Another Question but about Car hire

[tonijo]

I have just looked on Netflights for a ford focus 25/8 for 2 weeks and it came up as around £200..this seems really cheap as last year we paid about £600 for Spain!is this normal?have i missed something out?do i need any up grades ..(only 1 person will be driving)..again any help would be good...

 

[steve_rob]

That sounds about right to be honest - it's slightly cheaper than we usually get, but it's not so cheap that I'd be suspicious. Typically we get two weeks car hire with an Economy or Compact car for about £220-230. Netflights packages have all the insurance already added in, so the only available upgrades are for extra drivers and a full tank of fuel, or Sat Nav.

 

[wayneg]

Its showing me £225 from MCO, use a cashback site (Topcashback or Quidco, TCB no fees) and you will get 5% cashback (£11.25) meaning you will pay £213.75.
Who did you use in Spain? just did a quick search on Travelsupermarket.com and prices are very similar to Florida. £600 seems way OTT.
Netflights include all insurances, reputable company part of the Thomas Cook group.

 

[tonijo]

We used Goldcar from Alicante,doyouspain.com and solmar and they have all been expensive,icouldn't believe the price for America!but can i ask what do i need the cover to essentially include as i remember a couple of years ago on the local news a couple of males had a RTC in America and weren't covered by the insurance and they were in Hospital for some time!

 

[wayneg]

Main thing is go all inclusive. Don't go direct with a US rental company(unless they off an all inclusive package) majority will quote you for the car but don't include insurances as they are targeting the US market who have their own car insurance.
Most of the top UK providers are all inclusive (Just the excess may vary, most are Zero excess)
There are 2 types of cover All inclusive like this at Netflights
Fully Inclusive:

Unlimited Mileage
Loss Damage Waiver
Local & State Taxes
Homeland Security Fees
Customer Facility Charges
Supplemental Liability Ins.
Airport Surcharge
Vehicle License & Fees
Uninsured Motorist Protection
Concession Recoupment Fee
Tourism Com. Assessment Fee
24 Hour Breakdown Assistance

Then most offer a step up which is usually called Gold or Platinum, insurance cover is exactly the same as above but you get a tank of gas included and additional drivers.

 

[tonijo]

Wayneg,is it worth upgrading in your opinion?what do you normally do?and are netflights about the best..there are 4 of us 2 adults/2 children 7 and 13 although the 13 yr old is taller than me!!

 

[wayneg]

Wayneg,is it worth upgrading in your opinion?what do you normally do?and are netflights about the best..there are 4 of us 2 adults/2 children 7 and 13 although the 13 yr old is taller than me!!

Firstly Netflights, used them more than any other car rental company, approx 25 times, thankfully never a problem. You could possibly save a few £ elsewhere but Netflights are usually somewhere around the cheapest and Part of the Thomas Cook group so can trust them as much as anyone out there.
I am using Auto Europe for our first 14 nights in August but then probably Netflights for our last 9 nights, if I ever get it booked.

Size of car? personally I won't rent anything under Full size for 3 of us(DS is 6`2") The cost of Full size, Dodge Charger or similar is £255 less 5% cashback = £242.25 which is only £28.50 more than the compact(Ford Focus) on a holiday costing you £1,000's £28.50 is worth every penny to me knowing I have a car I will be happy with the whole trip.
As well as larger cars having more personal space inside they have a lot bigger boot(trunk) not so much needed majority of the holiday but from and to the airport larger boot could be appreciated.
On our last day we load up the car and everything is hidden, a smaller car we would have to put some things on show in the back seat, not so good if you are leaving it parked up somewhere.
For a few £ more you can have a small SUV Ford Escape or similar, some like the higher driving position of an SUV in the states.

 

[Fwapp]

We used Goldcar from Alicante,doyouspain.com and solmar and they have all been expensive,icouldn't believe the price for America!but can i ask what do i need the cover to essentially include as i remember a couple of years ago on the local news a couple of males had a RTC in America and weren't covered by the insurance and they were in Hospital for some time!

We normally holiday in Spain (in-laws have a villa) and last years car-hire prices were astronomical! The cheapest we found in August last year was £425 for a Focus for two weeks (Lara Cars), compared to £300 for the same type of car for 3 weeks the year before that. Apparently the high prices were to do with the rental companies not buying cars, as they thought that visitor numbers would be down (due do to the credit crunch). When everyone started turning up, the rental companies started buying cars to fill the gaps, but as the banks were not lending, they had to go elsewhere, and at a higher interest rate.

Like yourself, I've been very pleasantly surprised at the cost of car hire in the US!