We are planning a Seattle-Vancouver-Banff and return road trip for September.
We are looking to hire either a Mustang or Dodge Charger for 2 weeks, but can’t decide what hire company to use. I have plenty of experience in using Sixt, Thrifty and Enterprise in Ireland, but would appreciate some US input!
11 comments
I generally prefer Enterprise best. The mid-tier ones like Hertz are also generally fine, just avoid the super-budget options like dollar/thrifty or Fox or whatever. Every time I’ve done that there’s some enormous extra hassle involved that is absolutely not worth the few bucks saved.
None of this SEA specific, though
Since you’re going to be using the car extensively, I’d probably error on the higher end side. I think Enterprise and Hertz are generally regarded as the most expensive with nicer/newer cars with fewer miles on them. If you were just renting for a few days to buzz around town and didn’t mind a more well used car, Budget, Thrifty, AVIS, Alamo etc would be fine. I’ve never even heard of SiXT so can’t comment on that.
Sounds like a fun trip. Enjoy!
Never use a budget rental agency, the pain is not worth the savings. Their customer service will be shit.
Stick to a single agency that’s international like Enterprise and use them for every trip. I’ve used Enterprise exclusively for 10+ years and had consistent outstanding service and earn rewards like free upgrades or free days for being a repeat customer.
Just rent a Prius, they’re everywhere in Seattle
Just FYI, we don’t really use the word “hire” in that context. The car rental folks *might* understand you if they happen to deal with foreign folks a lot, but it’s possible you could end up in a confusing situation using that terminology if you’re dealing with someone new/young/ignorant. You are looking to ***rent*** a car from a car ***rental*** company/agency.
Not specific to Seattle, though I have rented in Seattle, I use Hertz exclusively. I travel a lot for work around the US and picked Hertz about 10 years ago to consolidate where I get reward points and status progression. I’m sure Enterprise is also fine but I’ve had consistent adequate service from Hertz so I’ve stayed with them. A few issues here or there but with the amount of times I have to rent a car a month and over the course of a decade I’ve had an overall good track record with them. They are not the cheapest option for sure, but the experience has been good. Their rewards program is nothing particularly special but I do at least have status and a bank of free rental days now.
If you have any memberships with airlines or organizations that have partner programs with them you can use those to reduce the rental costs a little bit. For instance my Southwest Airlines account gets me (I think) a 10% discount when I book through Hertz.
If you go with the budget car rental companies you are most likely to be fine, however if they over book their reservations or there are any car shortages, especially without any status, you’re most likely to feel a worse experience and see why they are cheaper. It’s a little bit of a gamble but one trip doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll have a bad experience, but I do think it’s incrementally more likely.
Be aware that there may be restrictions on taking rental vehicles across the US-Canada border, both from the rental company and the border police. It may be better to take the train between Seattle and Vancouver B.C. (around here you have to specify which Vancouver – there are two, one in BC, one in WA).
Make sure the company allows cross border rentals. Some do not.
Also make sure whatever insurance setup you have, (rental company, credit card, your insurance from home, etc) covers you as well.
I looked into this a few years ago and I couldn’t find a company which allows a one way rental into Canada.
I could take it into Canada and return it back in the states, but couldn’t rent in the USA and drop off in Canada.
TIL that Enterprise is a highly regarded rental car company.
I rent cars like 10-15 times a year and Enterprise is not highly regarded by me.
Check the websites of different rental companies to see if they carry the car you want.
Confirm the correct car size and put a request in for a specific brand of car.
Remember that it is only a request. They can not guarantee you will get car. They will only say you will get a car in that category.
Bringing a car into Canada shouldn’t be a big deal but let the rental company know you plan on taking it out of the country. There may be different insurance or paperwork you will need to cross the border with a rental.
Most of my clients prefer National or Enterprise (Enterprise owns National). Avis and Hertz are also frequently preferred by corporate renters.