hiring a car at LAX? and other questions

I need to hire a car from LAX for 17th/18th July.
i was looking at booking some ridiculous convertibe online through thrifty or something similar (only because it was fairly cheap) but after googling a few reviews thrifty sounds like they are loaded with hidden fees and a nightmare to deal with.

has anyone got any tips on the best way to hire a car?
i'm willing to get the smallest cheapest car if we have to, as long as the price is fair and hassle is minimal.
are there counters at the airport we can just walk up to looking for a deal? or could we get stuck with something horrible and expensive leaving it that late?

oh, and just quietly, what is the drive from beverly hills to marine depot like? if i have any money left by then i might try for a new light
any help would be awesome as this is one of the last things we need to book!

next week - Vegas!! ;D

 

Are you sure you are flying into LAX and not LAS? Thats a long drive from LAX to vegas!!

 

haha sorry, we're starting in Vegas but making our way back to LA 3 weeks later. Everything else is sorted but since we're only in LA one night I'm thinking a car will be better to get to and from LAX/Hotel and a convenient place to keep our bags between leaving the hotel and our departing flight home the next day.
just have no idea what to expect when hiring a car in USA, apart from having to drive on the wrong side of the road lol.
if i book a car online, will they suddenly charge me 3 times the booking fee for insurance or anything when we go to pick it up?

 

I'm pretty sure you can rent a car when you arrive at the airport. It shouldn't be ver expensive especially for one day. Also, they have busses that take people to and from hotels if that helps.

 

Nothing about landing at LAX is hassle free LOL.
Most car rental places are like Thrifty's, ton's of additional fees. I was a loyal customers up until recently. All the car rental companies are off site so you will have to find the shuttle pick up right outside your terminal (not hard to find). Then comes the stop and start shuttle ride to the rental building.
You might want to check and see if your hotel has a shuttle from the airport to the hotel.

 

I think you should check Travelocity or Orbitz or something similar, and rent at the airport. Should be around 30-40 bucks a day with no mileage limits, plus gas. I travel often for work so this is the way I always go and have had success. Have a great trip!

 

The trip from Beverly Hills to Marine Depot is about 50 miles. It could take an hour to 3 hours depending on time and traffic. Keep in mind that Marine Depot does not have a showroom. It is a mail order warehouse facility. You would need to phone in your order prior to heading down there and have it held for will-call. You can then pick it up when you arrive. Will-call is closed on Saturday and the whole place is closed on Sunday so keep that in mind.

 

If u just staying at a hotel then there would be buses that take you to te hotel directly. Even if you want to rent a car, you will have to wait foe the bus to come and pick u up to the rental company.

 

You will like landing in las better than lax, i went there last year on fourth of july and it was pretty hassle free. LAX is a lot worse imo. Good luck getting car rentals, i think its a lot easier just to take the bus shuttles....

 

thanks for the pointers everyone!
the warning about marine depot is especially good as i would have got there expecting the biggest fish shop i've ever seen, and would have been devastated lol.
perhaps reef playground will be a better option.

the main reason i'd like a car is that we will need to check out of the hotel quite a while before our flight home leaves home. the hotel is in beverly hills and almost everything else we're thinking of checking out before we go isnt, so the car would be somewhere to put our luggage while we explore, without having to pickup our bags again before heading to lax.
we could well be flying into las instead as it will be a domestic flight, but should definitely be flying out lax. will have to check those now too tho lol.
gonna have a look at those websites and see what hints there are towards other fees but might be safer to do it on the day just to be sure.
thanks again everyone! its going to be an adventure for sure