TravelGuides

(TGA) - My husband and I are planning a week-long (maybe longer) drive up the California coast in July 2010. I would like to rent a convertible, as I feel like it's a once in a lifetime experience to do a drive like this, but the cost is somewhat prohibitive. Is it worth it to rent a convertible for this drive, or would we be just as well served in a regular car. Also, if anyone has suggestions on car rental agencies with great deals on convertibles for one-way trips, please let me know!
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The cost can be a killer, but the California coast and Yosemite are the two places where a convertible can be a fabulous choice. Here are some ideas:
*look at a matrix view of prices on something like Travelocity. Then go to the car rental website to see if there are any specials.
*Google "car rental coupon" or the name of the agency and coupon.
*Rent a convertible for just one or two days in the Big Sur area and return it to the place where you rented it.
*Travel in the fall when the price may be lower and the possibility of fog is lower.
*Check out some of the posts from Big Sur DE scooterboss .and thinks how best to stay warm. This is the normal day. Of course, we could get 2 or 3 days in a row for a heat stretch, but as a rule - if people say September and October are good; they are.
If not - then I would definitely opt for a standard car - unless of course you only plan to be in San Diego or LA. Those 2 areas are ok for a convertible - further up in the summer - save your money.
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Nahhhhhh don't be sensible, get a convertable it's great
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It seems like some of the people on here think that if you have rent a convertible, you MUST drive all day with the top down (you see those people sometimes in Hawaii finishing their day totally sunburned and windblown). The convertibles from the rental companies let you put the top up when that would be more comfortable. I personally find about three hours of driving with the top down is long enough for a day, though I can go months without putting the top up in my typical commuting and local driving here in silicon valley.
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>> "Most of us who live in California do not drive convertibles."
And I've never been able to understand why not! :-) <<
Easy - too darn hot in the summer!
Actually, convertibles have never grabbed more than about 10% of the total car marketplace. Although modern ones don't leak, they still are somewhat less practical, for many reasons, than a plain old hardtop. I've not been without a convertible since I was 17 and that's many a long year ago (with a bunch of those years in CA, btw!) , but then I've rarely been called "practical", hehe.
PATraveler, only you can decide if the cost will be worth it. Keep in mind that to a California resident, "cold" may mean something less than 70º ;-) Curmudgeon makes a good point in that you don't have to have the top down all the time. Also, I will add that you can put the top down, the windows up, and the heater on and be quite comfy even if it's 50º or so.
Have you looked into a car with a sunroof that opens? We recently rented an SUV that had one and it was pretty nice. Not quite the same, of course . . . but one may be much less expensive.
Another consideration is luggage. Depending upon the make/model, many convertibles do not have much trunk space.
But if your dream is to be driving a snazzy convertible, zipping along with the top down, ocean on one side, sun sparkling on the water, breathing that fresh ocean air . . . well, then go for it - even if the sun may not be sparkling :-)
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I agree that probably no worth the expense especially that time of year. To explain why it is so cold/foggy along the northern coast (and especially in San Francisco) is that the inland valley of California (San Joaquin) gets REALLY HOT. That causes the cold air to be pulled into the coast. I have never been so cold as August in San Francisco.
Remember--you probably don't want to leave any valuables out in the open. Putting the top up and down may be more trouble than you want to go through when you park. (We were in Hawaii a couple of years ago and were upgraded to a convertible. Fun for about the first hour--then got tired of being sunburnt and hair all over the place.)
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