New York City - Car Rental

[Bannock]

I'm off to NYC in a month or so's time, staying a week in Manhattan, then planning to rent a car and drive up to Vermont for a week.

I've looked at all the big rental agencies, but was wondering if anyone on here knows of a smaller local firm on Manhattan island which might be a bit cheaper, or more customer friendly than the big names? Not looking to rent anything spectacular, just a large saloon or medium SUV, or even getting something from a rent-a-banger type outfit, if such a thing exists?

Any tips welcome!

[seyre1972]

Maybe look at Turo - rent from owners direct, with comprehensive insurance etc. Likely a wider choice than your bog standard rental cars etc.

I did this in Seattle last year - Ford F150 Raptor !!



Also - as a consideration are you wanting to take the car back to the airport, and then fly outcome - as renting in town, returning to the Airport may incur a one way fee ?

Maybe give https://www.discountfloridacarhire.co.uk a try (they don't only cover Florida !!)

[Bannock]

Thanks seyre, I'll have a look at those. Yes I'll be returning it to JFK. I had looked as prices for Manhattan pick up - JFK return, and they looked a bit cheaper than JFK pick up and return initially.

[seyre1972]

Bannock said:

Thanks seyre, I'll have a look at those. Yes I'll be returning it to JFK. I had looked as prices for Manhattan pick up - JFK return, and they looked a bit cheaper than JFK pick up and return initially.

I use Avis (I'm out there in September - but staying in Newark/off to Pennsylvania and upstate New York too ) as their rental car place is right next to the Train Station from the Airport (Federal Circle Station on the AirTrain) Majority of others are close by too, but Avis is Prime Position (useful when trying to get all your baggage bags back to the Airport)

If you were returning in town/Manhattan - check the opening hours of the garage/as not all open 24/7, weekends etc

Currently got a deal on 25% off, and a free upgrade - ping me and I can forward an email from them (not specific to my account etc)

[Bannock]

Wow, very kind of you, I have pinged an email to you.

Much appreciated.

[Bannock]

Further investigations have shown that you have to pay extra, a lot extra, to get a satnav. This has made me enormously grumpy.

Does anyone know if a UK Android phone, in combination with a locally purchased US data SIM, will run Google maps? I don't even know if UK handsets work on US mobile phone networks.

[SunsetZed]

Bannock said:

Further investigations have shown that you have to pay extra, a lot extra, to get a satnav. This has made me enormously grumpy.

Does anyone know if a UK Android phone, in combination with a locally purchased US data SIM, will run Google maps? I don't even know if UK handsets work on US mobile phone networks.

You can download sections of google maps so that these work offline (obviously you don't get traffic info though). It works well and is what I've been doing when travelling to the US for the last few years.

[Bannock]

SunsetZed said:

Bannock said:

Further investigations have shown that you have to pay extra, a lot extra, to get a satnav. This has made me enormously grumpy.

Does anyone know if a UK Android phone, in combination with a locally purchased US data SIM, will run Google maps? I don't even know if UK handsets work on US mobile phone networks.

You can download sections of google maps so that these work offline (obviously you don't get traffic info though). It works well and is what I've been doing when travelling to the US for the last few years.

Thanks. Does that mean the UK mobile phones don't work on US phone/data networks then, even with a US SIM card?

[ettore]

Bannock said:

Further investigations have shown that you have to pay extra, a lot extra, to get a satnav. This has made me enormously grumpy.

Does anyone know if a UK Android phone, in combination with a locally purchased US data SIM, will run Google maps? I don't even know if UK handsets work on US mobile phone networks.

UK handsets work on US networks - just sort your data out and you can use it exactly as you would here.

Other alternative is just to buy a cheap Garmin type thing when you're there.

[Bannock]

ettore said:

Bannock said:

Further investigations have shown that you have to pay extra, a lot extra, to get a satnav. This has made me enormously grumpy.

Does anyone know if a UK Android phone, in combination with a locally purchased US data SIM, will run Google maps? I don't even know if UK handsets work on US mobile phone networks.

UK handsets work on US networks - just sort your data out and you can use it exactly as you would here.

Other alternative is just to buy a cheap Garmin type thing when you're there.

Ah, super. Thanks.

I'm actually considering buying a "map" and teaching the children what the olden days used to be like!

[seyre1972]

SunsetZed said:

Bannock said:

Further investigations have shown that you have to pay extra, a lot extra, to get a satnav. This has made me enormously grumpy.

Does anyone know if a UK Android phone, in combination with a locally purchased US data SIM, will run Google maps? I don't even know if UK handsets work on US mobile phone networks.

You can download sections of google maps so that these work offline (obviously you don't get traffic info though). It works well and is what I've been doing when travelling to the US for the last few years.

Obviously check if you have data roaming/how much it may cost with existing UK sim. I’m with EE and have global roaming (other than Andorra for some reason ….). When i took the family last time - it was something like £5 a day to add roaming (only needed for my daughter).

So may work out cheaper/mean you don’t lose your means of being contacted on your UK number etc.

Good advice re offline however - some of the more remote parts of the states - you may have no/only a 3G signal, and google maps and 3G don’t really work too well ….. (ask me how I know and route from Las Vegas to the Grand Canyon ….

[Bannock]

Ahhhh...that'll be why car rental companies are profiteering from renting out GPS satnavs at extortionate rates....I get it now.

[InitialDave]

You can often download map areas ahead of time in order to use phone GPS apps without data.

[Truckosaurus]

Yep, use your phone for satnav, most cars seem to have Carplay and AndroidAuto so gone are the days of hoping someone hasn't stolen the SD cards with the maps for the built in satnav.

EE charge £15 a month to use your UK data in the USA.

If you use Waze then as long as you do the route planning part when you have a signal then it seems to work through areas of no signal - although I suspect there's not many places along the main routes than aren't near a mast.

[Bannock]

Thanks Truckosaurus, that sounds like the answer then. Both myself and the Missus are on EE. I'll tell the dustbin lids to turn off their data...hopefully they survive that news.

[SunsetZed]

If you do decide that you don't want to use data then the best thing to do is to try downloading the local map in your home area (click your initial and then offline maps and then select your own map on Android) and then switch off data on your phone and then go for a drive so that your confident that it will work fine when you get there.

[numtumfutunch]

Bannock said:

Further investigations have shown that you have to pay extra, a lot extra, to get a satnav. This has made me enormously grumpy.

Does anyone know if a UK Android phone, in combination with a locally purchased US data SIM, will run Google maps? I don't even know if UK handsets work on US mobile phone networks.

You need an E-SIM

Cheap as chips and you can get ++++ GB of data for 10 Dollars

Used one earlier this year in the US and it was a huge win. Waze, Google maps, surfing, music, whatsapp etc etc etc all good

DYOR, there are lots of options

[Bannock]

E-SIM? Thanks, that sounds like a good idea.

In car rental news, I've found a "Nissan Sentra or similar" with Dollar, pick up at Newark Airport and drop off at JFK, for £247 for 7 days. Not too bad, that will do.

I looked at Turo, and couldn't find anything cheaper than using an airport rental firm, which will be more convenient.

Thanks everyone for your help and suggestions.

[x5tuu]

Depends on your network and package though, worth checking - for example I am with O2 and get inclusive US roaming for no additional charge at all.

[Bannock]

Just to round this off (everyone loves an OP finishing a thread up, right?), I've just returned from my very enjoyable trip.

I ended up with a excruciatingly dull, but efficient, comfortable, capable and economical, Toyota Corolla saloon - a 1.8 petrol 2022MY, with a CVT gearbox. It was just about big enough for 4 of us (including 6'2" son in the rear), and took one large, plus 4 cabin suitcases, in the boot, with a couple of soft bags packed around. Pretty impressive interior space for a smallish saloon. But I did wish I'd gone one size up just for the hell of it...

Rented from Dollar at EWR and returned to JFK. Paid 300 and something (nearer 400 than 300) for the rental (7 days), and used my Android phone with Google maps for nav, having paid a few quid to my UK network for US Roaming for a month.

The buggers really want you to rent a GPS unit though, don't they? The car had a nice big screen on the dash, but the maps were missing - "Not Installed". Groan. It had Bluetooth, but no ability to screen mirror, and they had even removed the USB socket from the car so you couldn't plug a phone in and project your own nav maps either. Tight bds.

Aside from that, the other "gotcha" is Toll charges. I didn't know how tolls operated in the US, where they applied, nor how much they were. Perhaps should have researched in advance, but I hadn't. So at the collection counter they upsold me to an EZ PASS toll subscription, saying that if I didn't buy it from them, they' charge me not just the Tolls, but an extra $10 admin fee for each Toll use. I had no idea how many Tolls roads I was going to use on my trip, so I just took the path of least resistance and coughed up. After returning the car I got my final invoice by email and have been charged $167. I hope this is less than I'd have been reamed for if I hadn't bought the EZ PASS, but I can't be bothered to look and find out now. It is what it is.