Which is best!
 

Hi there Hertz FTers.

I am coming over to San Francisco from the UK for a week in June and am looking for a decent vehicle for a week exploring the coast and up to Napa Valley. I usually rent the Ford Explorer which has cost around 250 - 300UKP but rates for the June trip (28th to 5th July) are pretty good coming in at 194ukp for the Explorer with all cover!

However for 182ukp I can get a Lincoln Towncar or for 181ukp a Mercury Grand Marquis.

What are the comments on these cars? The Explorer is nice as there is a better view being high up but would like something comfortable as we plan to do some miles.

Cheers, Rich

I'm a Grand Marquis man, myself, though I'd take the Lincoln being so little extra.

Both vehicles will suck down a ton of cargo in the trunk, as well as being very comfortable for five adults.

All are about as tough to park. :)

And all get about as crap mileage. :(

How many people ? How much luggage ?

Your itinerary screams for a convertible !!!

Yeah luggage and pax would help!

There will be 3 (maybe 4 ) and all with big suitcases! Guess not much good for a convertible!

I have a LIncoln Navigator in Washington DC kast year and that was awesome! What a beast!

Parking can be tricky in San Francisco , especially if you try to street park and avoid the garages. Personally, I would not take a Towncar if you paid me - I turn down the free upgrades to them frequently. I would consider an Explorer if you will have a lot of bags, but I would avoid adding to the car length without at least gaining the extra storage capacity that the height a SUV offers.

I would go with the Town Car over the explorer every time. It will be novel to drive coming from the UK and a lot better to drive than the Explorer. The Town Car will also be a much more pleasant place for your passengers to be and it's cavernous trunk/boot probably has more capacity than that of the Exploder.

The hint about avoiding the longer car is good. We plan to pick up on Monday then headout of town but get back the following Sat and the return to SFO Monday Midday so I will need to park up Fri and Sat. I take it Sun is free!

There is a novelty with driving the SUVs too as it is just not a common vehicle back here in the UK. I certainly enjoy them. I wish they would give you the chance to stroll up and down the lot and ask "How much is that one?", "and that one..?" and so on!

I always get white rental cars. I don't like white cars!

Reserve the Luxury (Lincoln) since the price is the same as the Premium and see what you can arrange when you arrive. Ask about manager upgrades, SUV upgrades etc. You never know what you'll get, but I rarely end up in the same car as I've reserved -- even if they did stick me with a Taurus when I reserved a full size, a bit of talking a few extra dollars per day will put you in a minivan (which they love to get rid of) or SUV. Also, since SFO is a Prestige location, they have a wide range of cars available.

That said, someone else on this board suggested that they always reserve compact at SFO and end up in a larger car . Of course YMMV but for 3 people and luggage, even a midsize rental (if you can get into an Altima or Mazda) could accomidate you if budget was the issue.

Rent 2 convertibles ! :cool:

You can do this with National Emerald Service!
Even with Hertz you can "negotiate" a car. The cars in SFO are in the park house right behind the counters. Reserve a Lincoln .. and just take a look at the lot, and ask Hertz for the car you like .. SFO has a big selection.
BTW, the Lincoln is a nice car - yes, it's large .. so, what.
Have fun! I will be in SFO, Napa in a couple of days .. :)

For those rates, I'd definitely book the Lincoln. That will give you maximum flexibility at the Hertz location if you end up seeing something else you like. A confirmed luxury car rental commands more attention than a confirmed SUV or premium car.

This completely goes without saying but I'll say it anyway: make absolutely sure you join #1 Club Gold before the rental. Drop by your local Edinburgh location (I'm sure they have one or more) if you need to sign anything. I don't know how this works internationally but trust me: your life will be much easier if this is taken care of ahead of time. (My apologies if this is basic "Yeah I already knew that" information. :))

For people who for one reason or another can't get their #1 Club Gold set up before the rental, I usually recommend Priceline. If ya gotta stand in line, you might as well get the cheapest rate! If a premium car really would suit your needs, I would do that: a bid of US$25-30/day would do it, about 100 GBP for the week. Bidding luxury/SUV on Priceline is squirrelly - sometimes great deals are there, sometimes they aren't. Your GBP182 rate for a lux car is pretty good - I'm not sure if PCLN would beat it or not.

One other tip to keep in mind with Hertz - if you reserve any car class up to a premium car and then upgrade to the car class you really want at the counter when you are renting, you pay an extra $ amount per day but you still get unlimited miles on your car. If you plan on driving a lot of miles and cannot get a rate that includes unlimited miles on the car class you want, this is the best way I know of to get it. It makes sense in NY given the pricing structure. For example, if I reserve a full size car it costs me about $50 with my corporate rate, whereas a Volvo/Jaguar/SUV of any sort costs $100 or more per day with only 100 miles included. When I reserve a full size (or even smaller) the agents allow me to upgrade for an extra $20 per day, so a total of $70 per day with unlimited miles! I am not very familiar with the CA rate structure, but if you need a lot of miles, this may be an option for you.