As featured in the Mississauga News – Mississauga.com
When You Need an Extra Set of Wheels
Bristol Opens in Mississauga
More and more drivers are appreciating the benefits of renting a vehicle, from compacts to trucks. And Canadian-owned Bristol Car & Truck Rentals has one of the most diverse fleets in the GTA.
It’s been 31 years since Bristol Car & Truck Rentals opened its first location in the GTA. Today, it has 14 locations — the newest at 2175 Royal Windsor Dr. in Mississauga opened in March and is already gaining traction, like nearby Bristol locations in Milton and Brampton.
“We’re like your local neighbourhood rental,” says Bristol’s Marketing Manager Tracey Gauthier. “All our locations are in the GTA, Canadian-owned and operated by the Kesten family. Most of our staff have been with us for a long time, so when our customers come in for repeat rentals, we already know their vehicle preferences, rental plan and coverages. That’s what we mean when we say on our website that ‘you’re only a stranger once.’”
There are several reasons Gauthier points to for why renting a vehicle has gained popularity in recent years. “A big reason is the skyrocketing expense of purchasing and maintaining a car,” she explains. “A vehicle that was $50,000 a few years ago may now be as high as $75,000 to $80,000 today. And then there are the carrying costs — fuel and maintenance costs have gone up and interest rates have risen. So, some households have chosen not to own a car, or a second car. ” The same for businesses, they’ve chosen to rent rather than carrying the cost of buying or committing to the costs of a long term truck lease”
And that’s where renting comes in. On those occasions when a car is necessary for a day, a weekend or longer, it makes sense to rent, instead of the ongoing expense of leasing or buying. “A lot of people will come to us when they need the vehicle to get to their job or a special event,” says Gauthier. “It may not work to take a public transit and depending on your destination, Uber’s can be expensive, so the simple, cost-saving solution is to rent a car. You can use it to your advantage and use it to run extra errands. We’ll even come to you and bring you to our location so you can rent the vehicle, then when you return it to us, we can drive you home.”