My husband and I are going to be in Ireland from Sept. 6th to the 26th and we prefer to just rent a car and drive around on our own rather than take a tour. However, the cheapest automatic car we have found is $1800 for the 20 days we will be there. Seems like an awful lot. We have to decide if we are going to do this or just take a 14 day tour (which I really would rather not do) to make it a little less stressful. Once we get out of Dublin, can anyone tell me what the average cost for a b&b or just a decent hotel room should run? Nothing fancy, just clean with comfortable beds. We have to make a decision quickly as the tour is booking up fast.
Thanks for any help you can give me. Sally
Posted by
Pensacola
9110 posts
That time of year you'll be able to find a B&B for sixty-five to seventy-five bucks a night anywhere you decide to stop (no reservations except to get good location in Dublin). The car price seems high,but I don't rent automatics. Snoop around on kayak.com and see what happens.
Posted by
Bloomington, IL, USA
9371 posts
That rental price is high. If you can possibly manage a manual instead, you will find a car for that time period for as little as 356 euro. But even for an automatic, I found one on Irish Car Rentals for 981 euro. Book something now (particularly if you must have automatic), then shop around. You can always cancel if you find something better. Book the smallest car you can manage to fit into with your luggage.
Posted by
OP
Chicago, ILllinois, U.S.A.
3 posts
Thanks for the info on the B&B's. On the price for the automatic trans. car, did the price you got include all taxes and insurance? The $1800 for 3 weeks included everything. they also put a $2,000 hold on your credit card until the car is returned, but I understand that is standard procedure in Ireland. I will try that website and see what I can find. I'm a little afraid of renting a manual transmission since we are senior citizens and it seems really confusing to shift with the left hand while driving on the opposite side of the road fand then all those round-abouts.
Posted by
Minneapolis, MN, USA
8700 posts
If you are comfortable driving a car with a manual transmission in the US, it won't take you long to adapt to doing so in Ireland. Have the person sitting in the passenger seat serve as navigator and give verbal reminders of what to do when entering a roundabout.
Posted by
Omaha, NE
134 posts
Nancy's 981 euros is about $1200. If it doesn't include super CDW, taxes, fees...well, that could easily get to $1800. (Are you adding a second driver?) Also, if you are only renting for 20 days, you may be getting a 2 week, 6 day rental, which may be more than a 3 week rental. (Though Enterprise starts counting it as a week after 5 days I think, so you'd get a lower rate. I'm sure others do as well, but you should check.) Check multiple websites. I think a lot of people suggest AutoEurope? I've also heard stay away from Dan Dooley (or something close to that name). A lot of people on this board have mentioned they got good prices through Budget. I think our Enterprise was slightly cheaper than Budget because I had a corporate class discount. We had a great experience with them.
Posted by
Omaha, NE
134 posts
just thought of something...if you were flying in and out of, say, Dublin, you might consider a few days in Dublin, then pick up the car, then return back for a few days in Dublin at the end to cut down on the time you have a rental. you could also do a few days in dublin, take a train to somewhere, spend a day or two in that city, THEN pick up the car. What I'm saying is, you may not need (or even want) the car for the full 20 days.
Posted by
Bloomington, IL, USA
9371 posts
The 6th to the 26th is a 21 day rental. If you give up the car sooner, you do save some (I checked the same quote minus a day, and it was 936 euro). The quote I got included this: 24 hour breakdown Unlimited Mileage Tax and Basic Insurance Airport surcharge
Administration charge It did not include an extra driver or Super CDW.
Posted by
Atlanta, Ga, USA
2023 posts
We are renting a car through Hertz for two weeks in Ireland-arriving in late September. The cost is around $600 for a manual trans and will have full coverage. This does not include the extra cost of "tire insurance." Will take our chances on not having any mishap that involves tire damage. We have driven in Ireland previously and know what to expect with the roads. Found our hotels and B&Bs on the internet and a few were found on booking.com.
Posted by
OP
Chicago, ILllinois, U.S.A.
3 posts
We are really not comfortable driving a manual transmission on the left side of the road. That means shifting with your left hand too. I think we will rent for 2 weeks, not 3, get an automatic with full coverage, including super cdw. Checking with AAA, Enterprise and Alamo. Keeping my fingers crossed. Thanks to all for input.
Posted by
Sacramento, California U.S.A.
10600 posts
Check AutoEurope.com. They are a consolidator based in Maine and they will show you a variety of options. I always use them in Europe and each rental has been with a different company. I think our car in Ireland was with Budget. Renting directly from the company (Hertz or whatever) may be more expensive. I got an automatic for the same reason you stated you want one. It is enough to concentrate on staying on the correct side of the road. I rent a manual elsewhere in Europe, but it was worth the extra money for the automatic in Ireland.