Avis in Newport Mall is open until 6pm on Sundays.

Anyone know if there are there any rental car places downtown that close later than 12-1pm on Sundays?

All the local franchises I've found (Hertz, Enterprise, Budget, etc) close at 12 or 1pm on Sundays, making them worthless for a weekend trip.

You can't return a car when they're closed; none of them offer the "drop the keys in the box, we'll take care of it Monday morning" type of service that you get w/ Uhaul and the like.

Am I stuck with Zipcar?

I have used Enterprise at the Bayonne/Jersey City line never had a problem with them very nice.

I am pretty sure that they will come and pick you up.

Good Luck!

I've never had problems with Avis in the mall. But I can definitely see how some people would have legitimate complaints about it. I reserve online. I've (almost) always just walked up to the counter, given my license and credit card, and have been finished within a few minutes.

There was one time I waited in line about half an hour behind 3 people. But that had much more to do with the idiot customers than the business itself. Had that been one of my few experiences with them I would definitely have a complaint. But, I rent on average once a month from them, since before they moved into the mall (they used to be in the lobby of the Doubletree in the Shop Rite parking lot) and overall I am pleased with them.

I would say you should be prepared to wait a while during peak times though, the more people trying to rent the greater the chance there is an idiot among them. By peak I mean Friday afternoon/Saturday morning. I often rent just for the day on a Sunday and they usually aren't busy then.

The best for actually honoring your online reservation are the Dollar Rent A Car in the parking lot of the Newport Mall (off of Sears) or the Budget Rent a Car on 1st Street near the PATH. Some of the Budget Rent a Cars have built in EZ Passes which are so much more convenient than lining up in the cash only toll.

The absolute WORST WORST WORST customer service is the Avis in the mall. Having an online reservation is absolutely useless. I've been asked to wait for two hours before even though I had a confirmed reservation.

In terms of cheap, I usually just look for online promo codes. Sometimes I find good ones at this site called Rentalcarmomma.

Have not had good experiences with Zipcar. It's so hard to actually get a car because people block out dates way in advance!

Zipcar can be the most expensive, it really depends. It's great if you rent a lot and need a car on short notice. Even better if you can expense it ;)

But for others, if you rent on weekends you'll figure out quick that nobody is open on Sunday, So if you rent on Saturday, they may not accept returns for Sunday and then they force you to rent through Monday. There are ways around this depending on the company.

zipcar isnt cheap. Actually they by far are more than a rental company. First you have buy a membership then the daily rental fees are more expensive than a rental company.

zipcar

Enterprise is good too. Especially since they pick you up and drop you off if needed free of charge. Some Hertz discount codes I got from an email if you go that way...

HERTZ AWARDS
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#1 Awards – Automatically – All the Time
Automatically earn #1 Awards Points for all your qualifying rentals. No more remembering to add or request #1 Awards Points! Log onto hertz.com, go to "My Profile," select "Affiliations" and click on "#1 Awards." It's that easy! Click here.

HERTZ OFFERS
Find NeverLost® Savings
Rent NeverLost for only $7.99 per day (savings of $5 per day) using PC# 134455. Or get 2 free days of NeverLost with a minimum 5-day rental using PC# 134444. Offers valid through September 30, 2009. Click here.

Free Day Around the World
Now through October 31, 2009, you can enjoy One Free Day with a minimum 5-day rental (pay for four and get one free) at participating locations around the world using PC# 134374. Click here.

I found Enterprise at the Doubletree Hotel on Washington Street to be both economical and reliable. I rented a Ford Focus for a week and it was around $250.00.

Not sure what the prices are now but the budget rental on second is quite good for the money. Avis at the mall is a complete pain to deal with.

Be careful with Zipcars. Because they plainly say Zipcar on the side the Parking Authority will slap a boot on them like lightning. They know they got you in a bind cause you will have to pay upfront and probably won't fight it in court. Always park legally and take a digital photo where you parked just in case.

I've used Zipcar and Hertz by Exchange Place. Zip is great if you rent regularly. Hertz is a bit pricey but good service. Always request the smallest size car from the website because they don't actually have them and you get a free upgrade to a decent midsize for the price of an economy.

Any suggestions?

Thanks!