seetheworld

Hi!

We have comparable cars with comparable rates on hold with both Hertz and Avis at Faro Airport. The only difference between the two is that Avis charges in USD and Hertz Euros.

We need to firm up our reservation and would like to know has anyone had experience (positive/negative) with either car rental company?

Also, my BIL mentioned that our car, a Renault Laguna, is rather large for the roads in the Algarve (Tavira). Is this really true?

The Renault is slightly smaller than our Passat, which I am very comfortable driving in. In other words, I would not like to drive in anything smaller, if I can avoid it. Should we reconsider or stay with what we (I) are comfortable with?

Thoughts/experiences.

Thanks!

OReilly

The only time you know if a rental company is good is when you run into trouble! I had an excellent experience (above & beyond as far asI was concerned) with National/ALamo in France.

With Hertz and Avis- I have had positve experiences with Hertz with regard to customer service etc. AVIS, I have tried them twice and had minor problems both times (they refused my autoeurope voucher and kept us waiting for over an hour until they sorted out THEIR INTERNAL problem). I have told my TA not to use them anymore.

Regarding the Laguna, I am renting it next week for a tour of Brittany. I prefer power over smallness when negotiating hill towms, but will let you know if I run into any problems.

DCJones

I don't know about the roads in Portugal, but I had a Renault Laguna (automatic) in the Cotswolds in England and had no problems with the size of the car vs the roads. The only problem I did have was turning off the car and removing the "key" -- looked like a computer card for a laptop -- without putting the car into park. Otherwise, other than the gas mileage vs a manual transmission it was a great car.

We rented from Hertz and paid in US dollars on the British Airways website. There were some additional taxes and additional driver surcharges that we paid locally upon renting the car.

bobthenavigator

Is this for 2 people or a family of 6?
I always use Autoeurope. They use the same companies as you have just usually for less and with better customer service.

artlover

We've had good experiences with Avis and Autoeurope. Rented from Hertz in France and it was a nightmare--never again!

OReilly

As Bob points out, I have actually rented THROUGH autoeurope.com, via my travel agent, they find the lowest fares. Mostly I end up with Europecar - always a positive experience.

seetheworld

Interesting. My husband generally rents from Hertz and considering the frequency of his rentals has had very few problems.

He's had limited experience with Avis but this time the cost is a little less. So I guess we are really wondering if Avis is okay to go with.

There are only the two of us plus suitcases the size of small children, lol.

I mentioned AutoEurope to my husband and his initial response was that he would prefer going with a company that he knows (Hertz). Maybe we should check it out.

mari5

We travel overseas once or twice a year, and quite often use Hertz. ..Have had a couple of problems, but usually return to them as they have a wonderful customer service department (after returning home). Avis always seems a little higher, but did use them recently...THROUGH AutoEurope.
AutoEurope,out of Portland , Maine, are "consolidators" and use whichever rental company is lower and best for tht country. They have 24 hour service and free calls from overseas.(I think we used them back in April, and I think it was National in UK and Ireland that let us prepay the whole ammount.
I do object to their policy of paying part in the U.S. and the rest upon rental overseas.
We ALWAYS try to PREPAY the entire rental fee before leaving home and having that voucher in hand when at the rental desk. (there is usually a small daily road fee and airport tax), but it makes it so much easier.
WE lived in Lisbon, Portugal for 2 years back in the 70's ,and returned last year for a WONDERFUL trip.....it's such a great country to visit.........but I CANNOT remember what car rental company we used. I'll try to locate that information.

seetheworld

I appreciate everyone's help.

I just checked AutoEurope myself (and just realized they are a consolidator). For the same car, it is actually MORE expensive to go through AutoEurope than Avis.

Mari5, what size car have you used in Portugal? The Renault Laguna is a midsize car.

OReilly, when do you return from your trip?

OReilly

seetheworld, I will be back on-line next Monday.

Look, I KNOW there are different opinions about small versus big cars, but I have tried the "economy" once, never again, and it was like trying to drive a Singer Sewing machine. I almost killed myself trying to overtake on a highway because there was NO acceleration at all and there was a BMW approaching me at 200 km/hour! My husband insists I get at least a “compact” when I am on my own – VW Golf or equivalent. When I have had the diesel Golf, I am happy, but some of the “equivalents” are not equal at all – they are just the same size, not the same power.

Two things to consider: Is your husband doing the driving? If so, and he wants a mid-size car (and a Passat is a lovely car), then save yourself a lot of hassle and complaints and get him what he wants – better than wasting a day, in some remote place, trying to find him a replacement car because he hates what he has (been there MANY times; now I just let DH book the car himself and we usually end up with an extremely over-priced BMW or Mercedes). Are you also doing highway driving? If so, Portugal has an incredible highway system (was there last year for a few days) and the roads deserve a good car. If driving INTO the hill towns prove a problem (but I don’t believe this will be the case for an experienced driver, it certainly would not be for my husband), then there are always car parks at the bottom of the towns where you can leave the car can hike up to the town.

seetheworld

I'm having problems posting. I'll try again.

OReilly, my husband will be the only driver. I can't drive a standard nor do I care to learn, lol.

I wouldn't think the highways in Portugal would be a problem. If the roads in the village of Tavira are too small, we'll just walk.

So, I think we will stick with the Renault. It's slightly smaller than the Passat with nearly the same power (minus the Turbo).

Have a nice trip OReilly.

Barb65

We rented from Hertz last month in Porto. Have used all the mentioned companies in various countries of Europe over the years and never had any problems.

We did have one experience this time and I don't know if it is Hertz or just a new thing. They charge for cleaning the car! It was about $10. There was a small added sheet on the contract that mentioned it when we picked up the car. I have intended to write Hertz but have not yet.

We had a smaller car than the Laguna and I did most of the driving with no problem with power. I think with a standard transmission the mountain roads are not a problem and I never felt sluggish on the highways at 120+km/hr

I was glad for the smaller car in the city but that is me. There are certainly many larger cars around Portugal. Our luggage (one large about 26 inch, one 22 inch,and 2 smaller carry on types) fit perfectly in the small covered space.

Have a wonderful trip.

bobthenavigator

Hmmm ! How many times has your husband rented from Hertz in Europe?
AE uses all of them--they are a broker. Your car may actually come from Hertz.

seetheworld

Please explain bobthenavigator...

Is there a distinct difference renting from Hertz in the US/Canada and Europe?

I can understand using a consolidator if the price were less, but in this instance AutoEurope costs more than Avis and in some cases Hertz.

curmudgeon

I've had generally good experience with Hertz on our European rentals, and by looking for deals, generally gotten rates that were pretty equivalent to consolidators without the extra party in the transaction.

This spring we had two rentals with Hertz where I felt they were fudging a bit on the car class... the description was "Ford Mondeo 1.8l or equiv" in UK, and Renault Laguna or equiv in France. Both time we got a Ford Focus, which is a bit smaller in my opinion (the UK one had about a 1.4l engine - underpowered; the France one was turbo-diesel and quite nice). In our case, the trade-off of slightly smaller car didn't bother us (and it was easier to park).

ragout

We have used Avis, Hertz and Autoeurope and Europcar in Europe.
I always test the same itinerary online against all others. It is so simple. Check to see if you AAA card gives you much of a discount.

We are Hertz #1 members but that is not always the cheapest.

We have just returned from France and I we have driven a Renault Laguna on a past trip to Portugal. So we decided that this woudl be perfect size car for this trip. We booked a diesel which trust me cuts the price of gas by a big amount.
We were given a Peugot 407 diesel. It beats me (I am female) but old and young french men woudl come up to the car and ogle it! The French and Italians males are nuts about their cars.
Forsure I alwaYs encourage my husband to drive right up to the door of the hotel in any little town we stay at - luggage right to the door! It never fails to be the best way even when the walls look tight in some of the old towns!

One should consider how far the rental car PIckup location is from where you are staying. ( A Taxi can add lotsa E's).

Also I always give a deposit and then keep the documents to make sure that what we are charged on our credit card upon our return home is as expected.

I have used a travel agent several times. The laSt time I did I thought they were saving me $ but then by the time we were charged an agency fee, and then discovered they are not as careful about the pick up location. If for instance you are staying in a downtown hotel and the pick up is at a TRain Station this can be several Kms away and an online booking would be a smarter investment and much more convenient.

seetheworld

Thanks for the information.

So it sounds about split between Hertz and Avis. And the car size really doesn't seem to be an issue for those of you who traveled in Portugal.

Thanks again.

walkinaround

we were in tavira about a year and a half ago. it is not the kind of place where you will be driving much around the village. most likely you will park at the hotel/flat/house and walk around. the approach from the motorway (i agree, the motorways are beautiful - thanks in part to my EU tax money) is not treacherous. the roads are wide and there are several large roundabouts to navigate.

only in the very centre of town are the streets rather narrow. it seemed that few cars drove on these streets. tavira really is quite a large town and not a tight village like many around europe.

as for the size of the car, i think you will be fine with a midsized laguna or something like that.

this is purely a question of choice. any suggestion that a small, economy car will be unsafe on the motorway or will not be able to handle mountains is silly. i have driven puntos, corsas, clios, etc all around europe including the autobahn in germany and the mountains of switzerland without any problems. especially in portugal, the cars tend to be small and often older so even the dullest hire car (e.g. a brand new corsa) will be more powerful than many of the locally driven cars.

so get the larger car if this is what you need in space or if it is what you prefer to drive. i don't think you will find it too big for the roads, nor do i think you will find a small economy car unsafe or unable to handle mountains.

sappa

Hi Seetheworld

I don't want to add to the confusion and profusion (lol) of car rentals but being a portuguese resident here's two tips:

- don't worry about the size of the Laguna, most cities and villages and "drivable" and many people have lagunas so it shouldn't be a problem.

- another rent a car company is BUDGET
http://www.budgetportugal.com/
go to their web site and make an estimate. they have special prices for on-line reservations and i've heard good things about them.

Sappa

mari5

seetheworld: I'm trying to find my info on the car rental in Portugal last year. I do know that we never rent a small car in any country in Europe. Usually one step above a Ford Focus or higher...Ford Mondeo is a good size, or larger. And the past few years, at our "age" we've started renting an automatic (one less thing to think about). My husband and I are both good navigators, are comfortable with maps etc, and that helps.
When we lived in Portugal we always owned one of the "small station wagons" (had 3 kids) and we/I did fine on the roads. The size should be no hinderance in Portugal.
Even in UK and other countries, we've taken a larger car down very tight steets("alleys") in small villages and cities....kind of fun! Parking is sometimes a little tight, but it always works out.
Yes, you are right, sometimes going straight to Hertz or Avis will be less than through AutoEurope...you just have to check around, as you ARE doing.
This does not pertain to Portugal, but several times we have been "upgraded" to a Mercedes etc...and did accept it once ,in FRance. (good car!, even though I always thought it might be open to thievery?). ANyway....if renting in Germany, Switzerland, Austria etc.....do NOT accept the upgrade to premium car if you have plans to go into ITALY...as they are not allowed there.!