Transfer Vienna to Budapest with short stopover in Bratislava

Why don't you buy train tickets and save a whole lot of money. But it does bring up the question of whether or not there are luggage lockers or storage at Bratislava train station.
Edit- and the answer is yes. https://bratislava-slovakia.eu/places/luggage-lockers

People will pick up your question just fine here. Posting the same question on multiple forums just leaves all your answers scattered about in different places. One forum is the best way to ask a question and get complete answers.

For that price, I'll rent a car and drive you myself.

Take the train.

I would take the train to Bratislava and have a guide waiting for me. A half day guide should cost no more than 180 euro. Then take the train on to Budapest.

Wellllllll,.... not really. If it were me I would take the train to Gyor. In Gyor i would get a taxi to take me to the Archabbey at Pannonhalma. I would spend the night in the converted monastery called the Hotel Klastrom and then go on in to Budapest the next morning on the train. Lot cheaper, lot more interesting maybe.

"it was nearly $500 and I think that sounds kind of high. "

Remember that your car will have to return to Vienna empty, so in effect, you're hiring it to drive from Vienna to Budapest and back. That price doesn't sound high to me for that service. I wonder if a Budapest (or Bratislava) based car would be cheaper?

But I agree with everyone else - is there a reason you don't want to take the train?

If i were to hire a driver, not a guide, but a driver, it would be Laszlo. I've used him a number of times and his rates are reasonable and he is a class act: http://silverwings.hu/

But i would be inclined to hire him from Bratislava to Budapest and use the train for the first leg.

Thank you, everyone, for your input. Especially Sam, for the link to the page on luggage lockers at the train station. I was wondering what to do with luggage while en route. The train makes the most sense, of course. I should have just considered that first. I was looking for a tour company because I am using one in another part of my trip.