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05-17-2010, 09:01 AM
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#1 | | Junior Member
Join Date: Oct 2009
Posts: 257
| Any suggestions for a long term car rental for a 20 yo?
S will be doing an internship in palo alto this summer and will need a car. we live on the east coast and it's too expensive to ship his car ($900 each way!) and i am too big of a worrier to want him driving out and back. Any ideas?
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05-17-2010, 09:06 AM
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#2 | | Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2004
Posts: 12,880
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Many, if not most, car rental companies will not rent to people under 21, and will put a surcharge on kids 21-25. Do you happen to have USAA? If you rent through their website, sometimes those fees are waived. Also, check with the company offering the internship. They often subsidize cars and/or have arrangements with local car places. Good luck.
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05-17-2010, 09:18 AM
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#3 | | Senior Member
Join Date: Aug 2004
Posts: 19,865
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Gotta tell you...it is going to be expensive to rent a car with insurance for the long term in CA....for an under 25 year old. I agree...check with the internship company. But even with that, the costs will be high. Heavens...we're renting a car for ONE week in June and we are well over 25 and don't need the rental insurance. It's costing us almost $1000 for the week...in the bay area.
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05-17-2010, 09:21 AM
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#4 | | Senior Member
Join Date: Aug 2007
Posts: 7,742
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3bysmom: have no idea about the situation, but does he need a car daily or occasionally?
the zipcar program may or may not be age restricted (depending on locations) but it's possible that he may be able to use that; it is expensive if daily use is necessary, but if it's for the occasional rental, it may make sense......
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05-17-2010, 01:23 PM
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#5 | | Super Moderator
Join Date: May 2007 Location: Silicon Valley, California
Posts: 2,055
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Palo Alto is bike heaven. There are bike lanes on almost all major surface streets, and many people bike to work on a daily basis. Is biking a possibility?
If he's around the Stanford campus there's a free shuttle bus. There are also zip car rentals although you might have to be a student there: Alternative Transportation : Zipcar at Stanford | |
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05-17-2010, 03:11 PM
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#6 | | Senior Member
Join Date: May 2006
Posts: 3,900
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You can consider doing what a number of people have done (including me) and drive out with him in his car, you fly back, then reverse it when he's done. If possible stop and see a few things aloong the way to make it more fun.
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05-17-2010, 03:29 PM
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#7 | | New Member
Join Date: May 2010
Posts: 1
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Buy it! Why would you rent one when you can buy it.
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05-17-2010, 04:55 PM
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#8 | | Junior Member
Join Date: Oct 2009
Posts: 257
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He will be living in Palo Alto but working in Menlo Park so I think that is too far to bike and will require daily use... We are thinking that buying a "clunker" and then re-selling 2 months later may be the way to go but probably the most paper-work, detail intensive plan. I would love to drive out with him but just can't take the time off work... The zipcars are a great alternative for occasional use but not everyday. There are some private rentals on craigslist but that makes me nervous.
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05-17-2010, 05:45 PM
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#9 | | Senior Member
Join Date: Aug 2007
Posts: 1,269
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Shipping his car back and forth: $1800
Can he rent something reliable for less than that (I assume for 2 months)?
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05-17-2010, 05:50 PM
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#10 | | Senior Member
Join Date: Dec 2007
Posts: 1,275
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Besides getting a local internship and avoiding all this .... no.
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05-17-2010, 05:57 PM
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#11 | | Junior Member
Join Date: Nov 2008
Posts: 190
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My son's car was hit in his hs parking lot and needed repairs. When we got the rental car (set up through our insurance company) the rental agent told us that that was the only way someone under 21 could get a rental car.
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05-17-2010, 06:48 PM
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#12 | | Senior Member
Join Date: May 2006
Posts: 3,900
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Be wary of the clunker route since if it ends up needing major repairs it might cost you more than shipping his car.
Has he checked with the people where he's interning to see if there are other interns who'll be there in the same timeframe who might have a car who wouldn't mind driving your S to work and back in exchange for some gas money? Maybe they can connect your S with them via email. This isn't an unusual practice among students doing internships. If he's already planning on having a roomate check with the roomies for this first.
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05-17-2010, 08:36 PM
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#13 | | Senior Member
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 15,573
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I suggest you let your son borrow the family car for that period of time and YOU get a long term rental since your age will not be a disadvantage. I got a real bargain one summer doing that. I rented from Enterprise.
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05-17-2010, 09:18 PM
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#14 | | Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2007
Posts: 3,861
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What is your worry about allowing him to drive out and back? Provide him with maps, book hotel rooms at logical locations (or if you have friends or relatives along the route, maybe he can spend a night or two there). Or is it an issue of reliability with his current car? If that is the case, maybe it is a good idea to give him the family car for the summer.
My D is 20, and I would let her do this.
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05-17-2010, 11:45 PM
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#15 | | Senior Member
Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Portland, OR
Posts: 1,815
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Registering a car in CA is very expensive. So is insuring a car in CA. Gas is almost $4/gallon. If your son is 20, I would suggest that he use public transportation, bicycle, or cadge rides from fellow internees who have cars. Bicycling is actually much easier than you'd think; keep in mind it will not rain at all all summer and that it gets light at 5 and doesn't get dark until around 9.
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