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Silvercar: Luxury Rental Cars For Less

a car parked in front of a sign

A few weekends I faced a difficult choice. Save some money or really enjoy driving around Colorado.

I was in Denver for a night before heading to Colorado Springs for business for two nights. I needed a rental car and it just happens to be one of the few airports with Silvercar.

a woman standing next to a car

 

I LOVE renting from Silvercar. It’s like having Avis Chairman elite status, except accessible to everyone and guaranteed perks every time. I don’t own an expensive car, in fact, mine is almost 10 years old, but it does boast a sunroof and v6. Which means whatever rental car I get is usually a downgrade.

That’s why I loved top status with Avis, it was a brief respite from real life where I got to try luxurious Cadillacs and at least was driving something better than my car. But that status was short lived.

Enter Silvercar!

a group of cars in a parking lot

Every car is an Audi A4. (Unless you rent a Q4 at Denver)

Heated leather seats. Check.

Sunroof. Check.

Free GPS & Satellite Radio. Really? Check!

No charge for using their toll pass. EEEEEE.

Tank refilled at market price + $5 flat fee. No more 4AM hunts for an open gas station! Done!

Free in-car wifi. Wait, what!? Sweet.

Get picked up from the airport and dropped off in an Audi? Now I’m feeling special 🙂

All of this for $59 a day and up? Not bad!

Ok, so anyway, those are some of the major reasons I love renting from Silvercar. So I’m making my Denver arrangements and rental cars are not cheap that weekend. The fact my preferred Avis and National options are coming in at $90+ and Silvercar is only $59 for a way better car gives me just the excuse I need.

a screenshot of a website

And then I see some company called Advantage. $10 a day. Hmmm. I can absolutely justify the cost for one night of enjoying the drive, but $40 vs $150 for the two business nights is a hard decision. So I book Silvercar for one night and plan to go back to the airport to switch out cars.

And as I’m driving around with the clear Denver air coming in the sunroof, good music on the radio, and having no trouble finding random places like Vert Kitchen, I realize I don’t want to give the car up. The drive from Denver and Colorado Springs is beautiful, and in an Audi vs a Ford Taurus or something, it could be really fun.

a car parked on the side of a road

So I do the math to find a way to justify it.

  • Silvercar is running a $49 a day promo in April which saves $10. (Use code Silver49)
  • Using the toll feature anywhere else will cost $4-$5 a day.
  • GPS (which I don’t have to use) is $10+ a day.
  • Wifi would let my colleague be more productive on the drive…
  • Not having to get up extra early to drop the car off and wait for the rental car shuttle bus for a 6AM flight would be huge.

Ok, I’ve now managed to get the price difference down to under $100, which is still a big extravagance. But the car made me enjoy my time so much more in the few hours I’d been there…so I decide to splurge and forgo trying out Advantage Rental Car.

And I didn’t regret it! I looked forward to the long drives! Heck, I looked forward to driving everywhere in that car and it made everything, even the work part of my trip, feel fun.

 

The Garden of the Gods looked great!

a car parked in front of a sign

And the morning of my way-too-early-flight, I just rolled out of bed, got the car to the Silvercar location and they took care of the rest 🙂

First time renters, sign up using my link and we’ll both get $25 (via Paypal) after your first rental! This credit stacks with the $49 a day promo. So If you’ll be in Dallas, Austin, Denver, Miami, Los Angeles, San Francisco, or Phoenix, try them out! 🙂

Full Disclosure: I may receive affiliate credit from links in this post or on this site which will help fund my travels. Thank you for your support!

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10 Comments

  1. I think the fact that you are working so hard to justify renting a “luxury car” shows that deep down you understand that Silver Car is hardly worth it. Either that or you understand how Silver Car is a pretty mediocre deal and are making it sound good so you can get maximum referrals so you don’t have to pay for it in the future.

    BTW an A4 is hardly luxurious. Its an entry level Audi that is hardly nicer than a mid-level VW. The only difference is that the Audi has those 4 interlocking circles on the front grill which seem to make some people feel like they are special.

  2. I can see how it would appear that way, but this is just one more time in my ongoing internal struggle about indulging in things I really enjoy vs taking the practical and “best deal” option. And compared to a PT cruiser or entry level Impala, getting to rent an Audi for roughly the same price seems like luxury to me 🙂

  3. Funny, I just first noticed those at canopy recently. Glad you enjoyed them. I might go try out vert kitchen this week.

  4. @J – looking at the screen shot, the prices are lower than everyone besides advantage. how exactly is that ‘hardly worth it’ and a mediocre deal? cynical much?

  5. I totally disagree with J – an Audi A4 is indeed a luxury car but also a sports car & so much fun to drive! I have a Volvo S60 at home but think the Audi is a sportier driving experience. I rented from Silvercar in LAX last year & was so happy that I was able to rent again from them in DFW last month. It was slightly cheaper than a basic Avis or Hertz car, but so much more fun to drive & with all the bells & whistles plus easy pick-up & drop-off. I LOVE Silvercar & wish they had locations everywhere I travel in the U.S.!

  6. The A4 may not be the best car, but it is an upgrade from the crap I’ve gotten with top tier status at other companies. On this weekend, it appears to have been a great deal as the 2nd cheapest option (and if you avoid Advantage, then it is the cheapest). And from what I hear, the service at Silvercar is superior. @J – why so cynical?

    I have used Advantage before and can attest to this – It is the Spirit Airlines of the rental car world. Cheap, serves its purpose, the only option for some, but I would prefer to avoid it like the plague. They typically operate far from the airport and out of any consolidated facilities to keep costs low, have fewer busses, older/dirtier cars, and unfriendly staff who gives a really long hard sell on a bunch of ancillaries, then accuses you of damaging the car when you bring it back hoping you or your insurance will pay them a small damage fee to make them the same price as everyone else.

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