3 ms·

Rent a car for the weekend? It's like $50/day, so only $3k/yr to do it once a day per week. (Not factoring in the added cost of gas, or the discounts you can

Rent a car for the weekend? It's like $50/day, so only $3k/yr to do it once a day per week. (Not factoring in the added cost of gas, or the discounts you can get by regularly renting a car and getting your own non-owner insurance)

jorblumesea 9y ago
I would never want to bring a rental car into a snow covered pass or an icy parking lot. Too much liability. Good suggestion, probably good for a day hike or otherwise.
- shafyy 9y ago
  Why not just get the insurance on top when renting to cap your liability?
  - jorblumesea 9y ago
    The entire idea is to be low cost, so when you start tacking on all these fees kinda defeats that purpose. At some point you will get to the point where it's the same cost to rent vs own.
    - shafyy 9y ago
      It depends on how much you use it I guess. But the average person surely doesn't go out ice hiking every weekend.
      - dbaupp 9y ago
        And, most people can't: most places, only ~half the year will be cold enough to have snow/ice.
  - matthewowen 9y ago
    there are road conditions you cannot drive in without snow chains, and rental companies don't allow you to attach chains. these road conditions are not uncommon if you're going skiing. effectively there are moderately common road/condition combinations that you cannot drive in a rental car.
    - semi-extrinsic 9y ago
      > there are road conditions you cannot drive in without snow chains Where is this? I live in northern part of Scandinavia, and we manage just fine with normal winter tires. Snow chains are pretty much only for semi trucks. Most people even use studless winter tires these days. And of course rental cars have winter tires in the winter season, anything else would be illegal.
      - ghostly_s 9y ago
        Seconded, grew up in far northern Minnesota and no-one uses snowchains there, though there is a preference for cars with high clearance (and some sand/skidboards in the trunk, usually). I guess I can see this if you're doing deep backwoods skiing, but that's an awfully niche pastime no? I've never heard of a ski resort that's inaccessible without snowchains.
        ghaff 9y ago
        >I've never heard of a ski resort that's inaccessible without snowchains. Lots of them in the West. Little Cottonwood Canyon (at a minimum) in Utah. Tahoe from the Bay area (Donner Pass) under certain conditions http://www.dot.ca.gov/trafficops/trucks/chains.html http://www.dot.ca.gov/trafficops/trucks/chains.html. In a number of cases you can get exceptions for approved winter tires but it varies.
      - freehunter 9y ago
        >anything else would be illegal The US does not mandate snow tires at a national level, and in many places (even northern states where snow and ice are common) tire chains are illegal because they can damage the roads. If you're going up steep hills covered in ice, winter tires or even studded tires are not going to work. You need chains. Then again, the best rally drivers are Scandinavian, so maybe you guys are just better drivers than we are :)
  - s0rce 9y ago
    Usually you can't put snow tires on a rental and you often can't get snow tires either.
ghaff 9y ago
It's a hassle. You can't customize it. I have a roofrack that accommodates a canoe. Maybe you need chains for the winter; maybe you can get those with a rental, don't know. Etc. Obviously it's an option for people who live in cities and can't easily own a car but if you're going to use it regularly, there are a lot of advantages to having your own vehicle.

jorblumesea 9y ago

I would never want to bring a rental car into a snow covered pass or an icy parking lot. Too much liability. Good suggestion, probably good for a day hike or otherwise.

shafyy 9y ago
Why not just get the insurance on top when renting to cap your liability?
- jorblumesea 9y ago
  The entire idea is to be low cost, so when you start tacking on all these fees kinda defeats that purpose. At some point you will get to the point where it's the same cost to rent vs own.
  - shafyy 9y ago
    It depends on how much you use it I guess. But the average person surely doesn't go out ice hiking every weekend.
    - dbaupp 9y ago
      And, most people can't: most places, only ~half the year will be cold enough to have snow/ice.
- matthewowen 9y ago
  there are road conditions you cannot drive in without snow chains, and rental companies don't allow you to attach chains. these road conditions are not uncommon if you're going skiing. effectively there are moderately common road/condition combinations that you cannot drive in a rental car.
  - semi-extrinsic 9y ago
    > there are road conditions you cannot drive in without snow chains Where is this? I live in northern part of Scandinavia, and we manage just fine with normal winter tires. Snow chains are pretty much only for semi trucks. Most people even use studless winter tires these days. And of course rental cars have winter tires in the winter season, anything else would be illegal.
    - ghostly_s 9y ago
      Seconded, grew up in far northern Minnesota and no-one uses snowchains there, though there is a preference for cars with high clearance (and some sand/skidboards in the trunk, usually). I guess I can see this if you're doing deep backwoods skiing, but that's an awfully niche pastime no? I've never heard of a ski resort that's inaccessible without snowchains.
      - ghaff 9y ago
        >I've never heard of a ski resort that's inaccessible without snowchains. Lots of them in the West. Little Cottonwood Canyon (at a minimum) in Utah. Tahoe from the Bay area (Donner Pass) under certain conditions http://www.dot.ca.gov/trafficops/trucks/chains.html http://www.dot.ca.gov/trafficops/trucks/chains.html. In a number of cases you can get exceptions for approved winter tires but it varies.
    - freehunter 9y ago
      >anything else would be illegal The US does not mandate snow tires at a national level, and in many places (even northern states where snow and ice are common) tire chains are illegal because they can damage the roads. If you're going up steep hills covered in ice, winter tires or even studded tires are not going to work. You need chains. Then again, the best rally drivers are Scandinavian, so maybe you guys are just better drivers than we are :)
- s0rce 9y ago
  Usually you can't put snow tires on a rental and you often can't get snow tires either.

ghaff 9y ago

It's a hassle. You can't customize it. I have a roofrack that accommodates a canoe. Maybe you need chains for the winter; maybe you can get those with a rental, don't know. Etc. Obviously it's an option for people who live in cities and can't easily own a car but if you're going to use it regularly, there are a lot of advantages to having your own vehicle.