Will be arriving in Oxford by train and want to rent a car there. It is hard to find a car hire company at the station. Does anyone know of one? Could anyone tell me how difficult it is to get to the other offices?

There is a Budget about 200 yards east of the station platform, accessible by a step free footbridge from the station building. There is a Avis about 200 yards west of the station, though access to it on foot can be quite tricky.

Both require a driver to go straight into Oxford traffic – tricky for those unused to driving on the proper side of the road, and in the case of Budget taking you into immediate confrontation with the millions of cyclists who can be a plague in Oxford if you're not used to them.

The easiest solution is to get 2 mile taxi ride to Hertz in Kidlington. This is about 150 yards from the dual carriageway leading to Woodstock and the rest of the Cotswolds. Its relatively large car park gives you an opportunity to get used to the car before having to deal with traffic – an opportunity you can't as easily have at Avis or Budget

I totally agree w/ flanner. Driving in Oxford is not necessarily what one wants to do. Even if they are headed into Oxford -- locals will usually leave their cars in the park & ride lots on the outskirts and bus into town.

The Kidlington Hertz is really easy to navigate away from. It <i>may</i>depend on where you are headed though. But most of the time that is where I'd rent (and there be no schlepping of bags a few hundred yards since you'd get there by taxi)

Another option is Enterprise, which will pick you up at the station and take you to one of their offices, which seem to be out of the center.

Enterprise are often quite cheap as well....

If Oxford is a poor choice to rent a car from, what better choices are in the vicinity? Grey... might be willing to take the train to a nearby town with less traffic to pick up a rental and get used to it on the road before venturing into Oxord. I know I would.

Anybody has used argus car hire company?

Read extremely bad reviews about argus car hire. So better to stick to well-known companies.

"If Oxford is a poor choice to rent a car from, what better choices are in the vicinity?"

Heathrow.

smrcr: "<i>what better choices are in the vicinity? Grey... might be willing to take the train to a nearby town with less traffic to pick up a rental and get used to it on the road before venturing into Oxord.</i>

No one suggested Oxford wasn't a good place to rent a car. Depending on where one is going -it might even be the BEST place to rent a car. It is just that the Hertz in Kidlington (which is a suburb of Oxford) is a VERY easy location.

There are no nearby towns w/ car hires. If a town doesn't have traffic -- it isn't large enough to have a rental agency.

As flanner suggests, the best alternate location is usually at Heathrow.

navas_am: From where are you coming in to Oxfrod and where are you headed after you rent the car. You itinerary <i>might</i> make a difference. But assuming you are going to the Cotswolds --Kidlington is the easiest location.

As flanner suggests, the best alternate location is usually Heathrow.

Thanks everybody. All suggestions welcome and helpful. Yes janisj we are heading to the Cotswolds, Painswick in fact. We are coming up from London but don't want to start driving there.

greynomad: For Painswick -- Me personally, I'd rent at Heathrow or at Kidlington. Both have advantages/disadvantages. Driving out from LHR is very easy and it is right on the M4 (west) and M40 (northwest) motorways. It is not like driving in central London.

I booked the car today from Thrifty.co.uk to hire it from Oxford . Vauxhall Corsa for GBP 28. Planning to take train from Paddington to Oxford. Cheap advance fare available for approx. 10 quid.

We made our booking too. Smaller Ford Focus or similar, manual, GBP 21.50 a day for 3 days or GBP18.50 if we bring car back later and thus make it 4 days. Used Enterprise having heard good things. Friend rang them(from Australia) to book and said they were very accommodating and will pick us up from station. Net price the same as our quote and arrival time flexible until the day before. Thanks again for everyone's input. I hope I can be as helpful to any Fodorites with questions posted on Australia board.

I searched about car rental companies which provide their services at the station. Found reputed companies like Avis, Enterprise, etc provide pick up and drop off facility at the station.