Why even think about UHaul?
Written: Mar 25 '01
|
Product Rating:
|
|
| Customer Service Experience: |
 |
|
|
Pros: Clean, *NEW* trucks, unlimited mileage, everything works
Cons: gas guzzler and annoying to drive across the windy Kansas plains
The Bottom Line: I would never even think of a do-it-yourself move with anything other than Penske.
|
|
|
| rubytue's Full Review: Penske |
I've made 3 moves in the past 4 years, and have rented a Penske every time. It started when a friend of mine rented a UHaul to move 90 miles. The a/c didn't work, the seats were vinyl, it smelled, and seemed like it would fall apart any minute. When I later moved and he was helping he said "get a penske or I won't help". I checked prices and it was equivelent to UHaul. So I booked it.
The first Penske I rented (aug 1998) had 1200 (yes, twelve hundred) miles on it. The passenger seat still had the new car plastic on the seat. It drove like a dream. The seats were cloth and the a/c worked. It was great.
A year later (aug 99) I moved to grad school. We rented a Penske again. When I called to reserve it, the lady on the phone told me it would be much cheaper to get a local rental since I was only moving 90 miles. That was great since I was on a tight budget, and I am glad they didn't try to get more money out of a one-way. I save about $200 that way. This was the only Penske with a problem. The gas gauge had been broken (persumably so someone wouldn't have to fill it up). We were only abot 5 miles out of town, and the guys from where we rented it came out there to look at it (before we knew the problem). We were able to fill it up enough to get it to a gas station, and it drove beutifully the rest of the trip.
Just recently (Jan 2001), a friend of mine wanted to move from Virginia to Denver, Colorado. Since I was already planning a ski trip, I agreed to ride out with him - but only if he got a Penske. Being on a budget, he thought he wouldn't be able to swing the "nice, expensive" Penske. He was shocked to find it $300 cheaper than Uhaul, with unlimited mileage. We loaded that truck up in snow here in VA and drove to CO. It was very comfortable and the radio worked well. Which are the most important things in a cross country trip. :) They only bad parts were it took more gas than my friend was expecting and driving across Kansas. We were heading west and the wind was from the south. It felt like the wheels were way out of alignment, but it was only the wind. These two problems would have been an issue with ANY truck, so I am glad we were in the nice, new, comfy, Penske so I was not afraid anything was wrong with the truck.
I will be graduating in a few months and moving. I know if I have to move myself, it will be with a Penske.
Recommended:
Yes
Lost Goods: No
Amount Paid (US$): 120 - 1273
|
|
|
|
Epinions.com ID:
rubytue
|
|
Location: Washington, DC
Reviews written: 7
Trusted by: 0 members
About Me:
I work for a really cool federal agency that deals with public safety.
|
|
|
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.