As I usually do, I made my rental car reservation through Southwest, since I have found it to be consistently the cheapest method to rent vehicles, when I travel. This trip was no different. I was able to reserve a midsize car for my entire trip for less than $25 a day. After landing in San Diego on Southwest Flight 449, I proceeded to the shuttle to take me to Alamo. Luckily, my wait was less than 5 minutes for the shuttle.
When I arrived at Alamo at around 10:30pm, I tipped the driver, Enrique, and then proceeded to the kiosk to check in and get my rental car. I took the prepaid fuel option, since I would most likely use up the whole tank on my trip and I would be leaving at an ungodly early hour on Friday, September 12.
After my rental contract printed at the kiosk, I exited the main building and proceeded to check out my choices in midsize vehicles. I normally select a Kia or a Hyundai, since they have XM or Sirius satellite radio installed. This time I chose a silver 2014 Chevy Cruze, since the only two other choices were a Chrysler 200 and a Toyota Corolla.
I picked the Chevy Cruze because it had California plates (I always try to have "local" plates, just in case the police like to stop out-of-towners), looked brand new and it had leather seats. The car also drives well. It is not a car that I would purchase, since I normally look for dependability and longevity in a vehicle, but I usually rent cars that I would not normally drive.
I returned the car at 5am on Friday, September 12. As usual, the return was quick and painless, since they know me well at this location. The shuttle bus arrived just as they handed me the receipt, so I made my way to the shuttle. After boarding the shuttle, I noticed that I did not have my cell phone. The shuttle driver, JR, held the bus for the two minutes it took me to retrieve my iPhone. In fact, he radioed over to the car return area and they met me half way and handed me my phone.
The shuttle dropped me off at the Southwest terminal and I was the only person to deboard. All of the others on the bus were headed to the Delta terminal.
My experience with San Diego Alamo was what I have come to expect, since I go to San Diego at least once a month. If you need to rent a car in San Diego, I would recommend Alamo highly for the low cost and prompt and friendly customer service.
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