The short answer
If six or seven people are coming, book the Dodge Grand Caravan or the Subaru Ascent now, not in November. I have one of each. For four people with normal luggage, the Chevy Volt does the airport run and the whole week for $55 a day. If the plan includes a day in the snow, that is the Jeep, but it seats five.
Which seven-seater
- 2020 Dodge Grand Caravan, $75 a day, 7 seats. Sliding doors, a low floor, and the most luggage room of the two. The easiest car for grandparents, strollers and car seats.
- 2023 Subaru Ascent Touring, $85 a day, 7 seats, all-wheel drive. Pick it if the week includes Apple Hill in the rain, a drive up to Tahoe, or anyone who would rather be in an SUV. With all seven seats up it carries less than the van.
Bring your own car seats. Both cars have the anchors in the second row.
The airport run
There are two ways to do it, and the second is usually the better one.
- I meet them at the airport. Send me the flight number when you book. Delivery to Sacramento International Airport is $80. The car is at the curb when they walk out, I hand over the keys, and we walk through the car together.
- I bring the car to your house the day before. Delivery is $40 within 10 miles of Folsom and $80 for 10 to 20 miles out, or free if you pick it up in Folsom. Then you do the airport run yourself, with the car already loaded with the booster seat and the coats, and nobody stands at arrivals with six suitcases.
Either way the handover is the same: the agreement and the invoice come by text and email before pickup, and you pay by card, Venmo or cash. More on how delivery works.
What a Thanksgiving week costs
Thanksgiving is Thursday, November 26. Say the family lands on Tuesday and flies out on Sunday: five days.
- Caravan: 5 days at $75 is $375. Delivery to your door, $40. $415 before the protection plan.
- Ascent: 5 days at $85 is $425. Delivery, $40. $465 before the protection plan.
Then the protection plan, chosen when you book:
- Use your own insurance. $0 a day. Your qualifying policy is primary, and there is a $1,000 hold on your card.
- Standard Protection. $45 a day, a $500 hold, and your damage responsibility is capped at $500. Five days adds $225.
- Premium Protection. $65 a day, no hold, $0 damage responsibility. Five days adds $325.
So the Caravan for the week, delivered to your door, with Standard Protection, is $640 all in. The Ascent the same way is $690. The hold is a card authorization, not a charge; it is released after the car comes back without damage, within three to five business days. The plans are explained on the insurance page.
Luggage, chains, and the outings
Seven people and seven large suitcases do not fit in any seven-seater with every seat in use. Plan on carry-ons in the back and the big bags on a second trip from the airport, or send me the flight and let me bring the van while you take the bags in your own car.
If the week includes Tahoe, California requires carrying chains in snow zones when controls are posted, even with all-wheel drive. Ask me about chains when you book, and give yourself the extra hour each way on US-50 or I-80 on a holiday weekend. The rest of the practical questions are in the FAQ.
When to book
I have one van and one seven-seat SUV. When one of them is booked for Thanksgiving week, there is one left. I would book Thanksgiving by the first week of November, and Christmas, which falls on Friday, December 25, by the end of November. Tell me the dates and the number of people, and I will tell you the same day which car is still free.
How to book
Text or call (916) 365-3653 with the dates, how many people, and the flight if I am meeting it. I reply within 15 minutes, 9 am to 8 pm. Or use the form on the home page. Drivers are 21 or older with a valid license, and you choose the protection plan when you book.