I looked at some local rentals lately for next April and they're both only offering 200km/day free. Thrifty has been uncompetitive for me.

SmilingBoy

Thanks for all the advice. Given that the price is not much higher, I thought I'd go for something like a Chrysler 300 - or is this too week to drive through the mountains? I just would like to experience to drive in such a big car, usually my rental cars are C class Mercedes and at home I drive a compact car.

Also, would you recommend booking in advance on the internet or just turning up to see what rates are available?

Do you think it would be useful to have a navigation system over there or is it easy to find things?

YVR Cockroach - Thanks for the coupons! That was very quick! I hope I will be able to put them to good use.

SmilingBoy.

YVR Cockroach

Do note the 300s do cost quite a bit more. It's a bit of a big heavy car with only a 3.5l or so V-6 and skinny tyres (easy to make it squeal going around corners). I do prefer the old Chevy Impala for a sprinty car. Just book a full size and ask what cars are available when you rent.

No real need for a navigation system if you have a decent map and can use it. There aren't that many roads.

Book in advance but check rates every few weeks. Last minute rates tend to be nosebleed high especially in summer (cruise season).

SmilingBoy

OK, sounds good. But at Hertz the price for a Chrysler 300 (Class Premium) is only about 160 CAD higher than a Full-Size Car for the 17 day period I have in mind, and it says it comes with a V8 engine. If it is a new car, this would mean that it has 350 hp according to the Chrysler website...

Anyway, no real need to take a too big car!

SmilingBoy.

Braindrain

News to me. Thanks for the heads up!

gglave

SmilingBoy,

I'm jealous - Haven't done that drive in nine years. I'm overdue

Couple of other comments -

a) As a European, you may be surprised at Canadian driving habits (unless you've driven here before). The speed limits may be much lower than you're used to, and they will be enforced. The fastest limit you're likely to encounter is 110 kph, and this will only be on a few freeways. Most of the time you'll be limited to 90 or 100 kph and in some cases the limit may drop as low as 80 kph. You'll probably be fine driving 10 kph or so over this limit, but much faster and you risk a ticket. You'll also notice that many Canadian drivers just aren't as attentive as they are in Europe - For example, you might pull up behind a car in the 'fast lane', flash your lights, and they might not even notice you're there and therefore won't pull over. Don't let it get to you - It's just how things are You'll just generally see behaviours that might get you run off the road in Europe.

b) When you say 'drive to Calgary in two weeks or so' do you mean take two weeks do to the drive? If so, that's plenty of time to put together a creative itinerary, so be sure to post back once with respect to routing suggestions.

Cheers,
Geoff Glave
Vancouver, Canada

YVR Cockroach

That'd be a 300C. I hope they actually have 300Cs instead of plain 300s. The 300 as well as its Dodge Magnum, Charger and Challenger stablemates are based on an older MB E series. I doubt you'll get a SRT8 but it'll be nice!

SmilingBoy

Yes - we want to create a nice itinerary that takes us from Vancouver to Calgary in two weeks, with maybe 7 or 8 stops inbetween. I have no ideas as to what places to visit yet (just booked the flight today), so I will come back here once I've got some ideas. Probably stay at one place (a lake?) for 3 or 4 days to relax, and have one- or two-day stops for the rest of the time.

As for the car rentals, I thought (taking into account YVR Cockroach's advice) that the best would be not to have a car for three days in Vancouver and then rent a car for two weeks. The best deal seems to be with National where we could get a standard (=full size as I have learnt) for $651 all inclusive (using a double upgrade voucher from YVR Cockroach). Hertz would be about $200 more but for a Chrysler 300, and seems to be requiring pre-payment (Are there any vouchers for Hertz floating around? And is there a way to get a rate that I only need to pay on arrival?).

SmilingBoy.