Rental Car in Seattle

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Sportgoofy

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Apr 6, 2013
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What advice can you give a first time visitor to Seattle on the easiest way to get a rental car from King Street Station, arriving June 9th on the Empire Builder?
 
Hi sportgoofy - You are going to have such a nice time in Seattle.

There are several car companies to choose from. I used the Seattle Hertz Downtown HLE last summer. They will reimburse you for the cab fare from the amtrak station to their location, or you can take the light rail a few stops to get there.

I believe there is also an enterprise location that will pick you up at King Street Station.
 
OK. Sunday at about 10:30 AM.

There are some locations open in downtown about a mile away. I checked and Alamo, Avis, and Budget have locations open on Sunday. Hertz has a downtown location that's closed on weekends. You'll either need to take a cab, find public transportation, or walk. I seem to recall that part of Seattle is hilly and not too fun if you're dragging along luggage.

Another option is the airport. There was a topic about Seattle, and light rail to SeaTac Airport is less than $3 and takes about 30 minutes. You might find better options, and all will be open on Sunday. Sometimes I've found airport prices to be really low, I actually found something around $12/day a few weeks ago on trip to Seattle. There was and additional $6/day airport fee though. I cancelled though since I had other transportation.
 
Oh what a bummer that the Hertz location is closed on on Sundays. They were super nice and also gave me a free upgrade.
 
amamba said:
Oh what a bummer that the Hertz location is closed on on Sundays. They were super nice and also gave me a free upgrade.
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I may have been looking at a different location. I was seeing the first one that came up in a search and the search engine listed hours that may not be accurate. There is one at Westlake Center that's open Sunday, but closed for lunch. They also have an "Amtrak Seattle" option that says it isn't a Hertz location per se, but where they can arrange for a pickup or drop off.

http://www.hertz.com/rentacar/location/index.jsp?targetPage=locationDetailsView.jsp&eoag=SEAX12&resAgnt=&locType=pUp#!countryCode
 
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If you are planning to stay mainly in the Seattle city area, you may want to forgo renting a car because finding parking is next to impossible and when you do it costs a fortune. Meter "maids" prowl constantly ready to hang tickets on cars that are even 1 minute expired. The public transit is excellent.
 
I am taking the Amtrak to Seattle this summer before a cruise. I see posted that some rental companies offer reimbursement of cab fare from the station. Does anyone know if any offer a shuttle or the same benefit from the cruise terminal? I am renting a car post cruise to return to CA. If we took the train home, I would miss my daughter's and boyfriend's performances in Sacramento... so I must drive.
 
neciebugs said:
I am taking the Amtrak to Seattle this summer before a cruise. I see posted that some rental companies offer reimbursement of cab fare from the station. Does anyone know if any offer a shuttle or the same benefit from the cruise terminal? I am renting a car post cruise to return to CA. If we took the train home, I would miss my daughter's and boyfriend's performances in Sacramento... so I must drive.
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Yes the Hertz Seattle Downtown HLE location will reimburse cab fare from either Amtrak or the cruise terminal (up to $8 with receipt.)

Hours are:

Mo-Fr: 7am-6pm, Sa-Su: 8am-4pm
 
OlympianHiawatha said:
If you are planning to stay mainly in the Seattle city area, you may want to forgo renting a car because finding parking is next to impossible and when you do it costs a fortune. Meter "maids" prowl constantly ready to hang tickets on cars that are even 1 minute expired. The public transit is excellent.
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I Second this!! If you aren't going out of the City you don't need a car! SEA has Excellent Public Transportation and it's Cheaper than most Big Cities also! ;)
 
jimhudson said:
OlympianHiawatha said:
If you are planning to stay mainly in the Seattle city area, you may want to forgo renting a car because finding parking is next to impossible and when you do it costs a fortune. Meter "maids" prowl constantly ready to hang tickets on cars that are even 1 minute expired. The public transit is excellent.
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I Second this!! If you aren't going out of the City you don't need a car! SEA has Excellent Public Transportation and it's Cheaper than most Big Cities also! ;)
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Eh, it depends on what you mean by "city." The Seattle city limits are quite large, and if one wants to spend time in the many neighborhoods that are still part of Seattle proper (like Wallingford, Ballard, Green Lake, etc) then you need a car. If you plan to stay in only the downtown area, then no car is necessary.
 
We're going to a Mt. Ranier resort, so will need a car. Thanks for all the suggestions. I did reserve a car with Dollar at SeaTac Airport, since we will terminate there for our departure. How far from the King Street Station is the light rail, and how much of a hassle to use it with luggage to drag along? Maybe a cab to Dollar might be wise. I wonder what taxi fare will be.
 
Hi Sportgoofy - Keep in mind that many of the downtown locations allow you to return a car at the airport for no additional fee, and that the sea-tac rentals tack on extra fees for renting from the airport. I just want to save you some $$$ if at all possible. :)

The light rail is called the Central Link. The closest station to King Street is called International District/Chinatown. It is maybe a 5 minute walk from the station. I had no trouble rollling my carry on over there - but I am in my 30s.
 
Sportgoofy said:
How far from the King Street Station is the light rail, and how much of a hassle to use it with luggage to drag along?
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Now that the new waiting room and Jackson Street entrance at King Street Station are open, it's easy. Since you'll have luggage, take the elevator to the station's second floor, walk out to Jackson Street, turn right and cross the street, then take the elevator down to the platform level of the light rail's International District station. (Don't forget to buy your ticket first! The vending machines are on the street level.)
 
Is the luggage you'll be using going by way of checked-service or are you taking it as carry-on? I ask because, if it is checked, you could feasibly leave it at the station for no additional expense (and any carry-on luggage could be "day-checked" for a nominal per-bag fee at the baggage counter) while you travel unburdened to the rental car office. Once you have your car, just return to the station and pick up your bags using the check slips you're given and head to where ever you're going from there.

Just a suggestion. :)
 
amamba said:
Hi Sportgoofy - Keep in mind that many of the downtown locations allow you to return a car at the airport for no additional fee, and that the sea-tac rentals tack on extra fees for renting from the airport. I just want to save you some $$$ if at all possible. :)
The light rail is called the Central Link. The closest station to King Street is called International District/Chinatown. It is maybe a 5 minute walk from the station. I had no trouble rollling my carry on over there - but I am in my 30s.
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It really depends on the rental agency. A lot of times the base rate at airport locations can be considerably cheaper when they have a lot of excess inventory available. I've seen rates as low as $6 a day. That can make up for the airport fees (Seattle is $6 a day). Downtown locations tend not to have those kind of rates unless it's something like a weekend promotion.

As for Dollar, I looked up their rates for June 9 for 5 days. $31 a day at both their airport and downtown location for a midsize. Total downtown with dropoff at the airport was the same as dropoff there ($176). Airport was $234 total.
 
I find the airport tends to have cheaper rates, much longer hours, and a much larger selection of vehicles if you're willing to shop around. Downtown locations tend to be open only briefly, have only a few cars available, and don't care to undercut each other. I also enjoy being able to drop the car off at the airport and fly back home. I've rented cars from SEA without issue previously. I've also spent time downtown without any car at all. I think it's safe to assume that traveling to Mt. Rainier will require a car and that heading out to the airport will not be much of an issue since you'll be doing a lot more driving than that anyway.
 
One thing to keep in mind is that rental cars at Sea-Tac are now in a separate building. If you take the light rail to the airport, you'll need to walk a fair distance into the airport, then get a shuttle bus to the rental car facility.
 
Wow! Thanks for all the excellent information everybody! Think I'll print this page so I can refer to it later.
 
I, too, am a first time visitor to Seattle. Will be arriving June 7th on the Empire Builder. I chose Budget rental because it looks like it is walkable. The website also mentions free pick-up service. On the Budget website it is Seattle location SE3. Sun 8:00 AM - 4:00 PM Mon - Fri 7:00 AM - 6:00 PM Sat 8:00 AM - 4:00 PM.

Car prices fluctuate, so I always make car reservations that can be cancelled and check prices periodically. Current Budget codes that will earn you AGR points are offer code(s) BCD U082100 MUAZ058 Triple Points/Paperless Coupon.

https://amtrakguestrewards.com/earn/cars

Now through June 30th, 2013, Amtrak Guest Rewards members can earn triple points and save up to 25% on rentals of 2 days or more.
 
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alben said:
I, too, am a first time visitor to Seattle. Will be arriving June 7th on the Empire Builder. I chose Budget rental because it looks like it is walkable.
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Keep in mind that although the 4th & Columbia Budget location is only about a half mile from King Street Station, it is much higher. A quick look at a topo map says the elevation gain is in the neighborhood of 150 feet. It is walkable, but if you are toting luggage it may be more exertion than you bargained for.
 
D T Nelson said:
alben said:
I, too, am a first time visitor to Seattle. Will be arriving June 7th on the Empire Builder. I chose Budget rental because it looks like it is walkable.
Click to expand...
Keep in mind that although the 4th & Columbia Budget location is only about a half mile from King Street Station, it is much higher. A quick look at a topo map says the elevation gain is in the neighborhood of 150 feet. It is walkable, but if you are toting luggage it may be more exertion than you bargained for.
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I walk to/from work every day which is 2 miles each direction which has about the same grade, so I should be fine. :)
 
alben said:
D T Nelson said:
alben said:
I, too, am a first time visitor to Seattle. Will be arriving June 7th on the Empire Builder. I chose Budget rental because it looks like it is walkable.
Click to expand...
Keep in mind that although the 4th & Columbia Budget location is only about a half mile from King Street Station, it is much higher. A quick look at a topo map says the elevation gain is in the neighborhood of 150 feet. It is walkable, but if you are toting luggage it may be more exertion than you bargained for.
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I walk to/from work every day which is 2 miles each direction which has about the same grade, so I should be fine. :)
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With luggage? :eek:
 
Weekday day times I've used the Alamo at University and 6th, in some hotel ramp. Seattle is steep, as people are saying, but it worked well for me.
 
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