why is short term car-hire so expensive in europe ?
Jun 20th 2004, 2:35 am
#16
Guest
Posts: n/a
Re: why is short term car-hire so expensive in europe ?
R J Carpenter extrapolated from data available...
>
> "devil" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news
[email protected]...
>> Surely if you were to compare the same model, automatics still would
>> be less efficient. Except in the highest gaer, surely there still is
>> transmission slip?
>> BTW, I would say it's more a tradition than a "bias." If everyone
>> has learned to drive a standard, and automatics are more expensive to
>> buy and less fuel-efficient, why would you buy one?
>
> I, who has exclusively owned manual xmission cars since before you
> were born, could see an argument for automatic transmission if I spent
> a lot of time driving in a congested city like London or Paris. Fuel
> efficiency is going to be pretty bad even w/ manual, though even worse
> w/ automatic.
Actually, one quaint comparable familiar to USAians involves long distance
highway driving, popular in the US. For most drivers of comparable
vehicles (and finding comparables is difficult, since few "big" US vehicles
are even available with standard transmissions), under most highway
conditions an automatic w/operating cruise control will actually deliver
better gas mileage than a manual w/o cruise control engaged, the chip being
faster and smarter than the driver's capacity to smoothly and economically
adjust engine speed. Slippage in modern automatics is pretty minimal.
>
> I see why many people get bad mileage w/ automatic. Not having to
> shift gears, I see them flooring it to whoosh away every time the
> light turns green. They must get horrible fuel consumption, largely
> due to driving style. No one forces them to drive that way with their
> automatic [SUV].
>
My current stablemates, a 2001 and and a 2004 Ford Expedition are guzzlers,
but the amount of cubic feet and weight of materials required for me to
conduct my business afairs up to 800 miles or so from home make flying or
driving a small car uneconomical when it comes to apying freight costs and
all the sealing and labeling necessary to freigth stuff across America. My
choices are to pay for my gas or for the freight companies diesel
distillate plus overhead. With gas back down to $1.68 a gallon at some
local pumps, the prophets of doom have once more been forestalled by the
innate greed of those with petroleum to pump and peddle.
On the other hand, our 1999 Buick LeSabre, 3.4L V6, Automatic delivered
about the same "overall" gas mileage as did the 1996 VW Jetta, 4 cyl, 5spd
I bought (for post office/local business trips)from my daughter when she
traded up to a truly hoggish 99 Land Rover with an ancient US V8 hidden
where a real engine should have been.
TMO
>
> "devil" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news
[email protected]...>> Surely if you were to compare the same model, automatics still would
>> be less efficient. Except in the highest gaer, surely there still is
>> transmission slip?
>> BTW, I would say it's more a tradition than a "bias." If everyone
>> has learned to drive a standard, and automatics are more expensive to
>> buy and less fuel-efficient, why would you buy one?
>
> I, who has exclusively owned manual xmission cars since before you
> were born, could see an argument for automatic transmission if I spent
> a lot of time driving in a congested city like London or Paris. Fuel
> efficiency is going to be pretty bad even w/ manual, though even worse
> w/ automatic.
Actually, one quaint comparable familiar to USAians involves long distance
highway driving, popular in the US. For most drivers of comparable
vehicles (and finding comparables is difficult, since few "big" US vehicles
are even available with standard transmissions), under most highway
conditions an automatic w/operating cruise control will actually deliver
better gas mileage than a manual w/o cruise control engaged, the chip being
faster and smarter than the driver's capacity to smoothly and economically
adjust engine speed. Slippage in modern automatics is pretty minimal.
>
> I see why many people get bad mileage w/ automatic. Not having to
> shift gears, I see them flooring it to whoosh away every time the
> light turns green. They must get horrible fuel consumption, largely
> due to driving style. No one forces them to drive that way with their
> automatic [SUV].
>
My current stablemates, a 2001 and and a 2004 Ford Expedition are guzzlers,
but the amount of cubic feet and weight of materials required for me to
conduct my business afairs up to 800 miles or so from home make flying or
driving a small car uneconomical when it comes to apying freight costs and
all the sealing and labeling necessary to freigth stuff across America. My
choices are to pay for my gas or for the freight companies diesel
distillate plus overhead. With gas back down to $1.68 a gallon at some
local pumps, the prophets of doom have once more been forestalled by the
innate greed of those with petroleum to pump and peddle.
On the other hand, our 1999 Buick LeSabre, 3.4L V6, Automatic delivered
about the same "overall" gas mileage as did the 1996 VW Jetta, 4 cyl, 5spd
I bought (for post office/local business trips)from my daughter when she
traded up to a truly hoggish 99 Land Rover with an ancient US V8 hidden
where a real engine should have been.
TMO
Jun 20th 2004, 4:02 am
#17
Guest
Posts: n/a
Re: why is short term car-hire so expensive in europe ?
sum wrote:
> Is it true that you must hire cars for atleast 3 days in europe ? one of
> the sites said that...
I don't think so. My brother just booked a car for one day in Denmark.
> Also why are car hires so very expensive....
> i was thinking of taking a car from zurich and drive to Vienna....over 3
> days it cost almost $A1000..i was expecting around half of that...is it
> more expensive when you return the car in a different country ?
There is usually a fee charged for dropping off the car in a different
country. The cost of a rental depends not just on the company you use but
on the country where you pick it up, and it can vary a lot. When we rented a
car for a European trip in 1999 we had several options, all ending in Paris.
To rent a Mercedes for two and pick it up in Hamburg weeks would be $1,o00
(Cdn.). It was $1800 from Paris, $2400 from Amsterdam and $3600 from from
Copenhagen. When I went back in 2001, it was just over $1000 (Cdn) for a
Volkswagon Golf for 16 days. However, Avis put the screws to me and tried to
tack on an extra $700 on my credit card, some of which I recovered. Needless
to say, I won't deal with Avis again.
> Also to
> hire an auto(never driven manual) car in vienna for just a day is worth
> almost $A160..why is it significantly more expesive (almost double) to
> hire an automatic transmission one than a manual one ? not that
> different in Oz i might say....
Most European cars come with a standard transmission. While here in North
America, 90% of cars are automatics and 10% standard, Europe is the exact
opposite.
> or am i looking at the wrong websites ?
That could be.
> Is it true that you must hire cars for atleast 3 days in europe ? one of
> the sites said that...
I don't think so. My brother just booked a car for one day in Denmark.
> Also why are car hires so very expensive....
> i was thinking of taking a car from zurich and drive to Vienna....over 3
> days it cost almost $A1000..i was expecting around half of that...is it
> more expensive when you return the car in a different country ?
There is usually a fee charged for dropping off the car in a different
country. The cost of a rental depends not just on the company you use but
on the country where you pick it up, and it can vary a lot. When we rented a
car for a European trip in 1999 we had several options, all ending in Paris.
To rent a Mercedes for two and pick it up in Hamburg weeks would be $1,o00
(Cdn.). It was $1800 from Paris, $2400 from Amsterdam and $3600 from from
Copenhagen. When I went back in 2001, it was just over $1000 (Cdn) for a
Volkswagon Golf for 16 days. However, Avis put the screws to me and tried to
tack on an extra $700 on my credit card, some of which I recovered. Needless
to say, I won't deal with Avis again.
> Also to
> hire an auto(never driven manual) car in vienna for just a day is worth
> almost $A160..why is it significantly more expesive (almost double) to
> hire an automatic transmission one than a manual one ? not that
> different in Oz i might say....
Most European cars come with a standard transmission. While here in North
America, 90% of cars are automatics and 10% standard, Europe is the exact
opposite.
> or am i looking at the wrong websites ?
That could be.
Jun 21st 2004, 1:55 am
#18
Guest
Posts: n/a
Re: why is short term car-hire so expensive in europe ?
On Sat, 19 Jun 2004 04:05:11 +0000, soum wrote:
> was thinking of taking a car from zurich and drive to Vienna....over 3
> days it cost almost $A1000..i was expecting around half of that...is it
> more expensive when you return the car in a different country ?
Yes, because they need more insurances for both countries. Most rentals
don't even allow you to take the car to another country. And they need
someone to bring the car back, so you pay for that extra.
And in general Switzerland is very expensive, so you might get a better
rate if you rent the car in Germany or Austria. Here in Germany you can get
a small car for something like 40 EUR / day. Somnetimes even less.
>..why is it significantly more expesive (almost double) to
> hire an automatic transmission one than a manual one ?
Automatics are not so popular and mostly used in bigger cars. Small
(=cheap) cars don't have automatic in most cases.
Big rental compnaies you could look at are:
Avis
Hertz
Europcar
Sixt
Regards,
Frank
> was thinking of taking a car from zurich and drive to Vienna....over 3
> days it cost almost $A1000..i was expecting around half of that...is it
> more expensive when you return the car in a different country ?
Yes, because they need more insurances for both countries. Most rentals
don't even allow you to take the car to another country. And they need
someone to bring the car back, so you pay for that extra.
And in general Switzerland is very expensive, so you might get a better
rate if you rent the car in Germany or Austria. Here in Germany you can get
a small car for something like 40 EUR / day. Somnetimes even less.
>..why is it significantly more expesive (almost double) to
> hire an automatic transmission one than a manual one ?
Automatics are not so popular and mostly used in bigger cars. Small
(=cheap) cars don't have automatic in most cases.
Big rental compnaies you could look at are:
Avis
Hertz
Europcar
Sixt
Regards,
Frank
Jun 21st 2004, 6:12 am
#19
Guest
Posts: n/a
Re: why is short term car-hire so expensive in europe ?
soum wrote:
> Is it true that you must hire cars for atleast 3 days in europe ? one of
> the sites said that...
>
> Also why are car hires so very expensive....
>
> i
> was thinking of taking a car from zurich and drive to Vienna....over 3
> days it cost almost $A1000..i was expecting around half of that...is it
> more expensive when you return the car in a different country ?
>
> Also to
> hire an auto(never driven manual) car in vienna for just a day is worth
> almost $A160..why is it significantly more expesive (almost double) to
> hire an automatic transmission one than a manual one ? not that
> different in Oz i might say....
>
> or am i looking at the wrong websites ?
>
>
the answer to any question about 'why is it so expensive?' is 'Because
they can' --- thus one way flights are usually by people who really need
to make the trip -- so they can be charged very high fees and short term
car rentals are also generally about need and are expensive. The drop
fee between countries is huge -- it didn't used to be so but it is now.
We drove a car from Paris to Florence this summer and had to pay a
significant drop charge [even though the car we drove had an Italian
plate and was being returned to its home base] We did shop around and
did fairly well --- but if we hadn't really needed the car for touring
we would have taken the much cheaper night train with private room for two.
> Is it true that you must hire cars for atleast 3 days in europe ? one of
> the sites said that...
>
> Also why are car hires so very expensive....
>
> i
> was thinking of taking a car from zurich and drive to Vienna....over 3
> days it cost almost $A1000..i was expecting around half of that...is it
> more expensive when you return the car in a different country ?
>
> Also to
> hire an auto(never driven manual) car in vienna for just a day is worth
> almost $A160..why is it significantly more expesive (almost double) to
> hire an automatic transmission one than a manual one ? not that
> different in Oz i might say....
>
> or am i looking at the wrong websites ?
>
>
the answer to any question about 'why is it so expensive?' is 'Because
they can' --- thus one way flights are usually by people who really need
to make the trip -- so they can be charged very high fees and short term
car rentals are also generally about need and are expensive. The drop
fee between countries is huge -- it didn't used to be so but it is now.
We drove a car from Paris to Florence this summer and had to pay a
significant drop charge [even though the car we drove had an Italian
plate and was being returned to its home base] We did shop around and
did fairly well --- but if we hadn't really needed the car for touring
we would have taken the much cheaper night train with private room for two.
Jun 21st 2004, 11:05 pm
#20
Guest
Posts: n/a
Re: why is short term car-hire so expensive in europe ?
soum wrote:
> Also why are car hires so very expensive....
Try a corporate rate (e.g. your employer) or a special protocol (e.g.
your VISA/Amex or automobile club).
Cheers,
RoScuba
> Also why are car hires so very expensive....
Try a corporate rate (e.g. your employer) or a special protocol (e.g.
your VISA/Amex or automobile club).
Cheers,
RoScuba
Jun 22nd 2004, 11:29 am
#21
Guest
Posts: n/a
Re: why is short term car-hire so expensive in europe ?
On Tue, 22 Jun 2004 04:05:30 -0700, RoScuba wrote:
> soum wrote:
>> Also why are car hires so very expensive....
>
> Try a corporate rate (e.g. your employer) or a special protocol (e.g.
> your VISA/Amex or automobile club).
Or anyone else's discount number. Never seen anyone checking them...
> soum wrote:
>> Also why are car hires so very expensive....
>
> Try a corporate rate (e.g. your employer) or a special protocol (e.g.
> your VISA/Amex or automobile club).
Or anyone else's discount number. Never seen anyone checking them...
Jun 28th 2004, 2:36 am
#22
Guest
Posts: n/a
Re: why is short term car-hire so expensive in europe ?
On Sat, 19 Jun 2004 11:19:02 -0500, jcoulter
<[email protected]> wrote:
>NOrmally there is a drop fee, this is sometimes waived on site if they have
>a car to return (recently happened to me in Belgium saved me $100 US on the
>rental)
I recently rented a car from NOVA car rental in Ireland. No drop fee.
I would like to know why they all charge extra for a second driver. I
don't see how that increases their risk. In fact, if it encourages a
tired driver to changes places with a companion, it should reduce
their risk.
-----------
Barbara Vaughan
My email address is my first initial followed by my surname at libero dot it
I answer travel questions only in the newsgroup
<[email protected]> wrote:
>NOrmally there is a drop fee, this is sometimes waived on site if they have
>a car to return (recently happened to me in Belgium saved me $100 US on the
>rental)
I recently rented a car from NOVA car rental in Ireland. No drop fee.
I would like to know why they all charge extra for a second driver. I
don't see how that increases their risk. In fact, if it encourages a
tired driver to changes places with a companion, it should reduce
their risk.
-----------
Barbara Vaughan
My email address is my first initial followed by my surname at libero dot it
I answer travel questions only in the newsgroup
Jun 28th 2004, 2:36 am
#23
Guest
Posts: n/a
Re: why is short term car-hire so expensive in europe ?
On Sat, 19 Jun 2004 11:19:02 -0500, jcoulter
<[email protected]> wrote:
>Automatic transmissions are considered cars for the disabled in Europe,
>they are seen as gas hogs and in the land of $1USD per liter gas economy is
>valued.
I think that modern automatic transmissions are about as economical as
manuals.
-----------
Barbara Vaughan
My email address is my first initial followed by my surname at libero dot it
I answer travel questions only in the newsgroup
<[email protected]> wrote:
>Automatic transmissions are considered cars for the disabled in Europe,
>they are seen as gas hogs and in the land of $1USD per liter gas economy is
>valued.
I think that modern automatic transmissions are about as economical as
manuals.
-----------
Barbara Vaughan
My email address is my first initial followed by my surname at libero dot it
I answer travel questions only in the newsgroup
Jun 28th 2004, 2:36 am
#24
Guest
Posts: n/a
Re: why is short term car-hire so expensive in europe ?
On Sat, 19 Jun 2004 12:35:28 -0500, jcoulter
<[email protected]> wrote:
>Sorry it is part of the preerence for the manual by the renting public in
>Europe, They drive manuals as a rule so they are used to and do not get
>weird about manuals when renting. Americans in particular tend to have very
>severe manual transmission phobia.
In the US it's getting hard to find good manual transmissions. I have
always driven manual transmissions, but when I left the US I was
getting tempted to make the switch. The automatics have steadily
gotten more efficient, more reliable and cheaper to repair. Modern
automatic transmissions are good for the life of the car if not
abused, and that can't be said for a manual transmission.
These days, if a young American wants to learn to drive a manual
transmission they will find that the driving lessons cost much more
than twice what they normally do, so most kids never learn. This has
been true for over 20 years now.
Also, it is not "wierdness" to prefer not to learn to drive a manual
transmission when driving in a foreign country.
-----------
Barbara Vaughan
My email address is my first initial followed by my surname at libero dot it
I answer travel questions only in the newsgroup
<[email protected]> wrote:
>Sorry it is part of the preerence for the manual by the renting public in
>Europe, They drive manuals as a rule so they are used to and do not get
>weird about manuals when renting. Americans in particular tend to have very
>severe manual transmission phobia.
In the US it's getting hard to find good manual transmissions. I have
always driven manual transmissions, but when I left the US I was
getting tempted to make the switch. The automatics have steadily
gotten more efficient, more reliable and cheaper to repair. Modern
automatic transmissions are good for the life of the car if not
abused, and that can't be said for a manual transmission.
These days, if a young American wants to learn to drive a manual
transmission they will find that the driving lessons cost much more
than twice what they normally do, so most kids never learn. This has
been true for over 20 years now.
Also, it is not "wierdness" to prefer not to learn to drive a manual
transmission when driving in a foreign country.
-----------
Barbara Vaughan
My email address is my first initial followed by my surname at libero dot it
I answer travel questions only in the newsgroup
Jun 28th 2004, 2:36 am
#25
Guest
Posts: n/a
Re: why is short term car-hire so expensive in europe ?
On Sat, 19 Jun 2004 23:34:28 GMT, devil <[email protected]> wrote:
>BTW, I would say it's more a tradition than a "bias." If everyone has
>learned to drive a standard, and automatics are more expensive to buy and
>less fuel-efficient, why would you buy one?
And the converse is true in the US, except for perhaps the fuel
efficiency, which if I remember correctly is by now a wash.
-----------
Barbara Vaughan
My email address is my first initial followed by my surname at libero dot it
I answer travel questions only in the newsgroup
>BTW, I would say it's more a tradition than a "bias." If everyone has
>learned to drive a standard, and automatics are more expensive to buy and
>less fuel-efficient, why would you buy one?
And the converse is true in the US, except for perhaps the fuel
efficiency, which if I remember correctly is by now a wash.
-----------
Barbara Vaughan
My email address is my first initial followed by my surname at libero dot it
I answer travel questions only in the newsgroup
Jun 28th 2004, 3:06 am
#26
Guest
Posts: n/a
Re: why is short term car-hire so expensive in europe ?
B Vaughan wrote:
> On Sat, 19 Jun 2004 11:19:02 -0500, jcoulter
> <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>
>>NOrmally there is a drop fee, this is sometimes waived on site if they have
>>a car to return (recently happened to me in Belgium saved me $100 US on the
>>rental)
>
>
> I recently rented a car from NOVA car rental in Ireland. No drop fee.
>
> I would like to know why they all charge extra for a second driver. I
> don't see how that increases their risk. In fact, if it encourages a
> tired driver to changes places with a companion, it should reduce
> their risk.
> -----------
> Barbara Vaughan
> My email address is my first initial followed by my surname at libero dot it
> I answer travel questions only in the newsgroup
same all purpose answer "because they can' --- if they can stick it to
the renter, they do so. It is the same reason round trip tickets are
cheaper than one way --- one way travelers NEED to travel so they can be
ripped off
I agree with you that having a second driver actually reduces risk --
they argue that it means the car will be driven more -- that is
certainly not the case when my husband and I travel
> On Sat, 19 Jun 2004 11:19:02 -0500, jcoulter
> <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>
>>NOrmally there is a drop fee, this is sometimes waived on site if they have
>>a car to return (recently happened to me in Belgium saved me $100 US on the
>>rental)
>
>
> I recently rented a car from NOVA car rental in Ireland. No drop fee.
>
> I would like to know why they all charge extra for a second driver. I
> don't see how that increases their risk. In fact, if it encourages a
> tired driver to changes places with a companion, it should reduce
> their risk.
> -----------
> Barbara Vaughan
> My email address is my first initial followed by my surname at libero dot it
> I answer travel questions only in the newsgroup
same all purpose answer "because they can' --- if they can stick it to
the renter, they do so. It is the same reason round trip tickets are
cheaper than one way --- one way travelers NEED to travel so they can be
ripped off
I agree with you that having a second driver actually reduces risk --
they argue that it means the car will be driven more -- that is
certainly not the case when my husband and I travel
Jun 28th 2004, 3:08 am
#27
Guest
Posts: n/a
Re: why is short term car-hire so expensive in europe ?
On Mon, 28 Jun 2004 16:36:24 +0200, B Vaughan wrote:
> On Sat, 19 Jun 2004 12:35:28 -0500, jcoulter
> <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>>Sorry it is part of the preerence for the manual by the renting public in
>>Europe, They drive manuals as a rule so they are used to and do not get
>>weird about manuals when renting. Americans in particular tend to have very
>>severe manual transmission phobia.
>
> In the US it's getting hard to find good manual transmissions. I have
> always driven manual transmissions, but when I left the US I was
> getting tempted to make the switch. The automatics have steadily
> gotten more efficient, more reliable and cheaper to repair. Modern
> automatic transmissions are good for the life of the car if not
> abused, and that can't be said for a manual transmission.
You didn't drive a Ford then.
> These days, if a young American wants to learn to drive a manual
> transmission they will find that the driving lessons cost much more
> than twice what they normally do, so most kids never learn. This has
> been true for over 20 years now.
Except when learning with their father and in the father's car.
> On Sat, 19 Jun 2004 12:35:28 -0500, jcoulter
> <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>>Sorry it is part of the preerence for the manual by the renting public in
>>Europe, They drive manuals as a rule so they are used to and do not get
>>weird about manuals when renting. Americans in particular tend to have very
>>severe manual transmission phobia.
>
> In the US it's getting hard to find good manual transmissions. I have
> always driven manual transmissions, but when I left the US I was
> getting tempted to make the switch. The automatics have steadily
> gotten more efficient, more reliable and cheaper to repair. Modern
> automatic transmissions are good for the life of the car if not
> abused, and that can't be said for a manual transmission.
You didn't drive a Ford then.
> These days, if a young American wants to learn to drive a manual
> transmission they will find that the driving lessons cost much more
> than twice what they normally do, so most kids never learn. This has
> been true for over 20 years now.
Except when learning with their father and in the father's car.
Jun 28th 2004, 3:09 am
#28
Guest
Posts: n/a
Re: why is short term car-hire so expensive in europe ?
On Mon, 28 Jun 2004 16:36:26 +0200, B Vaughan wrote:
> On Sat, 19 Jun 2004 23:34:28 GMT, devil <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>>BTW, I would say it's more a tradition than a "bias." If everyone has
>>learned to drive a standard, and automatics are more expensive to buy and
>>less fuel-efficient, why would you buy one?
>
> And the converse is true in the US, except for perhaps the fuel
> efficiency, which if I remember correctly is by now a wash.
Not quite a wash. On highways perhpas. City driving, I would think not.
> On Sat, 19 Jun 2004 23:34:28 GMT, devil <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>>BTW, I would say it's more a tradition than a "bias." If everyone has
>>learned to drive a standard, and automatics are more expensive to buy and
>>less fuel-efficient, why would you buy one?
>
> And the converse is true in the US, except for perhaps the fuel
> efficiency, which if I remember correctly is by now a wash.
Not quite a wash. On highways perhpas. City driving, I would think not.
Jun 28th 2004, 4:49 am
#29
Guest
Posts: n/a
Re: why is short term car-hire so expensive in europe ?
I never have been able to understand the manual phobia. My view is that
it's their clutch and the folks behind can just wait a bit.
One possible difference is that some rental quotes come with insurance.
I rented a nice small sporty Volvo yesterday in Nova Scotia for one
day. It cost about C$30 for the day. If I had taken the insurance it
would have been C$25 more. Prices in Europe do tend to be more for
similar vehicles. Personally I usually get the largest manual I can for
a decent value. I got a nice Alpha in Spain last year for not too much.
Prices do vary a lot between countries though.
jcoulter wrote:
> Sorry it is part of the preerence for the manual by the renting public
> in Europe, They drive manuals as a rule so they are used to and do
> not get weird about manuals when renting. Americans in particular tend
> to have very severe manual transmission phobia.
> "sbp" <[email protected]> wrote in
> news:[email protected]:
>>I don't understand the gas association with the price of the rental
>>car. When you rent a car, you're required to have the same amount of
>>gas (usually a full tank) when you return it so the rental company is
>>not impacted with additional costs.
???
>>>Automatic transmissions are considered cars for the disabled in
>>>Europe, they are seen as gas hogs and in the land of $1USD per liter
>>>gas economy is valued.
it's their clutch and the folks behind can just wait a bit.
One possible difference is that some rental quotes come with insurance.
I rented a nice small sporty Volvo yesterday in Nova Scotia for one
day. It cost about C$30 for the day. If I had taken the insurance it
would have been C$25 more. Prices in Europe do tend to be more for
similar vehicles. Personally I usually get the largest manual I can for
a decent value. I got a nice Alpha in Spain last year for not too much.
Prices do vary a lot between countries though.
jcoulter wrote:
> Sorry it is part of the preerence for the manual by the renting public
> in Europe, They drive manuals as a rule so they are used to and do
> not get weird about manuals when renting. Americans in particular tend
> to have very severe manual transmission phobia.
> "sbp" <[email protected]> wrote in
> news:[email protected]:
>>I don't understand the gas association with the price of the rental
>>car. When you rent a car, you're required to have the same amount of
>>gas (usually a full tank) when you return it so the rental company is
>>not impacted with additional costs.
???
>>>Automatic transmissions are considered cars for the disabled in
>>>Europe, they are seen as gas hogs and in the land of $1USD per liter
>>>gas economy is valued.
Jun 28th 2004, 4:52 am
#30
Guest
Posts: n/a
Re: why is short term car-hire so expensive in europe ?
The extra driver thing is indeed strange. Some will give you extra
family members free. Others will give an additional driver if both are
auto club members. Weird.
B Vaughan wrote:
> I recently rented a car from NOVA car rental in Ireland. No drop fee.
> I would like to know why they all charge extra for a second driver. I
> don't see how that increases their risk. In fact, if it encourages a
> tired driver to changes places with a companion, it should reduce
> their risk.
> Barbara Vaughan
> On Sat, 19 Jun 2004 11:19:02 -0500, jcoulter
> <[email protected]> wrote:
>>NOrmally there is a drop fee, this is sometimes waived on site if they have
>>a car to return (recently happened to me in Belgium saved me $100 US on the
>>rental)
family members free. Others will give an additional driver if both are
auto club members. Weird.
B Vaughan wrote:
> I recently rented a car from NOVA car rental in Ireland. No drop fee.
> I would like to know why they all charge extra for a second driver. I
> don't see how that increases their risk. In fact, if it encourages a
> tired driver to changes places with a companion, it should reduce
> their risk.
> Barbara Vaughan
> On Sat, 19 Jun 2004 11:19:02 -0500, jcoulter
> <[email protected]> wrote:
>>NOrmally there is a drop fee, this is sometimes waived on site if they have
>>a car to return (recently happened to me in Belgium saved me $100 US on the
>>rental)
