Affordable SUV Rentals

[DisMommyTX]

I just checked on autoslash and the only car company they give me an option for is Sixt which is a shuttle drive from MCO. Am I doing something wrong? I put in for all car types and no preferences on car company chosen.

I have used AutoSlash for years. Just choose whatever company they offer. They will email you whenever better offers come up with other companies. You only have to reply to their email and they will rebook it for you at the lower rate. You don't pay until/unless you pick up the car, so easy to change many times.

Fwiw, I will never rent from Sixt again. Because of travel delays we were about an hour late picking up the minivan we reserved (6 days for $300). They said they had nothing comparable and our reservation was no longer valid because we were late. We were offered a convertible for $500, but our party couldn't possibly fit. They said they had a full size van for $55/day but with taxes and fees 6 Days came out to $750?? We were willing to downgrade, but they told us they had NO cars or other vehicles of any size--it was only 4pm. So, we took a taxi to Enterprise and rented a full size car for twice what we would have paid if it had been reserved in advance.

No amount of savings is worth that hassle.

 

[sra12574]

I would be careful when reserving a car . If you rent and are trying to save a buck make sure the savings are worth the hassle . A few dollars aint worth the hassle of not being close to the airport . MCO and TPA are known for having traffic issues at times . Its better to be at the airport and walk across the street then have to wait for a shuttle that is dropping people off and has to come back for you during a traffic jam . Also if you are having issues with an offsite company and you took thier shuttle from the airport to get your car , you cant just cancel the reservation and walk to the next counter and deal with someone else . Also in Florida be mindful of tolls . Florida uses a toll system that you can pay at some toll stations but there are others that you can not not stop and pay . Some companies use thier own system that they have a transponder for tolls and charge you 25 a day Budget , Avis , Hertz , Dollar and Thrifty and thats every day not just the days you use them . I think Enterprise , Alamo and National all use the states system which is toll by plate .I rented a car in Tampa and used the tolls in December and it was under 10 bucks for 2 days of tolls. Alamo and National have a rental station on the Disney property so if you are there for a week maybe you can go from the airport grab some grocery items for the week on the way to Disney and drop off the Car and then pick up a Car for the ride back to the airport . You can use the disney transportation for free when your onsite and save money .

 

[cindala]

Towards the top there's a small link that says change your search. Click that then you will see a drop down box that says car company, click on that and switch to no preference and search again.

If that doesn't work then just click on the

"Didn't find anything that meets your needs? Click here to submit a request and we'll get back to you via email with other options"

I have used AutoSlash for years. Just choose whatever company they offer. They will email you whenever better offers come up with other companies. You only have to reply to their email and they will rebook it for you at the lower rate. You don't pay until/unless you pick up the car, so easy to change many times.

Fwiw, I will never rent from Sixt again. Because of travel delays we were about an hour late picking up the minivan we reserved (6 days for $300). They said they had nothing comparable and our reservation was no longer valid because we were late. We were offered a convertible for $500, but our party couldn't possibly fit. They said they had a full size van for $55/day but with taxes and fees 6 Days came out to $750?? We were willing to downgrade, but they told us they had NO cars or other vehicles of any size--it was only 4pm. So, we took a taxi to Enterprise and rented a full size car for twice what we would have paid if it had been reserved in advance.

No amount of savings is worth that hassle.

Thanks for the replies! I will try the options suggested and see what happens.

 

[cindala]

Also in Florida be mindful of tolls . Florida uses a toll system that you can pay at some toll stations but there are others that you can not not stop and pay . Some companies use thier own system that they have a transponder for tolls and charge you 25 a day Budget , Avis , Hertz , Dollar and Thrifty and thats every day not just the days you use them .

Wow! Is this something new? Last time we rented in Florida we just paid as we drove through the tolls. Anyone else experience this?
And yes, I will only rent a car from the airport. Not dealing with a shuttle with our crew!

 

[momto4obkids]

So, I booked on autoslash with dollar and thrifty for the same dates at the same price, so it would watch both rental companies for me.

Earlier I posted that the Dollar rental went down to 301.00 from 491.00. I just got another email that the Thrifty rental dropped from 491.00 to 288.00.

I really like not having to check rates myself constantly!Also, these are fantastic rates for a full size van!

 

[sra12574]

Florida started to use the new toll system a few years back down in the Miami Fort Lauderdale area and the system is gradually working its way North . There are some areas that still have places that you can pay but many have been replaced . Some people dont realize they went through a toll because they are like overhead road signs . There are signs before the tolls and a lot and signs that say Sun Pass or Toll by Plate . To use Sunpass you have to buy a pass and load money onto the account before using it . Toll by plate takes a picture of your cars plate and the bill gets build back to the owner of the car which would be the car company and they bill you for what they get charged which is a couple dollar surcharge the day its use . My brother rented from Budget a few years back and had a 5 day rental it cost him 125 for the toll system the next year he rented from Enterprise and they use toll by plate and it was only 13 . He used the same roads and only drove to and from my house on both visits so just be mindful and ask about the tolls when you rent .

 

[PrincessNelly]

Do you really need a car for all people and all the luggage?

i.e. if you are going to be splitting up the group - some of the luggage and some of the people could take Magical Express. Then if you are splitting the group during your stay, some people could use Disney transportation and you could use a smaller car. Or if not, you can get the minivan, but with some people and their luggage going ME, you'll be able to fit everything in for the airport trips.

We've found it cheaper to skip the car and use taxis plus ME, plus Disney transportation.

I have a Honda Pilot that is supposed to fit seven. But it certainly doesn't fit seven AND their luggage. It fits five and their luggage pretty well.

you know what... I never thought of that! Splitting up from the airport is probably the best idea. We understand its cheaper to use disney transport & taxis, that is what we normally do. However, we all agreed a rental is our preferred method this trip. With a group of 6 & a stroller, driving just sounds much easier.

 

[Ngwira]

Florida started to use the new toll system a few years back down in the Miami Fort Lauderdale area and the system is gradually working its way North . There are some areas that still have places that you can pay but many have been replaced . Some people dont realize they went through a toll because they are like overhead road signs . There are signs before the tolls and a lot and signs that say Sun Pass or Toll by Plate . To use Sunpass you have to buy a pass and load money onto the account before using it . Toll by plate takes a picture of your cars plate and the bill gets build back to the owner of the car which would be the car company and they bill you for what they get charged which is a couple dollar surcharge the day its use . My brother rented from Budget a few years back and had a 5 day rental it cost him 125 for the toll system the next year he rented from Enterprise and they use toll by plate and it was only 13 . He used the same roads and only drove to and from my house on both visits so just be mindful and ask about the tolls when you rent .

autoslash got me a rate of $188.00 for a weekly rental-standard car-family of 4. We are driving to Niagara Falls Canada in June.

 

[magickingdomprincess]

you know what... I never thought of that! Splitting up from the airport is probably the best idea. We understand its cheaper to use disney transport & taxis, that is what we normally do. However, we all agreed a rental is our preferred method this trip. With a group of 6 & a stroller, driving just sounds much easier.

Another option would be to have ME transport your checked luggage and get a big enough rental car for the number of people you have. I've done this twice and it works well. There's a whole thread on doing this on the transportation board. You might also check there for a Rental Car Thread for the month you're going. People post rates/specials for that time period.

Florida started to use the new toll system a few years back down in the Miami Fort Lauderdale area and the system is gradually working its way North . There are some areas that still have places that you can pay but many have been replaced . Some people dont realize they went through a toll because they are like overhead road signs . There are signs before the tolls and a lot and signs that say Sun Pass or Toll by Plate . To use Sunpass you have to buy a pass and load money onto the account before using it . Toll by plate takes a picture of your cars plate and the bill gets build back to the owner of the car which would be the car company and they bill you for what they get charged which is a couple dollar surcharge the day its use . My brother rented from Budget a few years back and had a 5 day rental it cost him 125 for the toll system the next year he rented from Enterprise and they use toll by plate and it was only 13 . He used the same roads and only drove to and from my house on both visits so just be mindful and ask about the tolls when you rent .

Just wanted to say that I've rental from Dollar the past two years and have just paid the tolls myself. You just have to be careful to watch to make sure you stop. I did miss once two years ago and was charged a fee from dollar (got a bill in the mail a month or so later). We didn't drive around FL a lot though, just airport to Disney, stopping at Target on the way. Also Disney to Universal and back.

 

[sra12574]

I think the whole state toll system is supposed to be the overhead system by 2018 so eventually those tolls stations where you could stop will be replaced by automatic stations . So just be prepared for either scenario.

 

[crisi]

you know what... I never thought of that! Splitting up from the airport is probably the best idea. We understand its cheaper to use disney transport & taxis, that is what we normally do. However, we all agreed a rental is our preferred method this trip. With a group of 6 & a stroller, driving just sounds much easier.

Mears will send you a minivan as a taxi for the same price as a regular taxi. Just so you are aware.