Car rental

[Sazuburns]

Hi there

We are coming to Orlando from the UK. We are two adults, two children (aged 5 & 7) and will probably have two large suitcases and a wheelchair, and assorted hand luggage. What is the smallest rental car we could use?

At home we have a Vauxhall Zafira which is a small minivan. Although it has seven seats, the back two fold flat into the floor, so mostly it gets used like a station wagon and we can get a lot of stuff in the trunk. We didn't really want to get a full sized minivan, as driving on the 'wrong' side of the road using hand controls will be tricky enough, without the car feeling like a tank! On the other hand, we need to be able to fit everything in, so a compact or intermediate probably won't be large enough.

Any ideas?

Thanks
Sarah

 

[jayandstacey]

Hmmm...

If the wheelchair were out of the equation, I would think an intermediate would be OK. So the big question is how does the wheelchair travel?

I would be ready to describe that, and then pick one of the major rental agencies like Hertz, Budget or Avis. I would call them and describe your needs.

I use Hertz on business. While I don't use it, they advertise availibility of rentals with hand controls. So I would imagine those have the storage for the chair. Maybe you can rent a decent sized one of those.

A last thought is to get help from either a travel club like AAA or from your travel agent. Good luck!

 

[jayandstacey]

And of course while I post opinions, we can count on Sue to have posted same good facts on this. So I just went and checked her posts...

Check out the FAQ thread that is stickied at the top of this forum - there is a post in there called "ECVs and cars" and it gives tips on cars and rental places. Hopefully it helps more than I did!

 

[Andrew Bichard]

I am a wheelchair user from the UK.

As a general rule, you will find that cars in the USA tend to have smaller trunks/boots than their European equivalents, so I would go for a larger vehicle.

I have never had a problem with vehicle size in the USA because most cars have power steering and brakes and don't feel as big as they look. The roads are wider and straighter. Car size should not be an issue (Though my own car here in the UK is a Chrysler Grand Voyager with drive-from-wheelchair adaptions).

I have also found that I sometimes get a free upgrade because they have full size car with hand controls ready to go and they don't want to strip out the hand controls and fit them into a smaller car for me.

Andrew

 

[Sazuburns]

Thanks, those are good points to consider.

Sarah

 

[BethanyF]

Our last car rental was a Jeep Grand Cherokee...a mid-size SUV. We were able to fit 3 large suitcases, 1 small suitcase and 4 carry on bags in the back.
Maybe an SUV would work for you, IMO they are easier to drive than minvans.

 

[Sazuburns]

Our last car rental was a Jeep Grand Cherokee...a mid-size SUV. We were able to fit 3 large suitcases, 1 small suitcase and 4 carry on bags in the back.
Maybe an SUV would work for you, IMO they are easier to drive than minvans.

Thanks - I'll look into this too. Why the rental companies don't do station wagons is beyond me - they are head and shoulders above anything else when it comes to luggage space.


Sarah x

 

[Shorty82]

...as driving on the 'wrong' side of the road using hand controls will be tricky enough...

No, no, no. We drive on the correct side, as in the right, side of the road. You guys are the ones who drive on the wrong side.

Right is right, left is wrong!

Thanks - I'll look into this too. Why the rental companies don't do station wagons is beyond me - they are head and shoulders above anything else when it comes to luggage space.


Sarah x

Probably because station wagons just aren't popular in the States. Most people prefer SUVs when they need space. There aren't many station wagons on the road these days and the car companies don't make many as there isn't the demand for them.

 

[jayandstacey]

Probably because station wagons just aren't popular in the States. Most people prefer SUVs when they need space. There aren't many station wagons on the road these days and the car companies don't make many as there isn't the demand for them.

Yeah, the fact that wagons aren't "cool" is probably 90% of the reason. The other is that minivans generally have the same length and interior configuration, but a higher roofline. We would own a wagon, but own a Honda Odyssey instead - I actually drove a tractor into the back of the Honda one time and was able to shut the hatch!
Anyway, I would also concur with an earlier post that you might try a minivan. They drive similarly, and the size isn't much of an issue here when it comes to roads and general navigation. About the hardest part is getting it into a cavern of a parking space between all the other vans and SUVs!

 

[loadsapixiedust]

We also had a Zafira at home until recently so I can draw a fairly accurate comparison for you. We travel, 2 adults and 2 teenagers with associated luggage (2 cases, 2 holdalls and hand luggage) and a wheelchair and always hire a 7 seater minivan. We have ample room for all the luggage on the airport runs and also to put the wheelchair in the back without folding for the rest of the time. That would be my choice, something like a Voyager or an Uplander for example.