USED CAR RENTAL OVERSEAS: POSITIVE EXPERIENCE

I AM SEALING THE DEAL WITH HANNES IN TALLINN, ESTONIA



ELYSEE LOOKING OUT FROM OUR APARTMENT WINDOW AT THE 1992 FORD STATION WAGON


EXCERPTS FROM MY BOOK: MAKE THE WORLD YOUR SECOND HOME: AMAZON.COM

This entry concludes discussion about saving a lot of money on rental cars when overseas. My three such rentals, each for a period of about three months, were all positive.

We drove the Honda Accord that was rented in Slovenia (which I nicknamed “My Chariot of Hire”) on separate trips to Budapest, Vienna, and Venice, as well as frequent trips to the golf course, all around Bled, several trips to the capital, and at least three several-day excursions around Slovenia. In Australia, besides frequent trips to the grocery store, we took our trusty Kia on journeys to the capital Canberra, the Blue Mountains, Hunter Valley, and many trips to the local golf courses. In Estonia, the Mondeo was used for several excursions around the country, one extended trip to Latvia, and another by ferry to the offshore islands that lay off Estonia’s west coast.

The agent in Australia provided free service should I encounter any problem. One morning Elysee and I were preparing to play golf and I took the clubs to the car, discovering a flat tire. I contacted the agent and in fifteen minutes a worker arrived, replaced the tire, no charge, and we were on our way. Didn't even miss our tee time.

In Slovenia I informed the agent as he had asked us to, that we were making a trip out of the country to Hungary. Marko showed up at my apartment in Bled with additional papers for out of country travel travel. Good thing, too. In the Lake Balaton area of Hungary, late in the afternoon on a rainy day we were pulled over by the police. As we were not even close to Budapest the officers did not speak English, and I don't speak Hungarian, one of the most difficult languages to learn. I just handed them Marko's papers and sat back. I could see the conferring and on the radio. After twenty minutes they came to my car, handed back the papers, saluted and waved us on. T have no idea why we were pulled over. Could we have looked suspicious? Two Americans, in a 1991 Honda, with Slovenian plates, driving around remote parts of Hungary on a rainy, Friday afternoon. Anyway, Thank you Marko for looking out for us. His papers did the trick.

For the narrow streets of Tallinn, Estonia, our Ford Mondeo station wagon was a little unwieldy. But we managed. Halfway through our stay I noticed the car wasn't a "peppy" seemed to be faltering, missing a beat. I called Hannes, who exchanged the car for a few days, returning it in top notch condition. The problem was in the carburetors. Excellent, professional response. In a total of nine months of use, travelling far and wide, we never experienced a serious malfunction

Seek out a used car rental overseas and save a lot of money.

RENTAL CAR OVERSEAS-HOW TO SAVE

OUR "CHARIOT OF HIRE" OUTSIDE OUR APARTMENT IN BLED SLOVENIA.




TOASTING THE DEAL WITH MARKO FOR 1000 EURO CASH FOR 90 DAYS. HE BROUGHT THE CAR TO MY APARTMENT IN BLED FROM THE CAPITAL.


EXTRACTED FROM MY BOOK MAKE THE WORLD YOUR SECOND HOME AT AMAZON.COM

Since my costly experience in Ireland, I have rented a Kia from a small independent agency in Australia for $16 a day. In Slovenia, I rented from Marko, a very reliable, never-failed me, 1991 Honda Accord, also for about $16 a day. And in Estonia, I rented a 1992 Ford Mondeo station wagon for $17.50 a day. Compare these to $60 to 490 dollar day at the airport. All three rentals came with the necessary papers and insurance for $17.50 and a promise to repair or replace should I have a problem with the car.

How do I go about this? Basically, once I nail down the lease on where I am going to live, I work on getting the car.In each case I have mentioned, the landlord or rental agent was able to steer me in the right direction. Every country has young entrepreneurs starting up such businesses. These are not “shady” deals mind you. In each case I had a legitimate contract with a viable company and all the necessary documents should I get into an accident or be stopped by authorities.

The owners of these used-car rental fleets were delighted to make a cut rate deal because I was renting the car for a continuous 90 to 100 days. As in renting a place to live for that long a period, they were able to cut their rates by half or more because they were guaranteed a long-term lease. No down time for the car, no redoing the paperwork ten or fifteen times over the same period, and no collection problems. I paid in cash up front for the entire period, in local currency. No credit cards.

And, by waiting until I arrived to seal the deal, I could make a judgment about the dealer and examine the car, and they too could see I was reliable and would not be abusing their vehicle.

My next postings will provide some reassuring anecdotes.