Blog

In the great city of New York, one is always on the move.  Whether they are moving themselves, others or stuff, sometimes trains and buses just don’t suffice.  Have you ever found yourself purchasing that lovely book case in the flea market that came pre-assembled but cannot be transported easily in a cab?  Or how about this scenario, the same bookcase, you standing at the corner of 66th and Broadway with nary a cab in site.  Oh, there are plenty of cabs zipping by, but what YOU need for your nifty new bookcase is a Minivan.  Of course, ALL the minivans seem to either be missing your raised hand or just missing in general.

Here is a great solution, rent one!  Especially if you rent them during the weekdays, prices are phenomenally low AND you may just be able to negotiate a better price by simply calling. By doing a quick web search using Kayak. I found Minivans ranging in price from $100-$120 in Manhattan.  I love Jersey, but it adds up to the same costs in time and money to go rent a cheaper vehicle across the water.  In fact, I am moving some things to storage at the end of the month, so I decided to call a couple of area car rental companies.  Their lowest posted price was $109.95 plus tax.  We negotiated and settled on an agreeable $100 total thereby saving the additional 20% in tax!  That is a deal and usually can only be obtained by trying your luck with the small, local rental companies.  National car rental companies are stuck to their prices which are apparently written in stone.  I learned a valuable lesson, deal with the smaller guys AND support local businesses.

The last of the winter months seem to draw out like no other.  After the holidays are over, the city seems bleak with snow and ice everywhere. However; a short road trip to some of the most amazing ski resorts on the Eastern Seaboard can be nourishing to the soul.  Ski season is almost over but there are many beautiful slopes all over the east coast to take advantage of. Last weekend to celebrate the long weekend, a bunch of friends decided to go to Vermont.  We decided to go to Stowe ski resort.  I was tasked with finding an SUV that would fit all five of us and keep us within the budget.  My first stop was AAMCAR, the company I use right next to my house on the Upper West side.  I checked their web-site and found exactly what we needed but the price was a little higher.  Some of the rental locations in LGA airport were offering the same type of vehicle for $50 cheaper.  I called AAMCAR and spoke with the agent who said that normally they would match the rate but they were almost sold out of the vehicles so the best he could do was meet me half-way.  Now, I must digress here.  Anyone who lives in Manhattan knows the travails of going to any of the area airports.  It is expensive, time consuming and generally not worth it unless you are actually going to the airport to leave NY. So it was a no brainer for me.  I made the deal and we had a wonderful time in Vermont.  The resort was amazing, the route was scenic and safe because of the all wheel drive vehicle. I was especially happy when we got back that night and I was able to drop off the vehicle and be in bed all by midnight.  Definitely worth the trip and it was a very smart decision to do some comparison shopping before deciding on AAMCAR!

Washington Heights, one of the most diverse neighborhoods of NYC was virtually unknown to tourists until recently.  Now that MTV has a show called Washington Heights, interest in the neighborhood has surged.  I have been living in NYC for over 10 years and have never really gone that far Uptown.  So last weekend, on a bright and sunny Saturday we decided to tour “The Heights”.  We decided to rent a small car but were unable to find acceptable rates.  We searched online for keywords such as discount Washington Heights car rental, cheap car rental and found a branch of AAMCAR called Uptown car rental right in the middle of the Heights neighborhood.  After checking for deals AAMCAR has posted online, I was able to rent a car for the day for $90!  My friend and I decided that spending $45 each made sense because we could do things at our own pace without having to worry about train and bus schedules. The garage was open for 24-hour drop offs which made things a lot easier as I didn’t want to be saddled with the car overnight.

We started our day by going to America’s only museum dedicated exclusively to medieval art, The Cloisters.  It is located in the beautiful setting of Fort Tyron Park which was gorgeous with some snow left over from the previous weekend.  After hiking through the park, we were both famished.  Next stop was Patacon Pisao for some yummy Venezuelan food.  The huge portions of delicious food left us well satisfied.  My friend then wanted to go shopping.  We had heard about the plethora of vendors selling everything from children’s clothing to refrigerators in La Plaza de Las Americas so we decided to head there.  It was sold as described.  An array of businesses selling so many different things!  It truly boggled our minds.

We decided to drop off the car after this and then go out.  When I returned the vehicle, the transaction was smooth and there were no additional charges.  There was a Shell gas station right next door so I was able to fill up the gas without any issues.  Overall, both of us were glad that we decided to rent a car to explore the Heights because the park is not very close to the subway station and we didn’t want to waste time waiting for buses or spending ridiculous amounts of money on the gypsy cabs.

As a long time resident of northern Manhattan – currently in Washington Heights (previously in Inwood), I appreciate and value small businesses.  When I spend my hard earned money I want to spend it in the most impactful way.  I want to better my community. Small businesses tend to be run and managed by our neighbors and generally employ in the community.  These businesses understand that the bottom line isn’t the amount of profit that can be shipped back to wherever their corporate headquarters are located -usually out of state, in some cases outside the country!  Instead they know that the enrichment of the community as a whole is as important, if not more so, than trying to maximize every last dollar.

I bring this up because I am reminded of this every time I rent a car from AAMCAR on 181st.  As usual Danny is behind the counter – he’s quick, efficient, and friendly.   I know my car is going to be waiting for me. No delays and no hassles, I am in and out in a jiffy.  Plus their garage is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and unlike some other places there is no drop-off fee to return over night!

While I’m on the topic I should mention some of my other favorite local establishments.  If you find yourself on Fort Washington Ave you should definitely check out Jins on 181st.  And I’ll take Franks Supermarket on 187 st any day over Whole Foods.  For Dominican food you can’t go wrong with El Malecon on 175th st and Broadway.  Maybe my next post will be about all the great restaurant options along 181st.

My wife and I were visiting New York from England and I am a huge gearhead.  After weighing my options, I figured what better way to feed my obsession than to rent a sports car and visit the Orange County Choppers in Newburgh, NY.  I have been a huge fan of the show for a few years and our visit there did not disappoint.  Our trip started (without compass!) out on the right foot when we decided to rent a Ford Mustang from AAMCAR Car Rental on the Upper West Side of Manhattan.  This car rental was not like your typical place. It was a small, privately owned business and I was able to speak to a knowledgeable, “adult” staff who actually knew a few things about cars and bikes too!  The Mustang we rented was wonderful.  It was silver with racing stripes and let’s just say I kept it under 60 MPH the whole time. Do you sense sarcasm in my voice?  Anyway, the Orange County Choppers were amazing.  It’s a shame I didn’t get to see any members of the actual cast out there.  I did, however, get to buy a small souvenir and we made our way back to Manhattan.  The option to drop the vehicle off up until 11:30 pm at night was really helpful.  It allowed us to drive around NY and then not have to look for a parking spot or garage.  What a great day we had!  I wonder if my wife feels the same way. (HAHAHA sorry honey).

Months of September through mid-November are some of the best times to visit New York City.  In the city, there are deals on Broadway shows, hotels, lots of other fun activities.   How about your car rental?  We hear from many customers who are interested in renting cars to travel all over the state of New York.  They want to visit Niagara Falls, Adirondacks, Poconos, Boston, etc.  Here are some tips in helping you obtain the best deal for your money.

Avoid the airport.  Rentals from off-site locations are much cheaper than the ones at the airport.  If you prefer to pick-up the car at the airport, just speak with an off-site car rental company.  We spoke with Geoffrey Smith who rented a 15 Passenger van that was delivered to LaGuardia airport from a car rental company based out of the Upper West Side of Manhattan.  He said his rental came out to be $250 less than the cost of renting one at the airport location even with including the $60 delivery fee that the rental company charged to drop-off at the airport!  The van was delivered to the airport parking lot and he called the rental car agency after landing.  He was very happy with the service and since his communication with the company was via e-mail, there were no unexpected charges.   He was right.  We recently checked the “extra” charges at LGA airport for a one day rental of a compact car; it was an additional $13.66 per day!

Brand name car rental companies have to charge you the published rate so there is hardly any room for negotiation. In New York City, there are many local car rental companies that have lower operating costs so they typically charge 10 to 25 percent less than rentals from national agencies.

Check your credit card for insurance coverage for the rental vehicle.  Most major credit cards such as American Express, MasterCard, and Visa offer car rental insurance, which saves you an average of $9-$15 per day.  Depending on how long you rent, this can be a substantial saving.

If you own your own home, your liability policy should also cover you against third party loss or damage.  Once again, do your research by contacting your homeowner’s policy and verify if this is the case.  In addition, the Personal accident coverage which offers some medical coverage in the event of an accident is secondary to primary health insurance.  So if you have health insurance, you can decline to take the one offered by the car rental company thereby avoiding any additional charges for insurance.

Reserve the car for a longer period to get a lower rate.  This may sound absurd but most systems are set up to give you a discount the longer you rent.  Of course, you don’t have to keep the car for that period but you still pay the lower rate.  Last weekend, a compact car for a 4-day rental was $299.95 but $339.95 for a 7 day rental.  We kept the car for 6 days and got the best rate with a free upgrade.  Most times when you are dealing with a local car rental company, the best things to do is pick-up the phone and speak with an agent.  Good Luck!

Last year we traveled to Orlando, Florida during Spring break.  The kids got perfect marks during the first part of the school year and this was my way of rewarding them.  Each kid wanted to take a friend so at final count we ended up with 11 people.  I priced the vacation packages that included airfare, hotel and car rental and it came out to over five thousand dollars!  I was starting to feel disheartened that maybe we couldn’t afford the trip.  While discussing this with a friend, she suggested that instead of flying, maybe I should consider driving.  I started thinking, we had 4 adults who can drive so why not check out my options of renting a 12 passenger van.  I called many different places and got prices that varied wildly.  They wanted to limit the mileage, charge exorbitant rates and in general left me confused because it seemed like there were a lot of “add-ons” after the fact.  I was telling my friend this and she suggested I contact AAMCAR.  She said she rented with them on a bi-weekly basis for off-site work related meetings.  She told me to ask for the manager, Henry and he would definitely be able to give me a comparable rate.

Well,  I am glad that I called AAMCAR.  My final cost for this rental was $1600.  Henry even encouraged me to contact my American Express credit card and add premium car rental protection to the card which cost me just $25 more and saved hundreds of dollars in purchasing additional insurance from the car rental company.  He even offered to remove the last seat of the 15 passenger van so we had ample room for luggage.

After a very fun and exhausting trip, I did the calculation of the total cost of this trip.  I am happy to say that driving to Florida from NYC instead of flying, dealing with security for 7 kids cost me much less price wise and save us adults the headache.