Car Rental

nice_guy80

I intend to rent a car in Vancouver next September. drive up to Whistler for few days then bring car across to Vacouver Island and do 6/7 days there. and then leave the car in Victoria when getting ferry onto Seattle.

anyway,
what is the best value car rental company? is it better to book online?
would I be better off bringing car back to vancouver first and getting another on arrival on Vancouver Island? (I was hoping to get ferry with car to Nanaimo)

all advice welcome.

fergusb

I found that 1 way car rental in Vancouver was crazy price. I was looking at renting a car for 2 days to drive to Banff and leave the car there but the cost was a good bit more than renting the car for a week and returning to Vancouver with it. But it was across a state boundary so maybe is cheaper dropping in Victoria. But I would say that returning the car and getting another in Vancouver Island would make more sense and you'd save on the ferry as well.

Also be aware that car rental in Vancouver doesn't include insurance. So you're fully liable for the cost of the car if you write off the car. To cover yourself costs $30 a day! so can add up pretty quickly. Some travel insurance/credit card companies offer excess insurance cover which might be worth looking into.

Hope this helps.

doctorchopper

also make sure you get a unlimited mileage package or a high daily package as it gets very expensive if you go over the mileage limit.

nice_guy80

fergusb wrote: »

I found that 1 way car rental in Vancouver was crazy price. I was looking at renting a car for 2 days to drive to Banff and leave the car there but the cost was a good bit more than renting the car for a week and returning to Vancouver with it. But it was across a state boundary so maybe is cheaper dropping in Victoria. But I would say that returning the car and getting another in Vancouver Island would make more sense and you'd save on the ferry as well.

Also be aware that car rental in Vancouver doesn't include insurance. So you're fully liable for the cost of the car if you write off the car. To cover yourself costs $30 a day! so can add up pretty quickly. Some travel insurance/credit card companies offer excess insurance cover which might be worth looking into.

Hope this helps.

good idea.
bring car back to Vancouver, then get passenger ferry onto the island.
cheers

irishcanadian

Car rental is typically high here because the liability insurance is included in the cost. Beware of Budget, they have been getting a lot of bad press by ripping customers off

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/story/2012/11/27/bc-budget-rental-fraud.html

If you do rent a car, take the time to inspect it THOROUGHLY.... take pictures of it including the roof so you cant get dinged for any damage when you return it. Upon return, get a signed receipt saying "No damage" so they cant come back at you later. I always spend at least 10 mins inspecting rental cars before I drive them off the lot.

nice_guy80

Can anyone recommend a few hotels to me in Vancouver? Need somewhere to stay after myself and girlfriend fly in, before we hire car. Early September, 4 nights, central location, not too pricey. Thanks