Driving Rented Cars

Due reasons that would be so long and boring to explain, the last 2 months I had been renting different cars in Madrid.

I love to drive, not even the traffic in rush hour is something that could get me mad about driving… well, that reminds me one day that I took a taxi and you know, I was on those days that would like to talk not really mattering with whom, so, actually without thinking so much, I told the driver: “I really love Madrid!” and he answered: “aha, seems you don´t drive a lot at rush hours or you would think the opposite!” Well, I wasn´t on the mood of fighting, so, I just answered “well, it should be…”

But I really mean it, as far as I can have the music on, I don´t care about the traffic at all! :D Well, actually it also depends on the day… I remember a situation: I was 26 y/o, in Guatemala, rush hour in the morning, taking my daughter to school and in a so concurred avenue, the traffic light turned into green. I was the second one at the line, so I´d move but I´m afraid that line haven´t moved at all, so I was blocking the perpendicular street and the line didn´t move at all till the traffic light turned into red… :( No way to move to any place and yes, of course, the one that I was blocking started to blow the horn in a way that I really understood he was thinking about my whole family and not exactly in a nice way! I really can´t do anything and it definitely wasn´t my intention, but he kept on blowing the horn, so finally I turned my head to watch him and he start to “tell” me something like idiot, gesticulating… so I sent him a kiss… no, I haven’t even thought about it, it was the kind of things that time to time I find myself doing and immediately I think “but what I´m doing???”. Immediately I turned back my head. Well, it worked. He stop at all, I can imagine he was waiting whatever but not that from me… yes, it was a good day for me, otherwise my logical reaction I think would be related with an specific finger of mine, but well, maybe it wouldn´t be that effective anyway! ;) (And not, I´m not recommending doing that in a similar situation, this was just to give a good example of how different could be my own reaction in a good or a bad day).

Also, if you watch a lady dancing a bit while waiting at a red light… could be me… :D Yes, I know, being inside a car doesn´t mean you are inside a bubble that protects you from the glances of the people outside… but… I just can´t stop myself! (No worries, you wouldn´t find me doing that at the metro or at the bus) ;P

Let´s go back to the point. To rent a car could be something that anybody thinks it´s so expensive. It really depends. Searching in internet you can find a lot of cheap options, here maybe the point is how to know in which companies can you trust if it´s not in your own country. In this case I recommend you to search in forums, in case you have no one to ask about.

In Spain, and after a lot of searching and comparisons, my recommendations are:

Pepecar.com: it´s the cheapest one, you can find cars from 9€ per day, that includes taxes, but you have to add 16€ for preparing the car (it´s the total quantity, if you rent the car for one day, you have to pay 16€ more, if you rent the car for 20 days, you also pay just 16€ more). This renting price includes 100 kms. per day and an a just a third party insurance, if you want an all risk one, you should pay extra, something like 20€ per day. Also you should present a credit card where they will charge 150 € (again a flat rate), as deposit, in the moment you return the car they´ll cancel that charge. You can rent cars with them at their web, but also calling them by phone (so expensive to do it by cellular phone, btw) or by Halcón Viajes (I´ll explain this a bit latter). They have all the kind of cars that someone could need. The clue with this company is to rent with more or less a month in advanced, then you´ll get the better prices, if it´s for renting during the summer, better to do it with more time in advanced. This is due the rates change day by day depending on the amount of rents they have. Important: read carefully all the details before you confirm your purchase, they won´t accept any change no matter how obvious an error could be.

As negative points, renting with them you can´t return the car in a different location. In case you want it, it will cost you 100 € more.You can´t take the car out of Spain.

Easycar.com: I haven´t rent with them till now, due I always find better prices with pepecar, but it´s also a good option.

Halcón Viajes: they work with bonuses you buy at their agencies called “Week-End plan”. It means, if you want to rent a car with them, you should go to one of their agencies to buy the bonuses. They have special agreements with:

Pepecar: here you have the prices and conditions for 2009:



Yeap, could be more expensive than buying straight with Pepecar, but really depends, at summer, for example, if you haven´t done your rent with time in advanced, then this could be a better option, especially if you will rent for more than 5 days.

Remarkable: they include an all risk insurance and 500 kms. per day. You have to pay the preparing the car fee, that in this case is just 10 €, payable at the car agencie.

National Atesa: here you have the prices and conditions for 2009:





Yeap, more expensive than Pepecar, but still a good option if you didn´t find there and I should say they have the cars in better conditions.

Remarkable: you can return the car in a different location with no extra fee. They also offer renting out of Spain, but you should check it out at Halcón Viajes agencies.

Alamo: for renting in USA, you should check out at their agencies.



Anyway it´s a good idea to search straight to Alamo´s web, I have rent straight with them in Miami, very good prices and very good attention. You can also rent cars with them in all this places: (The blue ones).



Take into a count, when you rent a car, that you should ask anything about the car and to try everything before leaving the agency… and I´m not talking just about the damages the car could have, no, no! TRY EVERYTHING! Here some of my experiences for you to have an example of what could happen to you if you don´t do so!

I had rent a Ford Fusion car. Immediately after taking it from the agency, I went to the gas station that was a self service one (must gas stations in Spain are already self service). When I tried to open the gas tank… no way! I searched for any special button inside the car… nothing! The line was growing, so, I decided to go to the next one to ask for help, explaining that I had rent that car, of course… he also tried in different ways… nothing! He ask the one at the side to please help us… so, we were 3 adults, with the custom of driving cars, trying to open a simple gas tank without finding the way to!!! Finally I decided to call the attention service, but at the same moment a guy of the gas station came to ask if he can help us… yeap! He was an expert! And actually it was so easy, you just need to push before to unscrew it… like some medicines, for you to understand me. :/

I also had been several times without locking the doors when I was inside the car due I haven´t find a way to… till finally I´d ask at the agency! And yes, it was so simple but definitely I wouldn´t imagine how to! It was about pushing the small handle you usually pull for opening the door! No, I haven´t seen that before!

But actually my favorite anecdote happened to me the last Saturday… and it was the reason I decided to write this post! I had rent a Smart for Two. It´s a lovely car! With my previous experiences and taking into account this is an automatic car (I should say semi automatic do you should do more things than in a normal automatic one), I asked, from my point of view, EVERYTHING before going out of the agency. I had gone with my daughter to take it from the agency, so I invited her to breakfast, but the time for asking for breakfasts was almost over, so I told her to go to the cafeteria and the breakfast I would like to have and I should go alone to find a parking. After several times going around the block without finding a place (not even for this small car!), I decided to go inside a parking… Thanks of God! I should say! I´d park the car, switched off the lights, turned off the motor… and when I tried to take out the key… no way to!!! :( I searched for a button close to the starter, at the own key… all over the car!!! Nothing!!! :( After trying anything I could imagine, and have thought about all my options (even to leave the car with the key and to go to search my daughter to go back to the agency, but after thinking that maybe the car would lock automatically the doors once I closed it, I´ve rule out that option… and no, she haven´t take her cellular with her…), finally I´d call the assistance phone… and I had to talk with 2 different people that were almost sure I was doing something wrong (smart people! Point was to find out what exactly!), they decided to open an incidence report and to send me someone to help me, but I should give them the address and I didn´t know it, that wasn´t at the ticket neither, so I leaved the car with the door a bit open (the lady at the phone told me it would lock if I close the door), and went to search the person in charge of the parking… that once I told him my problem, smiled like saying "aha! Once more!" And came to the car with me… and yes! He can take out the key!!! Here the point was that, even when talking by the phone, when they asked me if I gear lever at neutral position, I answered yes, due in a manual car neutral position is when you can move the lever to the right and the left without problem… but in this car, you should put it completely at the right, then it´s in neutral position!! (Not even the girls at the phone new that actually). My poor daughter was really scared when I finally went inside the cafeteria! Already thinking about calling the police! :/

Isn´t it cute?? :D

Moral: ask EVERYTHING before taking out a car of a rent agency… and… enjoy the life! :)

Maybe this is a good moment to mention something else about driving in Spain. I really don´t remember now, but I think this happens just in Spain, it´s about traffic lights. In Spain you have traffic lights at the beginning and at the end of every block (as far as you have traffic lights, of course), and you should obey both, so, if for example you need to turn to the right, in the new block, at the beginning of the street, you´ll have for sure another traffic light that you also should obey, so, if it´s red, you have to stop, and yes, be sure it causes traffic jam! Anyway, for having it a bit more clear, here you have a video explaining it:



Btw: if you know other cheap and good rent a car agencies, no matter in which country, would be great if you leave the name (and the link if it´s possible for you) at the commentaries, so we all can enjoy their advantages! :D