Anyone have opinions on using TURO as an option/alternative in light of soaring rental cost. I know this isn’t the place for this question, but I ask because my 20 yr old Honda Accord isn’t road worthy for 5 hour drive to Charleston SC. Thanks
I had to look TURO up . It is a ride share program where an private vehicle owner lets a complete stranger drive their vehicle for a price.
This has so many things that could go wrong I would not be on either end of the transaction.
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Had some friends happy with TURO in Las Vegas last week, they got a Tesla and were not upset about the price, you will need to research mileage allowed etc.
Thank you for your opinion. My research on TURO, along with reaching out to many who have used the service with rather pleasant results, tells me it is a viable option, especially with the high cost of rentals from the major hitters (Enterprise, Hertz, …etc.) I have found that your comments on everything I’ve asked questions about, always lean toward the negative side of the isle. Please feel free to pass on my questions going forward.
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April 1 |
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I had to look TURO up . It is a ride share program where an private vehicle owner lets a complete stranger drive their vehicle for a price.
This has so many things that could go wrong I would not be on either end of the transaction.
THANK YOU, I have gotten much more positive reviews as well. There have been some bad experiences reported. I think I will try it once. There are ways to protect yourself. I will use the insurance offered on the site.
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Make sure you do a pre inspection of the car and take pics of anything questionable, watching too much judge whoever as a guy was trying to collect from the renter for paint splotches on the bumper! Another wanted damages because they smoked in the car.
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You want negative - who is going to pay a repair bill on a Turo vehicle 5 hours away from home - who is going to pay the shipping charges if it can’t be fixed and needs to be return to the owner .
You want positive - the major rental companies will just bring you another vehicle if the one you have breaks down.
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Good advice for any rental. I do that every time I pick up a rental car. I walk around it, look at the tires, the body, and the interior. If I see too much wrong, I won’t take the car.
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THANK YOU !!! Duly noted.
Well, most of them will. Hertz will have you thrown in jail. 
Turo is going to have the same potential pitfalls as an Air B&B. You’re dealing with independent owners who may or may not conduct themselves professionally. You occasionally see an Air B&B turn someone away when they show up because they don’t rent to Black people, for instance. That could happen with Turo as well. It probably won’t happen with the large rental companies.
The prices are also somewhat deceptive, because you will need to get the insurance to go with it and that usually doubles the price of the rental, at which point you’re paying as much as you would with a big company.
The main positive difference is that the big companies have laughable definitions of car categories - for example, claiming a Chevy Impala or a Chrysler 300 is a “luxury car.” That’s baloney. You can get better/cooler/nicer cars through Turo, but I’m not convinced it’s worth the potential problems.
I’d never heard of it either and ain’t no way I’d use my car for that. I agree though Hertz is one to avoid and it could be a year or more later before you get the summons. Agree though, just like a rental, take tons of pictures to prove any damage and the insurance. But read the fine print on the insurance to know what it covers and if you need more, and talk to your own agent. What happens if you hit a school bus, etc.
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My dad was in high school, stole a postal truck, got into an accident, at that time one could not bring charges on a postal vehicle, He was a good guy, froze his feet in Battle of the Bulge, but did a stupid thing as a teen. Maybe that’s why they sent him to military school. St. Thomas Military Academy, Minneapolis, though I think they have updated the name. PS if you know anyone interested in 40 to 43 yearbooks let me know, otherwise cutting out pics and tossing them.
You asked for opinions. nobody knew you only wanted ones that agreed with what you wanted to hear.
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Our band director (dead now) was there too. Took pictures when they liberated a camp and did a presentation once to my wife’s class. The only time he ever talked about it. Prolly knew each other. His daughter was in my class and see her at reunions. Asked her several times if she wanted the video but no for some reason, just too depressing. Lot of respect for those guys.
Oh back to the insurance issue. The feds and at least the state were immune from torts so they could not be held liable. Self insured. Changed now but careful who you run into.
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The OP can’t rent a postal truck.
My dad has a reservation with Turo for later this summer, 10 days rental for $75/day compared to over $100 and pickup is at the airport. You deal directly with the person renting you the car so in some cases you have options for pickup
My parents rented a Hyundai in Athens Greece a few years ago through the hotel which was an older car but other than visiting a couple tire shops to repair tires it ended up working out well.
Old-timer, its not that I only want opinions that I want to hear, I welcome all opinions. That Volvo person has never given me any constructive opinions. Read everything they say, always negative. Furthermore, he/she never even heard about TURO, I wanted to hear from folks who have used it, or know someone who has, and can speak knowledgeably, if it’s good or bad.
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Let’s not kid ourselves here. Before I would think about renting a privately-owned vehicle from a stranger, I would put some serious effort into getting my “20 yr old Honda Accord road worthy for [the] 5 hour drive to Charleston SC”. Why don’t you tell us about your car, how many miles it has, its overall condition, and what exactly makes you feel that it isn’t roadworthy for a 5-hour drive (about 300 miles)?
Like I said I used to drive my Riviera all over the state of Minnesota when it had between 300,000 and 500,000 miles on it. Never really had a problem. I had the transmission overhauled at 300,000 just because I didn’t want to have a problem up north in the winter, but the guy said it didn’t look that bad. I got paid for it so it was a profit center but I’ve never been afraid to put a car on the road. 300 miles is a walk in the park. It was 3000 a month for me.