<p>Our son has accepted an internship offer near Hollywood in Los Angeles for this summer. The position requires a car for 8 - 10 weeks. Bringing his car out there is not an option so we are looking for the best rental car options. Being 21 years old places him in the category of added expense in terms of the rental. Has anyone found a good source for such a rental?</p>
<p>YOu might check out zipcar.com. My D’s boyfriend lives in Hollywood and does not own a car. He uses the bus a lot but also belongs to zipcar. He pays a monthly fee I believe and then pays something each time he needs to use a car. He is 23, so under the 25 age limit that a lot of rental car companies use. I don’t know the specifics, but he is on a tight budget and says it is a very affordable way to have access to a car. There are enough locations that he is able to get to the cars easily.</p>
<p>We had a similar problem last summer for a 20 year old and ended up shipping his old HS car which would otherwise have sat idle. That took a good deal of planning and patience, (4 weeks to ship there and 3 weeks to ship home). Cost was about $1,000 each way from Texas to Bay area. Cost was based in part on weight and it was a relatively heavy vehicle, loaded with clothes and small household items for the apartment. We used a reputable auto transport broker.</p>
<p>Something like rent-a-wreck. Or, consider purchasing a cheap used car and selling it when you are done.</p>
<p>You are looking at $2000-3000+ for that rental time–are you sure him driving out ins’t an option? Maybe someone could drive with him and fly home and then fly out and drive back with him. I also agree that you should look into buying a used car and selling it when he is done. It will be much less expensive.</p>
<p>Be VERY careful with Rent A Wreck. Some franchisees are fine, but others will take (illegal) advantage of their customers, figuring they have nowhere else to go. </p>
<p>Use cars.com and quotes on hotwire to see how much you’d pay for a long-term rental from the usual mainstream companies. That at least will give you a baseline for comparing with other options such as RAW (ugh) or buying/selling a used car.</p>
<p>I just did a quick quote on National for June-August–$4863 for a 21 year old driver for 10 weeks…</p>
<p>Yeah, a long term rental will be insanely expensive. Your best bet is driving his car to CA, buying a used car then selling, or a combination of public transit/zipcar.</p>
<p>The good news is Hollywood is convenient to the Red Line which gets you into DTLA, and via connections Pasadena, Long Beach and Culver City. And as stated earlier they have Zipcar available for when he needs to go to the Westside.</p>
<p>Another quick quote: Enterprise economy car from a Hollywood location, June 10-Aug 12, age 21, $1250. That’s a REALLY small car. Bumping up to subcompact (still small) goes up to $1300.</p>
<p>Sometime there are coupon or other deals to waive the underage surcharge. I’d look around. If you’re a gold hertz member I believe it’s also waived. Our AAA membership got us a free gold hertz membership. Zipcar can work well for some folks. My nephew used it the 4 years he attended school in LA. It was cheaper than having a car shipped to him. My kids just caught rides from others until we shipped them cars.</p>
<p>There is also swapalease or things like that. Picking up the last few months of a lease deal. Depending on all the specifics – like cost, mileage available, etc – it might work and it might not.</p>
<p>Have DS ask the HR department of his internship company if they have any sort of arrangement with a car rental agency. I know many large firms contract with car companies for lower rates and to overcome the problem of younger renters getting charged crazy prices.</p>
<p>Check the Hertz site. </p>
<p>They have an offer now to waive the Under-25 surcharge if the car is picked up by June 30. It will still be expensive to rent for the summer, but perhaps cheaper than shipping your car or driving it to California – depending on where you live… We are East Coast folks, were in your situation a couple of years ago, and (Hertz had the same deal that summer too) it cost less to rent a car for 10 weeks than to ship the car. For us, we also figured it cost less than driving (a 40 hour trip each way for us) if you counted hotels, meals, etc.</p>
<p>Driving cross-country is a ton of fun. One of my favorite experiences as undergrad was doing it for an internship the summer of my junior year after having never been west of Pittsburgh my entire life.</p>
<p>The best option is if he can live walking distance to work
If not buy a used car or drive his own car will be much better. The insurance on car rentals will kill the deal.</p>
<p>If the internship is going to include doing a certain amount of courier-type work or getting to different locations quickly, then having a car would be absolutely necessary. If OTOH the OP’s son needs a car because it’s Los Angeles and everyone drives, then yeah, go with public transportation and zipcar/weekend rentals. </p>
<p>Since the student already has a car, he’ll have insurance which can be used for a rental. The one gotcha to watch out for is a rental agency charging for loss of the rental in the event of some damage. You’re not just on the hook for the repair (up to your deductible), but also for the daily rental cost to reimburse for the rental agency’s loss of business revenue.</p>
<p>You should also check what sort of coverages your various credit cards offer for rental cars. Let them know which would be the best to use in the event of renting a car.</p>
<p>^^</p>
<p>Checking about coverage of rental cars should involve going WAY beyond the simple “ask your credit cards” as there are plenty of limitations. There are plenty of legends about what declining coverage actually means. In addition, most coverage does not extend beyond 30 or 31 days. It is really important to understand the exact coverage to the rental car and the third parties. </p>
<p>Fwiw, Amex offers a coverage that is not based on a daily rate but on the full rental at 20 or 25 dollars. It is a bargain when compared to the “regular” deals offered by the rental companies. And, again, you need to explore the various potential claims.</p>
<p>PS I rented cars from Hertz before turning 25, and the usual added cost was to accept the full coverage offered. The rates and the discounts all applied. To get to the best rates, I used a combination of the Amex Platinum/Gold and AAA, depending on the location. The discounts change whimsically so I played with the codes until I got the lowest rate.</p>
<p>Be sure you know what is covered. Most cards & other things only cover VEHICLE not liability. If you’re in an accident, it’s the liability that can run into 6 or 7 figures. Be SURE your home auto policy will cover the liability portion if you don’t buy something or have something else that will.</p>
<p>I purchased a used Toyota Corolla for my D, when she interned summer before last, for $3,000. After she graduated, her mom and I gave her the car (transferring ownership of the vehicle), but we could have sold the car after her internship for what we paid for it had we chosen to do so.</p>