Anyone rented a car in Australia?
Discussion
Hi guys,
Not sure if this is the right forum. Nearly put it in the Aus forum but then realised most holidaymakers wont visit there.
Coming to Aus for 6 weeks next month with the plan of driving up most of the East Coast, starting from Adelaide. I'd like to rent something decent and most hire companies offer 'Ford Falcon or similar'. I've done my homework and something like a Falcon, Toyota Aurion or a Holden Commodore would fit the bill perfectly - big and comfortable, all the toys I need and a nice 6 cylinder powerplant with between 240-270bhp to make those single carriageway roads a bit easier. Basically I want to hire something as close to my car in the UK as possible, but obviously I don't give a stuff witch badge is on the bonnet or what the interior plastics are like. A big Aus market Ford or Toyota is perfect.
I'm getting quotes popping up with the major rental companies but was wondering - how old are the cars they are likely to rent? I want a current generation version of the cars in question and can't get anything more specific than just 'Ford Falcon or similar' or 'Toyota Aurion or similar'.
Hertz has come out top for price at the moment and seems to deal mostly with Toyotas, anyone rented with them? How old are the cars? Last time I rented from Hertz in the UK I got a 2 year old Mk3 Mondeo with 40k miles on the clock.
Other candiates are Europcar ('Ford Falcon or Similar') and Thrifty ('Ford Falcon or Similar')
Any advice would be well appreciated - anyone rented something decent from any of these guys and if so, what was it? I'm quite suprised how it only seems to be about $10-$20 a day to upgrade from something dire like a Getz.
Cheers guys!
Not sure if this is the right forum. Nearly put it in the Aus forum but then realised most holidaymakers wont visit there.
Coming to Aus for 6 weeks next month with the plan of driving up most of the East Coast, starting from Adelaide. I'd like to rent something decent and most hire companies offer 'Ford Falcon or similar'. I've done my homework and something like a Falcon, Toyota Aurion or a Holden Commodore would fit the bill perfectly - big and comfortable, all the toys I need and a nice 6 cylinder powerplant with between 240-270bhp to make those single carriageway roads a bit easier. Basically I want to hire something as close to my car in the UK as possible, but obviously I don't give a stuff witch badge is on the bonnet or what the interior plastics are like. A big Aus market Ford or Toyota is perfect.
I'm getting quotes popping up with the major rental companies but was wondering - how old are the cars they are likely to rent? I want a current generation version of the cars in question and can't get anything more specific than just 'Ford Falcon or similar' or 'Toyota Aurion or similar'.
Hertz has come out top for price at the moment and seems to deal mostly with Toyotas, anyone rented with them? How old are the cars? Last time I rented from Hertz in the UK I got a 2 year old Mk3 Mondeo with 40k miles on the clock.
Other candiates are Europcar ('Ford Falcon or Similar') and Thrifty ('Ford Falcon or Similar')
Any advice would be well appreciated - anyone rented something decent from any of these guys and if so, what was it? I'm quite suprised how it only seems to be about $10-$20 a day to upgrade from something dire like a Getz.
Cheers guys!
I did something similar 10 years ago - drove from Melbourne to Fraser Island, north of Brisbane, over a couple of weeks. Then I flew back to Melbourne for the GP 
Anyway, I had booked a Toyota Camry, but when I turned up they'd upgraded me to a Holden Commodore. The car was pretty much brand new, and very cheap to hire, so I don't think you need to worry, any of the options you've mentioned will be fine. It'd obviously be best to have a Falcon or a Commodore, just to keep things in the spirit of where you are, though.
As a side note, my humble hired Holden started a love affair with Aussie metal that culminated in me owning a 5.7 litre HSV, so be careful out there - you might get hooked.
Have fun, you should have no problems - and, of course, if you don't like what they give you, demand something else!
Anyway, I had booked a Toyota Camry, but when I turned up they'd upgraded me to a Holden Commodore. The car was pretty much brand new, and very cheap to hire, so I don't think you need to worry, any of the options you've mentioned will be fine. It'd obviously be best to have a Falcon or a Commodore, just to keep things in the spirit of where you are, though.
As a side note, my humble hired Holden started a love affair with Aussie metal that culminated in me owning a 5.7 litre HSV, so be careful out there - you might get hooked.
Have fun, you should have no problems - and, of course, if you don't like what they give you, demand something else!
Yup, all new cars and I've used these two a good few times......
Red Spot Rentals or Budget - always have some good deals.
http://www.redspotrentals.com.au/v2/
http://www.budget.com.au/vehicles/cars/default.asp...
Red Spot Rentals or Budget - always have some good deals.
http://www.redspotrentals.com.au/v2/
http://www.budget.com.au/vehicles/cars/default.asp...
Edited by Nicholas Blair on Friday 29th May 22:59
Stick with Europcar if you want a Falcon, as these make up most of their 'full-size' offerings. Last time I was there I rented with Hertz, where I recieved a Toyota Aurion V6 with less than 3k on the clock, and the previous times I have always recieved a new (less than year old) car.
In their current guises the commodore and falcon are the only 'sporty' set ups, if that is what you are after - the commodore still more so than the falcon, because it based on the european opel set up.
The toyota and Mitsubishi 380 (another candidate) are mid-range "family" saloons over here (basically the UK mondeo/vectra) and are well-equipped but spongy. Just be careful because they change their fleet about. My brother booked a commodore from UK to go to Bathurst in and we ended up with a Mitsubushi piece of crud which pre-dated the 380 and was useless in almost every way (and not the best car for a Holden fan to turn up in to the biggest holden vs. ford race of the year!). If you're under 25 forget it...
The toyota and Mitsubishi 380 (another candidate) are mid-range "family" saloons over here (basically the UK mondeo/vectra) and are well-equipped but spongy. Just be careful because they change their fleet about. My brother booked a commodore from UK to go to Bathurst in and we ended up with a Mitsubushi piece of crud which pre-dated the 380 and was useless in almost every way (and not the best car for a Holden fan to turn up in to the biggest holden vs. ford race of the year!). If you're under 25 forget it...
Last time I rented there it was from Europcar and I ended up with an A6, which was nice but not very Australian.
Driving around bits of Australia really isn't that great, it's a long way between places and there really isn't much there. You end up spending hours driving along pretty uninteresting roads at fairly low speeds with little of interest to look at.
Driving around bits of Australia really isn't that great, it's a long way between places and there really isn't much there. You end up spending hours driving along pretty uninteresting roads at fairly low speeds with little of interest to look at.
siscar said:
Driving around bits of Australia really isn't that great, it's a long way between places and there really isn't much there. You end up spending hours driving along pretty uninteresting roads at fairly low speeds with little of interest to look at.
The sense of space can be incredible. But it's so big there is not really much point driving fast.ali_khl said:
Stick with Europcar if you want a Falcon, as these make up most of their 'full-size' offerings. Last time I was there I rented with Hertz, where I recieved a Toyota Aurion V6 with less than 3k on the clock, and the previous times I have always recieved a new (less than year old) car.
What did you think of the Aurion? On paper, it looks pretty good.Not sure how bothered I am about sportyness - the GF doesn't appreciate hooning - but enough power that slow moving traffic in front is rarely a problem will be well appreciated!
Buffalo said:
The toyota and Mitsubishi 380 (another candidate) are mid-range "family" saloons over here (basically the UK mondeo/vectra) and are well-equipped but spongy. Just be careful because they change their fleet about. My brother booked a commodore from UK to go to Bathurst in and we ended up with a Mitsubushi piece of crud which pre-dated the 380 and was useless in almost every way (and not the best car for a Holden fan to turn up in to the biggest holden vs. ford race of the year!). If you're under 25 forget it...
How long ago was this? I'm hoping the current generation of each of these cars has been out long enough that all the hire companies have binned all the junk now.I'm 25 so thats not a problem.
I've just returned to Aust. after three years in London
The big sixes are; Holden Commodore, Ford Falcon, Toyota Aurion(or Camry) and the Mitsubihi 380
Very few people drive the 380 locally.. i'd give it miss although you can rent it from Thrifty if you're game.
AVIS and AutoEurope will do you a Falcon.. personally I loathe it, had a nightmare trying to get luggage into the boot (it's on three levels; fuel tank/spare wheel/etc) frickin engineering nightmare. And the rear diff drones on them like ALL Falcon taxis since i was born.. hateful thing, if only Ford would go broke. It looks okay, goes as well as the Commodore and is comfy inside (drones like a b
h though)
Hertz will do you a Toyota Aurion or Commodore(Omega) in their group D. If you don't ask you will get the Aurion (which is a Aust design on the Camry platform). Of the two cars, the Aurion is probably slightly better. Although I prefer the Commodore as it has more raw grunt and feels Aussie, handle better in my opinion. The Aurion is a bloody effective cheap white good though, just not bought by people who drive cars.
Europecar will do something from VAG with a TDI if you actually want some fuel economy.. none of the big sixes are good on fuel, but then it's about 50pence a litre here at the moment so filling up still makes me smile.
So.. Get a Commodore, make sure and specify NOT WHITE - every govt/taxi/corp car is a white Commodore.
..and welcome, enjoy yourself, DON'T SPEED it's fricken expensive.
The big sixes are; Holden Commodore, Ford Falcon, Toyota Aurion(or Camry) and the Mitsubihi 380
Very few people drive the 380 locally.. i'd give it miss although you can rent it from Thrifty if you're game.
AVIS and AutoEurope will do you a Falcon.. personally I loathe it, had a nightmare trying to get luggage into the boot (it's on three levels; fuel tank/spare wheel/etc) frickin engineering nightmare. And the rear diff drones on them like ALL Falcon taxis since i was born.. hateful thing, if only Ford would go broke. It looks okay, goes as well as the Commodore and is comfy inside (drones like a b
h though)Hertz will do you a Toyota Aurion or Commodore(Omega) in their group D. If you don't ask you will get the Aurion (which is a Aust design on the Camry platform). Of the two cars, the Aurion is probably slightly better. Although I prefer the Commodore as it has more raw grunt and feels Aussie, handle better in my opinion. The Aurion is a bloody effective cheap white good though, just not bought by people who drive cars.
Europecar will do something from VAG with a TDI if you actually want some fuel economy.. none of the big sixes are good on fuel, but then it's about 50pence a litre here at the moment so filling up still makes me smile.
So.. Get a Commodore, make sure and specify NOT WHITE - every govt/taxi/corp car is a white Commodore.
..and welcome, enjoy yourself, DON'T SPEED it's fricken expensive.
We rented from Alamo when we moved to Aus just over 12 months ago - was pretty disappointed with them TBF although they were the cheapest. Falcadores are generally pretty poor cars by european standards. They may have "big 6" engines but are slow slushmatics with poor dynamics. An Aurion is basically an Aus built Camry with a V6 motor. Some of the hire cars (Hertz) will try and get you into a Hyundai Sonata or Granduier. Both crap.
IMHO, try and go for a european based car rental co to get something half decent.
BTW - the drive from Sydney to Brisbane is worth taking a few days over. Port Stephens and Port Macquire are both worth a visit.
IMHO, try and go for a european based car rental co to get something half decent.
BTW - the drive from Sydney to Brisbane is worth taking a few days over. Port Stephens and Port Macquire are both worth a visit.
We rented a big ford v8 when we were there. I think it was a 3.7 v8. I can't remember what the car was called, but it was like a sierra equivalent. It felt fast as stink to me at the time, admittedly it was the first v8 I'd driven though. It spent all of its time sideways round the roundabouts. Incredibly good fun.
Also rented a 3 litre v6 mitsubishi, I think it was a magna. That wasn't as good, but it got floored everywhere also and due to being razzled, still went pretty fast. Car hire is very cheap over there. I'd go and sort it out face to face rather than over the net I think. I can't remember figures, but I remember it being really cheap.
Also rented a 3 litre v6 mitsubishi, I think it was a magna. That wasn't as good, but it got floored everywhere also and due to being razzled, still went pretty fast. Car hire is very cheap over there. I'd go and sort it out face to face rather than over the net I think. I can't remember figures, but I remember it being really cheap.
Fox- said:
ali_khl said:
Stick with Europcar if you want a Falcon, as these make up most of their 'full-size' offerings. Last time I was there I rented with Hertz, where I recieved a Toyota Aurion V6 with less than 3k on the clock, and the previous times I have always recieved a new (less than year old) car.
What did you think of the Aurion? On paper, it looks pretty good.Not sure how bothered I am about sportyness - the GF doesn't appreciate hooning - but enough power that slow moving traffic in front is rarely a problem will be well appreciated!
Wow guys, thanks for the advice. Very useful.
Whats so good about the Commodore, my limited research (Worthless I admit!) had put it as the worst of the three as it's got the poorest economy* and is the slowest. Aurion and Falcon are my favourites I think. As I plan to do 3 seperate rentals (Better than trying to finding somewhere to park it in Sydney and Brisbane for 3-4 days a time) I might try them both.
Interesting that somebody mentioned buy locally. I can order them all online at good prices - is it really better to just turn up and book in the rental shop in person? Will I get a better price? Surely I risk getting there only to find they've only got a Hyundai left, and I'd rather walk.
Cheers guys!
Whats so good about the Commodore, my limited research (Worthless I admit!) had put it as the worst of the three as it's got the poorest economy* and is the slowest. Aurion and Falcon are my favourites I think. As I plan to do 3 seperate rentals (Better than trying to finding somewhere to park it in Sydney and Brisbane for 3-4 days a time) I might try them both.
Interesting that somebody mentioned buy locally. I can order them all online at good prices - is it really better to just turn up and book in the rental shop in person? Will I get a better price? Surely I risk getting there only to find they've only got a Hyundai left, and I'd rather walk.
Cheers guys!
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