 Poster: A snowHead
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Anyone have any tips on this?
Normally ski 10 days in March, rental car cost is usually about £15 a day for an “economy” size car, we use Rentalcars.com and I just go with the cheapest, even if they have woeful reviews, I’m covered by American Express who are fantastic!
Just gone to book for 9 days and I’ve paid £30 a day!!! It’s free cancellation so I am hoping I can get a last minute, anyone have any tips for getting the cost down? We’re flying into and out of Turin, mid March. I’m 33 so no young or old driver issues.
And yes, I’m fully aware of the economic impacts of supply chain issues and semiconductor shortages, I just want a cheap rental car!
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Haha, I wish I could find cars at £30/day for my destinations and periods… hope you get some recommendations, though!
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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@LaForet, ceratainly an option but arent they going to Turin rather than GVA? I am not sure that the rail links to resorts in Italy are as good or as comprehensive as Switzerland?
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LDP816, Probably the best price there, you're lucky its only doubled.
Checked our last rental price, for this season and its x5 same vehicle and company. We declined and decided not to go.
Good luck with your search
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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£30 per day sounds eminently reasonable in teh current climate. I used to reckon sub £20 per day was a very good deal for a small/compact car
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£30 a day is cheap as chips.
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A couple of weeks ago we checked prices and could get a small car from Herts, Verona, 15 days £263 without winter tyres (so £17.50 pd) or a medium £330 with winter tyres. That was booking direct with Hertz.
The prices started increasing about a week beforehand. Honestly, in our experience you just have to try once a week to see if they have any offers on. It’s pot luck.
FWIW we paid ca £280 (£19pd) for a fiat panda with guaranteed winter tyres, booked late last year so we didn’t bother changing.
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The prices people are moaning about are ludicrously low for a car rental.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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I have just sold my left leg to fund car hire at GVA in mid March. 475 for five days, small estate.
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| Roguevfr wrote: |
| The prices people are moaning about are ludicrously low for a car rental. |
Respectfully, I disagree, the price has doubled in two years, so regardless of what you consider “ludicrously low” 100% increase in 2 years is a shed load!!
What adds salt to the wounds is that the same car, this Sunday to next Monday is working out at £15 a day!
Obviously this is a drop in the ocean on the total cost of a trip, but I want to save on stuff like this so I can spend on the stuff that really matters, I.e resort & accomodation.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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| richb67 wrote: |
A couple of weeks ago we checked prices and could get a small car from Herts, Verona, 15 days £263 without winter tyres (so £17.50 pd) or a medium £330 with winter tyres. That was booking direct with Hertz.
The prices started increasing about a week beforehand. Honestly, in our experience you just have to try once a week to see if they have any offers on. It’s pot luck.
FWIW we paid ca £280 (£19pd) for a fiat panda with guaranteed winter tyres, booked late last year so we didn’t bother changing. |
I will try hertz, and will keep scouting around for deals, this makes sense, thank you!
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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Had a recent experience of this. Not much help to the op, but defo pays to plan ahead with car rental at the moment.
Booked a car in Levi Finland about 3 months out. Day before the trip Finnair cancelled a flight and put us on the next one which meant arriving 7 hours later. Got onto booking webpage who said cancel and book again for later collection. No option to change collection time. Before cancelling I had a look at rebooking and price has risen from 600 euro for two weeks to 3500 for the same period.
That set me rightly panicking, but in the end got in touch with the rental company directly and they arranged for later collection on the original booking. The web service that we booked through initially was useless.
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+1 for booking ahead and some good deals booking flights with a car through BA and using Avis preferred to avoid any queuing.
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You know it makes sense.
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| LDP816 wrote: |
| Roguevfr wrote: |
| The prices people are moaning about are ludicrously low for a car rental. |
Respectfully, I disagree, the price has doubled in two years, so regardless of what you consider “ludicrously low” 100% increase in 2 years is a shed load!!
What adds salt to the wounds is that the same car, this Sunday to next Monday is working out at £15 a day!
Obviously this is a drop in the ocean on the total cost of a trip, but I want to save on stuff like this so I can spend on the stuff that really matters, I.e resort & accomodation. |
Respectfully, you're wrong.
I hired out cars in 1989, and they cost £29 a day then.
A small car costs £13000 + , and you want someone to allow you to take it away, use it, and insure you and the rest of the passengers, AND give 3rd party insurance for the cost of 3 fancy coffees.
Ridiculous.
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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4 days with full insurance from Milan £100 next weekend. Prices similar to previous, pre pandemic numbers
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Poster: A snowHead
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| Roguevfr wrote: |
| The prices people are moaning about are ludicrously low for a car rental. |
| LDP816 wrote: |
| Respectfully, I disagree, the price has doubled in two years, so regardless of what you consider “ludicrously low” 100% increase in 2 years is a shed load!! |
| Roguevfr wrote: |
| Respectfully, you're wrong. |
Roguevfr, I also disagree with you. Telling someone who disagreed with you about something subjective that "they're wrong" doesn't sound very respectful either, in my opinion.
Car hire prices have indeed been much higher than previous seasons for many locations across the Alps - there is no doubt about that. There have however been short windows when the prices have come down to values approaching (but perhaps not reaching) previous years. My two bookings this year, for the second smallest class of vehicle, have been:
- £269 for 10 days in January (Geneva, Swiss side, Europcar, tyres & chains)
- £83 for 9 days in March (Milan Malpensa, Interrent, chains)
I like to think I'm fairly good at finding a decent deal, but both of these are price increases on previous years (in the case of Geneva - substantially so). To answer the OP's question, I think you are doing all you can - book several months ahead if possible with a refundable rate via an aggregator website, then check rates periodically to see if the price comes down. I think it's unlikely to change much for the better within the last few weeks before your booking start date though.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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There are different comparisons going on here. One is the price of car hire this year v. equivalent car hire in past years, and it yes there is a very significant increase.
Another comparison is between hiring a car, and hiring something else. For example, ski hire. Taking the cheapest car example I see here (£83 for 9 days for a car), comparing that to the first ski hire I have to hand is Eur155 for mid-range skis and boots for 9 days. For a car to be cheaper than skis and boots does seem ludicrous. The way I'd compare the respective value is to consider the loss of value over the rental lifetime (as the cost to the renter of the asset), which is ~2 years in each case. A low end car would lose maybe £3K to £5K in value (I'm guessing a bit here), compared to maybe £600 for a mid range rental ski set. Not sure how to compare servicing cost, but a ski shop can service rental kit in bulk very cheaply. Another consideration is rental premises - a mid range ski shop can store maybe 300 sets with all services in maybe 50m2, compared to a car rental operation in an airport which would need maybe 500 m2 for 50 cars. Sure, skis are only rented out for 4 or 5 months a year, and my numbers are only ballpark, but however I work it, it looks reasonable that a low end car would cost 5+ times the amount to rent than a mid range ski set, and many people here are complaining at a much lower ratio
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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OK, clearly it's a subjective opinion. I'm not going to argue further, to expect to rent a car for less than the cost of a plate of cooked flour and water is , in my opinion, ludicrous.
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Going to Andorra next weekend, I wanted to fly into Barcelona as the flights & car hire are much cheaper than Toulouse, presumably because it is primarily a summer destination & they are happy for any trade in the winter.
I couldn't fly into Barcelona due to my daughters vaccination status & the Spanish rules, that the b.....rs have just changed!!!!
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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Slightly OT. I rented a car from Easirent at Bristol. 3 days for £6 and a new Citroen DS3 when I collected. Had I rented at collection at 1030pm, it would have been £1.50 for 3 days!! It was explained that a pricing factor is the current number of searches.
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| colinstone wrote: |
| 3 days for £6 and a new Citroen DS3 when I collected. Had I rented at collection at 1030pm, it would have been £1.50 for 3 days!! |
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Prices are definitely weird at the moment and generally more expensive.
Just had a five day hire from Innsbruck that cost £70 a day (I tend to shop around and get the "economy" car).
In March - a 7 day hire from Milan for a similar car is £12 a day. Gold Car through the EasyJet add a car option.
True the Innsbruck one was only a few weeks before, while Milan a few months before.
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Relatively expensive in Canada too. It's not "subjective", or "an opinion", just relatively expensive compared with normal. You can kind of work out why, Ig guess.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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| philwig wrote: |
| Relatively expensive in Canada too. It's not "subjective", or "an opinion", just relatively expensive compared with normal. You can kind of work out why, Ig guess. |
It's precisely that, it's subjective that it's expensive. It's an opinion that it's expensive.
It's neither that it's an increase.
$1 to $5 is a " massive increase" , but its still not expensive. Unless you think it is, in which case that's both subjective and an opinion.
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Yup. We’ve paid ridiculous money at Munich airport, could have got taxis both ways for that price. Twice what we used to pay pre pandemic. What is going on?
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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| Tiefschneetaucher wrote: |
| Yup. We’ve paid ridiculous money at Munich airport, could have got taxis both ways for that price. Twice what we used to pay pre pandemic. What is going on? |
I think its called capitalism.
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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We have had a lot of issues with car hire availability for hire cars for work. Some of this has been driven by the supply of new cars which has been impacted by the chip shortage. Suspect this may be driving supply and hence price variations
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| Quote: |
I think its called capitalism
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Indeed. Does somebody want to advance an argument for the regulation by the state of car hire prices?
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You know it makes sense.
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| pam w wrote: |
| Quote: |
I think its called capitalism
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Indeed. Does somebody want to advance an argument for the regulation by the state of car hire prices? |
I'm sure it'll be on their list, somewhere after house purchase and rental costs.
I d strongly suggest the rental companies would be thrilled to be able to realise a realistic daily rental return.
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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| Tiefschneetaucher wrote: |
| Yup. We’ve paid ridiculous money at Munich airport, could have got taxis both ways for that price. Twice what we used to pay pre pandemic. What is going on? |
Semiconductor shortage and supply chain issues mean rental companies have less cars to hire out because they are waiting for new ones to be delivered. Couple that with the fact that in 2020 and early 2021 there was zero demand, so some companies sold off large portions of their fleet, and it’s lead to prices increases, supply and demand.
Again, all I was wanting to know was if anyone had any tips to get rental cars cheaper, seems to have gone slightly OT. It seems that looking at different airports and checking semi regularly through a few different companies is the best way to find deals!
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Poster: A snowHead
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@LDP816, i was amazed by differences between airports. This ended up being decider as to which i flew into.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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| NickyJ wrote: |
| @LDP816, i was amazed by differences between airports. This ended up being decider as to which i flew into. |
This is sound advice for the future, I’d already booked the flights without checking the car prices which was not a smart move!
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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I recently booked a 9 seat van through skyscanner car rental. £900 for 2 weeks from Chambery Airport.
That wasn't a huge load more than private transfers!
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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@LDP816, most have flexibility to rebook, can you change route?
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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@Roguevfr, you keep telling us how cheap car rentals are compared to the price of cars or ski rental. Yet you fail to see that the business model has completely changed in the last 20 years. The car rental companies have become a marketing branch for the car makers. They "buy" (i.e. get cars on credit, no cash outlay) very very discounted new cars. Rent them out for 6 months /a year and then sell them for more than they committed to the manufacturer. It's a tight margin business but the rental income is not the profit maker, it's just needed to fund the running costs of the company: drivers, clerks, storage space and the like. The money is in buying a 15K vehicle for 10k and selling it for 11k after a year.
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+2 for booking via BA and using Avis Preferred for avoiding the queues (as mentioned I in another thread). Things are turned on its head now post what we've all been thorugh, with Rentalcars.com over seven times more expensive in Austria (Group B car) than Avis via BA/Direct in Italy including snow tyres (Group N car). There doesn't seem to be any pattern - need to search but looking directly at the suppliers like Avis/Hertz/Sixt in Italy we found the best prices recently. Everything is more expensive.
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| sugardaddy wrote: |
| @Roguevfr, you keep telling us how cheap car rentals are compared to the price of cars or ski rental. Yet you fail to see that the business model has completely changed in the last 20 years. The car rental companies have become a marketing branch for the car makers. They "buy" (i.e. get cars on credit, no cash outlay) very very discounted new cars. Rent them out for 6 months /a year and then sell them for more than they committed to the manufacturer. It's a tight margin business but the rental income is not the profit maker, it's just needed to fund the running costs of the company: drivers, clerks, storage space and the like. The money is in buying a 15K vehicle for 10k and selling it for 11k after a year. |
You have a better handle on things than most, but you're not quite there yet are you?
There are a couple of companies who do something along the lines of your proposal- for example Arnold Clark, who have a low- mileage second hand stock comprised almost entirely of cars from their own rental fleet.
However, the vast majority of rental cars purchased from a particular manufacturer DO end up back in dealerships through buy back.
None of the main rental companies are owned by or tied into manufacturers though, so how they are a marketing branch for the manufacturer is rather a stretch.. .
Where is the profit to be made from selling a car to a rental company only to buy it back from them at a loss 6 months later ?
Doesn't look like a good business model for the car maker to me .
A 1k return on investment after a year doesn't look like much of a return for the rental company either, given that a small amount of damage can easily render that 11k vehicle worth half or nothing.
Even if what you propose IS correct, that still leaves the obvious question : why would I rent my car out for £20 when a realistic price SHOULD be £50-100 ?
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| Roguevfr wrote: |
Even if what you propose IS correct, that still leaves the obvious question : why would I rent my car out for £20 when a realistic price SHOULD be £50-100 ? |
The answer to that one is easy. It’s supply and demand in a competitive marketplace. When there are more cars available than people who want them then it’s better to get the £20 than nothing. (And at the same time have the possibility of selling some extras such as insurance, filling charges, etc.)
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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| olderscot wrote: |
| Roguevfr wrote: |
Even if what you propose IS correct, that still leaves the obvious question : why would I rent my car out for £20 when a realistic price SHOULD be £50-100 ? |
The answer to that one is easy. It’s supply and demand in a competitive marketplace. When there are more cars available than people who want them then it’s better to get the £20 than nothing. (And at the same time have the possibility of selling some extras such as insurance, filling charges, etc.) |
In a market where there is NEVER more cars than people who want them (ie an airport) there's no reason to do this.
You still haven't answered any of the previous points I made.
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Blimey, I just used rentalcar.com for a 4 day hire out of salzburg Airport, 370 quid for a fiat panda. Vienna 156, same 4 days. Nor sure what's making salzburg so expensive right now, I guess demand. May just use train and taxis at those rates.
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FAQ
