Cheers,

Its seems to be the case all over Spain then?,could be time to purchase a car to leave out there?.

Well it's certainly the case in the main tourist areas such as the Costa del Sol and the Costa Blanca.

Buying a car locally is an option - you can probably get a good deal on a second hand car at the moment as prices have come down as no one is buying.

Insurance is on the high side compared to UK but road tax can be lower. Servicing is very much cheaper due to the low labour rates.

£93 for 4 days with Ecomony car from Faro for an air con Corsa this summer was £104 for a week in early May. I suppose it will always be much more expensive in the summer. Could do with a shared car arrangement really which is great if there is not too much overlap with regard to holiday dates - don't know how it would work for insurance. Locally we have this car share arrangement which seems to work for companies - cheaper than taxis etc

As my last post on this thread I have again booked with Masterkings via the Dovehouse web site.
A family estate car eg Peugeot 307 estate from Faro airport:-
Argus £194 Economy £222 Masterkings £178 for 7 days in Sept....others much dearer.

No additional charges for 2 extra drivers and no extra charge for taking the car into Spain

Still the best for us so far.

Take care

Mel

Hi,
Have also looked at Dovehouse after seeing your earlier post,and its seems much cheaper than all the others iv'e tried. And additional drivers with border crossing free as you stated.

Am off now to book before they all go?.

Cheers,

Ken.

This taking the car into different countries seems a bit dodgy to me, what happens if it breaks down or you are in an accident and the car is immovable, what is the insurance cover while in Spain, does it revert to third party only as most other EU insurances do ?

There was some discussion about the addition extras (eg Insurance for Spain) recently - I found this site which has a table of comparison for the bigger rental names at faro. You might find it useful. As can be seen the chepest rental may need a 60Euro top-up when you collect the car

http://www.portugal-auto-rentals.com...eAnalysis.aspx

We have been enjoying to our town house on manzana 4 for last 3 years and always use either Economy Car Hire or Travelrent.
Just booked last minute for next week - and no chance of a car anywhere!! (at a sensible price).

That is until we were referred to Greg Holliday who lives on Esuri.
Within 1 day he had sorted us out a small car at our usual rate and all insurances included + no charge for entry to Spain.

Definitely worth a shout at : [email protected]

May help someone - and no , I have no connection with this company!

pom2

Thanks Pom2, it is always useful to have these types of contacts. Have a good holiday

Mel

This car hire is getting to be a pain! The pick up tank full(pay average €50 for the priviledge even when you get a tiny car whose tank couldn't manage that amount)and return empty, which is virtually impossible when only using it for a week is a total rip off. Feeling very miffed and wrote to Spanish tourist office-stlil waiting for a reply!! However have found company who does full/full.Paid £234 for 2 wks at Seville in Oct- Alamo(National Atesa) via ebookers.

Most a Faro are usually half full no charge,just return the same,so quite easy to manage.

Was an article on the BBC today reporting on the car shortage through out Europe,and Spain in particular,people paying upto £550 for a week!!,lets hope things get back to normal pretty soon.

Ken.

There are lots who have provisionally booked early and been told at the last minute no cars are available.
The cars have probably been re booked at twice the price.

We booked through Expedia.com and got a car for 3 weeks for 603 euros. Got to Seville to be told that the insurance on it would be another 620 euros!!! I'm afraid we declined the insurance and drove it all holiday with our fingers crossed. Happy to say no accident but we were amazed that they let us take it without insurance. None of the other companies had ANYTHING available and we spoke to someone who had booked his car only to find they had 'let it go' to someone else. Another young couple approached us at the Clubhouse to ask if there was a beach or supermarket nearby. They were only there for 5 days using someone's villa, no car at the airport so they were effectively stranded. All to do with the banks not lending to the car hire companies to replace their fleets.

Hi Ken

Do costco do car hire... if so, you'll get it cheaper!

Just booked with Economy and got an amazing price for a small car w A/C...

Just short of 450Euro for 36 days - all included... Spain, addl driver, insurances etc. Its probably a clunky old banger - but great for what we want.

I had great service from zitauto email address :

[email protected]
Tel.: + 351 289 315 559
Fax: + 351 289 316 350

www.zitautorentacar.co.uk

However they were 100E more expensive this time. Below are the details I got from them, including an email discussion - which gives all the details of their offer (of course I have no connection with either company mentioned here)

Cheers
Jon

Dear Sir/Madam

please can you quote me on...
Car with A/C.... small size. Something like Peugeot 207 or smaller
Full legal insurance cover in both Portugal and Spain for accident and breakdown and recovery services
All extras included in quote. The full price please, with no hidden extras and all the insurances like collision damage, theft included etc etc. This way whatever happens we return the car with no charges
Please also explain the pick up and drop off procedure - when we leave we normally like to leave the car at the airport and go straight to the flight

Will the car have A/C guaranteed please? Yes
What is the maximum age of the car or the maximum milage (according to your policies). The oldest are 2 years old and there is no limited mileage.

The best offer we have for Group H from xxx till xxx is € 540.00 Euros with full cover insurance - no excess.


Please note:

- Clients can drive till Seville not further;

- We require cash payment on arrival;

- Full insurance do not cover tyres, punctures, coded keys, damages inside the car and any accident by driver under the influence of alcohol.

In case of robbery locks or windows will not be covered by full insurance as it is client’s responsibility if he leaves something inside the car that attracts thieves.

If you do not wish to take the extra full cover insurance a credit card slip will be asked as a deposit.



We will be waiting for you inside the terminal behind the Coffee Shop in the Arrivals hall (opposite side of the Information Desk at the airport). My colleagues will direct you to our car park outside the terminal. Pick up and return to Car Park 4.


Please confirm that we have unlimited milage - and I will not have to return the car for any reason (apart from accident, breakdown etc). Unlimited mileage and we don´t ask clients to return their car during their rental...
Does the Seville limit include Seville airport please? yes
Can you confirm whether Jerez and Cadiz are allowed, please? No
Am I free to drive anywhere in Portugal please? Yes you are. However in case of breakdown please note that if your car needs to be replaced it will take time as we are based in Algarve and normally only operate in the area.
Please confirm that if I stay within the limits, in either Spain or Portugal, any breakdown/accident will be covered, and I will be picked up and a replacement car given. In case of breakdown the car will be replaced. In case of puncture you are responsible to change and repair the tyre.
What is the returns procedure, when I arrive at park 4 will there be someone to meet me, or can I just leave the keys, please? When returning to car park 4 between row d and e my colleague will be waiting for you.