I Rented A Car From A Total Stranger Using An App!
Turo Review
I had to get to my filming location yesterday and it was over an hour away and I don’t have a car! I find it’s easy to walk or bike most of the time and I catch a ride with Lyft or Uber when I need to. I’m saving close to $500 a month this way! But every once in a while, the need to rent a car comes up.
Of course, I can always just choose to buy a car at a great price. I’ve been suggested this option plenty of times, and even been pointed towards car invoice pricing websites that can give me information on any car I would want to buy. But, I never did think that car ownership is for me-more power to car owners though! It’s just not my thing, I think. I’m ok with renting or hailing cabs for now.
I got rid of my last credit card ten years ago – which is only ever an issue when it comes time to rent a car. I will often have to pay over $80 for the daily rental of a car that would otherwise be $20, because I stick to debit cards! Plus, they usually hit me with a $250 deposit – which while fully refundable, DOES take money out of your checking account possibly at time when you just can’t. It’s crazy to pay $80 just to earn $125 but that’s the world now-a days! Except now we have all these wonderful apps making new things possible. Like renting a car from a total stranger via the Turo app. Here is my recent experience…
I downloaded the Turo app and signed up with them a few months ago even though this was the first time I actually used it. They do state on their website that a security deposit may be required which put me off a few months ago but never came up in this transaction – thank goodness!
I selected my price range, $35 and below and $27 was the least expensive I saw. Turo offers some pretty fancy cars for $150-300 a day as well which could be fun for a vacation for someone not making a living in the arts 😉
The person whose car I rented was clearly VERY tech savvy, they had the car parked on a street in Hollywood, gave me the address, a phone number and an unlock code to text to them after uploading a photo of my drivers license and me in front of the car to the Turo app. Boom! Doors unlocked. Key was in the glovebox. I photographed the fuel level and mileage, and all around the car and uploaded all pics to the app and I was off!!!
On my way I got a text from the owner asking for clarification on a possible scrape on the front bumper which I identified as bird poop once I got to my destination. Had I made some sort of mess on the outside of the car, I know I could have just taken it to somewhere to get it cleaned (and, if had been the inside, I could have taken it somewhere like this service offering car cleaning here for a good interior clean) so that I could hand it back to the owner all pristine.
The return was every bit as easy! Parked it. Photographed everything. Uploaded pics. Key back in glovebox. Sent lock code (included in the messaging portion of the Turo app) via text and Boom. Door locked. Trip over.
The only thing I would change is the insurance coverage. I selected the basic to save $ and that has a $3000 deductible which made me a bit nervous driving in LA. Next time, I will either spend a bit more and get the premium which has a $500 deductible, or I will look for a completely different insurance plan altogether, and I’d start by reading these safeco insurance reviews that my friend recommended I should do. I just think I will have to think about this more carefully for the next time.
This was a super easy way for me to rent a car and I will absolutely be utilizing the Turo app as another alternative in my car free living!