My Uhaul rental review. (Phoenix, Tucson: insurance, inspection, price) - Arizona (AZ) - City-Data Forum

JRLudi · 10-22-2010, 09:54 AM

We just moved our furniture out here from West Virginia using a 26' Uhaul truck and I thought I'd post this as there are so many people posting about moving. Over the years I've used Budget, Ryder, and Penske trucks and I generally drive across using interstate 40 to Oklahoma City and then up the 44 to St. Louis then the 64 over to WV.

All of the trucks I've driven get about the same gas mileage, in the case of the fully loaded 26' Uhaul it was about 9 mpg. You get slightly better mileage in the middle, flatter States and it takes more to get up and over the mountains in the West. This truck had a 50 gallon tank and it took about $150 +/- to fill it and that gets you about 400 +/- miles. Gas was cheapest in OK at about $2.60/gal. In this truck there was a little gauge over to the side that was supposed to show you when you were getting better MPG or not. It's basically a vacuum gauge and to be honest it didn't seem to matter what I did to try and improve the mileage, it's going to take what it's going to take.

The truck ran great, I had no problems with it. The lower loading deck is really nice. And the extra space above the cab (Mom's Attic) was nice. The seat was comfortable for about 3-4 hrs. and that was about the time I'd be half empty so I'd stop and fill it up and stretch my legs.

My only peeve with Uhaul is that they try to nickel and dime you to death when you return the truck. They charged me $45 dollars for an extra day because I returned the truck 2 hours later than I checked it out. I figured it was like the other companies and if I got it back on the day I was supposed to it would be fine but not Uhaul, you check it out at 9:30 am you have to have it back by 9:30 am. They also wanted to charge me more because the gas tank (even thought I had just stopped and filled it to the halfway mark as they had instructed) wasn't quite up to the the mark that their records showed. And they'll charge you $25 if it's not swept out and another $25/dozen if the pads aren't folded (both of which I had done, just warning you). Heaven only knows what they'd charge you for a scratch or ding. Oh, and when you do the inspection of the truck when you pick it up be thorough. Inspect the interior of the cab and the cargo area. They neglected those areas when I picked it up but they inspected them when I dropped it off.

Overall, I'd rent from them again, but I'd keep in mind that they're sticklers for their rules at the end.

Joseph

ji603 · 10-22-2010, 05:10 PM

Good deal, thanks. Did you shop their rate quote and negotiate at all at the point of rental? I've always heard you can bargain a bit if you have a competitors price. Did you get their insurance?

JRLudi · 10-22-2010, 06:54 PM

I checked out everybody online to see what the rates were and because the rates were about the same now I decided to try Uhaul this time to try their lower deck, which was nice. I didn't even think to bargain any and no I didn't get their insurance, but I drove VERY carefully.

lucknow · 10-22-2010, 07:24 PM

I think the most important thing when you rent a truck is to give it a very through pre trip inspection. I have had Uhaul try to rent me a truck with tires that I would not drive on no matter what. Check under the hood, the oil the belts any fluids leaking, all fluid levels. Check the suspension and the steering. Take a gander at the exhaust and the visible drivetrain. Check all the lights and the wipers and squirters.

It takes about 15 minutes to do a really good pre trip but it's worth a real lot.

nickw252 · 10-23-2010, 10:30 AM

I recently rented a UHaul 12' trailer from a small locally owned joint to move to Phoenix. The place I rented it from didn't inspect it, didn't help me attach it, was terribly rude, etc.

The trailer was in terrible condition, bald tires, damaged fender, dirty inside.

On my drive down to Phoenix a tire blew (no surprise, they were all bald), I called the roadside help and they sent them to the wrong location (St Rt 95 instead of 93), and then when I returned the trailer they tried to get me for the damaged fender because where I rented it from they never walked around the unit and marked the damage. Also, the trailer did not have a spare tire, a jack, or a wrench so even if I wanted to change the tire myself I couldn't.

Worst experience ever. I was able to contact the regional office and get $50 back but that doesn't really make up for the troubles.

I've rented from Penske before and in the future I'll go back to Penske. Never again UHaul.

Ritchie_az · 10-23-2010, 11:48 AM

With U-Haul, at least in my experiences, it depends on where you pick it up and especially where you drop it off, if the experience is a good one or not. I had a good experience at Arizona Storage Center in Goodyear off of McDowell near Citrus, for those on the SW side of town wanting to rent or return a U-Haul. They actually saved me some money, because the place (in Tucson) I rented the truck from failed to give me enough miles. It's a good family run place.