Car rental tips

AVOIDING CAR RENTAL HEADACHES

There's a lot to think about when you rent a car.

Typically, this decision gets a lot less attention from
travelers than the airborne legs of their journey. But it
can get complicated - and expensive; especially with
gasoline selling for more than $3 a gallon at the pump.

Here are some tips:

* Fuel efficiency

It used to be that the first thing on most car renter's
lists - especially folks traveling for business on the
company's dime - was comfort. You figure out how many people
you'll have, add luggage, and look for something that would
fit everything comfortably.

Now, more travelers are willing to skimp a bit on comfort to
get more miles to the gallon. Many businesses are
scrutinizing this element of their expense accounts more
carefully, and an employee may be able to score some points
by saving his or her company some money.

Pay attention to the miles-per-gallon numbers of the rental
cars. Some rental companies don't post this info, so you
should do your research in advance. If you're going to be
driving a lot, this could save you quite a bit of money.

* Fill it yourself

Never buy gas from the car rental company. It is almost
always a bad deal.

Yes, there are drivers out there who will e-mail me to say
this option worked out for them, but successes stories are
the exception to the rule. They depend on pump prices
dropping before the rental agency bureaucracy can respond.
Lately, we haven’t had many dramatic downward shifts here.

The flip side of this is making sure you fill the car -
yourself - back to where the gauge was when you drove off
the lot. If the agency fills it, they will do so with their
more expensive gasoline, and you’re credit card charge will
be bigger than you expected.