Hi guys,

i'm renting a car over in spain in june and have got a choice of 2

a 1.4 petrol pug 206 or equivilent for £65.29 or

1.5 smart Diesel 4-4 or equivilent diesel for £73.00

both of them offer the same features like no excess and free named driver.

I was wondering which is the best one to get, the cheaper petrol or the slightly more expensive diesel? I'll be doing a fair bit of driving in the week i'm there and wondered how long it would take before the diesel made some savings.

thanks

dave

my personal choice would be the smart 4-4, but just 'cause I prefere it, (I hate 206's) not to do with any money or economy issues

The one with aircon! Or the Smart if both have it, purely because I have driven the Pug and hated it.

Chris

Hi guys,

i'm renting a car over in spain in june and have got a choice of 2

a 1.4 petrol pug 206 or equivilent for

Personally i'd prefer the 4-4, however i'm more worried about my wallet. Although on the face of it the 4-4 looks £7 more expensive, would i save that in a week?

You can tell i'm northern

I've worked it out in a really longwinded way after finding mpg, tank size and spanish fuel prices on the internet

I would have to cover 625miles to break even and then start seeing a saving

If the hire company operates the "full to empty" scam (and they probably do) then the pump prices won't be the entire story - we had to pay a fair bit over the odds for our compulsory full tank. :(

seven quid ?

There was an article in the Sunday Times travel section a week or two ago about foreign car hire scams, you should read this.

I would find it if I could be ar5ed, but you should be able to get it at their online site.

If the hire company operates the "full to empty" scam (and they probably do) then the pump prices won't be the entire story - we had to pay a fair bit over the odds for our compulsory full tank. :(

Avis in the UK have that policy, they give you a car with a full tank of fuel, and you're expected to return it full, however if you dont, then youre charged " VERY SILLY " pence per liter by them to refill it.

MORAL IS = Check - if you get it with a full tank, then return it with a full tank.

They all seem to run the full to empty scheme over there, and that includes both of the above i've been looking at.

Maybe i should get the one which has a more detailed fuel reading then so i can get my moneys worth

When I hire in spain, I just take to the petrol station on the way back to the rental location. If they dont have one nearby then I drive carefully after filling it up making sure the gauge doesnt drop from full.

As already mentioned, they cars quoted on the website are just examples of the car in that class. Every year on holiday I always hire an intermediate class car, and each year end up with something different. Over the last few years, I have ended up with a Ford Escort, Seat Ibiza, Renault Megane, VW Golf, Seat Toledo and an Alfa 146. After trying a smaller car last year and ending up with a Huyundai Getz 1.1, this year I am going back to intermediate.

I always chose imtermediate when I went to Switzerland 3-5 times a year at my last place of work. It costs a bit more but I had A4's, Legacy's, Foresters and alike. However I tried the same thing in Rome and got a Megane.

I think is varies from one destination to the next, Zurich probably sees more high end renters and caters for them accordingly.

EDIT: in 10 trips abroad when I've rented a car, it has only twice been the actual car stated on the rental firm's website.

EDIT 2: If you're under 25, forget anything but the lowest class

As David says, it seems to be becoming a universal scam in Spain. We certainly had no choice when we hired there. Full-full is absolutely fine - it's easy to fill a car up, but virtually impossible to run it to empty. So they stuff you twice:

(1) they overcharge for the fuel; and

(2) they charge for a full tank but get every car returned with something close to 1/4 of a tank.

When we hired in Greece the previous summer, Avis (IIRC) offered a full tank of fuel "as a benefit" and claimed it was at market price.

Two minor problems:

(1) it wasn't at market price at all; and

(2) the Citroen C2 they supplied had the most useless fuel gauge I've ever seen and a range indicator which stops at 50km (IIRC) and then says "---". Lot of f***ing use that is!

As already mentioned, when I hire cars I always give them back with the guage on full. The rental company then refunds any money they charged you for fuel in full.