renting a truck or van in San Francisco

ajcrowe · Post by **ajcrowe** » Sun Apr 04, 2010 1:27 pm

Hey, there are some older topics about this, but I couldn't find one with any activity within a few years. So I thought I'd open a new one.

I need to rent a truck or cargo van in San Fransisco. I was originally thinking something like a 10-16' Uhaul/Penske/Ryder truck. But I've read nothing but bad things about all those companies in my Googling. Plus, it seems pricey - ~$60/day + ~$1/mile. Yeesh.

I've read some good things about Enterprise. And it seems WAY cheaper. I also read this on the forum from a few years back:

I just called Enterprise to book a reservation and they said they are going to charge everyone playa-bound a $1000 detailing deposit, which they said you may or may not get back. Wtf?? I have rented from them twice for BM with no problems, I pressure washed the crap out of it before i returned it both times. I would have lied when he asked me if I am going to BM except they use GPS to track rental cars nowadays and it does no good to lie. Are yall just going to pay the deposit, I am kind of at a loss for what to do now.

http://eplaya.burningman.org/viewtopic. ... 6&start=30

I would skirt the truth there, and take pains to return it clean. I also think that bit about GPS tracking is maybe not true. But I'm curious what folks' more recent experiences and opinions are.

dragonpilot · Post by **dragonpilot** » Sun Apr 04, 2010 1:41 pm

Better get crackin'! Those in the know have already made their rental reservations.

If it's just a truck you need, consider buying a reliable junker off'n Craigslist or some such...

ajcrowe · Post by **ajcrowe** » Sun Apr 04, 2010 1:47 pm

I'm tryin to get crackin - help me make the decision! It seems like it's not currently an issue to get a reservation online with Enterprise. But I would certainly like to make one ASAP. Any advice is appreciated! I'd prefer to rent if it's feasible.

[quote="dragonpilot"]Better get crackin'! Those in the know have already made their rental reservations.

If it's just a truck you need, consider buying a reliable junker off'n Craigslist or some such...[/quote]

lucky420 · Post by **lucky420** » Sun Apr 04, 2010 4:54 pm

I've got mine reserved from Budget. From what I've read on the Burning Man website they don't mind renting to burners. the one I've reserved is the 10 footer and it was going for $42 a day. I am in Nevada (120 miles south of Black Rock City) so I don't know if the rates change from state to state but give em a call.

danibel · Post by **danibel** » Sun Apr 04, 2010 5:01 pm

I rented a cargo van from Enterprise in Santa Cruz last year and I did not tell them where I was going. They never asked, I didn't volunteer the info. I cleaned the inside really, really well (it took me an entire day all by myself), and returned the vehicle in better condition than when I picked it up.

I had made a reservation with Avis (total was to be $450), and when I went to pick it up - it was "not available." I had to scramble to get another - Enterprise to the rescue! The total charge for the week at Enterprise was $750! Avis customer service did come through and reimbursed me the difference but it took over 2 weeks and emailing all the invoices and proof of reservation. Hassle!

I made a res. with Enterprise again this year. I am not sure I will be able to afford it, but I reserved it anyway because I can always cancel it. I know trying to find a cargo van in August for that week will be impossible.

theCryptofishist · Post by **theCryptofishist** » Tue Apr 06, 2010 11:12 am

Hengehold is burner friendly. I don't know if they rent the kind of vehicles you're talking about.

phil · Post by **phil** » Tue Apr 06, 2010 1:35 pm

Louise and I rented a cargo van from Enterprise for years. I told them we're clearing out our summer rental at Tahoe and that we'd be driving to Reno to soak in a hot tub after all the work so they put driving in Nevada on the lease.

Louise and I cleaned the back end out when we got back; then we took it to a local car wash and had it washed and the passenger compartment cleaned. They always thanked us profusely when we returned it clean and rentable.

We rented from a San Mateo office. Check other cities than SF to compare rates - I have no clue if they vary.

By the way, they'd give us a higher rate each year, and I'd say "Whoa, that's more than we paid last year - can you give us that rate?" And they would. We paid the same rate for years.

gyre · Post by **gyre** » Tue Apr 06, 2010 3:58 pm

Be sure the ten-footer is really that size.
Some companies count the cubby as bed length.