best reasonably priced tas car rental company?

[wayno]

anyone got any comments on companies to go for or avoid in Tas?
seen some bad reviews about europcar and hertz getting anal, and claimng damage on cars caused by people who say they didnt cause damage

also are there any carparks for day walking tracks to stay away from even in broad daylight?>

[photohiker]

I don't know about europcar and hertz getting anal, but last time I hired from europcar, they offered an Audi online so I booked one. When I went to pick up the car it was an absolutely underpowered slug Peugeot. I've got nothing against Peugeots generally, but that car was a dog. When I asked where the Audi was, they said that they have no Audis in Tasmania.

Try Redspot, and register in the business class if you can. They have good all-inclusive rates, haven't used them in Tasmania yet. Also includes Toll tag in those states that have tollroads (royal pain with other rental companies) I'm a fan of their no-BS fuel policies, it's always been a pain rushing around before drop-off trying to fill the fuel tank and avoid being ripped off by the hire company for fuel.

[tasadam]

When I asked where the Audi was, they said that they have no Audis in Tasmania.

They're here, just not hire cars

Usually carparks for daywalks are ok, but it's always a roll of the dice no matter where you park, there's always a risk that some no-hoper will come along.
Only problems I've ever had was a car I parked on the side of the highway at the start of the Frenchmans Cap walk, busy time of the year and it was before the carpark was built so the car was sitting pretty obvious.
Idiots that broke in didn't have the brains to look in the ashtray for loose change & missed out on over $10.
It was a company car, a Corolla hatch, early 1990's.

There are stories of the Walls of Jerusalem track, do a search on the forum, seems the police know who the usual offender is and whether you get hit depends largely on whether he's spending time (or something like that).
I've been in there a number of times, never a problem (but always a worry). Heck, that's what insurance is for.

[doogs]

Europcar tried to fleece my parents a couple of years ago. They got a chip in the windscreen of the the hire car, some basic hatchback. Then they pointed out the damage when returning the car, when they got back to the UK they saw that they had been stung $3K on their credit card for the windscreen. They repeatedly tried to get copies of the repair invoices from Europcar who basically ignored them and screwed them around. In the end they had to get the Ombudsman involved to get a reasonable amount of their money back. No apology from Europcar. This was in Brisbane though which may be different franchise to Tasmania.

[Binder]

Also really worth checking with the company about travelling on dirt/gravel/snow roads. We have had a couple of hire cars come off the Lake Dobson Rd at Mt Field that have needed a tow truck to retreive them. No injuries, but a few weren't covered as they were on dirt (even though a public rd) and had to cough up for the lot. The companies seem to chop and change this condition a bit, and the small print gets smaller every time, so pays to check .

Cheers

[tasadam]

Yes, I've also heard that some hire cars have no insurance if you go on dirt roads. As Binder says, read the fine print. Or, ask specific questions then ask where it says that in the contract...

[Hallu]

I used Budget when I was in Tasmania, but only because vroomvroomvroom.com.au found out it was the cheapest at the moment. We took pictures of the car once we had it, notified immediately about a scratch that wasn't on their report, and then everything was fine. Just don't tell them you'll be (probably) using unsealed roads. There isn't a better company, they're basically all the same, some had problems, some didn't. I tried Europcar, Hertz, and Budget, so far Hertz is better in terms of professionalism/practicality, less paper to fill and more efficiency to get your car, but it also depends on the town... At Hobart airport it's not very practical, and you may have a hard time finding a parking spot to return your car at the end.

I don't know about unsafe parking areas, never had a problem in Tasmania, it's even safer than mainland Australia. How long are you gonna be there and what do you plan to do ?

[wayno]

couple of weeks doing day walks

[Hallu]

By the way I've never found a single car rental company that allows you to go on unsealed roads (at least for non 4WD vehicles). So we all take unsealed roads, we just don't tell the companies. I've done Bay of Fires (the Northern part), and it's quite corrugated, and the petrol stations in the regions are basically just St Helens and Launceston.

[stepbystep]

By the way I've never found a single car rental company that allows you to go on unsealed roads (at least for non 4WD vehicles). So we all take unsealed roads, we just don't tell the companies. I've done Bay of Fires (the Northern part), and it's quite corrugated, and the petrol stations in the regions are basically just St Helens and Launceston.

Correct just give the car a basic wash before you hand it back and as Hallu says check the condition thoroughly and note any scratches etc...
I've never had my car damaged/broken into(touchwood) and have done literally hundreds of walks all around Tasmania. Some reports of it on Mt Wellington recently though.

[wayno]

are you saying that they actively ban you from going on loose metal or the insurance doesnt cover you?

[Hallu]

I don't know what is "loose metal" but usually in the contract it says you'll get a fine for driving on unsealed roads (even if there's no damage to the car), it's around several thousand dollars. But I've never had any problem or heard of anyone having problem with this. If there's no damage, they can't tell. And of course if you have an accident on an unsealed road, no insurance. The insurance only covers you on sealed roads. So it's a risk we take (I usually don't even take insurance, only once when I drove through outback New South Wales on really bad 2WD roads).

[eggs]

I have hired a few cars in Tas.
I'm a bushwalker [at least I like to think I am] - so the car is not for comfort and touring travel - it is to get me to the start of a walk.
So I am quite happy with well worn older models - that come cheap and are OK on dirt roads.

I think I would be extra careful on a dirt road, but it is curious to hear of folk coming to grief on them.
Do too many people only drive bitumen roads and don't know what to expect from dirt?

Anyway - I ended up using Selective Car Rentals. [Yes they are happy if you go on dirt - just a higher excess if you have an accident]
Very good rates, but you will never find them using vroomvroom.. or other online car rental selection tools. That's just for selecting amongst the ubiquitous, expensive car hire companies.
Their older and cheaper cars tend to have worn interiors - but because hire cars are generally used for longer journeys - the engines are in pretty good condition.

Last edited by eggs on Thu 25 Oct, 2012 11:57 am, edited 1 time in total.

[Strider]

I don't know what is "loose metal"

Loose metal = gravel (I think?)

[frenchy_84]

Ive hired from the 4 main companies, they are all the same to me and pretty lenient towards scrathes in my experience, they consider small scratches general wear and tear and not damage. And everytime i have discussed gravel roads with them, they have all said it is fine as long as its a recongnised public road.

[MrWalker]

You might need to check each company but I think most of them require to only use it on 'made roads' (or equivalent) and this includes unsealed roads

Avis and Budget both have wording like -
"...must only use the Vehicle on a road which is properly formed and constructed as a sealed, metalled or gravel road"

This clearly allows unsealed roads. You could hardly go anywhere interesting in Tasmania if you could only go on sealed roads.

Note that in some cases the insurance does not cover damage to the underneath of the car (where this is the only damage), so you need to be careful on really rough roads.

[GD4Up]

When I asked where the Audi was, they said that they have no Audis in Tasmania.

Bad luck on that - just got that deal last week from Europcar for a bit of fun after getting a cheaper flight into Hobart and then needing to get back to Launceston... not only did we get an Audi (same price as a standard medium-sized car) but when we dropped it off there was another one at the Launceston depot. Interestingly, old mate at the depot walked around the car three times, looked closely at some bug splatters and then said 'we'll let you know if there's any problems'. Said that they'd clean it before deciding if there was any damage. After a bad encounter with Redspot in Brisbane I always take a few photos of hire cars when I pick them up. Call me anal but it saves hassles in proving what chips and dents were already there.

[andrewbish]

I got great service and pricing from Red Spot rentals in Hobart airport last year.

[MrWalker]

I've just been checking several car hire firms and thought I should update this.

Avis and Budget definitely permit driving on 'gravel' roads.
Redspot prefer you to keep to sealed roads but just put an excess on damage while on unsealed roads and ask you to drive at 50k.

Hertz and Thrifty specifically forbid anything but a sealed road. The nice Hertz lady told my wife that she could not drive on roadworks either, but their Terms and Conditions does permit you to drive over roadworks, provided they are on a genuine road and not making a new one.
Overdrive make it clear you are totally uninsured if you have any damage while on an unsealed road. You are probably not insured with Hertz and Thrifty either on an unsealed road.

If you want to actually see the sights of Tasmania you cannot avoid avoid going on unsealed roads, so check the contract before accepting any hire car.

[climberman]

It is worth noting that lots of travel insurance policies can cover the gap for hire vehicle excess, which seems to be slowly growing, particularly for single vehicle accident (which includes animal strike). This can be a cheap way to save $5K (which was the gap last time I hired a (4WD) vehicle.

[South_Aussie_Hiker]

Climberman is right.

Often, hire car companies charge low daily rates to suck you in... but make their money on the huge insurance costs (Seinfeld, anyone?)

Automobile associations often have better deals (like RAA, RACV etc.) on hire car insurance (even better still if you are already a member) - often much cheaper, with lower or nil excess. Also, in the event of a claim being required, they will fight the car company and sort it all out for you.