If this is your first visit, be sure to check out the FAQ by clicking the link above. You may have to register before you can post: click the register link above to proceed. To start viewing messages, select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below. |
|
|
Thread Tools | Display Modes |
#1
|
|||
|
|||
LONDON Rental Cars
Why is the cost of rental cars so high in London. I need a 1 day rental so I
can go from central London to Dover with some sightseeing along the way. The best rate I can get is over $65 GBP which is about $125 USD. With the following: 1. Difficult parking 2. Lots of congestion 3. Great public transportation 4. High gas prices 5. Left hand drive streets 6. Right hand drive How can the rental companies get away with charging so much? Is it because London is just that way? The rental for me is mainly for flexibility, but I dont' want to get gorged. Also, since I am from the USA, how difficult will it be to learn to drive a stick shift - shifting with my left hand instead of with my right hand from the center console? Thanks for any advice on this, Rick |
#2
|
|||
|
|||
LONDON Rental Cars
Call Hertz in USA and ask for the prepaid rate in europe. They also have LeSwap that lets you drop in europe or pickup in europe and drop in UK with free chunnel train ride. Swap right had drive different car in Calais. Likely the cheapest way to get a family across lemanche. |
#3
|
|||
|
|||
LONDON Rental Cars
Following up to Stromer2
With the following: 1. Difficult parking 2. Lots of congestion 3. Great public transportation 4. High gas prices Gas prices are realistic generally in Europe. 5. Left hand drive streets 6. Right hand drive All these don't really effect hire prices much How can the rental companies get away with charging so much? Is it because London is just that way? London is an expensive place. Also, since I am from the USA, how difficult will it be to learn to drive a stick shift - shifting with my left hand instead of with my right hand from the center console? My experience is that lefthand/right hand is an exaggerated problem, at least I find it so. As long as the car is the correct orientation for the country. On manuals, IMHO if you don't know how to use a clutch/manual gear change you cant just pick it up, you will need training. -- Mike Reid "Art is the lie that reveals the truth" P.Picasso Wasdale-Lake district-Thames path-London "http://www.fellwalk.co.uk" -- you can email us@ this site Eat-walk-Spain "http://www.fell-walker.co.uk" -- dontuse@ all, it's a spamtrap |
#4
|
|||
|
|||
LONDON Rental Cars
"Stromer2" wrote in message ... Why is the cost of rental cars so high in London. I need a 1 day rental so I can go from central London to Dover with some sightseeing along the way. The best rate I can get is over $65 GBP which is about $125 USD. Don't use the $ symbol for UK pounds. 24 hour rental from National at Heathrow airport is £42.05. There are most likely other companies who can do it cheaper. With the following: 1. Difficult parking 2. Lots of congestion That's only really the case around major cities, such as London. 3. Great public transportation HAHA. What's important is that YOU believe that. 4. High gas prices Well I'll give you that one. Petrol prices are shocking. 5. Left hand drive streets 6. Right hand drive Don't see what that has go to do with anything. I could argue that in America you drive on the right and have the steering wheel on the left so I should get a reduction! How can the rental companies get away with charging so much? Is it because London is just that way? London != UK. And you'll likely find that the rental cost is broadly similar to the United States. Remember that in the UK the price is always inclusive of insurance. In the USA it rarely is. The rental for me is mainly for flexibility, but I dont' want to get gorged. The price you've quoted is about average for an airport rental. And you can expect to pay the same in the USA. Also, since I am from the USA, how difficult will it be to learn to drive a stick shift - shifting with my left hand instead of with my right hand from the center console? No idea since I've been driving right hand drive manual transmission (don't call it stick shift unless you want to look foolish) cars since I was 17 years old. Changing gear isn't the issue anyway, you just move the gear lever, clutch control is the thing if you've never used a clutch before I can imagine it might take a bit of getting used to. I know when I switch to a different car it usually takes me a few minutes to get used to the different clutch. You can get around that problem by renting an automatic, but of course you will pay a hefty premium for this and I doubt you are wanting to pay much more! |
#5
|
|||
|
|||
LONDON Rental Cars
"The Reids" wrote in message ... Following up to Stromer2 My experience is that lefthand/right hand is an exaggerated problem, at least I find it so. As long as the car is the correct orientation for the country. On manuals, IMHO if you don't know how to use a clutch/manual gear change you cant just pick it up, you will need training. I would agree with that. Getting used to driving on the left (or right in my case) can be a little disorienting and require some extra concentration for a while, but it's not difficult to do. I wouldn't like to try driving a manual if I had only ever driven automatics. Indeed for UK citizens if you pass your driving test in an automatic it is illegal to drive a manual transmission car. And yet someone from another country who may have no manual experience whatsoever can hire a car and drive away. |
#6
|
|||
|
|||
LONDON Rental Cars
"Mark Hewitt" wrote in message ... "Stromer2" wrote in message ... Why is the cost of rental cars so high in London. I need a 1 day rental so I can go from central London to Dover with some sightseeing along the way. The best rate I can get is over $65 GBP which is about $125 USD. Don't use the $ symbol for UK pounds. 24 hour rental from National at Heathrow airport is #42.05. There are most likely other companies who can do it cheaper. Here we go again (g)! I know that using currency symbols in addition to codes can be confusing and, in the original post, contradictory. However, Mark Hewitt probably used the pound sign on a British keyboard but it arrived here as the US pound or number sign: # (two sets of parallel lines crossing obliquely.) In an international ng, the only certain way to describe currency is to use the three letter codes. -- James V. Silverton Potomac, Maryland, USA |
#7
|
|||
|
|||
LONDON Rental Cars
On 19 Apr 2004 03:51:41 GMT, Stromer2 wrote:
best rate I can get is over $65 GBP which is about $125 USD. because the US dollar is worth bugger-all. -- Tim C. |
#8
|
|||
|
|||
LONDON Rental Cars
Following up to Mark Hewitt
No idea since I've been driving right hand drive manual transmission (don't call it stick shift unless you want to look foolish) cars since I was 17 years old. BTW in UK if you take driving test in auto you *cannot* drive a manual. I have no idea if US or other countries make that definition but it might make it clear its not a trivial matter! -- Mike Reid "Art is the lie that reveals the truth" P.Picasso Wasdale-Lake district-Thames path-London "http://www.fellwalk.co.uk" -- you can email us@ this site Eat-walk-Spain "http://www.fell-walker.co.uk" -- dontuse@ all, it's a spamtrap |
#9
|
|||
|
|||
LONDON Rental Cars
Following up to Mark Hewitt
And yet someone from another country who may have no manual experience whatsoever can hire a car and drive away. or kangaroo away :-) -- Mike Reid "Art is the lie that reveals the truth" P.Picasso Wasdale-Lake district-Thames path-London "http://www.fellwalk.co.uk" -- you can email us@ this site Eat-walk-Spain "http://www.fell-walker.co.uk" -- dontuse@ all, it's a spamtrap |
#10
|
|||
|
|||
LONDON Rental Cars
The Reids wrote:
Following up to Mark Hewitt No idea since I've been driving right hand drive manual transmission (don't call it stick shift unless you want to look foolish) cars since I was 17 years old. BTW in UK if you take driving test in auto you *cannot* drive a manual. I have no idea if US or other countries make that definition but it might make it clear its not a trivial matter! I don't know about all states, but a PA or MA license doesn't make it clear, and I've hired cars in the UK in the past using both. I always hired automatic, because I never learned manual, but I was never questioned about it- and on a few occasions had to insist on auto when they gave me manual! David -- David Horne- www.davidhorne.net usenet (at) davidhorne (dot) co (dot) uk |
Thread Tools | |
Display Modes | |
|
|
Similar Threads | ||||
Thread | Thread Starter | Forum | Replies | Last Post |
Hotline for rental cars. | Michael Graham | Air travel | 3 | March 3rd, 2004 07:02 PM |
Rental Cars in Bastia, Corsica | International Connections | Europe | 0 | February 25th, 2004 05:54 PM |
Car Rental - Switching Cars between North & South Islands? | RonB | Australia & New Zealand | 3 | January 27th, 2004 07:39 PM |
Rental cars in Italy | Aramis | Europe | 12 | January 24th, 2004 02:00 AM |
LONDON | guohongliu | Asia | 0 | October 15th, 2003 11:53 AM |