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Renting a Car is a Great Escape
Feb 23 2009 by Sara Lacey
Renting a car is an easy way to indulge in your car fantasies. What kind of car would be fun for you and your family to rent? We have some great ideas, and we’re not talking about a micro-compact clown car you’d have to cram everyone into. With the help of our friends at Hertz, Avis, National and Enterprise car rental companies, we’ve checked their family-friendly offerings. Of course, you’ll want to verify the cars’ availability when making your reservation.
Are you a mom who has sworn off minivans? Maybe you can give in, just this once, and take a vehicular vacation. If you can get a Toyota Sienna (available at Enterprise and Hertz) you won’t be disappointed. The Sienna is a 2009 MotherProof.com award winner. You’ll be treated to remarkably good ride quality; the youngsters can easily get in and out of the Sienna. You can indulge in its copious cupholders and comfortable seating while you forget about maintaining your image for a while.
Maybe you own a hybrid, but you’d secretly love to indulge in a guilt-inducing SUV while on an out-of-town trip. There are Hummer H2s and H3s (Hertz and Enterprise), Jeep Commanders (Avis), Cadillac Escalades (available at Avis, National and Hertz) and Lincoln Navigators (Hertz). Tell your friends they were out of hybrids. If it’s easier to keep it a secret, don’t worry, we won’t tell anyone!
Perhaps you’ve been intrigued by hybrid fever and want to investigate. Leave your gas-guzzler at the rental lot and drive something green. The Toyota Prius is a great car for smaller families, and you can find it at National and Avis.
A convertible is a delightful option for smaller families. Avis has Saab convertibles, Ford Mustang convertibles and Chrysler PT Cruiser convertibles. National offers Chrysler Sebrings and Mustangs, and Hertz has Jeep Wranglers. If you have an infant in a rear-facing seat, you’ll have to wait a couple of years to rent this one, but kids who are no longer in car seats will begin their love affair with Jeep.
A favorite rental for families is an extended-cab pickup truck with four doors. They’re ideal for camping trips; you can put your sleeping bags in the pickup bed to keep you away from the creepy-crawlies. You could use the truck to move some lumber for a major home-improvement project. Enterprise and Avis both have a couple options in this segment.
What if you want a fancy car for a birthday, anniversary or a rare night out without the kids? Land Rover Range Rovers, Bentley Continental GTs and Mercedes-Benz rentals are available in many local fleets. Most of these fleets require the same commitments as the national chains. For a more affordable but still fun car, consider the Mini Cooper convertible. They’re often less expensive to rent than a Bentley, and they feature MotherProof.com award-winning Latch connectors.
We have to rent a car for 2 weeks at Christmas (headed home) and just want the cheapest darn thing we can find that fits three boosters across the backseat. Recommendations, oh pretty please!