# Car hire US



## Ding Dong (3 Jun 2008)

I have been searching various sites for car hire in California.
Thrifty seem good until extra charges are added in..
Any recommendations? Looking for a large convertible for coast drive.. Thanks


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## Guest120 (3 Jun 2008)

Recently used ebookers.ie who inturn brokered for Budget, the price I saw was what I paid. 

Would use again and would recommend both ebookers and Budget.


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## tribal (4 Jun 2008)

i used hertz. they are fine, no problems

its essential that you get GPS though but as a poster a few weeks ago said its best to buy one there in wal mart etc for 100 dollars and u cud take it whenever u need it as to rent it would cost nearly that anyway


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## Guest120 (4 Jun 2008)

try google said:


> its essential that you get GPS though but as a poster a few weeks ago said its best to buy one there in wal mart etc for 100 dollars and u cud take it whenever u need it as to rent it would cost nearly that anyway


I disagree.

If you can't drive on the roads in the States there is no hope for you.


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## superdrog (4 Jun 2008)

Try www.holidayautos.co.uk I have used them several times and always get a discount on the major companies rates.


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## tribal (4 Jun 2008)

Bluetonic said:


> I disagree.
> 
> If you can't drive on the roads in the States there is no hope for you.


 

so you  can drive around the suburbs of LA without getting lost. yes its possible if you want to spend hours at it and waste loads of time


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## rory22 (4 Jun 2008)

I got some good advice a couple of weeks ago which might be helpful- http://www.askaboutmoney.com/showthread.php?t=81953

I booked through American Holidays last year to drive San Fran- LA and they arranged a Chrysler convertible through Alamo and I have to say I could not fault them.


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## Ding Dong (5 Jun 2008)

Cheers all.. www.orbitz.com seem to be the best.. also www.carhire3000.com


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## Guest120 (5 Jun 2008)

try google said:


> so you  can drive around the suburbs of LA without getting lost. yes its possible if you want to spend hours at it and waste loads of time


Everyone got lost before sat nav did they?


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## tribal (5 Jun 2008)

Bluetonic said:


> Everyone got lost before sat nav did they?


 

driving around LA, im sure they did. you can buy sat nav for 100 euro that will do you for all your holidays. are you saying bluetonic thats its not worth this. im sure the OP would like the peace of mind of being told when to prepare for getting off a 6 lane chock a block highway in LA rather than trying to read a map at the same time, missing the exit and having to spend hours in traffic again


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## gocall01 (5 Jun 2008)

Try NovaCarHire.com
I have used them on numerous occasions in the US and have found them competitive.
Good for baby seats and the likes also.


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## superdrog (5 Jun 2008)

And take a Sat-Nav from the rental company , will make your trip a lot easier.


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## Guest120 (5 Jun 2008)

try google said:


> you can buy sat nav for 100 euro that will do you for all your holidays. are you saying bluetonic thats its not worth this.


I'd say spending 100 euro for something you can easily achieve with 0 expenditure would not make it not worth it alright - for me that is, I can't put a value on 'worth' for anyone esle. If you feel more comfortable with sat nav then bang on, I'm saying it's easy to drive and not get lost with out sat nav in the states.


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## extopia (5 Jun 2008)

I'll second that. They know how to do signage over there. If you're worried about getting lost in the suburbs you could always buy a street atlas. But if sat nav is your thing, by all means go for it. I wouldn't rent one though if you can buy for 100.


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## jmayo (5 Jun 2008)

Bluetonic said:


> I'd say spending 100 euro for something you can easily achieve with 0 expenditure would not make it not worth it alright - for me that is, I can't put a value on 'worth' for anyone esle. If you feel more comfortable with sat nav then bang on, I'm saying it's easy to drive and not get lost with out sat nav in the states.



Try driving around San Fran and you will have great timewithout Sat Nav.
Even with Sat Nav had problems due to signal loss between buildings.
I have done many road trips around the world without Sat Nav and it is fine where roads are not that wide like Californian freeways and the cities aren't that big and sprawling like LA.

Also Sat nav helps you avoid certain areas that putting it politely are best avoided.


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## butterfield (5 Jun 2008)

go there a lot and have used auto europe, argus, usrentacar.co.uk, skycars.co.uk have used carhire3000 as well.  Did the drive SF to LA in Mustang too.

Have bought a cheap Tom Tom in Walmart and found it invaluable, makes getting around anywhere so easy !!  it just works so well there, great to be able to be in right lane in time to exit.


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## gdf (5 Jun 2008)

Agree with Bluetonic - No need for GPS unless your into 'must have' gadets.
Got around San Fran, LA, San Diego and their suburbs last summer with a road map, a good sense of direction and attention to freeway exits (excellent advance signposting). With the exception of downtown San Fran cities on the West Coast are laid out in blocks and streets running North/South, East/West which makes it very easy to navigate.


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## pjq (8 Jun 2008)

Rented a car in Feb with Hertz , found that best rate was via Aer Lingus site, billed in € ( don't need to fly IE) , Aer France site offers +- same rates and has more US destinations on offer . I got LA pick up and dropped off in San Fran with no extra charge. I has expecting that direct booking in USD would be cheaper but it was much more expensive .
I love SatNav ... need it in EU but not in USA.
pjq


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## shopusa (10 Jun 2008)

I rented a car in NJ last week and the best rate i find is through hertz.ie - you can prepay for everything including insurance etc. in advance. If you book through hertz.com they give you a base price and then keep adding on insurance and taxes and everything else when you get there. 
Tracy www.shopusa.ie


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## tribal (11 Jun 2008)

"Have bought a cheap Tom Tom in Walmart and found it invaluable, makes getting around anywhere so easy !! it just works so well there, great to be able to be in right lane in time to exit."

this is a good point. look if people think the sat nav is not worth 100 euro then buy the new iphone, it has sat nav built in  

in all honesty, i think that its worth it just for peace of mind. driving through LA suburbs and their terrible traffic is still very very difficult without gps and anyone who says otherwise is lying


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## tribal (11 Jun 2008)

sorry one more point. is it not nice to be able to just check into your hotel that your gps guided you to, hop back into the car after relaxing for a while and just type in closest restuarants so you dont have to go trawling through the area looking for a place to eat. the gps will list them all for you


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## Glenbhoy (22 Jun 2008)

What's the story in the US re car insurance, do we have to purchase from the car supplier?  My brother's had an experience where he had to pay pretty much the same as he already been quoted for hire again for insurance for a 2 week trip.


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## minkydog (22 Jun 2008)

When you arrive at the rental desk of any car hire company in a US airport you will be given the hard sell. They will try and sell you extra insurance, in your brothers experience they seemed to have succeeded.
If you have already paid in full this side you should be covered, insist on the gold or platininum packages. If they dont succeed in the insurance hard sell they will try and convince you that the car you have booked is too small for your party and try and upgrade you to a car that you will probably get anyway. 
They prey on tired travellers who have just endured a 7-10 hour flight. Just stand your ground and say no no no.
These guys get paid very little over there and they cream off 25% of what you give them so the incentive is there for them to give you a hard time. Its an awful system they have in place over there, but hey its the states.


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## Sarah (23 Jun 2008)

Will be in florida in Sept and have never drove abroad before. Few questions, Do i need an international drivers licence for the US and secondly, my insurance dosent cover me in the US, only in europe, so do you purchase insurance when you hire a car or is it inclusive in the price when you book? Any tips would be great.

Thanks

Sarah


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## minkydog (23 Jun 2008)

We usually go with carhire3000.com. after a lot of looking around they usually come out on top. I would book through the U.K site as they are cheaper than any Irish agent. Make sure you get the gold package this includes all the top insurance and free tank of petrol, that you dont have to fill up when leaving back. Make sure you have all that in writing from the above company or they will try and dispute it with you when you get to the desk at the airport. Try and get a car through Alamo, that way you will have the choice of the car that you want to drive.... you might be lucky and get leather seats. When you get your voucher from carhire3000 make sure it has all the things you asked for on it, and that it says paid in full( see my post above).
We are going over ourselves in September so might meet you over there. We go over twice a year and know everything there is to know about central Florida PM me for more if you wish.


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## contact23 (23 Jun 2008)

Bluetonic said:


> I disagree.
> 
> If you can't drive on the roads in the States there is no hope for you.



that easy for you to say, I am excellent at navigational driving , yet if you arrive in to the states late at nite and tired, you will find it a tad confusing, gps overides this problem


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## superdrog (23 Jun 2008)

Sarah said:


> Will be in florida in Sept and have never drove abroad before. Few questions, Do i need an international drivers licence for the US and secondly, my insurance dosent cover me in the US, only in europe, so do you purchase insurance when you hire a car or is it inclusive in the price when you book? Any tips would be great.
> 
> Thanks
> 
> Sarah


Hi Sarah,
You DO NOT need an international driving permit for the US. A current Irish (or EU) licence is sufficient.
You will have to take out insurance with the rental company when you take out the car , they have various levels of cover - silver, platinum,gold etc. but the important thing is to make sure you have CDW (COLLISION DAMAGE WAIVER) on it , that way yoy have peace of mind that no matter what happens you will not be liable for any extra charges.
One other thing , as this is your first time driving in Floirida you should comsider taking out a Sat-Nav from the rental company , they are pretty cheap to rent and it will save you hours over the course of the holiday.
Enjoy ...


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## BlueSpud (23 Jun 2008)

beep beep...........


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## soy (23 Jun 2008)

*Re: Aircoach - Greystones*



BlueSpud said:


> Plan using this tomorrow, from Shankill.  Anyone know if it stays on schedule or should I use alternate mode?  The longer the trip, the greater the scope for falling behind schedule.



How on earth did you manage to get this post into this thread?


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## jimbob1234 (23 Jun 2008)

you can buy a sat nav in walmart for 100 dollars. it will nearly cost that much to rent it


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