Renting a car in Canada

Scuzi

Scuzi

Scuzi

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Joined
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I'm off to Toronto in September to visit some friends who I'll be staying with. To get the most out of the trip I've been advised to hire a car. I'm new to the whole car hire thing and since I've never been over the Atlantic, driving over there will be a new experience too.

I've been getting prices for a full size saloon of $650 for a fortnight basic which seem to be quite decent although I have to pay a young driver surcharge. I'll also be driving across the border into the US which is going to cost extra in insurance as well. With the young driver supplement and a Collision Damage Waiver the price is coming to about $1000 Canadian for 12 days which currently stands at about bang on £500.

Here is a breakdown of the prices:

carrental.jpg


First of all, is this a good price? Are there other cheaper alternatives?
Do I need the Collision Damage Waiver? I don't plan on crashing but driving in a different country on unfamiliar roads isn't the best guarantee of not crashing.

Should I consider anything else?

Thanks :)
 
Seems a little on the high side to me. I'm not intimately familiar with the Canadian abbreviations for insurance and stuff, but that BCDW is something that rings alarm bells for me. Also the premium location fee can be negated by renting in town instead of at the airport.

I would check with Avis, Enterprise, Sears, and Hertz as far as companies go. They generally are the best at customer service, have a decent selection of cars, and they all compete for business, so thier rates are fairly similar.

If you see me on msn get a hold of me and I can call them on the phone and see if we can get you a deal. I'll need you on msn in case they ask me any particulars.....
 
Mickey, that's very kind of you. I should be home from work at about 10pm, maybe earlier. I'll add you now.

Thanks :D
 
I just got back from 2 weeks in British Columbia where we rented a Dodge Grand Caravan through Enterprise. The rental itself was a pretty decent price but when we went to pick it up they strongly suggested that we took out their accidental damage cover at $24 a day!

The girl on the desk was quite pushy about it, seemed amazed that we were going to drive their car without insurance for scratches or stonechips. We had it for 14 days and it spent all but about 8 hours of that in a secure underground carpark. In the end we declined it and were quite glad of the saving.

Just be aware, they may not tell you about all of the possible charges.
 
Canada may very well be different, but in the US, if you don't take out accidental damage cover, you are responsible for ALL damage to the vehicle. In the UK, you typically have the choice between cover with a high excess included or a low excess for a supplement.

The reason they do this is because most peoples own insurance here covers hire cars so why pay twice. Also, if you are driving in the US, make sure you have third-party liability cover.

What you don't need (because you will have travel insurance - right) is personnal accident cover.
 
Does seem high, i've just been checking out online reservations (sooooo bored at work!) for me having a car from 01 June to 01 July.

BMW 5 series, all insurance and cdw comes in at 900 Canadian. Similar for a pimped out 4x4.

It does assume that i'm 25+ by default which would be true in June.
 
Dodge Intrepid Auto A/c or similar
A spacious family size Automatic vehicle offering great value and practicality. Equipped with Air Conditioning.

Rental Details
Destination : Toronto (CAN)
Pick-up : Etobicoke - Bloor Street West
Drop-off : Etobicoke - Bloor Street West
From : 12:00 01 September 2006
To : 12:00 14 September 2006
Duration : 13 Days inclusive

Included Insurance Cover
Fully Inclusive including: Dollar Thrifty Automotive Group Canada Car & unlimited miles, Physical Damage Waiver With No Excess, Airport fees, State and local taxes.
Please see the Terms & Conditions for full details.

Basic Rental Cost £379.00

Premium Upgrade - For Only £54.00 extra
Dollar Thrifty Automotive Group Canada Car & unlimited miles, one free additional driver 25yrs+, one free tank of fuel Physical Damage Waiver with no excess, Airport fees, State and local Tax.

Total inc Vat £433.00

airline network.co.uk
 
Just got back from Toronto, Canada.
From Alamo (they've always been cheapest for me) I got a brand new Jeep Grand Cherokee 5.7 Limited for 15 days with CDW for $1500.

I got my money's worth out of it though - 4200km :eek: in some serious snow 'cos I had to drive to Boston during a snowstorm. I even went off-road ;) by climbing a kerb that was obscured by snow.
 
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