I thought I already posted this, so excuse me if it's a repeat....<BR><BR>I've seen some car rental names today that are new to me (O'Scannlain &amp; Auto Europe). I had previsouly only been looking at quotes from Dan Dooley. I'm aware of all the insurance/CDW hulabaloo and plan to make a reservation with my Platinum Mastercard. Suggestions for cheap rates? Websites? Where have you had good experiences?<BR><BR><BR>Thanks!<BR><BR>Steph

Well Steph. I have been posting a lot on this subject as I just made a reservation.<BR>The prices are all over the place depending on if you want an automatic, when you plan to rent, how long you plan to rent. <BR>I checked these:<BR>Thrifty<BR>O'Scannlain<BR>Auto Europe<BR>Rent A Car Ireland. com<BR>Hertz<BR>Dan Dooley<BR>It is just a process of elimination.<BR>Also, in comparison, you really have to compare apples to apples. If there is ANY difference in rental terms between two companies, it really isn't a good comparison.<BR>Good luck.

Hi Steph:<BR><BR>A good list from Sherry and good advice. Add to that list:<BR><BR>Europcar (Murray's)<BR>Budget<BR>Argus<BR><BR>The apples to apples comparison is huge. If you are going with your own insurance, it's much easier. You will get the cheapest rates if you can be comfortable with a standard shift car. That will require that you shift with your left hand. Everything is about the same. The price difference between standard and automatic seems to be widening.<BR><BR>Bill

I used ALamo when I went to Ireland in 2000. My travelling buddy checked all of his memberships to see what the cheapest rate was. I think his Costco membership gave him the best deal

I spent a lot of time looking at different rates for both Shannon - Return Shannon and Dublin - Return Shannon. The best deal I got was Budget-Ireland. Their rate for a group 3 (small, but not the smallest) was about 165e, and included CDW (650e deductible). SixT was close, but the others were higher, some much higher.<BR><BR>We'll probably take the supplemental CDW to 100e, which reduced the deductible. Its a lousy deal (56e for 550e worth of insurance), but its probably the right thing to do after my last experience with driving on the left.<BR><BR>good luck

Priceline.co.uk is your best bet in Ireland. I've rented from EVERYONE over there, and by far the best prices I've gotten have been with priceline (must be .co.uk, as European car rentals are not available yet on priceline.com).<BR><BR>The savings are significant, and all taxes and insurances are included in your bid price.<BR><BR>I've done it five times, and got Avis 3 times and National/Alamo twice.<BR><BR>It works particularly well when you want a larger car. One time I wanted a full-size car, as we were driving long distances and had our golf clubs with us. I saved about $400 over the next best price I could find.

Ann:<BR><BR>Is the insurance that they offer $0 deductible. I wouldn't want to make a bid and then find that the $0 deductible buy down was a couple hundred bucks. <BR><BR>Bill

Bill. I checked this site out before and I found out some interesting things.<BR>The insurance included does not provide you with a zero deductible.<BR>Depending on which company they assign you (because of course you do not know this until your bid is accepted) you do not even know what the deductible is. You have to check with the individual company policy AFTER you purchase.<BR>Super CDW is available at a rate of about $14 per day. But does that reduce your responsibility to 0? Who knows.<BR>And of course the condition of the credit card coverage is that you decline the CDW offered by the rental company. So that won't work even if you get a very good price.<BR>I have seen non waivable excess running from $400 and up depending on the size of the car.

Bill, it varies based on which company you get.<BR><BR>I personally don't see the point in the zero deductible, but then again I've driven in Ireland many times and my husband grew up driving there, so we don't have a problem with things like scratches from driving too close to the hedge or getting the wing mirrors or hubcaps ripped off.<BR><BR>And obviously it doesn't matter if your credit card offers CDW coverage, as priceline automatically includes it. However, even after deducting the CDW coverage, the rates I get on priceline are still far better than anything else I've found. I've now rented cars in the Republic and Northern Ireland 21 times, so I have some baseline of comparison!<BR><BR>Oh, and you still can add that Super CDW coverage if it's offered. You just ask for it when you pick up the car (and pay for it, of course).

Ann41. I can understand why you would rent a car under these circumstances. You have a lot of experience driving in Ireland. <BR>But, for a first time trip, I would rather have the most insurance on my side. If the price was very good, I would consider priceline and purchase the Super CDW if it would bring the deductible to zero. <BR>But depending on which company you get assigned when you purchase, you still may not get zero deductible even after having paid the extra $12-$14 per day.<BR><BR>Since you have so much experience, how much does getting the wing mirrors or hubcaps clipped off cost you when you return the car? Maybe this has never happened to you.