HELP!!....Any ideas about renting a mini-van??

Hi All: My family and I have planned another great trip to Sanibel Dec. 16 through Dec. 23rd. We%26#39;ve got the plane tickets, Pointe Santo condo reservations, etc. etc. We are in the process of reserving a mini-van for the family. 5 adults %26amp; 1 child (3 yrs. old)

I am in shock!!! I can%26#39;t find anything under $740.00. I want to rent the thing...not buy it. Does any one have any ideas. We are all ears and open to suggestions,, As always.....Thank you one and all.

signed: sticker shock in New Mexico!!!!!!!!

HELP!!....Any ideas about renting a mini-van??

I ran into the same thing in August. I checked the web sites and found I could get a Taurus for $150.00 for the week. I rented two of them for $300.00 (plus the usual add-ons) and enjoyed the other car when we wanted to go different directions. Saved about $400 compared to one mini van.

HELP!!....Any ideas about renting a mini-van??

I don%26#39;t blame for sticker shock! I%26#39;d take Dad%26#39;s advice and go the 2 car route. GrandmaMac has some good local companies she uses that aren%26#39;t national chains that might also be of help. Hope she sees this and responds.

Well, shoot, for 5 adults and a 3 yr old, a large car ought to do it. Just get one with a roof rack. Or make two trips from the airport to bring in the luggage. It%26#39;s not that far from airport to Sanibel and certainly worth it to save from the high cost of renting the van.

we%26#39;ve had good luck on the southwest airlines website renting a minivan with dollar rent a car.

www.southwest.com

Hey- I checked your dates on southwest.com picking up minivan in Ft. Myers and Payless has a price of $599- this being the lowest. You may also google rental car %26amp; discount codes to see if this helps you lower the price.

Its been my experience to keep checking prices even after you%26#39;ve made your reservation. They tend to change every couple of weeks. We changed our labor day car reservations 4 times before our trip and saved about $150.

Hey WInter,

Try mousesavers.com for discount codes that work throughout Florida. The best is National or Dollar. Look for multiple codes to apply to National.

Book now! The prices will only go up!

C

Wintershoek:

A local agency I learned about just a few months ago is Sensible Car Rental. You might check with them for a quote. They are off-airport, but will arrange to have your car available for you there when you arrive as well as similar arrangement for dropping it off at the end of your visit. My understanding is that their vehicles are models that are low mileage and one or two years old as opposed to the current models used by major agencies, thus hypothetically lower rates.

http://www.sensiblecarrentalfla.com/

I didn%26#39;t see anyone suggesting priceline yet. I have always felt I received good discounts when booking through them. You make a bid and, if it is accepted, your credit card is charged at that point. They use only national, airport based agencies.

www.priceline.com

Finally, I check all available prices through www.breezenet.com

If you find a rate you like, you just go ahead and book with the car rental agency. Then you can keep checking back and, if a more appealing rate shows up later, just cancel the first arrangement and book the better one.

Good Luck!

Hmmmm...bear in mind if you decide to make a Priceline bid that one thing that is running the overall cost up is the exorbitant ';fees';. I noticed that they add about $115 to the total price on a $600 vehicle rate so consider those add-ons as additional to any offer you may make.

Thank You....Thank You......everyone! So many of you had good advice. We just rented a mini-van from Sensible Car Rental for the week of Dec 16-23. Saved over $200.00!!!!! Instead of $650.00+, Tom%26#39;s price was 437.50. IF THEIR SERVICE TURNS OUT TO BE WHAT IT SOUNDS LIKE. I WILL POST AGAIN AND LET EVERYONE KNOW HOW WELL THE SERVICE WAS.

I%26#39;m pleased to hear that the ';Sensible'; connection has helped resolve your ';sticker shock, Wintershoek.

If you would like some reassurance about your decision, go to the Fort Myers Beach forum and enter the search words ';Sensible Car Rental';. Several posts there about their service and all seem to have been very satisfied with how they operate. Hope it works out as well for your family.

beauty