Rent a Car - it's an option

If you rent a car, it can be a lot like leasing a car. It costs quite a bit of money, but it can be a viable option if you're the type of person who needs a car only on rare occasions. I know because I've done it.

The relative difficulty or cost of this tip is rated 1 to 10. A rating of 10 suggests that this tip is the most difficult or most costly. Expected savings are also rated 1 to 10. A rating of 10 suggests that this tip will provide substantial savings in fuel, money or both.



Rent a vehicle when you need one. The first year I lived in California, I didn’t own a car. That probably sounds very odd. I walked, rode a bus or used the BART system. It worked just fine. I was able to save money on gas like few others.

My parents came to visit and we wanted to go to the coast to see the redwoods and do some whale watching. I used a Rent-a-Dent car for the couple of days we motored about. The rest of the time we used public transit.

This approach won’t make the top ten of the gas saving tips, but it certainly makes sense as an alternative transportation option if you don’t have a car now. If you rarely need a vehicle and can plan your use of a vehicle, it might work well for you.

It is costly per day to rent a car, but if you only need one occasionally, you avoid recurring and long term costs of vehicle ownership such as:

• Monthly payments
• Insurance
• Maintenance and upkeep
• Parking
• Registration

Cost or difficulty: 4
Savings: 10

Done with Rent a Car, take me back to Save Gas