Rodger and his team are great. Excellent customer service, and they can get you in a car quickly. The only thing is that they are open from noon. Which makes it hard if you're working. The cars are used and if you do experience issues just call them up and they will work to get you into another vehicle. Prices are as good, or comparable to the major rental companies. I would recommend this place to everyone in North County San Diego. read more

Welp, the car broke down 4 hours after I picked it up even though I was told it had just been serviced. What a terrifying experience as I was ascending the mountain on the 76 HWY and the car wouldn't make it up the incline. White smoke everywhere out the engine. I had to stand on the side of the road for 1/2 and hour in fear that someone was going to hit me as the 18 wheelers whooshed on by. I called and emailed the owner of the car rental place. He came to meet me with another car. Which was fine. When I returned the car I wanted a discount. He suggested gas. I wanted a free day as I rented a broken car. I explained that the car didn't work. THEN I was told I should have looked at the gauges. Ummm, I'm a RENTER of this vehicle. I only need to bring it back in the same condition and with gas. Odd. But everything was right in the end read more

Cathy made it easy for me to rent a car quickly. Esp during a time when it was a busy weekend. She's very nice! :)

These ppl are honest good hard working ppl. Their rentals are just for using locally so if you're planning a road trip go to one of the bigger companies. Their lot is small but seem to have a vehicle to suit all needs read more

Roger made it easy to get a rental last minute. And it's affordable for 2 weeks while my car gets warranty covered repairs for 2 weeks. I appreciate working with him and his good customer service! Definitely recommend! read more

Absolutely recommend this place if you need a car rental. I was in need for a rental on and off for about two months and this place made it beyond easy and not stressful at all. I am beyond thankful for their services. I even had an encounter when I called them on a Sunday morning before they were even open and I needed a car, they were still able to help me and meet me to get the rental. I will always be using this rent a car services because of the low cost and how reliable they are. read more

This isn't the first or last time we rent a car from Bargain Rent A Car. I can tell you how great this place is and how amazing the owners are but the only way to get the full experience is to rent a vehicle from Bargain. We had family come in from out of town and they wanted to visit Hollywood so, last minute I thought it would be a good idea to rent a 15 passenger van so we wouldn't have to take multiple vehicles. I called as soon as they opened and to my surprise one was available. I'm so glad l called them, we had a great time. read more

So here's how it went down. On Wednesday I booked a Ryder cargo van to make a quick trip up to the Santa Monica area to pick something up. Killer deal, all set for Saturday pickup. On Friday afternoon they called and said the person who was going to return the van decided to keep it one more day. With condolences they offered us a 20 foot open bed truck for the same price. Ummmm.... No. Did I mention I was driving into Santa Monica? I called around for about an hour trying to find another rental company - any company - with an available cargo van and a decent mileage rate. I hit all the major rental companies, and they were almost all - at best - jerks. Finally a google search turned up Bargain Rent A Car in Escondido. I booked a cargo van to pickup Saturday morning. Decent rates, ok mileage plan - better than anything else I could find. When I went to pick it up I was pleasantly surprised to realize it was a small business, locally owned! Even better, the place is deliciously and authentically retro. I'm pretty sure the sign was designed in the height of the 80's cool (think Max Headroom), and the building is all angular and full of character. There is an old faded photograph on the wall that is so sun faded it is unrecognizable. The man that helped me (perhaps the owner?) was very nice and efficient. The van was clean and totally worked for our needs. Now, don't expect to be able to rent any make or model from this place. I'm pretty sure they have a small fleet. But for simple needs I think it pretty much kicks ass. And I and completely in love with the idea of giving a small rental car business my money instead of Ryder or Enterprise - I never even thought of a place like this existing! Yay for entrepreneurs! read more

We had an emergency with my husband car and needed to pick up a car at that very moment we went in and the lady there was amazing she was understanding and let us know everything we needed to know and to make it even better its a family owned business and will be coming back for our birthday trip in a few months read more

This place is the best. Small and family owned, this place offers a great selection, even better pricing, and the best customer service of any car rental place "in the world"!!!! I have rented here twice, once for a moving vehicle, and once for a week because our car was totaled. The cars are reliable, and the owner and his wife bend over backwards to help you; like waiting after hours for you, free pick up, and free days and extra mile packages. You will never go to another car rental place once you have been here. read more

Roger has always been fantastic to work with. Friendly and always accommodating, he has gone above and beyond for my husband and I when we've needed to rent a vehicle; be it for a day or a week. Family owned and local-we will always rent from him!! read more

This place is so amazing, the people there are so kind. Rodger has been helping me while I've been renting from them (which is has been longer than expected) & he has been so kind and helpful. They're very understanding and I really can't say enough about how great their customer service is here. They have a great small selection of vehicles, the only bad point I could find is they don't have a monthly rental, just weekly. read more

Bargain was a great experience! We had to look for a car rental asap since I had an accident and didn't have a car for a week. Decided to look around and most of the other car rentals were out of cars, also expensive because of the holiday plus last minute. Thought about Bargain since it was 5 blocks away from my house and never bother about it until now. It's affordable and outstanding quick services. I would definitely recommend this place. Nice people too! :) read more

I have rented a car several times over the last few years, and again last week, from Bargain Rent-a-Car in Escondido, and prefer renting from this local small business. They have a car ready for me with just a phone call, never pressure to sell extra features, have good prices, and so I give them five stars. Renting a car owned by the local folks from their small lot, is a vastly different experience than renting from corporations like enterprise or hertz etc. I expect next time I need a car in north San Diego county, I will again call these nice people at Bargain. read more

Bargain Rent A Car is without a doubt not only a truely outstanding bargain in every respect but a hidden jewel among the many car rental agencies in the greater Escondido and San Diego areas. I've had the privilege of getting to know the two owners Roger and Kathy for several years now; they have always made it their business to save me money whenever and wherever they can. Perhaps even more impressive is the fact that unlike the majority of car rental conglomerates today that will frequently make it their business to read you their rules and policies, jump through their hoops, and can't wait to go home at five o'clock, because this is their family business, these folks go out of their way to treat you like a member of the family. Consequently, in addition to saving significant money, if your aspiration is to return to days gone by where customers were once treated with a welcome smile, couteous respect, sincere appreciation, professional on time pickups and deliveries, and a personal front door at-your-service attitude, this is the place to bring your future rental car needs. In sum, I can't say enough nice things about these two nice people...and if I could give them 6 stars on here, I would do so. read more

Bargain Rent A Car is by far and away the best rental car service I've experienced in Escondido, and perhaps anywhere else. That's because this rare gem of a find is not some franchised operation spun off from a large, impersonal corporation where you never know who you 're going to deal with and have to compete to get attention from and hope for some minimal level of competent service, shorter than normal hold times while waiting on the phone to speak to someone, and then praying you get the hoped for quality and comptence you expect. Bargain Rent A Car instead is a small family owned and operated business in the heart of Escondido where they treat you like a valued customer and friend if not a family member through which I've now gotten on a first name basis with the owners. As such, Roger and his wife now consistently go out of their way to treat me with exceptional and personalized "white glove service" consistently providing me with always extremely well-maintained vehicles that are consistently priced below market, and whenever possible, will throw in friendly front door pickup service and whatever else they can reasonably do. Along with that, their never say die cheerful attitude and constant striving to go out of their way to exceed my expectations has earned my respect, admiration and appreciation. In sum, If I could give them 6 stars on Yelp, I would. But since I can't do that here, all I can do is to sing their praises and strongly suggest that giving them a call will probably turn out to be the best car rental decision you've ever made. read more

I called this place Thursday morning and asked for rental rates and deposit information for a total of 3 days. The guy on the phone seemed like he wanted to make sure I had the best deal. I was told that I was reserving a 2008 Ford Taurus for $22.95/ daily including 150 miles daily. I would be charged the $200 deposit and the rental rate would then be deducted from the $200 and they would refund me the difference after I turn in the rental. When I get to the place to pick up the car, the person who was helping me seemed to be in a rush to just have me sign the agreement and send me on my way without any explanation of anything at all. When he pulled the car around from the back, he brought an OLD 2004 FORD TAURUS with the paint completely faded, cigarette holes in the seats, and the car was making a loud humming noise. I strapped my sons car seat in and I noticed that the check engine light was on. Before pulling out the parking lot, I went back inside and asked if he was aware the light was on. The employee said, "Oh! someone left the gas cap off but it is fine, I promise you!" I emphasized that I have a son so I really need a reliable car and he assured me that I would be fine. I drove down the block and when I stopped at a red light, the car shook and jerked uncontrollably. I pulled over and when I did so, the front hood started letting out hot steam and the temperature gauge went from normal to the middle meaning it was starting to overheat. I immediately turned around and took the car back to Bargain Rental. When I walked and explained what the problem was, he said "that's so strange, I was just driving that car all day yesterday" .. so that tells me he knew the condition of the car before he let me drive off in it with my baby boy. I did not need a refund, I needed a car rental but he did not offer another car.. he just refunded my $200 deposit. I am giving this place 2 stars because even though the car was not safe to drive, the guy was polite the entire time he interacted with me. I was refunded and the money was back in my account within 3 days. I would not recommend this place to family or friends. I would rather pay a little extra and go to Enterprise or Hertz. I mean what kind of rental place doesn't have cars to rent out? read more

So Friday May 4th at 4:07 pm I called these jerkoffs to see when they closed and what requirements they had for their debit card policy. The lady who answered said the phone politely told me they closed at 4:30pm and then she told me their policies. I told her I'd be down right away. Less than fifteen minutes later I was at their door only to find no one there and the business locked for the day, a sign on the front saying they would return tomorrow at 8:00am. I of course tried calling the office to see if maybe she/he was in the back but it was empty. So I was baffled once I figured out that she left me high and dry. I had Enterprise help me out from there, I don't work for them at all or represent them in any way but they did a much better job! Never again with these guys! read more

Only one reviewer was honest. Vehicles are indeed overpriced, and have multiple issues. Good for maybe a one day, short distance trip in an emergency, but NEVER over that, due to the prices, of which they are not transparent, and the odds of you breaking down somewhere. You may be able to get a reasonable deal for a one day rental, but BEWARE: you'll find the price per day has TRIPLED after that, which you'll find out when you review your banking or credit card statement. My advice overall? LEAVE IT ALONE. Go to known franchises read more

I rented a cargo van here before and never had any issues. They are very helpful and reliable. I always recommend them to my friends.

Bargain is great place great prices and friendly service..thanks bargain I love y'all.. Will keep coming back ..customer for life ..love it Mia Prowell read more

I had to call the Escondido Police Department on this business today. I was a hour late returning a car that I had borrowed for a day, and the wanted to charge me for a second day. When I said that I would be back tomorrow with the car, they already had the keys and my credit card and they told me that they were going to charge me a $200.00 deposit. I said that I would just pay for the one day that I used the car and leave, and when I saw that the owner was still trying to write up the invoice for two days, I tried to grab my credit card from his hand, he slapped my gand away, came around to the front of the counter, got up close to me and told me "to get the f#! $ out of his business." I left the business, went outside without my credit card and immediately called 911. A police officer responded, and the owner came outside with a receipt charging me for the day's use of the car and my credit card in an envelope. To say that I will never do business with them again is an understatement. I am not often concerned for my personal safety, doing business with a family-owned business in Escondido, but this time I was. Even the police officer suggested that I post this to YELP. Perhaps it was the hot weather, or perhaps this business is not doing all that well, but this treatment was inexcuseable. TAKE NOTE: The owners just took the time to text me to tell me that I am a horrible person. These people are out of control, and unsafe to deal with. read more

Efficient service and very friendly staff. Killer good price too for a one week rental. But when I picked up my car the A/C did not work. Neither did the left turn signal. The manager said it worked yesterday (!) and got on the phone to find me another car. He indeed found one for me at Hertz for $250 more per week. At this point I was stuck and had to go with Hertz. Buyer beware. read more