Car Rental Pennsylvania

While most of us think of renting a car when we go on vacation, car rental fills other needs as well. Here is a scenario to consider. Your family only has one vehicle, and the transmission goes out. You take it to your local mechanic, but he does not have a loaner car for you. What are you going to do? How are the kids going to get to school each day? Are you going to simply pack them into a taxi and send them on their way? If you are a responsible parent, you probably won't. You need a car rental company so you can rent a car until yours is repaired.

Another scenario that would require a rental car is a car breaking down during a time that you simply must be able to drive. Perhaps you are going to an important event, such as a relative's wedding, and the morning of the event your car won't start. You will not have time to take it to the mechanic to be fixed, so you must rent a car.

There are several car rental companies that cater to customers with these needs. They will deliver the rental car to your location, so you do not have to worry about how you will get to the car you are going to rent. This takes much of the stress out of situations when your car is out of commission.

There is no cut and dried cost to car rental. Your cost will be based on several factors. First, the car you choose will affect the cost. Typically, the larger the car, the more it costs to rent. If you need to rent a van or SUV, for example, you will pay more than for a compact car.

Remember to consider the size of the people and their luggage when you choose a car. It can be tempting to pick an economy sized car to save some money, but you want to make sure you will not be driving down the road with a suitcase in your lap! Only rent the car that has the size you need, and you will be fine.

Another thing that can affect your cost is any extras you want in the car. Some car rental companies will loan you car seats, DVD players, and GPS systems. This is great, but they cost extra. Only rent them if you need them.

Finally, check on the mileage requirements for your rental car. Most car rental companies have a mileage limit on their cars. If you drive over the mileage limit for your rental time, you will be charged a per-mile fee. This can be quite steep.

At this point you are probably wondering what you can do to save money on your rental car. There are several steps to take to save money on car rental. First, if you are in a discount club, such as AAA, check with that club to see what car rental deals they offer. If you rent cars often, check with your favorite rental car company to see if they offer "frequent renter" programs.

Another way to get a discount when you rent a car is to ask for one! When you are shopping around to see who has the best deal, as the rental agent if he or she can get you a better deal than what you have seen advertised. You will be surprised how often the answer is yes, particularly if they think you are going to take your business elsewhere.

Booking ahead of time will save you money. Keep in mind that car rental prices change almost daily. Watch the price on the Internet to see what your chosen car rental company is offering the week you need the car. When you feel it is an affordable price, make your reservations!

The smaller car you rent, the less it will cost. Make sure you only rent the size of car you actually need. Also, decline extra services that you don't really need. Finally, compare the difference between daily and weekly rates. Sometimes you can save money if you rent a car for a whole week rather than, say, four or five days.

Rental-car customers are paying more, due to an unprecedented slew of taxes and fees. But that extra money doesn’t go to the rental car companies ; it goes into city and state coffers, where it’s used to fund municipal projects.

Tracking your every move

Over the past few years, rental agencies have begun to install GPS device in their vehicles. These units allow companies to track cars that are lost or stolen. But global-positioning technology also lets them know when a renter has been speeding or has taken a car into another state, which may be construed as increasing wear and tear.

Constantly changing rates

Trying to find the best rental deal can be frustrating, since rates can fluctuate dramatically from day to day, even minute to minute. That’s because rental car agencies use something called yield-management technology, which continually adjusts pricing depending on how many cars are available. A sudden rash of cancellations or bookings, for example, can push rates up or down.

Probably don’t need the extra insurance

Most companies make reserving and renting a car pretty simple—until it comes to the issue of insurance. That’s where they offer a bewildering array of supplemental coverage, which can easily add $10 to $30 to your daily bill. What the overeager reps won’t tell you is that you may already be covered, either partially or completely.

There are two major types of insurance you’ll want: a collision/damage waiver and liability. The former covers repair and replacement costs to the car should anything happen to it; the latter protects you from lawsuits if you’ve injured anyone or damaged property when driving. If you have auto insurance, it usually extends to rental cars, providing both collision/damage and liability, as long as you’re on a leisure trip. And many credit cards cover damages to the vehicle but don’t offer liability.

Reservation specifics our not guaranteed

The Rental agreement is contingent on availability. In fact, you’re not reserving a specific car model, but simply a class of car. (One exception: Hertz allows you to reserve high end models in its “Prestige Collection.”) What a reservation actually means is that the company is supposed to have some kind of vehicle on the premises for you to rent. So if you get a smaller car than what you reserved, be sure to ask for a rate adjustment.

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