To Rent, or Not to Rent

[fairyrune]

Have any of you been to Los Angeles? If so, I have a question for you.

Should we rent a car?

I have a book that's telling me the public transportation in the area sucks pretty hardcore. However, the husband of the friend we're staying with doesn't own a car, and gets around solely with public transportation. I'm not entirely certain where they live, so that doesn't help. They have to work during the week we're there, so they won't be available all the time to hold our hands and show us around. I was thinking maybe we should get a car with a GPS device.

The problem with renting a car is that I am under twenty five, so if I rented it there would be some ASTRONOMICAL surcharge. Rich doesn't have a credit card, so he can't rent the car, even though he is over twenty five. I called Enterprise and asked if I could pay and he could drive, and was told that wasn't possible.

I've never been there myself, obviously, and I don't know whether to believe the book, or the fellow we haven't met yet. He's probably not going to places like Disneyland or the tourist-y spots all the time.

Any advice?

Comments

[heathyre.livejournal.com]

if you run to a bank and open a checking account they usually give you on the spot a debit card (actually I know commerce bank does this) which has the visa logo on it and then you could always close the account later if you don't need it. =)

or or or

[heathyre.livejournal.com]

if you have about 2 weeks before you leave log online or call the cc company and add him to your credit card and they'll send one out with his name on it and that would solve the problem if he doesn't want to apply for any himeself.

Re: or or or

[fairyrune]

I tried to do that today, but I don't have his social or mother's maiden name. I can do it tonight!

[fairyrune]

Rich has a checking account with a Mastercard debit card, I just don't think he has the cash in it to cover the rental. I was hoping to put most of the stuff for the vacation on my super-low-interest credit card, and pay it off over a couple of months.

Worst comes to worst, I guess I can give him a check to deposit into his account to cover the rental.

[heathyre.livejournal.com]

what about using paypal to pay yourself some cash into his checking aaccount? you'd get hit with a % from paypal for the convenience but at least you'd have it on the low interest card..