Going National with National Car Rental
Written: Oct 12 '01
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Product Rating:
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Pros: You can drive to any state you wish, unlimited mileage.
Cons: Airport taxes, city taxes, state taxes, etc.
The Bottom Line: They had the best rates, most liberal travel policy, didn't charge extra for extra drivers.
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On our most recent vacation (we've gotta terrorize those terrorists and keep our economy strong) it was rather a hybrid vacation. I wanted to go to Washington state and visit my son. My husband, on the other hand, wanted to do some sightseeing and go to San Francisco. Could both goals be accomplished within a 10 day time frame, from Nebraska?
Drive Almost Anywhere
We finally worked out a plan, by deciding to fly from Omaha to Spokane, then drive from Spokane to San Francisco, then on to Lake Tahoe, then finally back up to Spokane. One problem. We were going more than one state away from the state where we rented the car from. Most car rental agencies would allow us to drive from Washington state to Idaho, Oregon, and perhaps one other state, which escapes me at the moment. National was the only agency that would allow us to drive the car from Washington state to California.
Unlimited Mileage
Another feature that we liked was unlimited mileage. If we are paying $150 per week, or $28 per day for the use of an economy car, we would like to put unlimited mileage on it. Another agency would allow us 2,000 miles, then charge us 10 cents per mile over and above the 2,000 miles. We felt the miles would add up quickly.
Second Driver Free
Yet another feature we liked about National was that we would not have to pay extra for additional drivers. With some agencies, we would have had to pay an extra $5.00 per day for an additional driver. We figured there would only be one driver at a time, so therefore it made sense to only have to pay for one driver. AAA Motor Club aided us in making our decision to use National, which also had the least expensive rental rate. We tend to be cost conscious. AAA also advised us to allow about 25% over and above the listed rates to allow for the various taxes and extra fees that rental cars tend to have.
Our Car
The car we chose was a 2001 Chevy Prizm. It was loaded with air conditioning, power windows, locks for the trunk and gas cap that could be unlocked with a lever by the drivers seat. I hope to write a review on the car within the next week. It was GREAT at pulling U-turns when I got confused which direction I should be driving (or should I say when my navigator gave me incorrect directions). The only problem was on the last day we used it, the speedometer quit working. That may have been caused by us driving the car on a dirt/rocked road for 1/2 mile each day to reach our destination. There were a few short weeds which one could hear tickling the bottom of the chasis. We mentioned this to the National people when we returned it. Their only comment was there were a LOT of Chevys that caused problems that day. The car had 14,000 miles on it when we returned it.
Wait time
The wait time to rent this car at the Spokane airport was very short, compared to a car we rented last year at the Orlando Airport. In Orlando, at another agency, we waited 45 minutes, in a LONG line of people. At National, there were one or two people ahead of us and we waited perhaps 5-10 minutes.
Service
The lady and gentleman behind the counter were very courteous and helpful. Would we rent from them again? Sure, providing their rates and our pocketbooks agreed.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
remnjava
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Member: Carol
Location: Hildegaard 4-96/04-06 I MISS YOU!
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About Me:
Zekiah born 11-3-03 6lb 14 oz 19 3/4" dark curley hair blu eyes
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