Let's try this again: Looking to rent a model S (SoCal Area)

[satoshi]

Can't rent Turo.com or Relay Rides because I'm not 30+. (I am over 21)

I filled out Enterprise Dream Rides' contact form twice (two weeks ago, and 5 days ago), the contact form says they will respond within 1 business day... so far that has not been true. I will be giving them a call on monday.

I'm willing to ride public transport (and/or uber) up to 2 hours from LAX to meet at your house for the 1 day rental (5/10 noon to 5/11 noon).

If you're willing to do a private rental, please private message me with the following details:

1. Rate
2. Preferred payment method
3. Specific Requests on how you'd prefer your car handled.
4. Where to pickup/return

Please and thank you for your time,

Satosh

 

[Jdeck]

I would sell my car to you over spot before renting her out for 24 hours. Even if you treated her like I did, you still treated her without me and probably not as nice.

Just kidding. Sorta.

But seriously, the legality of a private rental of a $100k car?!? At least Enterprise would have their bases covered and they didn't even want to risk it with your age.

 

[satoshi]

At least Enterprise would have their bases covered and they didn't even want to risk it with your age.

The contact forum does not list age. So enterprise does not know my age, yet.

 

[calisnow]

$750 for a 2016 70D, 100 miles included, $2 / mile extra. $2,500 security deposit and we will have to run your driving record and verify that you have the right insurance. Pay in advance to hold the date - no refunds for cancellation. I realize the price is extremely high but it isn't worth my time and bother otherwise - and you're under 30.

If you're interested PM me - terms and price not negotiable. Before anyone says I'm crazy please spare your breath - I founded and ran for several years a luxury and exotic car rental company with a fleet I bought myself - Ferraris, Bentley, Lamborghini etc. - and I made a ton of money renting to guys like this in scenarios like this who nobody else would deal with. As an example I had one client pay $5,000 per month to park one of my Ferrari 360's at his dorm at Cal Tech - and he got only 250 miles per month for that rate and I had the right to pull the car at any time for other clients on daily rentals (at $1,250 per day), up to 10 days per month. He was 21 years old - nobody else would touch him. I cleaned up with kids like this and never had any problems.

You can charge more because of their age and the fact that they are luxury cars - far more money than the extra risk of dealing with them. And before you yammer on about insurance law - spare your breath on that also - I have good attorneys and I've been through several cases of clients who wrecked cars - I'm quite familiar with the system.

No more discussion on this thread OP but again, PM if you like.

 

[Uncle Paul]

Being under 25 might be a deal breaker for most insurance coverage, so whoever rents to you might be on the hook for any damages if you decide not to pay.

If your insurance covers rental car damage, you might be good to go.

 

[GoTslaGo]

@calisnow, be forewarned, @satoshi is trying to learn/rebuild a salvaged Model S... just saying

 

[satoshi]

@calisnow, be forewarned, @satoshi is trying to learn/rebuild a salvaged Model S... just saying

If you're trying to imply that parts are to be stolen during the rental, as stated in the other thread, that's not conducive to the project. Stolen parts don't pass salvage inspection, and it's not conducive to proving the futility of Tesla's parts ban on a legal basis.

Let alone the fact it's simply unethical, illegal, etc.

 

[GoTslaGo]

@satoshi, just a little needling, since we who watch you guys work with salvage cars watch with admiration.

Realistically being young and trying to rent an expensive car is an expensive proposition. I used to rent cars at your age and would rent the cheapest econoboxes because, that's all I could afford and that's all that companies would provide (maybe more liberal now, but I'm older now, so I don't notice). Occasional free upgrades talking up the staff behind the counter when I picked up the car. Good luck!

edit:

Then again if it's to impress someone, well you gotta lay out the cash to... you can finish the rest of the sentence.

 

[satoshi]

@satoshi, just a little needling, since we who watch you guys work with salvage cars watch with admiration.

If true, I'm flattered, but it's hard to believe that's the case... whenever salvage threads get started a number of people grab their pitchforks and torches.

That said, it has been confirmed that Tesla employees regularly peruse the forums, and it wouldn't be surprising if the people who complained purely consisted of Tesla employees set out to sabotage such efforts as much as possible.

If one such employee happens to be reading: As I said before, I'd be happy to contribute to your revenue stream via direct parts purchases rather than flying cross-country on a semi-regular basis in order to circumvent your futile policy.

 

[GoTslaGo]

Ok, "I" who watch you guys work...

Keep it up!

 

[satoshi]

(Sorry, I should have just said "Thank you" and left it at that)...

 

[Mike K]

... An agreeable market rate (as demonstrated by turo) is $150 to $200 per day and no security deposit.

If you can't get rent from that market than quoting market rate is pointless. That market targets a demographic you don't belong to. A couple other things...

1. Nobody likes to rent their car for one day, nobody. It's a pain in the butt to do the pickup and drop-off so the longer the rental the better. Turo lets you limit reservations to a minimum number of days. This is huge. While Calisnow is a bit harsh in tone, I too wouldn't bother at the price point you seem to be after. It's not worth it.

I'm in LA. When you posted this originally I thought about how much it would take for me to meet you, give you my car for a day and then meet you again and take it back. $1000. That's the number that popped up in my head. Not that I think it's worth $1000 a day but that's what it would be worth to take on that risk and go through that hassle and even at that, I'd be on the fence.

2. Your rental price is off. The average daily rental price in the LA market is $217 plus Turo's rental fee. This is somewhat irrelevant as again, not many people are going to want to deal with the hassle of a one day rental. I did this with my last BMW because I was way under my lease mileage allotment. At $125 a day, one day wasn't worth it. It's not worth $125 to take time out of my day to go meet with someone and then meet them again 24 hours later. But a 3 day rental, that's $375 and I'm not picking the car back up immediately. My hassle doesn't all come in a 24 hour window. You're not fully understanding what motivates someone to rent their car.

3. There is added risk to renting to you. All things equal, statistically you are a higher risk than someone older than you. Maybe you are the exception that proves the rule. Who knows. Either way, age limitations exist for a reason. Historically younger renters tend to be higher risk. Not to mention that as someone that wasn't in the exotic rental business, Turo offers me a certain amount of security both in terms of you getting into an accident as well as you handing me back my car with damage on it that wasn't there when I handed it to you.

The bottom line is that when you're negotiating from a position of weakness, market value goes out the window. You can't use market pricing to determine what a fair rental price would be because you can't rent from that market. Therefore that price is irrelevant.

 

[satoshi]

If you can't get rent from that market than quoting market rate is pointless. That market targets a demographic you don't belong to. A couple other things...

I'm fairly confident that the 30+ rule is set by turo, and not the individuals offering their car for rent. If I had a means of contacting these people outside of Turo, I would be quite successful as they'd be happy to avoid paying the turo commission. So no that 30+ rule isn't an indicator of the age demographic of that market.

1. I don't like to rent my car for one day. It's a pain in the butt to do the pickup and drop-off so the longer the rental the better. Turo lets you limit reservations to a minimum number of days. This is huge. While Calisnow is a bit harsh in tone, I too wouldn't bother at the price point you seem to be after. It's not worth it.

Your main complaints (1&2) center around the inconvenience of pickup/dropoff. If you paid attention to the original post I addressed the inconvenience of pickup/drop-off by stating I would pickup/drop off at the owner's home.

3. There is added risk to renting to you. All things equal, statistically you are a higher risk than someone older than you. Maybe you are the exception that proves the rule. Who knows. Either way, age limitations exist for a reason. Historically younger renters tend to be higher risk. Not to mention that as someone that wasn't in the exotic rental business, Turo offers me a certain amount of security both in terms of you getting into an accident as well as you handing me back my car with damage on it that wasn't there when I handed it to you.

If you do your research on Turo/RelayRides, historically when push comes to shove you're SOL.

Source: If a RelayRides renter defrauds a car owner, how much help can the owner expect from RelayRides?

I'm also not really in a position of weakness as I'm not that hellbent on renting a model S. It'd be a nice addition to the trip, but if no one will meet the $150-$200/day rate then that's fine. I'll go rent a different car for less than $30. (Or be carted around by a friend for free).

 

[hiroshiy]

Hertz does rent Model S at I think $450 a day, coverage additional. I rent one at SFO a few times. Not sure LAX though.

 

[satoshi]

Hertz does rent Model S at I think $450 a day, coverage additional. I rent one at SFO a few times. Not sure LAX though.

Checked, even with 25+ selected for age, Tesla model S did not show up on the site.

I'll give them a call though and see what happens.

 

[satoshi]

3. There is added risk to renting to you. All things equal, statistically you are a higher risk than someone older than you. Maybe you are the exception that proves the rule. Who knows. Either way, age limitations exist for a reason. Historically younger renters tend to be higher risk. Not to mention that as someone that wasn't in the exotic rental business, Turo offers me a certain amount of security both in terms of you getting into an accident as well as you handing me back my car with damage on it that wasn't there when I handed it to you.

Here's why I'd like to suggest I'm lower risk comparable to other people my age:

0.5 You'd think there is greater risk involved in putting me in charge of the safety circuits of an 80,000V power supply, wouldn't you?

1. I have a very intricate understanding of physics both in an automotive setting (because I'm in the process of designing an electric race car at Uni) and in a general setting (working at an experimental fusion reactor lab)... this gives me a lot of insight of the capability of tires and how they handle on various surfaces. As well as various other physics-based concepts that contribute to your car moving in a specific desired direction.

2. Living in Wisconsin, I know how to handle a car in the worst of road conditions. Never have had a problem navigating the worst of winter storms. In one instance I found out after getting home that I had navigated a winter storm wherein the news was literally advising people not to go to work because of road conditions. (Which explained the 10+ cars in the ditch on the way home, but I wasn't one of them so ).

Funny story: I once drove a motorcycle with summer tires on and my hockey gear on my back like a backpack with my hockey sticks resting on the mirrors through a severe snowstorm and did so without collapsing. A cop followed me out of pure amusement then gave me a high five after I parked the bike at the Ice rink I was headed to. Not many people my age have ridden a motorcycle, much less in the winter, much less done either successfully.

3. The simple fact that I'm not suggesting that I'm invincible. Specifically, I've had more than one near-death experience and realize the fragility of life and thereby take precautions to lengthen and appreciate life.

(For the record, none of those near-death experiences involve cars: 3/11/11 Japan Earthquake, Digestive Health Related Complications to name two).

 

[satoshi]

edit:

Then again if it's to impress someone, well you gotta lay out the cash to... you can finish the rest of the sentence.

LMAO, now this is something I did not actually think about. I'm not going to California to pick up chicks, I'm going to pick up airbags for my salvage build... But thanks for the laugh. I'm really not interested in such activities due to the significant financial risk of accidental parenthood.

If you meant impress someone at a job interview... My skillset and experiences don't really require as such, and then also if that was a requisite to getting a job or business opportunity I'd imagine it'd be a horrible working environment or business deal that would flop.

 

[Vitold]

Funny story: I once drove a motorcycle with summer tires on and my hockey gear on my back like a backpack with my hockey sticks resting on the mirrors through a severe snowstorm and did so without collapsing. A cop followed me out of pure amusement then gave me a high five after I parked the bike at the Ice rink I was headed to. Not many people my age have ridden a motorcycle, much less in the winter, much less done either successfully.

One could lend his car to three drivers over 40 only to have them damage it, however it would still not change the fact that overall young drivers have accidents more often. Rental companies don't know you personally so they use such statistics to assess risk (and sometimes to make more money).

Another way to assess risk is to know who the driver is. Unfortunately you've demonstrated unnecessary risk taking which does not help your case.

 

[TaoJones]

Here's your bump for more visibility. While I empathize with the OP to an extent, the only thing that's going to solve his problem is about 6 years of aging, if not more.

And while a salvage project is great if you have the time for it, there are easier ways to (urinate) up a rope.

Meanwhile, my $0.02 is that again, while admirable, if the objective is to drive a Model S without spending $100K and getting bent over for insurance, then why not just plan to acquire an S60 in about 2 years when high-mileage variants thereof drop into the low $30Ks if not into the high $20Ks, and still get to experience the joys of used parts when out-of-warranty problems crop up?

Use the next 24 months to bank the cash needed to acquire the vehicle through all manner of means.

I'm just saying - people tend to miss the fact that there are going to be a bunch of cars depreciated into nice low (unprecedented) price points, and a subset of those will be high-mileage cars, and if you're lucky, there will be a few with drivable damage (not salvage cars) and things get more appealing from there.

 

[satoshi]

Here's your bump for more visibility. While I empathize with the OP to an extent, the only thing that's going to solve his problem is about 6 years of aging, if not more.

And while a salvage project is great if you have the time for it, there are easier ways to (urinate) up a rope.

Meanwhile, my $0.02 is that again, while admirable, if the objective is to drive a Model S without spending $100K and getting bent over for insurance, then why not just plan to acquire an S60 in about 2 years when high-mileage variants thereof drop into the low $30Ks if not into the high $20Ks, and still get to experience the joys of used parts when out-of-warranty problems crop up?

Use the next 24 months to bank the cash needed to acquire the vehicle through all manner of means.

I'm just saying - people tend to miss the fact that there are going to be a bunch of cars depreciated into nice low (unprecedented) price points, and a subset of those will be high-mileage cars, and if you're lucky, there will be a few with drivable damage (not salvage cars) and things get more appealing from there.

I did not overlook this option. A major reason that I was looking into the project to begin with was that there was a possibility of surgically removing my colon this summer and had that taken place I likely would have had to withdraw from school.

This project was to become what I would work on while in recovery (as most troubleshooting does not require heavy lifting or much physical exertion, and tools could be used to make that easier anyway) to keep my engineering skills fresh.

Coincidentally, a means of staying in school was confirmed the same day a salvage bid was won and finalized. I was going to stop bidding once the stay in school confirmation came, but luck has it I now have best of both worlds I guess.

Also insurance costs for the model S alone are equivalent to what I pay now for insurance of my motorcycle + prius.

Also note: as the battery is in good condition, I very easily can just part out that and break even again, part out some other parts and I make a sizeable profit too.

That's only if I decide to give up though, which isn't likely to happen (there's a greater chance that I'd just pick a car model shell and move it into that rather than give up the project... for maximum irony, transfer all parts to a chevy bolt body ha ha ha (I'm thoroughly kidding I'm not that mean)).