james

I'm visiting Cape Town in November - which car hire company should I use? There seems to be great confusion as to whether one should additionally buy extra CDW and TLW. I usually use Alamo who apparently have an office there, but no website or any number. I would appreciate any advice from all you experts out there!

local

The more well known car renters here are Avis, Budget rent a car, Imperial and Hertz. I could not get any information on Alamo and it would appear that they do not have an office here anymore.

Lisa

I think Europcar is another. I can't think of the others off the top of my head. Maybe Budget is another. I would check with your credit card company to see if you will be insured. I always decline their insurance as the rates are almost as high as the car rental itself. Some companies will not rent you a car if you do not take their insurance. On other occasions I have had an amount applied to my credit card by the car hire company as a precaution on their behalf But I would definitely check with my cc company and get it in writing and find out what the deductible is. <BR> <BR>Also be aware that it is much cheaper to rent a car with a stick shift than automatic. I also always get air conditioning as you may not always want to drive with your windows open. Just a safety precaution.

james

Thanks both for the replies. I booked eventually through Hertz who seemed competitive and reliable. Not the cheapest option, but not far off.

lee

Be sure to take full insurance coverage with no deductable.

L

James, we are using the following agency for rental cars in SA, starting with CT: [email protected]. This agent has been helpful offering various car options. In bot CT and Durbam the car is being delivered to our hotel, along with a rented cellphone (the agent will give you the telephone number for your phone several weeks before you depart). Insurance coverage is 100%, unlimited miles. A manual Toyota for 10 days is running us about $235 including all taxes and the delivery charges. Have a nice trip. Ciao

Janet

I used Kaefer car hire-they do very cheap VW beetles if you are on a budget but they're a bit run down. Their rates include all insurance