<p>hertz.com is now advertising it doesn’t add the $25/day surcharge for drivers 20+; haven’t read the fine print, but it might be good to know if you have kids in that category. renting a car for 8 weeks in the summer might be considerably more than buying at beginning & selling one at the end of summer (but more hassle).</p>
<p>Rent-A-Wreck</p>
<p>My son’s friend is currently doing an internship in the L.A. area. He is 19 and was able to rent a car from Rent-A-Wreck. On the other hand, I tried to rent from them in another state and was told my son was too young (also 19). Apparently each location has their own policies as to renting to the under-25 crowd but it’s worth looking in to.</p>
<p>Santa Monica is not a big problem without a car, and getting housing near to UCLA (rather than near Santa Monica) will just add at least 20 minutes a day to his commute. </p>
<p>Really, the Big Blue Bus has great service. And, depending on where your son finds a place to live, a bike could be another option. </p>
<p>Zipcar is a great idea for now and then driving, but on a day-to-day basis I’d rather be a lot closer to the internship or just a short bus ride away. And the bus gets you quickly to: the beach, Santa Monica, Venice, Westood – and as a 20 something, those are some pretty nice places with lots and lots of nighttime or weekend options. This isn’t like being stuck out in Warner Center in the Valley, or down in Long Beach or Gardena.</p>
<p>Santa Monica/west la is doable without a car. I lived in SM and worked in downtown LA without a car. I took the Santa Monica Bus line (big blue bus). It went on the freeway. It also is easy enough to take a SM bus or an RTD ( not sure what they are calling the la buses now) down any of the main roads. Wilshire, Santa monica blvd, olympic or pico.</p>
<p>What a timely thread! My d just found out she had an 8 week internship in Los Angeles this summer, located in (I think) the Burbank area. </p>
<p>We have never been to LA before, so have much anxiety about housing when we know nothing about safe vs unsafe neighborhoods. Any advice re: realtors or message boards that might be a good resource? She is very flexible re: living situation – studio, room in a house with others, etc. </p>
<p>Am I too protective and/or suspicious? I am uncomfortable with Craigslist-- without knowing someone to vouch for the property owner or location. </p>
<p>Any suggestions on where to start looking?</p>
<p>^^ The first step is to figure out in exactly in which area she’ll be working and also whether she’ll have a car or not.</p>
<p>College areas, like UCLA, are good areas to find sublets in the summer or summer rentals in areas that are safe and have others her age but depending on where she’ll do the internship and whether she’ll have a car it might not be practical.</p>
<p>Also, she should contact the place she’ll intern and find out if others will intern there at about the same time and maybe she and one of the others can room together. That makes it less expensive and gives her someone to possibly do things with.</p>
<p>I live in Santa Monica, have one college-age son, on h.s. son and three interns. </p>
<p>fogcity is absolutely right. Trust me, your kids will not be happy here without a car. They will have no social life at night (unless they luck out and find roommates willing to drive them around), and will also often be expected to use their cars for intern-related errands. </p>
<p>Also, those who are working in SM should probably NOT live in Westwood this summer because of horrific construction on the 405 freeway, which separates the two.</p>
<p>@VeganMom, I agree with uc dad - your daughter should contact the place she is interning, and for starters, find out where it is located. If she is working in a studio, her employer might be able to help her out.</p>
<p>My D may have a place to sublet this summer near USC (like across the street from it)–one bedroom. Please PM me if interested.</p>