I have a question about car rentals.

Very soon, we'll be on our way to coming back to New Jersey to see what's going on up there, but it's far too expensive for us to fill more gas while do travelling down on the road.

Since I'm getting a license very soon. So tell me this, how much that cost me to rent a car? I need it for like up for one or two weeks ahead. Also I was informed that I would need car insurance in the order to rent a car, is that true?

I haven't rented a car, but I think the minimum age is 25. If you are younger, I can't remember if you are even allowed to, or if you have to pay a higher cost. So really, cost depends on age.

That's all I know.

toranoko said:

I haven't rented a car, but I think the minimum age is 25. If you are younger, I can't remember if you are even allowed to, or if you have to pay a higher cost. So really, cost depends on age.

That's all I know.

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I'm almost 25 years old now. And thanks for telling me that.

Sentinel King said:

I'm almost 25 years old now. And thanks for telling me that.

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you don't NEED insurance, but if you don't get it make sure you're checking the car out with them in detail, in NATURAL light. note every single nick on your own records, and make sure they do it on theirs, because if you rent without their insurance a lot of places will try to scam you into repairing barely noticeable damage caused by other drivers, not to mention any damage caused while you're the renter but not in the car (hit in a parking lot, keyed, etc. Rental cars are a pretty common target for vandals as well) In short, while you don't need you OWN insurance, I advise paying the extra to get THEIR insurance.

unmei said:

you don't NEED insurance, but if you don't get it make sure you're checking the car out with them in detail, in NATURAL light. note every single nick on your own records, and make sure they do it on theirs, because if you rent without their insurance a lot of places will try to scam you into repairing barely noticeable damage caused by other drivers, not to mention any damage caused while you're the renter but not in the car (hit in a parking lot, keyed, etc. Rental cars are a pretty common target for vandals as well) In short, while you don't need you OWN insurance, I advise paying the extra to get THEIR insurance.

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What about enterprise? We rent that car there for a month. And thanks for that information! I'll be sure to check that!

Sentinel King said:

What about enterprise? We rent that car there for a month. And thanks for that information! I'll be sure to check that!

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Enterprise is pretty good. I'm just overly paranoid so I always get their insurance, it's only another 12 a day or so so it's always been manageable.

What unmei has said is definitely true and definitely should be considered/listened to. In addition to what he said, here are a few additional things to think about:

1) Most cities/provinces/states will have minimum age laws for renting cars. They will take photocopies of your drivers licence when you go to pick up the car (often they're required by law to do so). If you refuse to give them your licence to copy, then they don't have to give you the car.

2) Don't mess around, take the insurance that the rental company offers you. Make sure that you know what it does/does not cover. The insurance will be paid on a daily rate for however long you need the car. The actual cost per day can vary if they're willing to give you choices for your deductible. The deductible is how much you would have to pay out of your own pocket should you get in an accident in the rental car. A smaller deductible will result in a larger daily insurance rate.

3) Depending on which car rental company you use, you may or may not have to pay for "extra drivers." Basically, whoever signs the rental agreement is the only person LEGALLY allowed to drive the car. If your trip involves you as well as a bunch of other people who could drive, then you can have them included as an extra driver (they will also have to give their licences to be photocopied).

Now here's the kicker, some car rental companies will charge you a fee (often a daily rate for however long you need the car) for each of your extra drivers. Obviously some people will think, "**** that, I'll just save money by not telling them about the extra drivers." There's just one problem with that. During your trip, what if you get in an accident in your rental car, and the cops and/or rental company find out that the driver at the time was NOT you? If it's discovered that the driver was an extra driver that you did not tell the rental company about, then any car insurance that you get for the rental will be in danger of getting nullified/canceled, regardless of where you got the insurance from. This would mean that you would be responsible to pay ALL of the costs to repair or REPLACE the vehicle (depending on how badly the vehicle was damaged). You might also be subject to prosecution/a lawsuit for damages from the rental company for allowing an uninsured driver to operate a vehicle that only you were legally authorized to drive.


Bottom line, in order to get the best deal, make sure that you do research and shop around. See what different companies offer you. Try to get a deal with "unlimited mileage" if possible, as you never really notice just how you're going to drive the rental when you have it. Be honest/up front with the car rental company about extra drivers. When in doubt, ASK QUESTIONS! It's your money, if you're unsure about anything, remember that it's better to ask them about it and finding out the answer instead of not asking and finding out later that you're getting screwed somehow.

Now I didn't mean to freak you out with this, but hopefully you can see how much **** you can get into if you don't take the proper steps to cover your ass with car rentals.