Tips when renting cars

Everyone knows the potential advantages of renting a vehicle. You get the freedom of the road and, in those parts of the world where the public transport system is not so hot, it’s the only way to get where you want to go in a timely fashion. Yet we all have friends with horror stories about the poor service they received when collecting and returning their vehicles. Allowing for cultural differences and language problems, the first and best step to getting the best service is to write to the renter explaining your needs. Sadly, mental telepathy is still very limited and, unless you tell people what you need, they can only guess. When they guess wrong, you get upset and that’s where the problems grow bigger. So a simple list of your needs – trying not to make them sound like a list of demands – will smooth the way. If you arrive and find things still not ready, show the email. This usually produces apologies and more urgent attention to those needs.

Let’s start by thinking about your choice of vehicle. If you have children or a lot of stuff to carry around, remember some countries prefer smaller cars. Telling the renter what size of vehicle you need is essential. Put the other way round, if you want to make the biggest savings, you’re going to want the smallest, most fuel-efficient vehicle on the lot. Now come to the driving itself. In the US, we’re used to automatic transmissions. In other countries, stick shift is the norm. If you can’t drive a stick shift or you’re worried about a stick shift using the “wrong” hand (yes, some of these pesky foreigners drive on the other side of the road), tell the renter you want an automatic transmission. Now start thinking about all that stuff. How big is it? For example, if you’re off to a ski resort, do you want a rack on the roof to carry your skis and poles? Is one of your children young enough to need a special seat? Better still, if you don’t know exactly where you’re going, do you want a GPS system?

How to get really good service from car rental companies?

Now think about where you’re proposing to drive. This is not something that needs to be cared in stone, but if you think you may go into different countries, remember to ensure you are carrying all the equipment required under local laws. For example, as of July 1, 2012, the French Government has decided you must carry a breathalyzer. If you fail to produce one when asked by the nice police officer with a gun strapped to his waist, there’s an instant fine. It’s about $15 a time and these police officers have radios so can ensure you get stopped every mile if you don’t smile when asked to pay up. So ask your friendly car rental company to stock up your vehicle with all the mandatory equipment for the countries in which you propose to drive. Ask for a list and know exactly where it is. The man with the gun does not like to be kept waiting as you search through all your stuff to find “it”, whatever it is.

Automotive

Insuring a new vehicle

So you’ve bought yourself a new car? Congratulations! That’s certainly a purchase that matters a lot to most car owners. Whether it’s your very first car or just another vehicle to add to your garage, buying a new car is always exciting. Each car certainly feels different on the road and you will always try to find the model that will make you feel comfortable both as a driver and as a passenger. But with a new car comes new responsibility, which always takes the form of insurance. And it’s this small bit of responsibility that can sometimes spoil all the fun about buying a new car since it can be really expensive. So let’s try to learn how to optimize insurance costs and not spoil the excitement of owning a new vehicle.

First of all it really matters how did you finance your purchase. The most common option in our country is using auto loans since you can always get good rates and buy a car that you otherwise would have to save a lot of money for. But there’s a downside to using auto loans from the insurance perspective since you will be obliged to purchase additional types of coverage with your policy in order to get the loan. Most lending companies require collision and comprehensive coverage to be purchased with the insurance policy and that can considerably increase auto insurance quotes for your car. So make sure to consider this effect when financing your car through a loan. If that’s the only option you have then try to avoid the most common mistakes people do when buying cars this way. First of all, don’t get the policy offer at the dealer’s office or by the lending company. They usually have exclusive contracts with specific companies and offer higher rates than you would get from a third party provider. You’re obliged to purchase additional coverage but they can’t make you buy it from a particular insurer. So when you get your loan take the time to get auto insurance quotes from as many companies as possible in order to get the most competitive offer possible. You will be surprised to see that you can actually find affordable policies even with collision and comprehensive coverage included. That’s the whole purpose of comparison shopping.

Now, if you’re financing your car out of own pocket there are two main options to consider. First, you can get the most stripped down policy carrying only third party liability that will automatically offer low auto insurance quotes right from the start. Of course, this means that the situations when your policy will apply will be quite limited. But instead you can save a lot of money on auto insurance. Yet, assuming that you can afford to buy a car without using credits, loans or any other forms of financing it’s logic that you actually have enough money to buy decent coverage for your auto as well. And you would certainly like to buy more coverage options in order to protect your car adequately. After all, things like comprehensive coverage or uninsured motorist coverage really come in handy in a range of situations where a basic policy would simply make you pay out of own pocket. So make sure to think about that after celebrating the purchase of your new ride.

Automotive

Auto insurance and car-sharing services

In the past, people living together in the c ommunity were expected to act as good neighbors. If someone had a problem, you were expected to help out. But times change and trust issues have arisen. Today, the majority of people have their own problems and prefer to deal with them without outside interference. This reflects a shift away from old-fashioned Christian values to a Libertarian attack on the scrounger. People who feel they are entitled to assistance or who depend on others to do what they should do themselves are discouraged.

That’s what makes the car-sharing services so interesting. Now instead of trying to ask your neighbors if you can borrow a vehicle to solve an emergency problem, there’s an alternative to rental. This is a service that enables you to use another vehicle for short periods of time. It helps out the people who only need access to a vehicle occasionally. Some of the services are run as cooperatives. Local people club together to produce a pool of vehicles and members of the group can book them by the hour. Others run as commercial organizations, renting out on a for-profit basis. The common denominators are that, unlike many rental agencies, you can get access to shared vehicles at any time of the day. It’s all self-service. But, as you will understand, every member has to be approved before any vehicle is made available.

Car-sharing and auto insurance

The problem, as always, has been insurance. When working on an informal basis, some owners have found their policies cancelled by their insurers. There are terms limiting ownership to noncommercial use. Letting another use your vehicle for money becomes a commercial use if you do it on a regular basis. Now states like California, Oregon and Washington are passing laws to control the emerging market. This allows you to share your vehicle and make a little extra income without loosing your auto insurance cover. This is good for the environment with fewer vehicles needed. It also meets a growing social need because more people find vehicle ownership too expensive. The laws require the sharing organization to hold a fleet policy. When you hand over your vehicle, it’s then covered by the common policy. There are also new rules about safety to ensure the vehicles are in a roadworthy condition when others are allowed to drive them. Everyone benefits!

Automotive
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