Advice on Car Hire, please!!!!
 

Hello all,

I plan to take a trip up the east coast with a friend for about 2 weeks starting in early December. We were trying to save some money, so we were thinking about renting a car. We're both 21 and have the full driver's licences, but we weren't sure of what had the best deals especially considering we are students that lack a whole lot of money.

Any advice would be wonderful!

Thanks

I've just rented through Avis in Western Australia and noted that there is a surcharge for drivers 21-25. No idea if this common; just so you know and can be on the lookout. Hopefully some locals can give you more detail.

You will likely find that it is impossible, difficult or costly to rent a car depending on the car rental company. I took a quick look at two major car rental companies in Australia--one did not rent at all to those under 25 years of age and one assessed a surcharge around AUD 30 per day.

We just rented a car from Hertz for a 2 week trip from Sydney to the Gold Coast. It was a one way rental and cost about AUD$550 but we are a lot older than you and you should check on their website to see if there is an age penalty.

We saw a few younger people with campervans from Wicked Campers. I think I've seen a few negative reports so check them out on the web.

If you are going to rent in Sydney and return to Sydney, you could try No Birds. They are cheaper than the normal rental car agencies. We used them in Western Australia years ago and were pleased with them.
http://www.bayswatercarrental.com.au/

Kay

Bayswater Car Rentals will rent to 21yo's. Minimum Licence is P2.

I use them quite a lot and have always been very happy with the vehicles & service.

I always use www.driveaway.com.au - I've just done a search and as mentioned above your age will incur a daily surcharge - they quoted approximately $28.50 per day.

With driveaway a search will yield quite a few options for you with various companies and their price is firm -no more to pay. I have used them for car hire in Australia, Europe and the USA and have never had a problem.

Considering we are both 21, do you reckon we should look into getting a Greyhound bus pass? Thoughts?