January 1, 2009 E-MAIL PRINT

Bargain in a buyer's market

by Tony Chamberlain/

When renting a vehicle, be assertive and ask questions for the best deal. (photo: Jeep)

When renting a vehicle, be assertive and ask questions for the best deal. (photo: Jeep)

The couple in front of me in the car rental line were "discussing" their options — insurance rates, gas tank fill, upgrade to the full-size car for $25 extra per day, GPS ... all kinds of decisions to ponder.

Those of us who occasionally rent cars for ski country travel have a fair idea what we want for performance and security. Beyond that, though, most of us are hit with a whole new lexicon of stuff which seems as familiar as a calculus exam.

Were I a suspicious type, I might think complication is a way of extracting more cash from renters, but we’ll let that lie for now.

Tip 1: Work the price. I had a quote from one company of $400-plus to pick up a car in one city and drop it in another. I made the reservation, then made another call.

The next rental agency offered the deal for around $330. When I called to break the original deal, the agent asked me what price I had gotten, and then said, "How about $250?"

These are not easy times in the car rental business, and, like hotels in quiet season, you can haggle for a price. This is not part of the American personality, but, after a triumph or two, is an easy habit to adopt.

Tip 2: Know your insurance needs. This takes some real homework before you show up at the rental car window. Some people need the $10-per-day coverage offered by the rental agency, others do not.

Whether you have coverage from your own car insurance policy or umbrella or road service agreements obviously impacts your need for daily insurance that could drop another $100 or so from your bill.

Tip 3: Never accept the fuel deal. It’s always cheaper to refill the tank near the drop off — with low-priced fuel — than to let them do it.

Tip 4: As for GPS (global positioning system) navigation, you might think we ancient purists would eschew such gimmickry. Nothing could be further from the truth. My own involvement began 25 years ago as a sailor, when GPS replaced LORAN (long-range aid to navigation), the land-station-based tracking system.

Without getting into the technical nature of GPS, suffice it to say that the reliability of navigation in this system is often undermined by the few weaknesses — most often, the failure to detect a better alternative to its default route.

This can lead to some hilarious standoffs between the driver and the voice in the dashboard. But, no question, when you’re trying to find the right turnoff on a stormy night in unfamiliar territory, your GPS can be your best pal.

But, why pay extra for it? As I neared the end of a deal for a week’s rental the woman asked if I wanted a GPS, and I consented. She then told me there was an extra charge for it, and I started to balk, perhaps even to pull out of this agreement after 10 minutes or so putting it together.

"OK, sir, I'll be glad to waive that charge."

These days, you can’t believe how easy it is to elicit this attitude from a rental car agent. For at least the near-term, rental deals — as with many travel services — are definitely a buyer’s market.

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