Surviving the Rental Car Experience

While renting a car in Boston isn't a necessity -- you may find that many of the attractions you want to see are easily accessible by foot, taxi or public transportation (see our article on the "T"), having wheels of your own will come in handy if you want to go to one of the area's best beaches, and the Nashoba Valley Winery and Orchard). see some of the sights in nearby areas (our recommendations include an Essex River Cruise, the Sedgwick Gardens at the Long Hill Estate and the Nashoba Valley Winery and Orchard.

Renting a car is not without some hassles, however, so we have accumulated these tips over the years that you might find useful:

1. Reserve early. As in most cities, rental agencies within Boston proper have very limited rental fleets, so you need to reserve early to be sure you will have transportation. You also usually get a better deal if you reserve early. Here are some phone numbers of rental car companies serving Boston:

Alamo (800) 327-9633
Avis (800) 331-1212
Budget (800) 527-0700
Dollar Rent-a-Car (800) 800-4000
Hertz (800) 654-3131
National (800) 227-7368

Or better yet, make your reservations online.

2. Check for damage. Look the car over carefully before you take it off the rental lot and make sure the staff marks down any damage on the vehicle. If you don’t do this, you may be held responsible for damage done before you had the car (especially if you do not observe tip number 6 below).

3. Refuel the car yourself. Do not return the car with less fuel than it had at pick-up time because the rental company will charge you ridiculous rates per gallon for the missing fuel. Prices at Boston’s gas stations are bad enough but the prices the rental people charge are even worse.

4. Don’t top off the tank. This is second nature to us, so we used to put every possible drop in the tank before we returned it. Eventually we learned not to bother. So long as the fuel gauge needle is somewhere near the full mark, the rental agency is unlikely to charge you for fuel (especially if you follow tip number 6).

5. Decline the insurance. The insurance premiums the rental companies will charge you are another rip-off. Many credit card companies include this insurance as part of your benefits if you rent with their cards. Check on this before you leave for Boston – be sure to check on both the liability and collision coverage.

6. Clean your trash out of the car. Why should you do someone else’s job? Because it will take less than a minute and it will endear you to the rental staff. Who cares? These people have the ability to hold you accountable for damage done to the car and they also can hit you with refueling charges. This can be especially critical if you really have damaged the car and/or did not fully refuel it.

7. Bring your radar detector if you have one. Boston's finest will give you a ticket if you violate their traffic laws.

Good luck!

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