Rent A Wreck Inc

Great place to rent a car in LA! The price here are unreal (around $ 20 a day) and Dave is great to deal with. If you want to rent a car and not mess around with airport insanity and surcharges, this is the place to go.

Fantastic experience from the initial phone call to returning the car. You’ve rented a car and it seems like the getting of the car is the most time consuming hassle. And those taxes that seem to be excessive. I asked if the price quoted, included all those taxes. He replied, you mean, sales tax? He was right. Oddly found my password for Unilocal bc I felt this place needed to be applauded for being there and offering fantastic straightforward service. Bravo.

Amazing customer service, amazing people! We needed a cargo van last minute and Dave was extremely helpful… No hidden charges and very reasonably priced.

They were so awesome. I came in depressed bc Pep Boys was screwing me and not fixing my car (Yes, I just left a bad review at the same time. I’m efficient). I left my name on the answering machine and they called me back within a few minutes! Anyway, Rent a Wreck were so nice, picked me up (I thought only Enterprise did that), got me a car same day, had longer hours than any car rental in the area & yes, they offered me water, ice cream and a banana! In this whole situation they proved to be a star! Nice people, great price, great car. Thanks for your help.

Rented a car here this week. $ 20/​day for an older Hyundai Elantra. It ran great, and looked ok for what it was. Plenty of dings and scrapes but nothing dangerous, and it got me where I need to be. They also have newer cars but they’re not as cheap. Very simple and straightforward, they didn’t try to upsell me anything. They even gave me a ride to where I was going after I dropped off the car – about 2.5 miles.

Rentawreck on Centinela is the best car rental agency I have ever dealt with. They are old school, and low tech. Pen and paper, calculators not computers, everything by phone or in person. But they are nice, real people who are very friendly, and the pricing is fantastic. Dave (and everyone else I dealt with there) is a sweetheart. I will try to never use anyone else for car rentals. The car was just fine, peppy and economical (with just a minor ding on side) and exactly what we needed for my mom’s visit. They don’t have a counter at the airport, but offered to drop off/​pick up as needed. Highly recommend. We were offered free bottled water and a banana, as well. Must be their schtick. But it’s a good one!

This company is a total gem in the industry of car rental, which is always full of hidden costs and seems designed to trick you into spending more than you thought. Yes it’s old school and you have to call to reserve, but they’ll pick you up and drop you off at your location, fill up the gas tank at the actual price of gas if you forget to top off, and it’s $ 20 a day if you have your own insurance. Also, the car was newish and in good condition, not an actual «wreck», as my mom was comically expecting. Never renting from anywhere else in LA.

You had it right: they should rent an employee. Umm there’s no online pricing, no call center or phone pick up, no listed inventory of their «1000» cars and when they get around to calling your ass back when it’s good for them… they’re «booked for 30 days» when you say you’re flexible on dates. WHY YES, that is HORSE SHIT you smell. I assume many good reviews are from SHADY owner. Called you out.

They are really helpful and easy going guys! I was hesitant at first, but the cars work great and they do an excellent job keeping them maintained. Definitely recommend this place over enrterprise, especially if you want a quality car for cheap as a practical means of getting from point a to point b. I even rented from enterprise and liked the car I got from rent a wreck more!

Absolutely one of the best customer service experiences I have ever had. My car broke down unexpectedly so I decided to rent a car from Rent-​A-​Wreck while I waited for my new car to arrive. Dave gave me a really good rate for a clean, safe (not wrecked) Chevy Aveo. I was given a full tour of the vehicle before driving it AND I was offered a free water bottle and banana in the waiting room (the banana seemed kinda random but, hey, I was hungry, so it was a most welcome snack!).
Here is where things could have gotten really bad: WITHIN MINUTES of my driving the rental off the lot, I was involved in a minor accident. Although I knew that I was not at fault in the incident, I was obviously flustered, upset and scared about the repercussions of injuring a car that doesn’t belong to me. When I returned the car, Dave and his team calmly helped me call my insurance company, filled out all of the paperwork for me, assured me that they would take care of everything, and even offered me another banana. After allowing me to cool off for a few minutes, Dave rented me another car! I could hardly believe it — I’m not sure I would have taken the same risk on a problem client.
My second rental car drove safely for 4 days. When I was cutting it close to return the car before the end of the work day, Dave waited an extra 15 minutes for me to arrive. When he found out that I would be taking the bus home from Rent-​A-​Wreck, Dave insisted that he give me a ride home. And he did. Amazing.
I throughly recommend this service to anyone; I will be using Rent-​A-​Wreck again should I ever need it.

I rented a cargo van from these gentlemen. It was easier, cheaper and smoother dealing with them than any other car rental I’ve done before. Recommended.

Amazing service. Flexible, understanding, doesn’t try to nickel-​and-​dime you. I called a few times during my two week trip for issues with my schedule, and Dave adjusted smoothly.
Tips:
–For the basic rate, you’ll get a «wreck,» but if he has them available, you can get a nicer car for $ 25/​day, in case you’ve got a 3+ hr trip or a hot date. Limited supply.
-$ 25/​day charge for under 25y/​o
–NOT unlimited miles, 500/​week then charge per mile. Important when everything in LA is 40mi round trip.

I rented a pick up truck for a few hours to haul some stuff. I’d read so many bad reviews about U Haul, I decided to come here and have no complaints. I was in and out of there quickly when both obtaining and returning my truck (on a Wednesday morning and afternoon) and had a convenient place to park my car. All charges were up front and reasonable.
Three Things:
1. If they’re busy, you might not be able to get through on the phone right away, but be patient as I think it’s worth it.
2. Remember this is rent a «Wreck.» You’re gonna get a pretty beat up auto, but it will run fine.
3. Don’t look for a «Rent a Wreck» sign. They’re now in a storage facility.

pretty nice setup, given they didn’t charge me for being under age 25. I get RAPED at other car rental places.
Super friendly service. I’ve never had that with a rental car company in LA, let alone the cheapest shop around!
If you wanna save money and don’t mind driving a beater… or if u need a shitty truck to move stuff… AND you like not worrying about scratching/​dingin your rental…
These guys are awesome.
$ 25 charge if you leave the car at the airport, though. Not too shabby.

Dave and his guys are fantastic!
I have just moved to LA from the UK and needed a car to help me get on my feet. Nowhere else could match the price of these guys, and I doubt the service would either.
My flight arrived quite late at LAX, so instead of picking me up from the airport, it was no trouble for them whatsoever to pick me up from a friend’s house in the morning. They give you a chilled bottle of water on arrival, a free GPS, a car that’s not going to win any beauty contests anytime soon but runs perfect, and then send you on your way — all with a smile.
Being somewhat disorganised, I left it until the day I gave the rental car back to order a new GPS for the car I’d just bought, but when Dave learnt this he said to just keep his GPS and give it back whenever mine arrived!
These guys run a business the way a business should be run: a good product, at a good price, and with great service. I couldn’t have asked for anything more, and will recommend them to anyone in a heartbeat.
Absolutely no need to go for the big companies, just call Dave.

Best place to rent a car ever. Okay, you might have a hard time renting a lambo or Ferrari if that’s what you’re after, but if you’re on a budget, this is the place to go. I was recently in a car accident and had to rent a car for about a month. My insurance doesn’t cover rentals, and I’m under 25, soooo, I was prepared to pay a lot. Also, I know almost nothing about cars, so it was important to me to find someone honest. Unilocal saved the day and recommended these guys to me.
Firstly, they will pick you up and drop you off for free.
Secondly, their cheapest cars run $ 17/​day. I called ALL the major rental companies and no one could offer me a better rate. I ended up going with a Hyundai Elantra which, while a little… rugged… served me perfectly well for the entire month.
Thirdly, they give you free chilled bottled water. Every little bit counts!
Fourthly, they are super nice and friendly. Awesome customer service, which is extra important when you’re feeling frazzled from just having been in an accident. I didn’t know how long I needed the car and Dave said it was fine and to just bring it back whenever.
Unless you’re trying to rent some super fancy car, I would highly recommend this place in lieu of any other rental companies in the area. In the end, it was about $ 400 to rent the car for an entire month, in addition to the additional fee due to me being under 25. Pretty awesome deal. Thanks so much Dave! You were great to me in my time of need. :)

Dave is a Unilocal legend… an amazing man. He picked me up at LAX after hours and allowed me to drop off my car before he opened. A nice bottle of cold water was the perfect thing while he filled out the paperwork. 99.9% of his business is from return customers, and now I know why. Sure the dashboard lights up like a Christmas tree when you start it up, but that’s half the fun. Dave maintains these cars well.

This rent A Wreck has moved 2 blocks north of their old location, and are now located at: 2270 S. Centinela, between Pico and Olympic, as part of the WestSide Self Storage complex. I don’t know if their own sign is up yet, so just pull into the Self Storage lot and you’ll find them.
They’ll also pick up and drop off to LAX — what a great deal!

Three days in a row I called this Rent A Wreck to make a reservation and each time they did not return my call. The second and third times they said they had my name and number and would get back to me. Maybe they need a Rent an Employee.

I guess I thought rental cars companies would be open all day Sundays. I guessed wrong, finding most were closed or closed early. A quick search on Unilocal shows the Rent-​A-​Wreck on Pico still open… so I call and Dave answers. He’s willing to stay open late until I can get there. He had a just the right wheels waiting. Small, a little scratched, but what they hey. About half of what I thought I’d have to pay at a fancier lot.
And even better… I needed to drop the car off on Monday and high-​tail it to the Airport for an afternoon flight with family to head back to the Northwest. Dave said, «We’ll drop you off.» What… no taxi? Yep, an employee was kind enough to spend the 20 minutes or so to drop us off at the Alaska Airlines drop-​off. He deserved the relatively nice tip I provided… even though it was less than what it would have cost for a taxi. We both won out!
Now, I don’t know if that is common practice, but someone here mentioned that Dave «wrote the book on customer service»…and that he did. Dave and crew were great. I’ve I’m ever in need of a ‘reliable’ car in Santa Monica again… I’ll see Dave. It’s not the classiest looking place, but the help is better than you’ll probably find anywhere. He even gave me a GPS to use at no charge.
And…he offered me water (like someone said in a previous review) and I got to see Alex the wonder cat. 19 years old. A little slow… but a precious addition.
I just had to put something in writing, since I had a great experience there and wanted to share. He’s been doing it there for over 40 years I’m told. Give him a try.
Geoff