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Terrific Tesla Turo Trip
I’ve used Turo many times in Los Angeles and have found prices and car availability/variety to be superior to renting through National/Hertz/Enterprise on many occasion. Rental car prices still ridiculously high and one of the best features is the ability to try out a car for a few days that you may be interested in purchasing. On our recent quick dip into LA we decided to rent the Tesla Y as well as take advantage of the free pick up feature at LAX.
Economy cards were renting for about $85 at car rental agencies, midsize cards were low $100s and our 2021 Tesla Y ended up being about $130 a day before fees. You can find them even cheaper if you book further in advance, but this was a very last minute trip. The Tesla premium was something we were definitely willing to pay especially when you compare it to what Hertz charges for their Tesla fleet.
LAX curbside pick up
I have to say…the experience was seamless.
We shot our host a text as soon as we were off the plane and he was pulling up right as we exited the terminal. The car was there, we did a quick inspection, and voila we were off and driving. The whole exchange, at the Uber pickup spot, took but a few minutes.
The hotel we stayed at, The Shay, also provided free Tesla charging meaning we didn’t have to pay for any charges, and would have easily used a full tank of gas during our stay had it not been electric. With gas prices at $5 to $6 a gallon in LA right now, I’d say we saved a $100 on gas alone.
On the return we met him curbside at our departure terminal where we did a quick inspection again and that was it. No shuttles, etc.
Pros:
- Easy Pick up and Drop off at the terminal
- Wide variety of vehicles
Cons
- Credit cards primary vehicle insurance won’t cover damage so you’ll need to get supplemental
- Additional driver fees
Overall
We had an excellent host that was accessible for any questions we may have on the vehicle and was prompt and easy to work with. I’m not quite sure what I think of driving the Y just yet and we’re really happy to have rented the car before a potential purchase. I’ve rented from Turo many time and will continue to do so especially if free pick up is included.
I’m obsessed with cars, and most anyone who has a Tesla says there is no way they’ll ever go back. After driving this one for several days I missed the bells and whistles that are non-existent on the Tesla. Not to say the Tesla isn’t chock full of its own gadgets, cause they are immense, but it’s a completely different driving experience. Most notably, you almost never have to brake since the car automatically applies brakes if you aren’t actively pushing down the accelerator, or just begin to release it.
I’m all about pursuing an electric vehicle, but I’d also love to try out the new bmw i4m50 and see how it drives as a comparison.
Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed or approved by any of these entities.
Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
Welcome Offer
$300 Chase Travel℠ Credit + Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
Annual Fee
$95
Points Earned
Transferrable Chase Ultimate Rewards
- $300 Chase Travel℠ Credit + Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
- That’s worth $750 when redeemed through Chase Travel℠. Plus, get up to $300 in statement credits on Chase Travel℠ purchases within your first year
- 5x on all travel purchased through Chase Travel℠
- 3x on dining, including eligible delivery services for takeout & dining out
- 3x on select streaming services
- 3x on online grocery purchases
- (excluding Target, Walmart and wholesale clubs)
- $50 Annual Chase Travel Hotel Credit via Chase Travel℠
- The begins immediately for new cardmembers and after your account anniversary for existing cardmembers
- 2x on all other travel
- 10% Anniversary Bonus
- Every year you keep the card, your total spend will yield a 10% points bonus. If you spend $10k in a year, you’ll get 1k bonus points
- Chase Sapphire Preferred continues to redeem at 1.25c in the Chase Travel℠ and the slew of other benefits remain in tact including Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver ( primary ), purchase protections, etc.
- Points are transferrable to 14 Ultimate Rewards partners
- Redeem in Chase Travel℠ for 1.25 cents per point
- No foreign transaction fees
- Suite of Travel and Purchase Coverage
- Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver is my favorite
- Get complimentary access to DashPass which unlocks $0 delivery fees and lower service fees for a minimum of one year when you activate by December 31, 2027.
- $95 Annual Fee
We keep an up to date spreadsheet that lists the best ever offers: You can find that spreadsheet here.
Historically 80k is a very, very good offer and hit in both 2022 and 2023. In 2021, we saw the offer hit an all time high of 100k. Who knows if that will ever come back.
Main Cast:
Cards that earn flexible points and should be used on the bulk of your purchases.
Supporting Cast:
Cards that earn fixed points in the currency of the airline/hotel and can not be transferred at attractive rates. These cards yield benefits that make it worth keeping, but not necessarily worth putting a lot of your everyday spend on.
The Chase Sapphire Preferred® is exceptional starter card and offers transferrable Ultimate Rewards, and pairs well with other Chase cards.
If you carry this card alongside Chase’s cashback cards like the Chase Freedom Flex® and Chase Freedom Unlimited® or the business versions: Ink Business Cash® , Ink Business Unlimited® you can combine the points into Preferred account and transfer into hotel and airline partners
Annual fee is quite low at $95 a year + you get a 10% anniversary bonus on points + $50 hotel credit in Chase travel.
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