My original intention was to bring you a detailed report about the Westside Market in Cleveland. That plan is still on the docket, but it will have to wait until our next excursion to the greater Cleveland metro area.
An unfortunate series of events prevented us from being able to take the time to go through the market. But I did discover and subsequently sign up for another service that I felt obligated to share.
Living in the Ohio Valley, it seems like trends and new features take a bit longer to get here than they do in other parts of the country. This was the first time I found this service, and I’m set to use it Tuesday.
What service is it you ask? Turo. What is Turo? In simplicity, think Air BNB, but for cars.
The Ohio Valley has a few car rental places, but if you look to secure a rental, the prices you’ll find locally are generally more than, say, the Pittsburgh airport. It makes sense for those businesses, but that doesn’t mean my wallet has to like it.
I was in need of a rental for this week upcoming. A month or so ago, I scheduled an appointment to get my alignment on my car squared away along with a new set of tires. I can wait for said appointment, but recently, I discovered someone needs a ride home from work at the same time. I can’t be in two places at once, and even if I could, I’d be down to exactly zero cars for an hour or so.
So, I started searching for options. I found a few cars at different establishments in Wheeling, St. Clairsville, and even Steubenville.
But during my Googling for options, I came across Turo’s site. I entered the search parameters for the dates and times I needed a vehicle, and with a quick press of the button, I was presented with multiple options.
The one downfall, at least in the Valley, is that many of the participants in Turo live outside of the Upper Ohio Valley. My search for Tuesday pulled up a number of options, but only one was in Wheeling. I decided to take that option. It was a good deal, and if I’m being bones, it’s a type of car I’ll never be able to afford.
So, for a brief 24-hour period, I can feel not poor.
Details
When first looking for a rental, you enter the date, times, and location of where you need a vehicle. It then presents you with a list of available rentals, which can be viewed either in list form or via a map, to see which options are in closer proximity.
Proximity does matter, as there is a set allowable mileage limit per day. Depending on how much driving you plan on doing, it could cost you more than the original per day limit.
Keep in mind these are private owners of vehicles, not businesses. That’s one of the bonuses. You can rent a fairly fancy vehicle for far less than it would cost at a rental place.
I’m getting a nice 2021 Acura for less than $70 per day before any other fees. I also found similarly priced Audis, BMWs, Range Rovers, and Mercedes Benz models. There are also trucks, Jeeps, and even a few Teslas, if you are so inclined.
I may want to rent one of those Teslas for a night the next time date night calls for a trip to Pittsburgh. Sometimes it’s okay to splurge.
My hope is that Turo takes off more in the Ohio Valley, giving local residents more options that don’t require driving to Washington or Allegheny County to take advantage of. I know this isn’t the only time I’ll use this service. If I need to haul something, my options aren’t limited to UHaul or another rental company. I can check Turo, see who has a truck, and rent it for the day.
It gives both the customer and the individual owners looking to make a little side cash more options. And that’s always a good thing.
