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WZZM 13 ONLINE
(WZZM) - When it comes to vacations, driving is nearly always cheaper. But that doesn't necessarily mean driving your own car.
Many people choose to rent a car or van for their roadtrip and they're referred to as "Strategic Renters." Lennie Kawka and her husband of Spring Lake Township fit the title. They just got back from a trip to Little Traverse Lake.
"This is the fourth time we've rented a vehicle," said Kawka. "The total with all the surcharges and taxes and fees it was $213 for the week. We went for the compact and it was mainly for the gas mileage and we didn't want to put the miles on our vehicles."
When you break down that cost, many people like Lennie would argue it actually saves money to rent. Putting extra miles on your vehicle is a cumulative saving and hard to put an exact figure on it, but the gas savings are immediate.
At 35 miles per gallon with their rented Chevy Cruze, they got exactly twice the miles per gallon as their two old vehicles. Lennie's mini-van has a whopping 151,000 miles on it.
The Kawkas saved $90 in gas over the 1,200 miles they put on the rental car. "I would have had to get an oil change right away too when I got back." That saved the Kawkas another $20 to $40 on one fewer oil change on their own vehicle.
With such old vehicles, the thought of breaking down is enough to worry about, but Lennie said the potential cost associated with an out of town mechanic is even scarier. "I think as a tourist sometimes a mechanic will try to say you need this part right now so this is what it'll cost."
Lennie recommends paying for a rental in advance, to cut the cost. That saved them $20 or $25 bucks. And she also reminds that you don't need to pay for the extra insurance on the rental. "As long as you have full coverage on one of your personal vehicles, they won't make you take out the extra insurance."
Bottom line, paying a couple hundred dollars a couple of times per year is a lot cheaper than a new car payment, especially for someone like Lennie who only drives five miles to work. "Both of our vehicles are paid off. I'll do it (rent) again. My daughter and I are going to Detroit in September for the last two Tiger games of the season and I'm renting one again."
By Derek Francis