Playa friendly rental car companies?

jadewombat · Post by **jadewombat** » Sat Jul 01, 2006 10:54 am

OK, many have heard the story of a hidden GPS sensor in the rental car and getting handed a $1500 bill when you get back for taking the car 'offroad'. My question is, what rental car companies have you had no problems with last year? Thanks.

Dr. Pyro · Post by **Dr. Pyro** » Sat Jul 01, 2006 6:22 pm

The AVIS dealership in downtown Sacramento is ran by a man by the name of Steve Gatkin. He is very burner-friendly. For the past couple of years he has happily rented to burners, not asked questions about towing, and is about 30% cheaper than his competition. It may be a little late for cargo vans, but he has a pretty good inventory. Sorry that I don't have the phone # handy, but he's at (approx) 16th and L Streets in Sacramenopt. I think the first three numbers are (916) 442-XXXX. Tell him Dr. Pyro sent you and nothing else will need to be said. But make sure you talk to Steve directly.

Post by **trilobyte** » Tue Jul 04, 2006 2:23 pm

My campmate rented from Enterprise in Reno (the one near the airport) and had no troubles. I should imagine you'll have no troubles as well, assuming you're moderately respectful of the vehicle. Here are my recommendations...

As you leave the paved road, turn off the aircon/vent (or turn it to recycle the air in the vehicle, instead of sucking air/dust from outside).

Once you get to your camp site, unload the vehicle and then close it up tight for the duration of your stay. Don't use the trunk or passenger compartment as a convenient place to store stuff throughout the week. And if you do need to get into the vehicle during the week, <i> don't open the car during a dust storm!</i>

Before you return the car, hit up a cheap car wash. Nothing fancy or anything, just wash the gratuitous amounts of playa dust from the ride.

wedeliver · Post by **wedeliver** » Sun Jul 16, 2006 11:34 am

jadewombat wrote:OK, many have heard the story of a hidden GPS sensor in the rental car and getting handed a $1500 bill when you get back for taking the car 'offroad'. My question is, what rental car companies have you had no problems with last year? Thanks.

I just called Hertz about a rental and they don't care where I take the car as long as I do not leave the United States. Off road, over a lake, up a mountain, anywhere, it doesn't matter they told me.

Post by **trilobyte** » Sun Jul 16, 2006 11:57 am

Re-reading the original post, you might chalk that one up as the burner equivalent of urban legend. Unless, of course, you actually know that person yourself and have actually seen his bill.

While many rental companies do have GPS equipment in the vehicles, it's largely for customer navigation (map stuff). I've heard stories about customers getting busted by a GPS system that showed the rental company the driver was going too fast, off-road, to Burning Man, out of town (on a local rental)... and so far they've just been that - stories.

I don't doubt there are rental companies in Reno who are wary of burners - they've probably had people return cars in terrible shape, and as a result they either refuse to do business or they impose heavy fees for cars that come back looking playafied.

jadewombat · Post by **jadewombat** » Sun Jul 16, 2006 1:18 pm

trilobyte wrote:Re-reading the original post, you might chalk that one up as the burner equivalent of urban legend. Unless, of course, you actually know that person yourself and have actually seen his bill.

Maybe it is urban myth, I'm not the one who started it though, this came from The JackRabbit Speaks a few years ago. $1500 is enough for me to ask around though. I'm not worried about returning the car clean and undamaged, it's the stuff I don't know about(hidden sensor) I'm worried about.
While we're on the subject, I guess, they said 'Fargo' was based on a true story, the only thing that was correct was the name, everything else was made up. And they're ain't no Easter Bunny neither. :lol:

Thanks for all the input everybody.

Post by **trilobyte** » Sun Jul 16, 2006 4:41 pm

Well myth or no, nobody wants to be on the hook for an excessive cleaning fee (whether it's $100 or $1500). Hopefully you find a rental agency, and with a couple steps you can keep it from getting playafied or getting stuck with a hefty cleaning bill.

sputnik · Post by **sputnik** » Sun Jul 16, 2006 7:24 pm

In 04 I rented from a place just off the airport in Reno, might have been Avis, I really don't recall. The car was a bit on the expensive side and I had to sign a cleaning waiver. The waiver did not have to be used because I returned the vehicle in excellent condition. I did not open the vehicle on playa except when necessary and I cleaned it thouroughly upon return.

Last year we rented from Dollar at the airport, and I will again this year. The vehicle was less expensive and they obviously knew where it was going and had no issue. Again, the vehicle was returned in good condition.

I think that's the most important thing for people to do. Be respectiful of the propery your borrowing and return it in good condition. Companies will want to rent to us if we present a positive image. Just one vehicle being returned in bad shape will give every burner a bad image.

Quidam · Post by **Quidam** » Fri Jul 21, 2006 10:08 am

I'm considering renting a cargo van for the event- anyone out there find something better than $300/wk? Preferably from a company who doesn't care where you take it, just that it comes back clean.

spectabillis · Post by **spectabillis** » Fri Jul 21, 2006 10:52 am

who did you get for $300/week? i thought about the cargo van, or just a pickup rental.

anyone know what the best rates are though for both car or truck?

Playa friendly rental car companies?

Playa friendly rental car companies?

Re: Playa friendly rental car companies?

cargo vans?