Last minute SUV / minivan rental

[jesterfield]

Hi folks!
Unfortunately, due to an accident my mate and his girlfriend can't make the trip to BM with us this year, that means we had to cancel our reservation - which sucks!
Now we are desperately trying to find another vehicle, a large SUV or a cargo van, anything that could take three of us with enough water, food and our bikes to the playa.
But, since this is quite late into the summer, all my online searches were in vain as all the companies seem to have sold out for these type of cars.

I've also considered buying one somewhere in SF, and reselling it after the event, but I'm from the UK, and it feels quite risky to do this without any car engineering skills.
Do you guys know of any local companies/private parties who are still selling/renting cars at this point? Any tip/idea is more than welcome.

Thanks a bunch.
Jester

[theCryptofishist]

I think that last time we went through the mental gymnastics of figuring out what the issues of a non-resident buying a car, we decided that there was likely to be trouble w2ith the registration and insuring of said vehicle. Could you drive two smaller cars?

[Savannah]

I assume your plane tickets take you into SF. Could you hop a train to Sacramento and pick up a rental there? See if they have anything left.

Trains have decent baggage allowances (just hold off on the food and water shopping til you get to Sacramento). Some trains allow bikes (not all). See the Amtrak website for baggage details.

[pink]

Actually hold off on the food & water shopping until you get to Reno. Climbing the Sierra with a full load is something I learned quickly not to do!

[Savannah]

Even better! What was I thinking?

(I come from the NW, so I forget sometimes).

[jesterfield]

Thanks a lot for your responses. This seems like a viable solution! We were going to spend a night in Reno before heading out to the playa, so we've been planning to score all the food and water in Reno. We're going to pick up our bikes in Reno as well..
In Sacramento there are still a lot of cars available, so.. I've been undecisive between a minivan like a Dodge Caravan Grand or a bigger SUV (Ford Escape, Ford Explorer). I guess both would be big enough for the three of us if we use bike racks as we won't really have a lot of luggage with us.. From your experience which type of car has proved to be more durable in the desert and easier to clean afterwards?

To be honest, I'm not really familiar with minivans, but I reckon we'd like to go with a car with really simple interiors, all the extra features these luxury cars offer would just provide for more things to go wrong.

[mudpuppy000]

Thanks a lot for your responses. This seems like a viable solution! We were going to spend a night in Reno before heading out to the playa, so we've been planning to score all the food and water in Reno. We're going to pick up our bikes in Reno as well..
In Sacramento there are still a lot of cars available, so.. I've been undecisive between a minivan like a Dodge Caravan Grand or a bigger SUV (Ford Escape, Ford Explorer). I guess both would be big enough for the three of us if we use bike racks as we won't really have a lot of luggage with us.. From your experience which type of car has proved to be more durable in the desert and easier to clean afterwards?

To be honest, I'm not really familiar with minivans, but I reckon we'd like to go with a car with really simple interiors, all the extra features these luxury cars offer would just provide for more things to go wrong.

I think the caravan is your best bet if you want a lot of room in it. Ford escapes are tiny. Explorers should hold a decent amount of stuff.

[Savannah]

Thanks a lot for your responses. This seems like a viable solution! We were going to spend a night in Reno before heading out to the playa, so we've been planning to score all the food and water in Reno. We're going to pick up our bikes in Reno as well..

Kick-ass!

[pink]

Amtrak runs the Capital Corridor trains to Sacramento. Cost about $30, but you'll have to take BART from SF to Richmond. There are a lot of trains scheduled, since its a commuter train, unlike most of the US.

[theCryptofishist]

If BART is running. I hope it is, because if not, it's been 2 plus weeks of strike... The work around would be to take an airport shuttle to Oakland or Emeryville Amtrak Station, or to take Samtrans to San Francisco then ACTransit to either station. Or, I guess, Linx to Richmond. Check out 511.org before hand.
Taxi, is of course, an option. And maybe Amtrak buses as well...

[kyliediscope]

Hi!

My name is Kylie-Ayn and I am a first time burner attending with my boyfriend that has been attending for the past few years. I cannot explain how excited I am now that I am finally able to attend! However, neither of us have experience in renting vehicles for BM. I have been reading posts from past years and other threads and know that it has become quite difficult and costly to rent for use on the playa. Can someone please send me a message or e-mail with a burner friendly rental place or just have some friendly advice? We decided to build and 8ft yurt and have two bikes to bring along, so we are needing a larger vehicle. I was personally hoping for something with a lot of trunk space and a few extra seats, so we could offer up space for those in need.

Thanks in advance.

[PL_FL]

I rented a minivan 6 months ago, but now I'm starting to, well, freak out a bit I guess.

I mean, what if they toss this 'no off-road' form on the counter and say, sign it or no-go, and I've got people waiting for me to return with a vehicle? We all spent hundreds (thousands?) to fly here and ship supplies, pumping money into the local economy and it all goes down the shitter in 5 minutes??

If all goes well, I'm planning to clean the living shit out of that vehicle. This was a useful thread for me.
http://eplaya.burningman.org/viewtopic. ... 86&t=64083

[burner von braun]

You might consider renting a pickup truck instead. After the burn, all of your stuff will be dusty, and you can pack it in the truck bed handily. Keep the cab closed all week, with a set of clean clothes, snacks and water ready for exodus. This will make cleanup easier when the time comes to return the vehicle.

Good luck with whatever your plan becomes!

[PL_FL]

Hmm, maybe, but it would have to be a crew-cab... too many people for a regular. Thanks!

[kyliediscope]

Yes! Finally found a decent rental. Have two options that I am checking out tomorrow! Both reasonable flat rate with no mileage charge AND if it comes back playa-ed out he charges only a 100 cleaning fee-- no questions asked. BRC here we come!

[brookswift]

What's your source on the rental in SF? I've got a similar problem and am trying to figure out rentals right now.

[Canoe]

I rented a minivan ... what if they toss this 'no off-road' form on the counter and say, sign it or no-go... and it all goes down the shitter in 5 minutes??...

If you agree/sign to not go off road, or worse to not take the vehicle to Burning Man, be aware that there are reports that some vendors have sent crews to the playa to look around for their vehicles and take them back. Make sure you check what their policy is. It should be online.
Most restrictions take the form of 'bring it back clean' or else there's a 'large cleaning bill'.
There are many threads dealing with keeping and getting your car clean.

[jesterfield]

Hi folks!

We ended up renting a Dodge Caravan Grand from National, do you guys have any experience renting from them? I hope it's going to have enough space for three of us as we really don't have much stuff. My only worry is that it may not be tall enough for us to attach a shade structure to it.. A rookie question: how common is it on the playa for non-theme-camp burners to get together and share their resources so we could potentially create more shady areas by parking our cars next to each other, etc..?

[theCryptofishist]

Very common.
The shade will probably need a rack. Although I can think of a couple of other, chancier things.
Depending on how old the van is, you may be able to fold one row of seats into the floor, greatly increasing available cubic footage.

[mudpuppy000]

I wouldn't try and attach anything to the roof to use as shade. Any tarps that come into contact with the paint will scratch it up a lot.