Car Rental - Orlando October 20141

Callanutd

Hi Guys,

Ive been searching through the threads but cant seem to find what I need.
Basically I just want to know what insurance I should purchase with my car rental in October?
Anyone who has experience of renting in America your advice is appreciated.

Thanks

naughtysmurf

I have used http://www.orlandovillas.com/car_hire.aspx the last couple of times, Dollar car the first time, Alamo the second, ALL THE INSURANCE you need is included in the price, you can pay a small bit extra if you want enhanced roadside assist.

As it's all prepaid you will have no hard sell at the car hire desk, I found them great & will use them again, either way you are better off using a third party broker that includes insurance rather than booking direct with Alamo / Dollar etc as their quote probably will not include decent insurance cover

Bannerman7

I use Trailfinders and you will find all the info you need on there website

http://www.trailfinders.ie/car-hire/usa

Fries-With-That

I use this crowd http://www.arguscarhire.com

I used them in 2012 and again for this July, and have rented a 4 door family car, 5 people + 5 suitcases for under €300 for 15 days.

The price includes all taxes and charges + insurance.

You do not need to take the optional insurance that you will be offered when you collect the car.

If you're unfamiliar with the area, make walmart you're first stop and pick up a cheap sat nav, you'll buy one cheaper than the rental price from the car companies.

Callanutd

Thanks Guys, heading in October but I am looking to finalise the booking of everything in the next couple of weeks

Callanutd

Quick question for Fries-with-that, I have my own Sat Nav and it is quite good, is it worth my while bringing my own with me or do you think I would pick one up cheaply over there as easily?

Bannerman7

If you have US roadmaps on your Sat Nav then I recommend you bring it. If you don't have US road maps you will be able to buy one either downloading or on a memory card for your device.
If you prefer you could pick up one when you arrive fairly cheap in any Walmart.

http://www.walmart.com/search/search-ng.do?ic=16_0&Find=Find&search_query=GPS&Find=Find&search_constraint=0

Yamanoto

Fries-With-That wrote: »

You do not need to take the optional insurance that you will be offered when you collect the car.

I'd recommend folks do top up with supplemental liability insurance (SLI), either through a broker in Ireland or with the rental provider themselves.

Reason being, most States require hire firms to provide a certain level of third party cover (usually included in the rental price). Naturally enough though, many companies provide only the bare minimum required by State law - often as low as $50,000. Given the litigious nature of that society & the cost of accessing healthcare in the US, you're potentially leaving yourself open to huge personal liability, in the event of being sued by another driver.

Dave1442397

Also, when you pick up your rental car, do a walk around with a camera and take pics of the car from every angle, with close ups of any existing damage. I always do this, as some rental companies have been making a habit of hitting customers with huge charges for damage which may have been there when they rented the car, or caused by an employee.

TeaBagMania

Dave1442397 wrote: »

Also, when you pick up your rental car, do a walk around with a camera and take pics of the car from every angle, with close ups of any existing damage. I always do this, as some rental companies have been making a habit of hitting customers with huge charges for damage which may have been there when they rented the car, or caused by an employee.

I do that as well after being blamed for a small scratch on the bumper of a vehicle I hired in Hawaii. Nothing ever came of it but I received an education for future rentals.
Get the full insurance, had the petrol filler door break off in my hand on a hired VW Polo in Ireland. Told the car hire agent what happened when I returned and no questions asked because I had the full insurance.