emv0816

so according to your research it would be cheaper to come to the States have a great vacation for a month,stay in 4 star hotels ,eat at fantastic restaurants, rent a Mid-size car, buy a Ford Focus, have it shipped back to Ireland and still save money. What kind of saleries do people make in Ireland to afford paying megabucks for things like Ford Focusi? I guess it all goes toward the 'free' health care.

Dukey1

It's called "travel"

It's called "If you want something you probably have to pay."

It's also called, "If you want something a lot of other people also want then we can probably charge you even more."

It's called "THE WAY IT WORKS"

GreenDragon

On www.irelandyes.com, go to the forums - Michele has a great thread on car rental in Ireland.

Dan Dooley is the only Irish car rental that guarantees that their quote is the TOTAL price. I'm using them this trip (my 4th).

You may be able to get car coverage with trip insurance - much cheaper than the CDW. However, make SURE the car rental place you are renting from will accept it, and get it in writing. They can always say no at the rental desk, forcing you to buy it.

I am renting in Belfast and returning in Shannon. While I have to pay a one-way fee, it's much less than what I save on insurance.

chartley

Try looking up prices on www.autoeurope.ie. They show them both with and without full insurance.

emv0816

Dukey? thank you so much for your wisdom. I feel so enlightened now. Oh, Dukey, have you ever heard of STICKER SHOCK? I called Kemwell and found out I could rent a Hyundai I10 for $462.57 for the 15 days we'll be in Ireland...INCLUDING INSURANCE. kemwell is a broker so I was informed that Murray's is the company I will be renting from.Thanks to this board and LSKY in particular. I can't resist asking , does anyone know what dukey is in the States?

Joe18

Is an automatic always much more expensive than a stick shift? My wife and I will be in Provence this year, and she would prefer an automatic.

Joe

mcmover

just called MC and they do not cover CDW in Ireland...even with their World Card ????? Any suggestions

allisonm

Our World MC DOES cover rental in Ireland. I confirmed with them before I booked last month and they then sent it in writing. They wouldn't verify that when we were looking for a card a couple of years ago, but confirmed after we were accepted. Go figure.

mcmover

please double check. the first response I got from the phone # on the card was yes but being a skeptic, I called the Card Benefits dept and was given a resounding NO for rentals in Ireland, Italy and 2 other countries.

jamikins

Joe18 - automatics are generally quite a bit more, because they are not common here. So there are fewer of them, which also limits where you can rent thrm from. Its almost always alot cheaper to rent a manual.

allisonm

I just pulled out my World MC letter regarding the coverage for rental cars. Darned if it didn't expire last week. (It was sent in January, good for 60 days. It would have been fine if I had kept to the original week we were thinking of going.)

Anyway, we just called MC and they have emailed another, current letter. So I believe we are covered.

ParisAmsterdam

Joe18,

In addition to what Jamikins has already said:

- you'll pay an extra 'environmental fee' of I believe 6 euros a day for the first week for the automatic.

- automatic transmissions as options have always cost much more in Europe... few Europeans drive them and they are seen and taxed as luxuries. So the rental company passes this on to you.

- bear in mind that although you may well reserve an automatic, you may not get one. Best to pick up from the largest place you can (ie main railway station or airport in the largest city you can) You'll also pay an extra 37 euros for the privelege of picking up at either of these 2 locales. ;^(

Rob

ParisAmsterdam

>>>>
What kind of saleries do people make in Ireland to afford paying megabucks for things like Ford Focusi? I guess it all goes toward the 'free' health care.
<<<<

Cars and gasoline have always been much more expensive than in North America. We have been spoiled by cheap prices for years.

And no, it doesn't come from having 'free health care'... cars in Canada where I live are more expensive than in the US but less than in Ireland and I have never seen a doctor's or hospital bill in my life. ;^)

emv0816

I called Kemwell(rental car broker) again and confirmed that they do include insurance in their rate... $462.57 for 15 days,Hyundai rollerskate on wheels ,stick shift. Not bad.

qwovadis

carrentals.com 2 weeks out of DUB airport

for me with Avis from $6/da like $75/wk

a Toyota Yaris.

Used my Business CC for the Insurance

so if frugal rental need not be expensive.

Do not rent in big cities though parking too costly.

emv0816

Just received this from carrentals.com
Collision Damage Waiver (CDW)15.00 EUR Per Day
Personal Accident Insurance (PAI)4.41 EUR Per Day
Liability InsuranceNot Available
Theft Protection6.00 EUR Per Day

that's about $35 per day. How many of us on this board are fortunate enough to have a business cc that will cover the insurance? or any CC for that matter.

Caroline_Ingram

I am renting an automatic focus for 14 days and insurance for half that price through my travel agent. Maybe you need to shop around.

emv0816

wow!! I

emv0816

Caroline >> may I get your travel agent's contact info?

Michel_Paris

emv,
You seem to be in a huff about this. Have you been to Europe before? You can't compare two countries and ask why they are not the same.

And not sure what health care has to do with a car rental.

I know when we rented in Ireland we did have a few scrapes and bumps, and stories here suggest that is more common than renting a car in Iowa City.