Gee, summer's here. Time to take the kids to Disney, or somewhere nice and warm for a vacation. But wait. Before you take that plunge to fly to a U.S. city for your next getaway, better read and understand, for example, what a car rental will really cost you. In these days of shrinking wallets, here's what I found on thrifty.com's website for a one week rental of an economy car in Oct 2009:
Rental Time Charge $363.75
Customer Facility Charge ($4.00 per day) $28.00
Energy Recovery Fee ($0.45 per day) $3.15
Privilege Fee (9.89%) $36.61
STATE TRANSACT TAX ($2.03 per day) $14.21
STATE TAX (7%) $31.43
Vehicle Licensee Fee ($0.47 per day) $3.29
Total Estimated Mandatory Charges (USD) $480.44
Estimated Grand Total (USD) $480.44
I've never been a big fan of renting cars anyway unless I HAVE to. But you used to be able to get some wheels for a few days without it costing you a whole month's car payment! So I guess the days of the $29.99 per day rate are gone. And what exactly is a PRIVILEGE FEE? Does this mean that I now have the PRIVILEGE of driving a rental car that I have paid for? I'm supposed to feel GOOD about this?????
It's all about reducing our "carbon footprint." Well I have an opinion about where I'd like to stick my foot now after reading all this...
The car rental companies will go the way of the dodo just like the carmakers. Makes those all inclusive getaways to Mexico seem a lot more attractive now doesn't it?
Guess Al Gore is sitting back in his easy vinyl chair, laughing while thumbing through his millions in endorsement checks for "saving Mother Earth."
It's all pretty suspicious to me. But if you are so soaked in the ideology as to continue to buy into this facade, then by all means, go plop down $500 to rent some roller skates in Miami. I'll wave from the plane as I'm flying to the Mayan Riviera, forced to spend my travel dollars there instead of my own country.
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