ADVANTAGES
When traveling, having your own vehicle has many advantages.
1. Where public transport is poor and distances great (North America, especially Canada), it can be the only way to get around.
2. Public transport does not go everywhere. With your own vehicle you can visit anywhere there is a road, or get to places where the road ends and walking is the only way to get to your destination.
3. Time. Not having to find and get to bus depots and train stations and then having to follow their time schedules is a big time saver. Waiting at bus stops can waste hours. Many buses and trains are infrequent and may only go once a day or even less frequently. Bypass all the check in hassles of airports for short flights.
4. With more than one person, renting can be cheaper than public transportation.
5. You can carry more stuff: camping equipment (stoves, tents, gas, cooking utensils, coolers for food). Being able to camp and cook your own meals saves a lot of money.
5. You can sleep in it – the type of vehicle determines the comfort. Most longer cars and SUVs with the back seat down allow two people to stretch out comfortably.
DISADVANTAGES
However, renting a vehicle can be a frustrating experience. The issue is the policies of the various companies, all designed to empty your wallet. Budget/Avis are the worst at this – avoid them at all costs.
Initial inspection. Take photos of pre-existing damage and of the entire car. Even then, damage under the front bumper is especially easy to miss.
Costs. Determining the cost with and without insurance can be difficult as insurance is often included in the list price. Shop around for the best price. Usually the gas must be returned full.
Insurance. Both liability and collision insurance are mandatory. The insurance provided by the companies is usually poor with high deductibles. One of the best reasons to have a premier/elite credit card is for the rental car insurance provided for free if the card is used to pay for the rental. And the insurance is of much higher quality, usually with no deductible.
Do not be intimidated by the all the forms stating your liability when insurance is declined. Trust that the insurance provided by your credit card is good.
Optional coverage. When I was in Namibia, where almost all the roads are gravel, glass and wheel damage was offered and here it is wise to take it. I got my first rock chip on the windshield 5kms after starting. And in the far south of the country, I hit a rock on a corner, and had two flat tires from bent rims. How I recovered from that is another whole story as the only place with rims was over 500kms away in Windhoek and would have taken a week to obtain.
Other than these special circumstances, I would not take any optional coverage.
Cleanliness on return. One of Budget/Avis’ biggest rip offs is that the cars need to be returned clean to avoid an exorbitant cleaning charge. I was told about this in Namibia and spent an hour vacuuming and cleaning the car. On return, they vigorously patted the seats and dust flew off and they tried to charge for a clean. I went back and vacuumed the seats.
This list is very short – I have not rented cars much, but these are my experiences.
Budget/Avis. These are the same company with the same predatory policies. My experience in Namibia is detailed above. But what happened in South Africa shows what a bunch of crooks they are.
I reserved a car in Cape Town for 10am and arrived at 9:10 to look after all the paperwork as friends were joining me at 10 (the car was booked for 10am). I purchased their insurance. I asked if the car had to be clean on return, and was clearly told it was not necessary. The rental was for 17 days with return in Johannesburg where I arrived at 9:30 with a dirty car. I was told it had to be clean to avoid a cleaning fee. There was a car wash nearby and it took a black guy half an hour to vacuum the car.
I returned for the final inspection for damage. There was a small ding on the left rear side from a parking lot that I knew about and was not my fault. They also found damage under the front bumper and some damage on the left front door that was invisible to me. I was to receive the bill for repairs after they were done. All companies have your credit card details to charge to. The final cost of damage was almost US$400, charged to my credit card.
I applied to my credit card car insurance for recovery of this cost. Upon investigation by them, the receipts for repair were so confusing and spurious, that it was unsure if any repair had been done. The credit card insurance reimbursed the total cost.
I also was charged another complete days rental $27 for late return. The original said that I had taken the car at 9:10!! when I did not leave the office until 10. I wrote Budget twice trying to recover this extra day fee, but it was refused both times.
In retrospect, I wandered why I rented from Budget again? I trusted a world-wide brand. An affiliate of Hertz had prices at half the rate for a similar car.
Gold Car. This is a Spanish company that I rented a small car from in Malta for 5 days. I declined the insurance and basically had to sign my life away because of this. €1050 was charged to my credit card for coverage of any liability (this was a tentative charge and not put through). The rental for 5 days without insurance was an amazing €13 total. The only damage was to the rear view mirror that was hit when I was parked, cracking the glass. On return, this was not noticed and I was not charged any damage. The car was also returned unclean with no charges, as I was informed of when I rented.
I would certainly rent form them again.