Best bet if I need to rent a car for a couple of nights?

Fro 2-3 days, Zipcar won't be your best deal, and extending is usually not possible.

I would go with Enterprise at 3rd Av and 9th Street, decent prices, and I believe (check!) that they like other car rental companies won't penalize you for extending, they'll just charge you an extra day.

Enterprise has good service, no nonsense fees (some will charge extra $30/day for divers with Brooklyn addresses)...

I like Enterprise. I usually go to the Livingston Street location, because it's easier than the 3rd Ave. office. The staff is extremely nice.

The only drawback to Enterprise is its lack of weekend hours for a drop-off. I respect that the company guarantees its employees one firm day off per week, and closes early on a Saturday, but sometimes it makes renting from Enterprise prohibitively expensive. There is also a local rental-car place in the Brooklyn Marriott.

Mid-week rates at Enterprise though are very low. If your two-day trip is mid week, then that's where I would rent, without hesitation.

lnelson wrote: [quote=SouthSlopeSuit]Enterprise has good service, no nonsense fees (some will charge extra $30/day for divers with Brooklyn addresses)...

...You mean "drivers," right? Or are "divers" notoriously bad at taking care of rental property....?

I suppose divers might deserve a fee, given the amounts of heavy and soaking wet junk they would toss in the trunk, but in this case, drivers.

From Dollar's web page:

"New York Resident Surcharges: Higher rental rates for New York City (Brooklyn, Bronx, and Queens) residents renting in New York, Newark, NJ, and Philadelphia may apply as follows;
* For Brooklyn residents the rates will be $55 higher per day.
* For Bronx residents the rates will be $53 higher per day.
* For Queens residents the rates will be $11 higher per day. "

When they sprung that on me at 7am on a Saturday morning, I thought I was going to end up serving time.

Zipcar is great for many reasons, but for trips that last a couple of days, it would be MUCH cheaper to use a standard car rental company. If you plan on returning the car on a Sunday, make sure the rental office is open on Sunday. I have found that usually only the airport car rental companies have hours on Sundays.

enterprise is by far the worst in nyc.

not only do the hours SUCK but its quite pricey..

id rather walk before renting enterprise !

Avis has a very convenient location near Atlantic and Court. You'll get a better rate if you rent for 5 days or more including a Saturday or a three day weekend. There are a million "AWD" numbers out there if you Google aggressively enough which may or may not help out. Renting in the NYC metro area is going to be expensive - much like renting over a holiday weekend. I seem to recall that the insurance laws are behind that surcharge -- something about no fault or whatever.

I like Avis because they generally have better cars -- hence their motto "We Try Harder". While rate is important, ease of renting (location, hours) means a lot to me.

I think all Enterprise locations are franchises so -- especially in BKLYN -- your car's acceptable age and condition may or may not be subject to the whim of the individual owner.

Take Metro North to the North White Plains stop. There is a Hertz right at this stop and the rates are close 50% cheaper than anything you will get in the city. No joke. Goto the Hertz website and compare yourself.

http://maps.google.com/maps/place?cid=8701245849905352864&hl=en