US Car Rental

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I am going to Florida at the end of October for a week and I am wondering if anyone has any experience with the major car rental companies and what is the best for no hidden costs/plentys?

Thanks
 
Most US car rental booked from the UK via a UK Broker or the car hire firms UK website will be fully inclusive of all insurance you needed with zero excess and nothing to pay extra when you get there.

For British tourists IMHO the best rental firm is Alamo - who at major airports allow you to select the car you want from a line of cars in your reserved class, offer fully inclusive pricing and are almost always the cheapest.

You can book them direct through their website:

http://www.alamo.co.uk

From time to time, you may get a better price through the car hire section of the Virgin Atlantic website or Netflights - both use Alamo as the agent.

http://www.virginatlantic.co.uk
http://www.netflights.com

Do NOT opt for fuel service option, it's a pointless waste of money.

If you buy through these sources you'll get everything you need with no hidden surprises.

Refreshingly the USA is probably the least faffy place to rent a car anywhere, IMHO.
 
I'd agree with the above. I've just recently arranged a rental for Canada and after initially opting for Hertz and then running into one issue and another, I swapped to Alamo and they've offered a far better service.
 
we used alamo, with Virgin holidays, no hassle mint service, picked a car from the line they offered (fiat 500 LOL) felt like a dwarf on the roads, beat a few camaros off the line at lights too!

when booking you need to secure it against a credit card as a deposit which they check when you leave the pick up area so make sure you take the credit card with you that you booked against.

found driving in florida a piece of cake to be honest, right hand turns at junctions when the lights are on red are a bit strange at first but suprisingly it works very well.

enjoy your holiday, you will have a great time!
 
Fox - any recommendations for where to rent a v8 mustang or something equally enjoyable for a 2 week road trip at a reasonable cost?
 
To support Fox I have just reserved Alamo from San Fran. I was going Hertz as they had the car I wanted...until I booked then it had gone and the reports I read about them at San Fran were horrific. The best reviews were Alamo and I have booked a car through them, mainly due to the fact they do non kiosk collection as well as the good reviews. This is important as I am not collecting the car on arrival at the airport, so didn't want to have to muck about.
 
beat a few camaros off the line at lights too!

By that do you mean you floored it and they weren't bothered?


With reference to the Mustang, I think the general advice is that specifically choosing a Mustang will cost a fortune but Alamo generally have Mustangs if their range so just pick that range and get a Mustang with reduced cost.
 
Fox - any recommendations for where to rent a v8 mustang or something equally enjoyable for a 2 week road trip at a reasonable cost?

Just rent a standard convertible, they are all either Mustang or Camaro. It won't be a V8 but it will have 300bhp and cost well under half the cost of specifically reserving a V8.
 
I am going to Florida at the end of October for a week and I am wondering if anyone has any experience with the major car rental companies and what is the best for no hidden costs/plentys?

Thanks

Whereabouts in FL are you visiting?

End of Oct is a very good time to come.. Finally a Brit who's realised that summer (June - Sept) is the worst time to visit the sunshine state... too hot & too humid, with rain every day...
 
No queues either!

Depends. As the US are not so blind to the fact that Florida becomes a beautiful winter haven.

Season really kicks off Nov - Apr, (especially where I am) where all the restaurants & bars are busy. Place has a buzz about it... Spring break, it goes a little too busy...
 
Whereabouts in FL are you visiting?

End of Oct is a very good time to come.. Finally a Brit who's realised that summer (June - Sept) is the worst time to visit the sunshine state... too hot & too humid, with rain every day...

I am visiting the most non touristy places haha! I am going to Tampa/Ybor and then I am heading to Gainesville for a few days. I have been going for the past 4 years because I have been attending a Music Festival :D (http://thefestfl.com/) I normally go for a 2 week trip to different parts in America but this year I can only afford going for a week.

This year is different because I am 25 next week and I am planning to Rent a Car just so I can check out different things when the festival isn't on :)
 
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