The last time I hired a car it was a Ford Zodiac, so I'm yonks out of date on these things.
We spend a chunk of each year touring France, but it's a 250-mile flog each way just to drive to the ferry, and Lady Stripey and I are starting to feel the strain a bit. Consequently, I'm now thinking of combining Ryanair (we're 10 minutes from Ryanair's Blackpool base) with a hire car at the other end. However, I've heard frightening tales of hirers being landed with a four-figure bill because of some damage to the car for which they were not to blame. Or even if he was to blame.
Now I've tried reading all the terms and conditions relating to Collison Damage Waiver (whatever that is)etc., but like Omar Khayyam I came out by that same door where in I went.
Could one of the many knowledgeable people on this site please simplify for me, in terms suitable for my senile decay, the hazards of car hire in Europe and how to avoid them? Any tips, advice or recommendations would be most welcome, please.
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Sail from Hull (nice drive from Blackpool, then gentlemanly trip on the ferry overnight with opportunity for dinner).
Then put the car on the French train.
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Thanks, Mapmaker. A good point and very tempting. However, the very real advantages that you point out are cancelled out by a longer drive at the other end. We considered it a year or two ago and decided against.
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Sorry -- I've only just spotted the reference to the French train, Mapmaker. I said that senile decay is the problem! The last time I looked at this, it was the old Motor Rail and the cost was horrendous.
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My parents (Cheshire) swear by the Hull route for going to France. They find it very relaxing (except for last summer when they ended up spending most of the night on deck following an engine fire & the ferry ended up on the front page of the papers) and a good way to start & finish their (many!) holidays.
With the greatest of respect (my parents are pretty old and they've discussed their holiday arrangements with me so we've thought about this before - and you don't say how senior you are!) Are you sure that you're up to driving a left hand drive car (get an auto - but are you familiar with driving those and if not are you SURE you're up to adapting?). Are you too old to hire a car? What if it breaks down - you won't have AA 5 Star to speak English to. Are you up to travelling by air - my parents prefer to have their car with them as it gives them more freedom; it just means they don't go so deep into France these days; it means they can take more luggage with them; it means they can bring back 'duty free' wine which is a part of the fun of the trip.
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Whilst I mostly agree with Mapmaker, there is one point that I would make;
I have driven pretty much half my driving life on left hand drive roads and half on the right. I find it makes absolutely no difference to me and to be frank I don't even notice - with one almighty great "but" - I find driving a left hand drive car on a right hand drive road, or vice versa, very difficult.
I think the whole change of driving side is much easier and less traumatic if you are also changing the driving side of the car.
So I don't think that Mapmaker's point on that is neccessarily a clear cut advantage or disadvantage, you'd have to make up your own mind.
But, it will be a car that you're not used to and you are more likely to have to deal with foreign language stuff - be that the car handbook or potentially a recovery service.
If you do decide to go that way, you may find it easier, albeit potentially slightly more expensive, to book and organise the whole thing with one of the large rental companies here - Avis, Hertz, etc. - and simply pick up your chosen car when you arrive.
But don't be too ambitious in what you rent, and a car as similar to your own as possible would be best.
Collision Damage Waiver (CDW) is an amount you pay, normally per day, to absolve yourself of any financial responsibility for any damage to the car - although there are exclusions around mistreatment.
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I too have driven many LHD cars too - the only problem I have ever had was always reaching into the side pocket for the hand brake just after changing over!! Not sure why its only the handbrake and not the gears but anyway.... :p
It is a lot easier to drive on the local side of the road, with a local car if you get what I mean. Makes for better visibility.
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Done the Hull run to Zebrugge - it's actually 14 miles nearer to Paris than from Calais.
Beer was the same price as in the pubs and the grub was good too, backed up by a cabaret night.
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Know a great place in the Isle of Man that does excellent car hire deals for anywhere in the world - used it when we went to South Africa and cut £200 plus off original quote from that country.
Will look it up overnight and post it.
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Thanks, Mapmaker -- I've only just got my bus pass, but am on medication thqat causes me to tire easily. Consequently I restrict myself to spells of no more than an hour to an hour-and-a half driving at one go, thus packing it in long before concentration starts to suffer. We do do turn and turn about and limit the total daily mileage as well.
I appreciate the interest, but our cars are normally automatics and I have fluent French. I've lived in the country.
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A "chunk" is a month or so, once or perhaps twice a year. I have long experience of driving left- and right- hand vehicles (and motorcycles) in France, from having lived there. It's the fact that I'm totally unclued-up on car hire that's the problem.
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Stripey,
Look at www.insurance4carhire.com where you can get an annual policy to cover all insurance for rental cars anywhere in Europe for an annual insurance premium of £49 valid for up to 31 days.
If you do a search you will see a number of people in the Backroom use it for Europe and USA(costs £99 or £75 thro\' NatWest including myself)Saves me a fortune.
Usual disclaimer etc etc - I have no connection with this firm.
C
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In which case you're well ahead! & have all the other problems that people are inclined to encounter well covered.
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>>Will look it up overnight and post it.
Mislaid info at the moment - couple of years since I used the company...:-(
In the meantime this may assist:
www.holidayautos.co.uk/
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"We spend a chunk of each year touring France"
How long is a chunk?
If you spend a couple of weeks only then a car from the major rental firms is probably your best bet as you can get insurance to cover everything - like Full comprehensive in UK.
If you spend more time there are cheaper alternatives.
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I travel a fair bit in Europe and hire cars a great deal.
Couple of points - I've never found driving on the right much of a problem, but it IS a little easier with an Auto.
I always take my GPS satnav with me. Takes a couple of minutes to fit (suction mount on windscreen and cig. lighter to power it). Its a *tremendous* help when in unfamiliar cities and not speaking the language - its guided me through some large French cities with little trouble.
Note that CDW leaves you liable for a certain amount (typically 500-900 Euros, depending on car and hire Co.). You can take out 'Super' CDW to cover this excess (usually 7-10 Euro per day).
Note that windscreen, tyre and underside damage is not covered.
On a recent trip I had a Ford C-Max TCDi for one of the 'majors' at Bordeaux airport. There were a few scrathes on the car (not marked on the 'damage indications' sheet I was given. I pointed this out but was told they were 'too minor' to be noted. Needless to say when I took the car back they tried to nail me for the scratches! Very sharp practice! Remember, they take your CC impression when you collect the car and you effectively sign to allow them to take any amount of money - so be careful.
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I have also hired cars a few times now, mainly from Geneva airport. Most of the major operators there do include standard CDW but this leaves an excess of £1000 that you could be reponsible for if they maintain that you have caused any damage. The extra CDW insurance really is worthwhile, I believe, in that it reduces the excess from around £1000 to about £150 so gives a lot of extra peace of mind for a relatively small charge.
On the last 4 occasions when I have hired cars I have always received a black one and these show every little scratch and defect, so a careful inspection before you get in is necessary. Otherwise (touchwood) I have had no real problems so far. For me the only real problem with driving on the right is that I still automatically look right for the rear view mirror and seem to have trouble getting this mirror adjusted exactly right.
We used to tour Europe ourselves by car but we always fly and hire now and it is, in our view, not only less wearing but considerably cheaper too. The only drawback is that you cannot bring back much of those cheap European goodies.
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I only rent from the multi nationals,Avis,Hertz etc.Always check the car thorougly,and if there are marks not mentioned on the rental agreement go back to the desk and tell them and get it recorded.Very important.
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I only rent from the multinationals too (it was one of these I used at Bordeaux - haven't got the 'heart' to say which one..).
The question is, what constitutes a 'mark'. In this particular case there were some minor scratches in the lacquer and minor chips at the edge of the driver's door. I don't speak French and the rental receptionist didn't seem to speak any English. The gist of it was that the marks were too minor to put on the damage chart - until I took it back, of course. Anyway, in the end I didn't pay anything (after an argument).
After renting many many times in different locations I have found Budget to be about the best. I once accidentally left some cash in a car I dropped off at Munich Airport. I'd completely forgotten about it, but a week later Budget contacted me and sent me the cash (about £100)!
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Stripey - if the last time you hired, it was a Zodiac, then you must be at least sixty.
That's no problem, but my father is seventy eight and the last time he rented abroad he was seventy one, but after seventy it was difficult and after seventy five, car hire in the UK has proved impossible.
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Multimap tells me that Blackpool to Hull is 2 hours exactly.
Zebrugge to Paris is 2 hours 35.
Calais to Paris is 2 hours 25.
If you're going for a month, I'd stick with driving all the way. It won't take you more than 3 days to reach Nice, however steadily you take it. (Zeebrugge - Nice = 10 hours). And realistically 2 days to wherever you're probably actually going.
And DavidHM makes the point that car hire gets difficult as you get older - I'd recommend getting used to going via Hull & taking it steadily whilst you're still young.
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Oh, and Budget flights too. &^%$£" Budget flights. Don't touch 'em unless you have the patience of a Saint.
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Two of us once did Malaga to Manchester in a day and a half, staying in northern Spain overnight and using Eurotunnel - just under 2,000 miles.
Included going through Madrid and getting seriously held up in Paris after missing a turnoff for the bypass route.
A colleague who left at the same time in a similar vehicle got to mid-Wales by the same night - preferred to sleep in his own bed.
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Just a follow-up to Aprilia's comments above. Don't have the GPS satnav screen facing the driver in Spain - use of them by the driver was banned as of January this year. Probably OK with voice directions.
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That's very interesting - not heard about that. What about satnav where the screen is built into the instrument binnacle?
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I was equally surprised regarding the ban on GPS systems, and wrote to the newspaper concerned regarding car dealers here still offering satnav as an option. The reply is attached (hopefully):
www.roundtownnews.com/archive_mailbox.asp?mess=07&...4
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You may have to scroll down a bit!
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I'm in my 60's and have both hired and taken my own car in recent years. I've found it easier to drive on the right, and remember which side of the road I should be on, when I'm in a left hand drive car. It takes a lot of the strain out of overtaking as well. However the cost of hiring for a month will be pretty high - reckon on 1500 Euros for a medium size auto. Try www.europcar.com and www.uk-carhire-company.co.uk for competitive quotes. They both use international companies for their hires but are cheaper than going direct. As has been said above - check the car carefully when you get it and if worried take out their super CDW for about 6/7 euros a day. Saves all the worry. Enjoy your holiday whatever way you go.
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Thanks everybody for the varied, positive and helpful responses. I'll go through them all carefully.
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Stripey, if you speak fluent French, tour there a lot and have lived there, WHAT are you doing living here? French climate, health service and cost of living (including cars and fuel - to ensure motoring reference)are all better than here.
Just bought myself a place in Charante-Maritime on Tuesday. Came back yesterday (14 hours door to door in London). In Mrs DE's Honda Jazz. 85mph all the way and 50+mpg.
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It's a question I often ask myself.
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Sorry -- I hit Post too early. Family commitments have hand in things until now, and tempting though it is we both feel that that kind of a move is a younger person's game.
I noticed when living in Avignon that the French (down there in Provence anyway) tend to hand onto their cars much longer than we do. The climate, and absence of salt on the roads, mean that bodyshells can last pretty well indefinitely. It is not unusual for someone to keep a car for maybe 15 years, changing the engine and perhaps the gearbox as a matter of course in that time. Consequently, second-hand values seemed (in the early 1990s anyway) to be rather higher than ours.
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I'll finish this yet! Dulwich Estate, I have just noticed the reference to the Jazz. We are contemplating one ourselves, and our only reservation was its suitability for precisely that kind of purpose, though we tend to avoid the motorways -- avoiding the péages can pay for a good night's stop at a Logis de France (which we always use nowadays).
If you don't mind me asking, take it you are happy with the Jazz? We have in mind the CVT version.
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I have an Audi A4 Avant with the multitronic gearbox and that's the car we usually use for long journeys. But Mrs DE needed to know if she was capable of driving to the house in France on her own in the Honda Jazz. So we set off in it on Sunday. I confess I was not looking forward to 14 hours or so in a "little buzz box".
But, what a revelation! It kept up 85mph for hour on end with the occasional indicated 100mph. The rev counter is red lined at 6000rpm (I think) and holding it around 4900 or so seemed comfortable enough. It wasn't too noisy and had some power (not a lot) to get past trucks on the N road sections. The ride is supposed to be choppy - maybe I like a firm ride because I found it smooth enough - I suppose the smoother French roads help.
We also got 53.4mpg on a brim to brim fill up.
I wouldn't object to doing all the 1200 miles in it again.
To answer your question it's the manual gearbox version - I don't know about the CVT one. Mrs DE was determined to spend as little as possible so it's the basic one ( "S" I think) with manual box, no aircon, no ABS, no sunroof, no colour coded mirrors. If I had bought it I'd have added a bit and got the "SE" with those bits.
I'm a great fan of the Logis de France hotels - real French not like those modern international boxes Campenile and others.
If you intend to stay off the Autoroutes I reckon the Jazz will be even more quiet and ideal for the job. It's so roomy it's got nearly as much boot space as the Audi (which is not renowned for boot space anyway). The back seats in the Jazz have a cute way of folding giving floor to roof loading space inside the car itself - we used it for the wine.
As I've said elsewhere on the site the engine is so quiet and smooth at idle you think it's stalled.
I'm a great fan of it and recommend you give it a go - the seating position quite high too (compared with my A4)and easier on the aching bones.
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>>smoother French roads
Now there's a turn up for the books. 15 years ago, German roads were glass-smooth, so German cars had hard suspension.
French roads made widespread use of pave (cobbles) and outside towns were resurfaced with a generous dose of gravillons (chippings) to hide the worst of the holes. And then add a camber that was so steep (to get rid of heavy rain, I suppose) that you ran a risk of grounding on the crown of the road. Hence the French, squishy suspension. As seen on the Dyane.
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Thanks, DL. My reluctance has been through an illogical prejudice against small cars for this purpose, but times they are a-changing I suppose. We would take a week or more over that kind of trip. I'd recommend the Logis de France to anyone, usually good family-run hotels (I've had duff ones, but rarely) at typically a third the price of an English equivalent. A good online booking system as well. www.logis-de-france.fr/fr/index.htm -- you can switch it to English.
I remember pavé well from motorcycling around southern France in the fifties -- the square cobblestones were vicious when wet. Although many French roads, even minor country roads, have surfaces like a billiards table you can still find pavé occasionnally. About fifteen years ago I discovered a short stretch just outside Beaucaire with well maintained road before and after. It was still there last year -- probably preserved as 'heritage'.
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>>I'd recommend the Logis de France to anyone,
Me too. And they frequently have a really superb wine list, with all sorts of interesting oldies for not a lot of money.
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How do you edit these posts? I was going to add that the commercial hotels such as the Campanile chain tend to be sited along main routes, often in an industrial estate near the motorway. These, or others such as Formule 1, are not usually found out among the stinging nettles, yet you can find the Logis off the beaten track in even small towns and villages.
A word of warning -- they often close at incomprehensible times such as all day Monday!
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Just to add to Stripey's post, Formule 1/Etap Hotel/Premiere Classe are brilliant for very cheap & comfortable & spotlessly clean accommodation - you can squeeze 3 people in a room for about £15 iirc. To my mind, Campanile have gone down market over the last few years - the quality of their food has dropped alarmingly. And here we are back on the 'how do I do a motoring holiday in France'. (Also see caravan thread!)
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Stripey, it's interesting what you say about a reluctance to accept smaller cars. As I said before, I too had it. But looking from the Jazz perspective, doing 85mph and being overtaken by loads of Clios, little Peugeots, Citroen C3 s and the like, I've just got to accept small cars are maybe no bad thing. It's definitely given me something to think about that I can have 2 and half Jazzes for one A4 Avant. No way is my car 2 and a half times better and no way can it give 53 mpg.
The next car may just be smaller.
Please give the Jazz a try - I don't work for Honda, I just think it's a brilliant car.
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Please give the Jazz a try - I don't work for Honda, I just think it's a brilliant car.
...and if you do find the Jazz not to your liking, I can heartily recommend touring in France in an air-conditioned Civic 1.6. Can't compete with the Jazz in terms of economy (41-43 mpg, but driven at 85-90 on autoroutes, including some pretty hard climbs) but as far as comfort goes, the car now has the nickname "The Sofa". Enough said!
And now back to the topic...
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Thanks, Paul. The Civic is in fact also on the shortlist, in the event that the Jazz should prove (which now seems less likely) too buzzy a box.
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