Tips for renting cars under age 25

[incubus_pantomime]

I'm looking at recommendations from ePlaya to find a good rental company, and I'm prepared to pay for a larger vehicle for the week. I'm wondering if anyone under the age of 25 might be able to recommend a car rental company that doesn't charge an exorbitant amount of money for age restrictions. I'll be 23 for this year's burn, and it's getting a little frustrating. (For example, the Hertz quote I just got included an extra $225 for being under 25.) I understand the reasoning, but if one company charges less than another, it might help.

[jkisha]

WOW. That's surprising. I wasn't aware any company would even rent a vehicle to anyone under 25.

[junglesmacks]

The only way to really know is to do the legwork yourself..

[NessaZee]

i can tell you about canada, but no clue about renting in the states.

here you need the renter/main driver to be 25. additional drivers cost a flat rate, like $20 bucks each or something. additional drivers do not need to be over 25, just need a valid operators license.

web pages suck, just call companies directly to get info.

[junglesmacks]

One option may be to find someone that really trusts you to rent the vehicle and then add you as an extra driver..

[NessaZee]

yeah, going in with them and putting it on your own CC might help

[incubus_pantomime]

That's true...my dad rents cars for company trips all the time. I could have him try to make the reservation online under his name and then add me as a driver. Don't know if that would work, but it's definitely worth a try.

I understand any rental company's thought process when they restrict the renter's age...it's just a little frustrating to be on the wrong side of 25, I guess. But I wouldn't consider this a deal-breaker. We knew this was going to cost a lot of money, so if $225 is the thing that hinders our BM plans, then we probably aren't prepared to go. We'll pay it if we have to.

[Dr. Pyro]

Why don't you just go out and buy a car then your troubles would be over.

[lemur]

i recall that most rental companies have a lower age requirement for moving truck/van rentals than for "cars"


you may want to look in to this as an alternative...

[junglesmacks]

i recall that most rental companies have a lower age requirement for moving truck/van rentals than for "cars"


you may want to look in to this as an alternative...

Not sure if you've looked into renting a box truck and then using that as your camping space. That's what I do and it works perfect when you factor in all the extra crap you have to bring anyway AND having a dust/windproof ready-made structure. It's pretty key, actually.

If you want to get a good quote, use the "corporate" option as the mileage charge is way lower. Compare the two rates and expected mileage charges.

As found here: http://www.budgettruck.com/faq.aspx#agereq

"In most U.S. states, Budget Truck Rental locations rent to customers 24 years and older. Budget Truck Rental also may rent to customers between the ages of 21-23 with the following requirements:

- Renters 21-23 must present two valid forms of acceptable identification, a valid driver's license and another form of ID, please see FAQ “What kind of credentials do I need?”

- At time of rental, an additional $18-per-day underage surcharge for these drivers will be applied.

- If a renter wishes to add an additional driver to the rental policy, the second driver must be 21 or older, and present a valid driver’s license. The additional driver fee will also apply, see FAQ “May someone else drive a truck I rent?”

[incubus_pantomime]

i recall that most rental companies have a lower age requirement for moving truck/van rentals than for "cars"


you may want to look in to this as an alternative...

Thank you so much for this! I just did some research, and found that UHaul only restricts buyers under the age of 18. I would feel comfortable driving a moving truck or van. I've given the idea of a box truck, but I really wouldn't feel comfortable operating such a large vehicle. Thank you, though, junglesmacks! =)

Why don't you just go out and buy a car then your troubles would be over.

I have a car, but it's seen better days, and it is definitely too small and too old for the playa. I'm also trying to make BM happen while attending grad school. I'm coming from Houston, TX, and the drive alone would take three days each way. My university begins the same week of BM, and if I can plan it right, I can fly and be back in time to start school the second week. Grad school is different than undergrad -- trying to swing missing the first week of all of my classes and not failing or pissing off any professors is going to be a feat in and of itself.

[Elliot]

U-Haul may not allow their trucks to go to BM -- you better check. Budget is reported to be the most Burner friendly.

[Savannah]

I have a car, but it's seen better days, and it is definitely too small and too old for the playa.

If I remember correctly, you're traveling with your brother, and so you're more than correct about the space issue--even if your car were up to the task mechanically. It's no fun trying to cram belongings for two (including gallons of water and a shade structure) into the average sedan.

Two-seater cargo vans are a brilliant choice for two people, so are box trucks.

[junglesmacks]

Driving a box truck is really no big deal. The only PITA is backing up. I just make sure to try and always park somewhere that I can drive forward out of and not back out of

I would highly rethink the box truck idea. It's pretty awesome, really. Like having an RV for a fraction of the cost. Find some free furniture locally like a mattress and couch and setup a whole living room in there.

Im telling youuuu...

[dragonpilot]

Get a fake ID...you didn't hear that here...

[Nipple]

TIME IS WHAT TURNS KITTENS INTO CATS.

[Dr. Pyro]

And cats into cougars.

[illy dilly]

Driving a box truck is really no big deal.

If you have experience driving high profile vehicles in high winds, you are correct. I do not want to say that the OP is not capable, but it can get pretty windy along that little narrow 447. Though, 16' box trucks typically drive very similar to most 3/4 ton pic ups and utility vans (since they're typically pretty much the same vehicles) only problem is with high winds from the side.

I would highly rethink the box truck idea. It's pretty awesome, really. Like having an RV for a fraction of the cost. Find some free furniture locally like a mattress and couch and setup a whole living room in there.

Your set up was pretty sweet! Not gonna lie, poked my head in when stopped by your camp to see if you were inside sleeping or something.
Though, I would be worried about getting free even used furniture and especially mattresses. Last thing you want to take home from the burn is bed bugs!
Id say it would be best to check out craigslist, talk to some folks about buying their old couches, and then when you get there, checkout what sort of condition their house is in. Even rich clean people can get Bed Bugs, but its typically slobs and dirty people that have bed bugs.
I think for two people that don't plan to sleep in the same bed (aka brother/sister... unless your from Kentucky) two couches one on each wall with a table in the middle would be an awesome set up.

Also, fyi, I might be paranoid because I have a friend that is an exterminator. He says business is booming with the bed bug issues- and especially in lower income apartment complexes.

[junglesmacks]

Driving a box truck is really no big deal.

If you have experience driving high profile vehicles in high winds, you are correct. I do not want to say that the OP is not capable, but it can get pretty windy along that little narrow 447. Though, 16' box trucks typically drive very similar to most 3/4 ton pic ups and utility vans (since they're typically pretty much the same vehicles) only problem is with high winds from the side.

True. Slow and steady and sure is the way to go. I'm also used to driving a full size truck while towing a boat, so long vehicles don't scare me none. It's really not all that difficult though. Just make sure to take your corners wide.

I would highly rethink the box truck idea. It's pretty awesome, really. Like having an RV for a fraction of the cost. Find some free furniture locally like a mattress and couch and setup a whole living room in there.

Your set up was pretty sweet! Not gonna lie, poked my head in when stopped by your camp to see if you were inside sleeping or something.
Though, I would be worried about getting free even used furniture and especially mattresses. Last thing you want to take home from the burn is bed bugs!
Id say it would be best to check out craigslist, talk to some folks about buying their old couches, and then when you get there, checkout what sort of condition their house is in. Even rich clean people can get Bed Bugs, but its typically slobs and dirty people that have bed bugs.
I think for two people that don't plan to sleep in the same bed (aka brother/sister... unless your from Kentucky) two couches one on each wall with a table in the middle would be an awesome set up.

Why thank you, kind sir. Yeah our setup this year was about as good as it's gonna get in a 16'. Queen sized mattress in back and sofa up against one wall up front. Anything more and it gets cramped. As it is, it pays to stay organized. One thing that I did lack was decent lighting at night. Trying to find stuff at night especially when your vision is um.. "impaired" can get to be a challenge! We would prep ourselves before going back to the truck for anything on certain nights.. "Ok.. now.. DONT LET US GET STUCK IN THE TRUCK!"



But.. you have to just take a chance with the free stuff. As you said, anything can be anywhere. I'm find myself to be a pretty durable individual.. I mean hell, I've slept on forest floors in Central America and worked on farms and lived barefoot for extended amounts of time. Not that it makes me iron man, just that.. eh.. f it. God made dirt and dirt don't hurt.

[jkisha]

Though, I would be worried about getting free even used furniture and especially mattresses. Last thing you want to take home from the burn is bed bugs!
Id say it would be best to check out craigslist, talk to some folks about buying their old couches, and then when you get there, checkout what sort of condition their house is in. Even rich clean people can get Bed Bugs, but its typically slobs and dirty people that have bed bugs.
I think for two people that don't plan to sleep in the same bed (aka brother/sister... unless your from Kentucky) two couches one on each wall with a table in the middle would be an awesome set up.

Also, fyi, I might be paranoid because I have a friend that is an exterminator. He says business is booming with the bed bug issues- and especially in lower income apartment complexes.

We usually pick up a few used couches from Goodwill. They're cheap and I understand that they have to fumigate donations before they can sell them.

And I don't think it's true about slobs and dirty people getting bed bugs. Just check out the national bed bug registry and you'll see they have been reported in some of the priciest hotels.

[illy dilly]

True. Slow and steady and sure is the way to go. I'm also used to driving a full size truck while towing a boat, so long vehicles don't scare me none. It's really not all that difficult though. Just make sure to take your corners wide.

Agreed. With experience its no biggie. But, even with experience driving box trucks around the city, is nothing compared to driving a box truck (in my case the RV) down the windy 447. Luckly, you're barely ever going over 45-55 on 447. There parts where you can actually get up to 75, but most of the time there is some RV going real slow in front of a bunch of cars.
fyi. On the way in that slow RV is me. Nothing like driving 34' RV with 850lbs of water 8' behind the back axle.

One thing that I did lack was decent lighting at night. Trying to find stuff at night especially when your vision is um.. "impaired" can get to be a challenge! We would prep ourselves before going back to the truck for anything on certain nights.. "Ok.. now.. DONT LET US GET STUCK IN THE TRUCK!"

LOL!
We've gotten stuck in the tent looking for chapstick, flash light, lighter, pack of cigs, bandana, etc. Then you forget what your looking for, so you go take a shot, then get ready to leave, then say "O yeah, I need to find my chapstick".... repeat steps 1-3 tell you sober up.

But.. you have to just take a chance with the free stuff. God made dirt and dirt don't hurt.

Being a durable fellow is one thing, sleeping on a couch with bed bugs, then getting in your clothes/suit case/ pillow/ blankets/ hair and then taking them home with you, is a whole different world.

[illy dilly]

We usually pick up a few used couches from Goodwill. They're cheap and I understand that they have to fumigate donations before they can sell them.

Maybe in Nevada, but in CO they aren't required to do anything. I worked at good will for about 13 months for a little while when work was hard to find and money was tight. Was actually a pretty fun job since no one was too serious, and all sorts of really cool stuff "fell into my car". We would just pull in a couch, hit it with us fabreeze, maybe vacuum it, if it looked good but had animal hair or something on it, then throw it on the floor.

And I don't think it's true about slobs and dirty people getting bed bugs. Just check out the national bed bug registry and you'll see they have been reported in some of the priciest hotels.

I agree, any one/any animal with body heat can attract and carry bed bugs. Bed Bugs eggs can live dormant for a long time too. I totally agree with you, especially in hotels.
I'm speaking to what my friend tells me, he says that he gets more calls to low income apartment complexes and neighborhoods for bed bugs than anywhere else. He says most higher income places the calls are for things like animals/critters in places they shouldn't be, bees/wasps, and sudden outbreaks of spiders.
I have no personal experience, just the stories he tells me.

EDIT: Also, he says that in his company there are two guys that specialize in dealing with just pigeons mostly in commercial places like office buildings and strip malls.

[uski]

If it helps :

Two years ago, I went to BRC with a friend. I was under 25 and he was under 21, and we are not US residents, so they don't even wanted to add my friend as a second driver, and we were supposed to pay a fee because I was not 25.

So we prepared to pay the $25/day surcharge... but turns out the guy from the counter (it was in San Francisco Intl airport Budget office) really liked us (I think) and gave us a car better than the one we initially paid for, AND he waived the under-25 fee without us asking. Saved us more than $200 bucks, so we were quite happy...

Since then, I heard that the fee is often waived. Not always, but it definitely happens - I guess it depends if you look serious or not.

When we returned from BM, we spent two hours cleaning the cars. It was as shiny as if it was new. I think it's like in BRC... pack in, pack out... leave no trace, even in the car, so that rental offices continue renting to people going to Burning Man (we didn't tell them we were going there, but they had no reason to ask if we return the car clean).

The car was the average sedan... a Chevrolet Cobalt. We managed to pack everything we needed for two people, but it was extremely dense (two bikes, all the water, all the food, materials for a medium Monkey Hut, two tents, and a bunch of goodies).

You can see how the car was PACKED :

car1.jpg

car2.jpg

And the final setup in BRC :

setup.jpg

It was our first burn... it was real good, we had no major issue. Having to disassembles the bikes to put them into the car was no real fun, but it wasn't that hard.
We hope we'll be able to get a ticket for BM 2012, and we'll try to rent a slightly bigger car this time. We are dreaming of a pickup truck, but these do not seem to be easy to find.

Hope this helps
uski

[tattoogoddess]

Why not take amtrak? I don't have a car and that is pretty much my plan right now as ride share is a bit more then I want to spend this year.

[incubus_pantomime]

If it helps :

Two years ago, I went to BRC with a friend. I was under 25 and he was under 21, and we are not US residents, so they don't even wanted to add my friend as a second driver, and we were supposed to pay a fee because I was not 25.

So we prepared to pay the $25/day surcharge... but turns out the guy from the counter (it was in San Francisco Intl airport Budget office) really liked us (I think) and gave us a car better than the one we initially paid for, AND he waived the under-25 fee without us asking. Saved us more than $200 bucks, so we were quite happy...

Since then, I heard that the fee is often waived. Not always, but it definitely happens - I guess it depends if you look serious or not.

Thanks so much for the advice, uski! We may think about that as an option if it seems more affordable that way.

Why not take amtrak? I don't have a car and that is pretty much my plan right now as ride share is a bit more then I want to spend this year.

My only concern about that would be the time issue. Getting to BM, I have no qualms about traveling time, which means that Amtrak may be a more economical option. Getting home from BM (for us at least) needs to happen the same day, so we'll be flying home. My brother and I are both attending the University of Houston (he's a transfer undergraduate student, and I'm a first-year graduate student), and the first week of classes falls on the same week as BM. We've already spoken with professors/staff of our respective departments, and we'll be able to swing missing the first week of classes without penalty. Monday, September 3rd is a holiday for UH, but Tuesday the 4th begins the second week of school. My brother and I need to get home on Monday so that we don't miss the second week's classes, otherwise we may face academic penalty for missing too many classes.

I know that we'll be missing the temple burn, which unfortunately is at the top of my list of things to see during our virgin burn. There's simply no way around missing school, though. We even contemplated the idea of taking off school, but for me, that's simply out of the question. I'm too passionate about school to set it aside for 5 months for the sake of a one-week experience.

I do appreciate everyone's helpful tips and suggestions, though! I can already tell that we're going to meet some AMAZING people on the playa!

[Milayna]

Uski! That was an amazing pack job! Also, what is the material you used on your monkey hut? I like the way it seemed to form almost a door at the end there...

[tattoogoddess]

My only concern about that would be the time issue. Getting to BM, I have no qualms about traveling time, which means that Amtrak may be a more economical option. Getting home from BM (for us at least) needs to happen the same day, so we'll be flying home. My brother and I are both attending the University of Houston (he's a transfer undergraduate student, and I'm a first-year graduate student), and the first week of classes falls on the same week as BM. We've already spoken with professors/staff of our respective departments, and we'll be able to swing missing the first week of classes without penalty. Monday, September 3rd is a holiday for UH, but Tuesday the 4th begins the second week of school. My brother and I need to get home on Monday so that we don't miss the second week's classes, otherwise we may face academic penalty for missing too many classes.

I know that we'll be missing the temple burn, which unfortunately is at the top of my list of things to see during our virgin burn. There's simply no way around missing school, though. We even contemplated the idea of taking off school, but for me, that's simply out of the question. I'm too passionate about school to set it aside for 5 months for the sake of a one-week experience.

I do appreciate everyone's helpful tips and suggestions, though! I can already tell that we're going to meet some AMAZING people on the playa!

Could you take it out then ship and fly back home?

[uski]

Uski! That was an amazing pack job! Also, what is the material you used on your monkey hut? I like the way it seemed to form almost a door at the end there...

It's a "heavy duty" silver/brown tarp, bigger than the monkey hut. We folded the extra tarp to form a "door", and held it in place with some good adhesive tape.

I wouldn't really recommend doing so because the hut was quite an oven during the day, because there was absolutely no air flow.
Next year, we may build a monkey hut (not sure because I don't like the idea of using PVC once or twice and disposing of it); if we do so, we may build a door out of some thin wood panels. Not sure yet. Oh well.