Car rentals

We rented a car while we were away recently .   I was inclined to support Apex, the New Zealand based organisation that have recently started up here.   We had a good experience with them in New Zealand and their pricing is transparent.   Although they're not based at the airport at Coolangatta, they're close by and offer transfers.   They've had good reviews on Trip Advisor.

However, on checking other sites, the deal with one of the majors through the Qantas Frequent Flyer site was unbeatable for what we wanted.  The catch, of course, is that if you take out their insurance (sorry, "excess reduction") cover, you pay all  the savings back to them.    But in this day and age, you don't have to have comprehensive insurance through the car rental company, as there are a number of travel insurance products available that specifically cover you for car hire excess at a much more reasonable cost (here's one).  Yes, it seems odd to take out travel insurance for a domestic trip, but the economics definitely stack-up, especially if the cover is limited to the driver.   Obviously, if you are involved in a situation where the car rental company is looking to collect from you, you have to meet the cost and then claim from the insurer.  Fortunately, I haven't had this experience, so I can't vouch for how the procedure works in practice.

Not the actual car we had but the same model

Of course, it can happen with any car rental, but having booked a "small automatic" we were bemused to find a Hyundai i45 waiting for us in the designated spot.    Apart from being bigger than I'm used to (but pleasant, all the same), there were a couple of initial challenges.    Working out how to start the car was one.  Ah, there's a button to push!    And then the hand-brake?   Where's that?   There isn't one - it's a foot-operated brake.    And the petrol cap release ...neatly tucked away under the armrest on the door.

I was also a little taken aback at just how much it cost me to fill the tank before returning the car, only partly explained by the high cost of fuel near the airport and the fact that this car wasn't as fuel-efficient as I am used to.  Yes, the gauge did show "full" when we picked the car up (I checked).....but from the speed with which the gauge dropped from the full mark, I suspect that it had been "only just" full.