[iqraceworks]

The wife and I are thinking about taking a cheap flight down to Miami, and renting a car to drive down to the Keys for a coupe of days. Instead of the typical Nissan Versa or other boring car you can get from Hert, Avis, etc, etc….I was thinking about getting something a little more fun to drive. I checked on the Turo website (like the AirBnB of car rentals), and there are some really nice M3’s and M5’s you can rent for pretty cheap.

Has anyone ever used Turo to rent cars before? What are the con’s? If some idiot door dings a nice M5 that I rent, is the owner going to file a multi thousand dollar claim on my auto insurance to get it repaired? Do they make you wash and vacuum out the car before you return it? Any other “not standard” things you have to deal with when getting a car from Turo? I’m just not sure it’s worth the extra hassles…or is it? A nice M3 for $130 a day seems dirt cheap.

Any info would be great! Thanks!

[Boston4]

I have used Turo a couple times (admittedly, a few years ago), and ultimately I don't really think that it's worth it. The main pain point is the hassle that you get to skip if you're renting from a company. The coordination at pick up and drop off is not seamless the way you can grab keys from the counter and then drop off the car. I've never had to deal with insurance, but that makes me a little wary as well - nobody at the Avis will really care about a door ding, whereas a Turo rental person might be more particular. My company has a rental rate that includes all of the insurance so even if something were to happen and the check-in person were to notice, it wouldn't be a big deal.

My $0.02: you're going to the Keys with your wife - I'd skip the nicer car in favor of an easier rental process for a car you don't have to care about.

[eljay]

The risk is no different than with a typical rental company. If you have a door ding on a luxury line vehicle, a franchise manager may file a claim the same way as a Turo host would.
So, I'd say go for it, get the appropriate insurance coverage (i.e. buy the Turo coverage if you'd like to leave your insurance out of it) and you'll be fine.
The good part is that you can book and then ask the host all of these questions ahead of time, read the reviews etc. and you'll get a feel how nitpicky they are with their cars.
In general, no, you don't need to clean the car before you bring it back. But don't bring it back covered in mud to the roof and mud on the dashboard and coffee spilled all over.
Normal wear and tear is OK.

[iqraceworks]

Originally Posted by eljay

The risk is no different than with a typical rental company. If you have a door ding on a luxury line vehicle, a franchise manager may file a claim the same way as a Turo host would.
So, I'd say go for it, get the appropriate insurance coverage (i.e. buy the Turo coverage if you'd like to leave your insurance out of it) and you'll be fine.
The good part is that you can book and then ask the host all of these questions ahead of time, read the reviews etc. and you'll get a feel how nitpicky they are with their cars.
In general, no, you don't need to clean the car before you bring it back. But don't bring it back covered in mud to the roof and mud on the dashboard and coffee spilled all over.
Normal wear and tear is OK.

So how does that work? If you book the car, and THEN get to ask the questions.....if it turns out they are super meticulous and basically want the car detailed before you return it, can you cancel the booking....or are you stuck with it at that point?

[eljay]

Originally Posted by iqraceworks

So how does that work? If you book the car, and THEN get to ask the questions.....if it turns out they are super meticulous and basically want the car detailed before you return it, can you cancel the booking....or are you stuck with it at that point?

You can cancel up to 24 hours without penalty, but, hopefully, you won't as it's not very nice to block out a time, which prevents other from booking it and the cancel and leave the owner without a customer that would've booked it.

I would just read the reviews and make a call on that.
I'd just book it and have a fun trip. Life's too short to drive a "rental" when you can drive an M5. 😉
Many hosts offer drop off at airport or at your hotel, so check for that. Also, some will just leave the car for you with keys in a lock box on the window, so you won't even meet the owner.

[adm41]

I've had great luck using Turo. It has allowed me to rent very specific vehicles and in both cases, was quicker and easier than the typical rental company. Admittedly, I used this service in Bozeman Mt only and this is a very small airport. In both cases, the owner left the car for me in short term parking and left the key in the car or hidden somewhere. I think it depends on the city and what your needs are.

Andrew

[triax37]

Tyler Hoovie just posted a recent Turo experience on youtube. Some goods/bads with each option - really depends on your circumstances. My credit card (Chase Sapphire Preferred) includes rental car coverage from the standard Hertz/Avis options, and my wife's employer benefits provide access to loyalty programs where we just pick a car and go. Maybe from smaller airports and if you don't already have insurance coverage, or if you are looking for a specific fun car, Turo can work too - but a renter needs to do more diligence to understand their dynamics.

[krhodes1]

You can rent as nice a car from the standard rental companies as you are willing to pay for. I see no need to rent from some rando. Too many scammy people out there - especially here in Florida Man Land. I too saw Hoovie's recent video.

Also note that Turo is playing the fees game like crazy. Hoovie's Hellcat rental was supposed to be $120/day, but after the fee BS it ended up like $750 for two days, then the "host" tried to get him to pay huge money for minor scratches on a beat up car that ended up costing him another $48 after he disputed it with Turo. Nooope.

[jwalker87]

Just like airbnb, ensure you understand the full cost including fees that are not part of the advertised daily price.

Also, someone mentioned that you can cancel up to 24 hrs in advance. This goes BOTH ways. I've heard (and read reviews on Turo) horror stories about the rental being canceled 25 hours out, and then the person is SOL.

I have used it twice and both times it was ... ok. Once I got a Jaguar F-type that had a worn-out clutch. Another time I got a minivan to do Disney for a week and the torque converter was shot - they ended up giving me a different van that time, but we got lucky.

Just understand the pros/cons either way.

[iqraceworks]

Originally Posted by krhodes1

You can rent as nice a car from the standard rental companies as you are willing to pay for. I see no need to rent from some rando. Too many scammy people out there - especially here in Florida Man Land. I too saw Hoovie's recent video.

Also note that Turo is playing the fees game like crazy. Hoovie's Hellcat rental was supposed to be $120/day, but after the fee BS it ended up like $750 for two days, then the "host" tried to get him to pay huge money for minor scratches on a beat up car that ended up costing him another $48 after he disputed it with Turo. Nooope.

Thanks..I'll have to watch that video. That's the stuff that makes me nervous.

[eljay]

As mentioned, it's exactly like Airbnb. If you want a front desk concierge experience with a large company backing it, maintained and inspected building etc. etc., you go to a hotel.
If you want something unique and willing to forego the above, Airbnb gives you plenty more options.

There are stories on all sides, so pick, which videos you want to binge on. Guests who rented filthy cars with crazy fees and hosts trying to scam them. Hosts who show how you shouldn't rent your cars because guests will trash them, do drug runs, go offroading, get chased by police. Then other hosts who will wow everyone with how many thousands of dollars they rake in every month and how you can be a millionaire too, but they never tell you their costs. etc. etc.

Rent from an All-Star host with many trips and many reviews and cars that look maintained and show that host cares a little. Someone who lists their car with 3 half-pictures and fast food remains in the back seat is probably not my choice, but I am surprised how many trips some of those cars get.

[dwall]

Yeah, I hear you on the insurance worries; it can definitely be a bit of a pain if something happens to the car. Most of the time, owners want the car back clean, but it's not like you've got to detail it yourself; a quick tidy up usually does the trick. And honestly, going for something a bit more special like a luxurious car rental can make your trip unforgettable. I actually rented a Mercedes G wagon on a trip to Phoenix not long ago from this fancy car rental. The owner had some simple rules about keeping it clean and whatnot, but they were pretty straightforward and nothing to stress over. They mentioned a fee in case of damage that wasn't my fault, which seemed fair, and in the end, I didn't have to worry about it.

[dwall]

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