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

Have you tried Priceline?

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.

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.

mod alerted for forum review...

welcome to ft...

OP: you have a PM.

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.

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.

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.).

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.

try rental car magic. They found me a similar one way for Christmas week for $570 from Dollar