Comments on: Test Drive A Rental Car Before You Buy http://www.bargaineering.com/articles/test-drive-a-rental-car-before-you-buy.html personal finance blog with anecdotes, advice and commentary. Sun, 22 Nov 2009 06:04:27 -0500 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.5 hourly 1 By: Matt http://www.bargaineering.com/articles/test-drive-a-rental-car-before-you-buy.html/comment-page-1#comment-31102 Matt Tue, 10 Oct 2006 09:00:56 +0000 http://www.bargaineering.com/articles/test-drive-a-rental-car-before-you-buy.html#comment-31102 Actually, my fiancee's car was selected in almost precisely that manner. Every time we went out to her house in Michigan, or to see my family there, we ended up renting a car...and we loved the model we tended to get so much that she went out and bought one. :) Never buy XM from the car dealer, though. It's an order of magnitude cheaper to get a receiver from an electronics store, if you want it...and then that receiver is portable between cars, which the built-in one wouldn't be. Actually, my fiancee’s car was selected in almost precisely that manner. Every time we went out to her house in Michigan, or to see my family there, we ended up renting a car…and we loved the model we tended to get so much that she went out and bought one. :)

Never buy XM from the car dealer, though. It’s an order of magnitude cheaper to get a receiver from an electronics store, if you want it…and then that receiver is portable between cars, which the built-in one wouldn’t be.

]]> By: Debt Free http://www.bargaineering.com/articles/test-drive-a-rental-car-before-you-buy.html/comment-page-1#comment-30933 Debt Free Mon, 09 Oct 2006 14:07:41 +0000 http://www.bargaineering.com/articles/test-drive-a-rental-car-before-you-buy.html#comment-30933 That's sound strategy. I've done this before. Being able to take a few days or a week to use the vehicle how you typically would, get used to it's ideosychracies, and feel how it works on your commuute, is definitely better than a 20 minute test drive with the salesperson looking over your shoulder. On the other hand, it's not nearly as much fun as scaring tha crap out of the salseman while testing the corning capabilities of a new GTI. That’s sound strategy. I’ve done this before. Being able to take a few days or a week to use the vehicle how you typically would, get used to it’s ideosychracies, and feel how it works on your commuute, is definitely better than a 20 minute test drive with the salesperson looking over your shoulder. On the other hand, it’s not nearly as much fun as scaring tha crap out of the salseman while testing the corning capabilities of a new GTI.

]]> By: Kirk http://www.bargaineering.com/articles/test-drive-a-rental-car-before-you-buy.html/comment-page-1#comment-30924 Kirk Mon, 09 Oct 2006 13:01:14 +0000 http://www.bargaineering.com/articles/test-drive-a-rental-car-before-you-buy.html#comment-30924 The reason for higher rental rates at airports is not generally the company gouging you. It is much more often because of taxes at airport locations. At many airport locations, you are paying an additional 20% over and above the price of the rental car because of airport taxes. At some locations, the taxes will cost you more than the rental of the car! While I agree that renting at non-airport locations is smart, it's not necessarily for the reason that you stated. The reason for higher rental rates at airports is not generally the company gouging you. It is much more often because of taxes at airport locations. At many airport locations, you are paying an additional 20% over and above the price of the rental car because of airport taxes. At some locations, the taxes will cost you more than the rental of the car!

While I agree that renting at non-airport locations is smart, it’s not necessarily for the reason that you stated.

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