A couple of months ago, I had to make a couple of trips out to Los Angeles. I was working on a tight schedule (finalizing plans less than a week before travel), so I decided to use cheaptickets.com to get the best deal on a flight and a rental car. They hooked me up with Budget Rent A Car and everything worked out okay with no problems.
At LAX, you have to hop on a shuttle to the car rental place, which is all spread out around the outskirts of the airport. Each car rental company has their own shuttles, so you have to make sure you get on the right one. I got to the Budget facility in about 15 minutes after I got my bags.
Once there, I stood in line for a few minutes. I remember I had a huge headache and was watching the breaking news about Anna Nicole Smith. When I got to the counter, the guy helping me was courteous and efficient. He said something about a shortage on economy cars (what I had reserved) and offered to “upgrade” me to a minivan. In my fog of a headache I responded with a “Sounds good” that echoed in my brain. Luckily, since I’m under 25, their rules don’t allow me to be upgraded to a minivan; I guess it’s some sort of a idiot-protection for young people like me. I got a Pontiac Grand-Am instead.
The bad thing about being under 25 and trying to rent a car is the “under-age” surcharge of $25 a day. It sucks; it more than doubles the rate of a car. Oh well. I had places to go and I paid their fee. The total for three days in a Grand-Am: $150. But remember to fill up the tank before taking it back — that could easily inflate the costs with their over-priced gas fees.
Driving around L.A. isn’t bad. All the roads and highways are in a grid so it’s hard to get lost. The first time I accidentally drove through the middle of downtown Los Angeles during the afternoon rush. It’s pretty bad, but nothing I haven’t seen on I-495, I-270, I-95 or any of the other parking lots we have here in Maryland.
The second time I decided to go with a mid-size. A 22 year-old in a Chevy Malibu (with auto-starter) for three days: $210.
Getting a rental car from Budget was a relatively good experience. Traveling to any town I would definitely rent a car from them to get around town. Just follow these tips and you’ll feel the same too:
1. If you are under 25, say “YES” to their offer to “upgrade” to a minivan. You’ll get a mid-size instead for free.
2. Remember to fill up before going back to the airport. Buying gas in California sucks but it sucks more when Budget buys it for you.
3. Learn to appreciate driving American cars. My first car was a Ford Tempo so driving these clunky GM cars were like a throw-back to the good old days.
4. Finally, if you happen to choose to rent a Hummer to get you around Los Angeles (which is inadvisable to say the least), DO NOT try to drive over the spikes in the closed exit lanes:
