What’s the Best Way To Rent a Car Before You Buy It?

Renting that vehicle before committing to a purchase can give you great information. But doing so can be harder than it sounds.

In this article, we’ll tell you three different ways to rent a specific vehicle.

How Do I Rent the Exact Make and Model of the Car I Want To Try?

I want to rent a specific vehicle before I buy it. But renting what I want has been more complicated than I expected. What advice do you give me?

That’s what a Clark Howard listener recently asked.

It’s sometimes possible to rent a specific vehicle from a reservation center. I once targeted and rented a Jeep Wrangler from an Enterprise in Puerto Rico via an online reservation. Often, though, trying to book a specific vehicle online through a traditional rental car company isn’t the way to go.

There are three other options to consider:

1. Some Car Dealerships Will Allow ‘Extended’ Test Drives

If you’re interested in a specific make and model, some dealerships will allow you to rent the car for a few days. In other words, you can sometimes take an extended test drive.

Now, you’ll need to provide a copy of your driver’s license and insurance. And sign some paperwork. And not every dealership will allow this.

But if you seem like a genuinely interested buyer, extended (overnight) test drives do exist. Just be prepared for the full-court press from the car salesperson, and probably their manager, to buy the vehicle once you finish your extended test drive.

2. Call ‘Neighborhood’ Rental Car Locations and Ask For a Specific Vehicle

Want to rent a specific vehicle the traditional way? Avoid airport rental car locations at all costs, Clark says. Instead, go to “neighborhood” locations.

Typically those are Enterprise (all over the country) or Hertz (more limited), according to Clark.

You have to pick up the phone and call them. You won’t be able to get a good answer by going through an online central reservation center.

“These are places you might drive by on a busy street you never even notice. But you can call and say, ‘Hey, I’m interested in driving — I want to drive a specific model. Do you have on the lot a so-and-so?'” Clark says.

“And at the individual Enterprise or Hertz neighborhood location, you can drill down to a specific model you want to rent if they have it on the lot. And they can tell you, ‘Hey, we never have those.’ Or ‘I’ve got two of those.’

” So you have to be very intentional about this and hopefully get lucky that somebody’s stocking one on their neighborhood rental lot. And by the way, neighborhood rentals are usually a lot cheaper than airport rentals, because they’re not paying all the fees to your local airport authority.”

3. Rent a Specific Vehicle From Turo

If you've never heard of it before, Turo is the most prominent of several brands in the "Airbnb for cars" category.

Clark didn’t mention Turo specifically in his response to Sumangal. But he’s mentioned it in plenty of prior podcast episodes.

The great thing about Turo is that you can scroll through specific makes and models available to rent in your city. If you’re trying to test a luxury model, it may be more difficult to find someone willing to rent theirs out to you. And depending on the size of the city where you live, you may see fewer options.

But if you’re in a big city and the car you want to rent is common, you’ll likely be able to find it on the Turo app.

Final Thoughts

Whether you’re retired and thinking about moving to a city where you’ve vacationed or you’re looking to switch to a type of vehicle you’ve never driven before, it’s always a good idea to test before making a big commitment.

Sometimes it’s hard to reserve a specific make and model of vehicle via a traditional online car rental site. But you can consider trying a dealership that sells those vehicles, calling a non-airport Enterprise or Hertz location and asking if they have one in their fleet or renting via Turo.

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