# England car rental



## thetimeshareguy (Feb 15, 2010)

We're a family of five, with three being adults (or at least, "adult size") traveling to England via Heathrow for the last two weeks of March.

We need to rent a car, and need a full-size AUTOMATIC vehicle for the two weeks.

Looking on Expedia the best deal in a full-size car was Budget Car Rental can offer us such a car for C$300.06 /Week (Total price*: C$771.54) or GBP 168.90 /Week (Total price*: GBP 435.58).

We know that a manual transmission is a lot cheaper but don't want to risk dealing with both driving in a foreign country (and on the left side of the road!) and such things as roundabouts with trying to get familiar again with manual transmission.

Does anyone have other ideas about renting cars and saving some money? Is there any advantage to waiting until we get to Heathrow to rent a car?


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## tlwmkw (Feb 15, 2010)

*Do Not Wait Until You Are There*

DO NOT WAIT UNTIL YOU ARE THERE.  Even with a confirmed rental they did not have a car for us when we were there in August.  We had to wait as cars were brought back in and turned over.  They kept having us try different cars to see if our luggage fit (mostly it didn't) until one rolled in that was big enough for us and our suitcases.  As it was we had a down grade from what we had booked- we ended up getting the sat-nav for free for our trouble.  That was a big help with navigating and I would highly rec. it.  After that we talked with someone in the business and they said it all goes back to the economy- they don't want any cars sitting idle on the lot so they have reduced their fleets.  People were walking in without reservations and being sent away because they didn't have cars even for those of us who did have a booking.

Also from my personal experience it's much cheaper to book ahead of time.  Another thing to remember is that cars there run much smaller than we are used to here- make sure and look at the pictures online and consider if you and your bags will fit.  What they call full size may not be what you consider large enough.  With three adults going for two weeks you will probably need a car with a large trunk, an SUV, or a "people mover" (mini van).  

Good luck and have fun while you're there.

tlwmkw


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## Elster (Feb 15, 2010)

Definately dont wait until you get here to book your hire. You will be fleeced!

The other poster here is right, the cars are smaller - and you'll pay for for less, thats just the way England is!

I would suggest you try a site like moneysavingexpert.com and have a look around the forums or find a hire car price checker or use priceline.co.uk and find yourself a decent deal...

DONT wait until you get to Heathrow !!


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## Keitht (Feb 15, 2010)

I agree absolutely with the previous posts - do not wait until you get to Heathrow.  You will pay the top prices and automatic transmission is the exception rather than the rule in the UK so such vehicles are always in comparatively short supply.
What vehicle was being offered as 'Full Size' at £168 per week?  The Focus certainly wouldn't have to luggage capacity for 5 people, and even the Mondeo would be tight.


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## thetimeshareguy (Feb 15, 2010)

Okay! Thanks for the great advice. We will book something in advance for sure!


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## Carolinian (Feb 16, 2010)

try one of these:

www.economycarrentals.com

www.easycar.com

www.autoeurope.com

www.europebycar.com


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## JeanMc (Mar 9, 2010)

Indeed, book in advance! You can also check Decode cheap car hire website, thay have pretty good deals for UK.


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## bellesgirl (Mar 11, 2010)

We found that Enterprise had the most automatics in the UK at the best price.  You are definitely wise to chose an automatic because the driving can be quite stressful.  My husband said he could drive anywhere but now he will no longer drive in the UK.


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## ouaifer (Mar 21, 2010)

_You might want to call some of the rental agencies and consider renting a manual transmission.  The new manual transmissions do *not* have clutches.  The are more like automatics, but have the capacity of easily down shifting...without a clutch.  We were very surprised the last time we rented a manual out of Heathrow, and it didn't have a clutch...we were so confused, we went back in to the reservation desk and questioned it...and yes, they are manuals._


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## Keitht (Mar 21, 2010)

ouaifer said:


> _The new manual transmissions do *not* have clutches.  The are more like automatics, but have the capacity of easily down shifting...without a clutch.  We were very surprised the last time we rented a manual out of Heathrow, and it didn't have a clutch...we were so confused, we went back in to the reservation desk and questioned it...and yes, they are manuals._



What did you rent?  A semi-automatic gearbox, which is what you describe, is definitely not common on vehicles in the UK.  I certainly wouldn't assume the type of vehicle you describe as being the norm.


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## ouaifer (Mar 21, 2010)

Keitht said:


> What did you rent?  A semi-automatic gearbox, which is what you describe, is definitely not common on vehicles in the UK.  I certainly wouldn't assume the type of vehicle you describe as being the norm.



_I don't remember the model...but it was Avis.  The lot was full of these vehicles....hundreds of them.  And all of their manual tranmissions were exactly the same.  This might not be common in the UK as far as purchasing a new vehicle, but we were told that most of the large car rental agencies were heading this way.  And, therefore, I suggested the folks ask the questions, and perhaps a phone call.  And these were at Heathrow.  On the same trip, when we rented in Edinburgh, the car was the traditional manual stick shift._


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