So another travel advice/review website is chock full of everyone's horror stories about specific companies and then it spirals out into all companies. We have decided to go the automatic route. My fiancé does not know how to drive manual at all and I don't want to drive the whole way and be anxious about it after many years behind an automatic myself (we also have never traveled to the Ireland or UK and faced the roadside adjustment). So we're just paying more. Hertz can do it for $425 for a week in an "economy", Dollar for $340 a week in a "standard" (not offering another size), and Thrifty for a week for $251 for an "economy". I'm very familiar with Hertz, have had a positive experience with Dollar in the US, never used Thrifty. None of this includes the CDW but all do say this includes the VAT tax and service charge. Thrifty is obviously the cheapest but seems almost too good to be true. That being said, does anyone have any GENERAL advice on car rentals at the Dublin airport OR specific advice on any of these 3 companies? (We're getting in during the 5am hour if that makes any difference)
(Our credit cards do have car rental insurance but have a specific clause stating that they do not cover Ireland. So we will go the CDW route and avoid the high deposit charge. I am bracing for that already.)
(We are not keeping the car during our Dublin portion of the trip- dropping it off after Newgrange and busing into the city and then back to the airport to leave.)
Thanks for any help!