EUROPCAR car rental VW/Skoda fleet deal

[anthony]

I have just read that Europcar Australia has purchased 500 Jetta TDI and Octavia diesel models,and will start taking delivery of them over the next few weeks,for distribution Australia wide.
That will be good,as more people will be exposed to both brands,and we will see more cars on the roads.

[phaeton]

Interesting

But with no coverage for accident I don't think anyone will hire cars unless rental companies get their act together.

[fuzion]

some companies such as thrifty are self insured, and what you see on the news and hear isnt the real story or truth dont dont believe everything you hear/see

[Ssom]

Meh, Europcar is the lowest of the low as far as mainstream rental brands go, I liked them better when they rented mostly Peugeots and Renaults. Nowdays all they seem to have is Kias and JUC Honda Fits. If the Avis Budget group did this deal it'd be great news for me (Seeing as the Avis depot I work for is run from Sydney)

They'd also make a great replacement for Thriftys 307 HDI fleet.

[fuzion]

Meh, Europcar is the lowest of the low as far as mainstream rental brands go, I liked them better when they rented mostly Peugeots and Renaults. Nowdays all they seem to have is Kias and JUC Honda Fits. If the Avis Budget group did this deal it'd be great news for me (Seeing as the Avis depot I work for is run from Sydney)

They'd also make a great replacement for Thriftys 307 HDI fleet.

There is reason to why each company uses type of vehicles and so forth. There is a lot more to it then you make out

[jets]

I have just read that Europcar Australia has purchased 500 Jetta TDI and Octavia diesel models,and will start taking delivery of them over the next few weeks,for distribution Australia wide.
That will be good,as more people will be exposed to both brands,and we will see more cars on the roads.

This will be bad news for resale prices for privately purchased vehicles.
A high proportion of late model cars in used car yards are ex hire cars.

[jets]

Interesting

But with no coverage for accident I don't think anyone will hire cars unless rental companies get their act together.

I have been burnt by a hire company, some branches are OK but others in another branch can be bandits. I have spoken to a number of people who have had problems & as a result wont hire a car unless I absolutely have to.

[fuzion]

Simply find out if they branch is a corporate or licensee branch. You will find corporate branches are a lot safer to deal with and easier. Like anything, you have to make sure you cover yourself properly and mark every damages on cars prior to leaving the yard as well as if you dont take the liability reduction and something happens, you've signed the contract being fully aware, its your own fault lol

[jets]

There is plenty of fine print eg Insurance doesn't cover any damage underneath or to the roof [motorhome]. While it is easy to document any visible body chips & scratches [one co. completely understated the existing damage, so I had them do it again], it's not so easy to check for any under body damage. The Co. I dealt with had mirrors in the roof, but not all hire firms have these. Another trick some of them use is they don't inspect the car when you return it but call you when you arrive home to say you owe so much for a new bumper because they found a split in it. They can produce a photo to prove it that they can use over & over.
Always check the tyres for any signs of damage or having been run flat.
We had a blowout coming over the Westgate bridge at around 8.0 am after disembarking from the boat from Tas. When I arrived in Adelaide they wanted me to pay an inflated price over retail for a new tyre. The tyre was almost down to min tread depth. Because you have paid a deposit, they hold all the cards. GGGRRRRRR.

[fuzion]

i wont argue into this because not worth it (no offense to you personally) but yeah. theres a lot you dont know, and a lot you dont read. theres a lot of bad companies out there and you should definitely only hire direct through a large company, make sure its corporate location and not licensee as well as read your contract carefully.

[jets]

All the companies I refer to are the biggest in the industry. Coincidently the best experience was with Thrifty. There was a fault that I didn't notice on collection but did the following morning. I phoned straight away & it was noted on their computer. However there was a fault with the clutch interlock that most of the time wouldn't allow the starter to operate.[Hyundai Getz]

[fuzion]

bwhahah.. yeah you need to push the clutch in to start the stupid getz's .. stupid hyundai! .. like that makes ALL THE DIFFERENCE!

[Ssom]

There is reason to why each company uses type of vehicles and so forth. There is a lot more to it then you make out

I fully know why it is, working for a rental company myself. But from a punters point of view it still looks sloppy when the parking bays are filled with Picantos and Ceratos, while Avis/Budget and Hertz stock theirs with Corollas and Focuses.

[anthony]

Thats correct Ssom,and now Europcar are going to have very classy looking Jettas and Octavias standing in their car parks.
I drove past my local branch in Melbourne today,none there as yet...

[anthony]

I think the first cars have been delivered,as was driving behind a brand new Graphite Blue Jetta today,but noticed no dealer number plate holders or stickers on the rear window,BUT a large Europcar sticker on the back window...