What car should I rent?

Rent an RV.

We plan on staying in hotels along the way, so an RV might not be necessary.

Commercial 15 passenger Van, try Enterprise Car/Truck rental. There maybe a HUGH charge for driving it one way, like $500 or $600.

I agree RV. I don’t know if you can even rent a passenger van for 9 to drive across country? I am pretty sure Budget rental cats has 12 passenger vehicles in some locations. Some of the other companies might also. I would call Budget and a few others and see what they say.

It would be easier to have two vehicles probably. Then you could have two large cars/vans/SUV’s and be more comfortable.

I have heard of renting buses for a day or week of various sizes, but I don’t know if there are nationwide companies where you can drop of in another state. People use the service when there is a wedding or many people visiting form out of town. They can be rented with a driver or drive yourself, I don’t know the details of that though. I thought I would throw the idea out there because it might help your brainstorming,

Why are you driving? Are there stops along the way you want to see, and do the tourist thing?

Remember that there will probably be a high drop of rate for your rental since it is one way.

Have you considered taking a bus or train instead if your goal is to tour some cities on the way? Bus as low as $219, train as low as $332 connecting in Chicago. Train is nice because you see the country, can walk around, go to the dining car. Usually have a movie. You can spend more and get a sleeping room. You can break the trip into stops in several cities if you want. Probably will cost more that way.

A roadtrip for 9? The best best would be an RV for several reasons.

The ability to not have potty breaks would be ideal. Also, you could do snacks/lunch from the RV and not have to stop as frequently.

Whoever drives for a shift then can take a nap comfortably, too.

Parking the RV shouldn’t be an issue at hotels along the way at all. It’s a much more convenient way to travel for a road trip. You ech wouldn’t have to take all of your stuff in & out of the vehicle at each hotel stop, too. You could just take in essentials and one outfit.

Being on top of one another in a van or SUVs tends to cause tension in groups.

In some states if a vehicle has seating for nine you may need a CDL-P to drive it legally. RVs are generally exempt from this.

I guess the 500 hp sportscar wouldn’t be practical. But it would be fun. I was thinking one of the new Shelbys.

I suggest renting two or three cars rather than just one because one car with 9 people in it sounds like a sardine can on wheels…