Car Hire - Recommendations Please

I am new to the site, and am just amazed at how many topics seemed to be discussed here!  It's always useful to have information from others, thus I think the site provides a very valuable service.

On to my particular request - I will be visiting the Costa de Sol in December/January and need to hire a car during this period.  Just my husband and myself, so some compact but dependable model will do.  However, I do want to deal with a reputable company, and not some get rich quick merchant.  I require fully comprehensive insurance, and am not prepared to pay for the car until I actually collect it at the airport.

Any suggestions/recommendations you may have would be greatly appreciated.  Thank you in advance.

Many people deal with ' carjet.com' including myself-they are a portal so they arrange the car hire with a number of different companies.

The only problem I find at present is that often you are over charged for a full tank of fuel and some make a filling up charge

I suspect the reason for this is that they want the interent prices as low as possible and have to make it up somewhere!

Up to this summer prices have been very cheap

Never had a problem with carjet

Many thanks Brian -I'll look them up.

You can now pick up your car with a half tank & return it with a half tank with MALAGACAR booked through http://www.hirecarsinspain.com/

There's also these (all three are agents)  http://www.carjet.com/ 

http://www.doyouspain.com/

We booked ours with Brunos and there was no hidden charges, it had a quarter tank and we just had to return it with a quarter tank so didn't get ripped off, we picked it up at Malaga airport, they have offices at Duquesa port.

Hi

We use Patry Car (info@rentacarpatry.com) they are excellent, collect you from the airport and take you round to their office just 5 minutes away car is there ready and just round the corner you are on to the motorway heading for Costa del Sol - perfect.  So easy to get back to their office as well and then they transport you back to the airport so no faffing on with trying to park at the airport or waiting in long queues.  Their prices are really competitive and you give the car back with the fuel tank as you got it.  Try them I am sure you won't be disappointed.

Jojan

Hi jojan, is this them ? I assume it is.  http://www.rentacarpatry.com/

I was just googling & saw this on trip Advisor in a post dated 02 January 2009, 15:28 by Bearsdon Tony

'Patry Car rates are more than double what you might pay through Doyouspain - 162e (£162) for a week's rental in the cheapest (no aircon) model available. Doyouspain's lead-in model, a Citroen C2 with aircon, is 70e a week.'

Thank you we will check that out.  The last time we were out it cost us 270 euros for 10 days for an estate car, Patry have always been the cheapest we could find and we have used them on a number of occasions their service is excellent.  In fact we already have our car booked for the next trip so we could make a good comparison here, we will let you know.

Jojan

Hi

Just made a comparison on Do You Spain and they are no where near, we are paying 300 euros next trip and Do You Spain are quoting 376.92 euros even their C2 comes out at 356.98 euros.  Worth a try though wasn't it?

Jojan

Hi jojan

I'd never heard of http://www.rentacarpatry.com/ & I see it's just operating out of Malaga airport so I'd never use it (& we've our own car now too).

As you say 'worth a try'. Looks good actually but I was hoping to see more info in their T & C's as I'm always concerned about the extras & we always took extra insurance out to cover excesses like tyres, windscreens, glass, underside but always knew upfront what these were. See red highlighted text. You don't with these. Would help if they were out of peseta mode too.

http://www.rentacarpatry.com/paginas/eng/index.htm

Minimum age:
All Clients must be over the age of twenty three and have held a driving license for at least two years. A credit card is required as guarantee.

Fines:
Traffic and parking fines are chargeable to the client.

Out of time deliveries:
- Deliveries & collections between 22:00 to 08:00 hours an extra charge of 2.500 pts. per car.
- Minimum rental 3 days.
- Rates at 50% of weekly price.
- Rentals for 5 days at 75% of weekly price.

Items included:
- Unlimited mileage
- Insurance CDW (with an insurance excess according to official rates)
- Roof-rack
- One extra driver
- Emergency road assistance 24 hours.
- Free pick up/Drop off at Malaga Airport, Train & Bus Station and hotels.

Our rates not included:
- Fuel. The car is delivered with a full tank (client has to pay for it).
- Baby Seats available @ 300 pts. per day (up to a total of 2.000 pts. per service).
- Insurance excess according to official rates.

Rates and conditions are subject to change without notice.

Hi merrylegs,

You might want to have a look here.  It's a price comparison of some of the major car hire companies and brokers.

Many thanks to you all for your suggestions and recommendations. 

Sanchez, I read your blog this morning. I found your cost comparison very interesting! The rates between the lowest and the highest are almost double!  Many thanks.