will be in canberra next week, can anyone suggest a decent car hire firm with reasonable cars at reasonable prces?

thanks

Look for online discount vouchers for the major companies. There are all sorts of special rates if your a member of something else or if youve flown a certain airline as well.
Airport rentals usually have a surcharge as well. Find out the cost to pick up from the airport and again to pick up from the city. There used to be a $5 shuttle bus from the city to the airport. Not sure if its still running.

Decent cars can be hard. A lot of them are using Kias and assorted other s***boxes as their small car instead of Corollas now.

Dear Dr, they would want to be.

Having said that we have had some Opel/Holden Barinas in the family fleet too, they also qualify as oil burning gutless shoitboxers.

Yes Dr, twas the SB in particular.

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Originally posted by Dr Terry

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Originally posted by playwme
Decent cars can be hard. A lot of them are using Kias and assorted other s***boxes as their small car instead of Corollas now.

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Thats a bit harsh, have you driven a current model Kia. You sound like one of those who slag off at the Holden Cruze by calling it only a Daewoo (which is isnt).

The current crop of Korean cars are lights years ahead of what they were only 10 years ago.

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Not a current one. Last one I drove would have been 4 or so years old.

I did used to work for a rental car company at Canberra Airport though and saw first hand the life of a rental. While the later model Korean cars are well advanced compared to the old ones and are a perfectly suitable as a cheap small reliable car for the average user, the differences in quality quickly reveal themselves after theyve been subjected to 30,000 hard Kilometers as a rental. Even Commodores and Falcons really show their age when theyre retired from rental use (ours used to get sold @ around 45,000km). Of all the brands we had the Toyotas were consistently the best at time of sale.

And I wouldnt have a clue what a Cruze really is or where its made. Theyve brought out so many models lately I havent been able to keep up.

thanks guys decided to go with one of the majors and pick up at airport, about $30 dearer but sharing cost and convenience.
FYI the Carnival has a really bad reputation for blowing engines, type kia carnival problems into google.
I actually have a 99 Sportage and for the price it is not a bad car, is quite good offroad being so light and has most amenities, but will kill you on a gravel road bounces all over the place at speed.
It is quiet has reasonable power for a 2 litre, tell me another car 10 years old you can buy for under 5 grand? for my money hiluxes and nissans are vastly overpriced.
it has annoyances, like being lacking in internal space the fold down rear seats are stupid they take too much space because of bad design, but the engine and gearbox have given no problems, not surprising considering they are basically Mazda 929 or 626. At least the motor is not sure of the box.
the thing to rememer is no car is perfect they all have intrinsic problems, the current series of mercedes dont have the quality they used to and parts and servicing make your eyes water, remember the problems Holden had with the LS1, Wranglers catch fire and leak water, Toyota brakes and steering and accelator problems have had a bit of publicity.

jim you have mail