tow vehicle was hit- need rental options!

[skysurfer2010]

My 07 Toyota Tacoma which I bought brand new was hit yesterday while parked. The girl that hit it did major damage to both my truck and her uncle's mini cooper. My entire rear axle shifted. Needless to say my truck is going to be out of commission for up to a month if it's not totaled.

Her insurance company will pay for a similar vehicle as a rental (IE a pickup truck), but no rental agency's allow towing or carry anything with a towing package! I told them I'd be willing to take a less pricey rental of a midsize if they'd allow me to rent a u-haul pickup truck once or twice a week to tow my boat. The problem I'm having is finding any local U-haul's that have pickups available for more than a couple of hours. When I go out it's usually along the lines of 6 to 12 hours at a time. Especially since I live in the city and keep my boat at my parent's house.

Any ideas out there for this dilemma?

 

[Home Cookin']

Re: tow vehicle was hit- need rental options!

Go buy a beater SUV and then sell it when yours is fixed. Seriously. As you have found, rental companies don't like towing, and the boating season comes once a year! You can try to recover those costs from her insurance company but it will take some work. So keep track of buying expenses but subtract what you sell it for when yours is fixed.

I have heard of people making a deal with used car lots to buy a car for X and sell it back to them in a month for a little less than X provided the vehicle is in the same condition. A friend did that when his car broke down on the first day of a family driving trip; he left his to be repaired and bought/sold back a "loaner."

the only other option is to borrow/trade vehicles with a friend. Your boat isn't all that big. But don't agree to pay him to use his vehicle (in advance) or you will have insurance problems if you wreck.

or if you keep the boat near the ramp, hire a local to be your ramp mule.

 

[oldjeep]

Re: tow vehicle was hit- need rental options!

See if you can get a loaner/rental through whoever is fixing it. If a dealer is fixing it then they can pull a used vehicle off the lot sometimes. We had a loaner car from a dealer during some major repairs on one of our vehicles and when we told them that a rental wan't going to work due to the lack of a hitch they just yanked an Endeavor off the used lot.

 

[Sixmark]

Re: tow vehicle was hit- need rental options!

RV centers rent tow rigs all the time, check with a local RV place and they should be able to help you out.

 

[Redneck_Randy]

Re: tow vehicle was hit- need rental options!

Try Rent a Wreck. They have offices in NJ. They rent 1/2 and 3/4 and one ton trucks.

http://www.rentawreck.com/car-rental-new-jersey.html

 

[GlasV162]

Re: tow vehicle was hit- need rental options!

U-Haul's smallest moving truck (I think it's 10') might be a manageable option than their pickup truck. Most locations have very few pickups. Whatever you do, don't tow with a rental truck if the agency doesn't allow it. Having worked in the rental car industry, it could get very expensive for you if you tow and are involved in an accident. Good luck.

 

[Sixmark]

Re: tow vehicle was hit- need rental options!

Try Rent a Wreck. They have offices in NJ. They rent 1/2 and 3/4 and one ton trucks.

http://www.rentawreck.com/car-rental-new-jersey.html

The OP already stated that the rental companies would not allow him to tow with their pickups.

 

[Redneck_Randy]

Re: tow vehicle was hit- need rental options!

The OP already stated that the rental companies would not allow him to tow with their pickups.

I have rented trucks from them several times and they sure do let you pull a trailer or a boat.

 

[H20Rat]

Re: tow vehicle was hit- need rental options!

OP, if you do find a place that SAYS they allow towing, make sure you scan through the rental agreement first. If an accident ever happened, the employees word means nothing, what is on the paper that you signed is what matters in court.

 

[KD4UPL]

Re: tow vehicle was hit- need rental options!

Home Depots will usually have an F350 with an aluminum flat bed for rent. I don't know if they have a hitch or allow towing buy you could check it out.

 

[airdvr1227]

Re: tow vehicle was hit- need rental options!

I've looked at those trucks and I think they are minus a hitch to prevent people from towing.