DUFUS
Dryer sheet aficionado
- Joined
- Feb 8, 2013
- Messages
- 40
I'm too late to this thread, but my experience with a Cruise America "Factory Delivery" special last year was fantastic. Super cheap. $19/day with 200 miles/day @ no charge, and no one-way drop fee. I had the thing for a month (so up to 6K miles were free), mid-April to mid-May. Picked it up at O'Hare (which may have worked for the OP, since they're in Illinois) and in my case the drop off was Missoula, MT. There were different daily prices depending on endpoint, $19-$69 as I recall.
No worries about previous slovenly renters, or a battered vehicle, since the thing is brand new.
I would certainly do it again, at that price, although I'm moving out of the area so O'Hare pickup (their biggest rental center for such specials) is no longer convenient.
Being just one guy and a dog, I can't see renting one at "normal" prices or buying one really making economic cents.
As far as trip planning, I had seen a 2-2-2 rule of thumb on a forum... AFTER I got back. Drive 200 miles max per day, arrive to where you will camp/park before 2PM, stay 2 nights minimum. That might be a little conservative, but I can see where they are coming from. You can stretch the boundaries, but if you are driving every day, getting in late every day, and only staying that night, you're likely not going to enjoy the journey. It will be that four letter word we retired from... WORK.
No worries about previous slovenly renters, or a battered vehicle, since the thing is brand new.
I would certainly do it again, at that price, although I'm moving out of the area so O'Hare pickup (their biggest rental center for such specials) is no longer convenient.
Being just one guy and a dog, I can't see renting one at "normal" prices or buying one really making economic cents.
As far as trip planning, I had seen a 2-2-2 rule of thumb on a forum... AFTER I got back. Drive 200 miles max per day, arrive to where you will camp/park before 2PM, stay 2 nights minimum. That might be a little conservative, but I can see where they are coming from. You can stretch the boundaries, but if you are driving every day, getting in late every day, and only staying that night, you're likely not going to enjoy the journey. It will be that four letter word we retired from... WORK.
