fuel charges when collecting car - Dollar

[anorak]

I reckon on a one day hire, useful for owners who have a car in Fl but need to get to and from the airport at the beginning and end of a visit that Dollar might just break even on the deal if they get the car back empty of gas if the renter takes the Gold option.
Say 13 gallons of gas at approx $3 per gallon is $39 (actually today its around $2.85 per gal gas station price), well thats about what it costs for the rental.
I would not definitley NOT reccomend it to anyone to do (could well be dangerous) but I normally siphon out all but the last gallon and put it in my 34 gal tank Chevy Pickup, then cruise back to the drop off running on fumes.
I am a real cheapskate!
If Dollar ever check how many miles the car has done on the days hire and then work out the fuel consumption they must wonder why the car is apparently only getting 5 miles per gallon.
Not worth running out and missing your flight for the sake of a few dollars worth of gas though!

[roger]

The rental companies actually make a loss on Gold option rentals of around 4 days or less by the time they have paid the tank of fuel, insurances (very expensive even for a large fleet like Dollar's), vehicle lease costs (as they lease all their cars from the manufacturers), staff costs, maintenance costs, agents commissions and other costs. They re-coup this mainly on the Silver option bookings where the clients pay the high fuel costs.


<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by anorak
I reckon on a one day hire, useful for owners who have a car in Fl but need to get to and from the airport at the beginning and end of a visit that Dollar might just break even on the deal if they get the car back empty of gas if the renter takes the Gold option.
Say 13 gallons of gas at approx $3 per gallon is $39 (actually today its around $2.85 per gal gas station price), well thats about what it costs for the rental.
I would not definitley NOT reccomend it to anyone to do (could well be dangerous) but I normally siphon out all but the last gallon and put it in my 34 gal tank Chevy Pickup, then cruise back to the drop off running on fumes.
I am a real cheapskate!
If Dollar ever check how many miles the car has done on the days hire and then work out the fuel consumption they must wonder why the car is apparently only getting 5 miles per gallon.
Not worth running out and missing your flight for the sake of a few dollars worth of gas though!
[/quote]

[anorak]

I believe Dollar are selfinsuring as a company, and as they have mostly Chrysler products I did wonder if they are owned by Chrysler?
Owning a car rental company must be a good way for a car manufacturer to massage their sales figures.
No doubt that we Brits get a good deal on car rental, costs much much more if you are a US renter.

I also often wonder where all the ex rental cars go after Dollar are finished with them, I suppose to the car auctions but who buys them eventually, or maybe they get exported? There must be millions of them every year.

[blott]

You used to be able to buy ex rental cars from Dollar direct. Now I see they're mainly returned to manufacturers to sell wholesale to their dealers. http://www.dollar.com/faq/rental_fleet.aspx

[roger]

Dollar were created and operated by Chrysler but then sold off a few years ago so now a private company (owned by DTAG who also own Thrifty). DTAG = Dollar-Thrifty Automotive Group.

<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by anorak
I believe Dollar are selfinsuring as a company, and as they have mostly Chrysler products I did wonder if they are owned by Chrysler?
Owning a car rental company must be a good way for a car manufacturer to massage their sales figures.
No doubt that we Brits get a good deal on car rental, costs much much more if you are a US renter.

I also often wonder where all the ex rental cars go after Dollar are finished with them, I suppose to the car auctions but who buys them eventually, or maybe they get exported? There must be millions of them every year.
[/quote]