HELP! i need a car for this weekend!

[the big bang]

headed over to mildura friday for my bro's bucks weekend and to just catch up with family and friends. murphey's law, my normal family car has sh@t itself, and my work ute, well....let's just say i wouldnt trust it to make the journey.

asked a couple close friends/family if they could do without their car for the weekend to no avail.

the missus' boss mentioned when he used to travel to Renmark, he used to hire one, at around $70 for the day. so this is basically a last resort for us. does anyone know where i should be going for a hire-car?

a basic run down of what i need.......

*must be able to have a baby-seat installed
*leaving this friday 13th, returning monday 16th
*will be doing probably around 1100kms all up

any help/suggestions will be greatly appreciated!

[MatteeG]

There used to be an AVIS on Main South Road Reynella amongst the car dealerships (right next to Southgate Holden), but I havent lived near that for a year, so may not be the go.

Most places have the actual Car hire cheaper than the $70, but EVERYTHING gets tacked on- for example, my last work trip to joyous Frankston required me to hire a car from Melb airport. I picked it up when I landed about 10 pm, drove to Frankston (approx 1 hour trip), stayed the night, worked the next day and drove back to airport and dropped off at 6.30pm.

My cost break down was as follows:

Car Hire: $46
Replacement fuel (I couldnt be arsed refilling the thing) $22.30
Tolls: $22
GPS: $10
ACFR (No idea what that even is!) $9.50
Admin fee: $3.50

Total: $124.30

And that didnt include huge insurance they ask you for (to reduce excess should you have a prang- We are covered by work).

So beware, the cost soon adds up (The above situation was with Hertz). My most important tip is to complete the Vehicle condition report- the above car had ''Nil interior and exterior comment' despite the fact one wheel arch had obviously scraped against something pretty hard and been re-painted with a brush! LOL. I put down every scratch so the buggers cant slap you for any damage. Cos they will.

Or you could borrow my car TBB- rates start at $3k for the weekend, plus $5 per km...

[Punk Rooster]

I hired a Statesman up in the Gold Coast recently, & for 3 days (unlimited Km 's) it set me back $280 (including GPS)

[Psyber]

My cost break down was as follows:

Car Hire: $46
Replacement fuel (I couldnt be arsed refilling the thing) $22.30
Tolls: $22
GPS: $10
ACFR (No idea what that even is!) $9.50
Admin fee: $3.50

Total: $124.30

And that didn't include huge insurance they ask you for (to reduce excess should you have a prang- We are covered by work).

I had a similar experience with Hertz several years ago - the figures were about the same.
I too had corrected the condition report and got them to sign it before taking the car out.
That was fortunate as I did have a minor accident..

Then:
They tried to charge me about 40 cents a litre more for the petrol than it was available for at the airport gate.
They tried to charge me a lot more for the damage than the limit determined by the "preferred provider" deal they had with my association.
Their quote for my accident damage was 2.5 times the quote I had prudently obtained on my way back to the airport from an independent repairer.

They backed down fast when the association challenged it for me, but presented it as a "special concession" to the association..

[gadj1976]

are you an RAA member?

are you a member of any association which might get you a discount?

Frequent Flyer points?

Do you know anyone who is?

I managed to get a cheap Falcon XR6 this time last year using an RAA membership and Carlton Footy club membership - double discount.

Go to a site - say Avis for instance and see what discounts they'll give for varying memberships....... then go to Hertz and do the same thing.

[MatteeG]

Good tips gadj- we are limited by work associations, but thats the way to go...

[Jimmy_041]

You can borrow Mrs Jimmy's ute mate - banger junior will have a good time rolling around in the back

[Footy Chick]

Can get you a corolla for around $120 in total if you're a member banger...PM me.

[Booney]

Can get you a corolla for around $120 in total if you're a member banger*...PM me.

[the big bang]

cheers for all the suggestions guys.

didnt get to read them till after i had booked and payed for a commodore for the weekend. nevermind! may as well thrash the guts out of it!