[pkumar]

Originally Posted by gadadhar

Please share the contact for this rental. I guess you take it on a full tank and return the same way.

The Car Club customer care phone number can be found on their website.
But i had to approach them differently. I was told that they have stopped renting out Innova for personal use. But my office admin guy was old friends with the CEO of car club company, in mumbai. So he gave a call to him and he directed the manager here to allow for Innova rental.

But in future, since i already have a good record with them with this one drive, they said i could get in touch with them without this back door access too, since the good will is now entered in their database.

But the rental they charged (2750/-) would have been the same anyway.

If they dont agree for Innova, you can still go for Fiesta, Santro, etc.

[prince_pervez]

Great Thread, this one goes in my favorites option of IE. Was looking for something like this for a long time. Thanks!

[ranjitp1]

I have taken cars from Hertz in Blore & Hyd.Like the Chennai experience mentioned earlier,it holds good for these places as well.So looks like its a problem with CarzonRent franchisee.I have hired Indicas & Santros from them.

They give it to you on a full tank and you need to return it on a full tank.The Indica & Santro were charged at INR 1500 per day with a limit of 150km per day.In case you hire it for more than 3 days,then its unlimited mileage.The concept of self drive is still too novel in Hyderabad.When I called them up,they said they hardly get any self drive requests.

For security,i had to give them a residence proof/ID Proof/License copy & imprint of the Credit card.

Just a note,if you intend on driving to a place which is not a metro,make sure you carry a letter from them stating it is a self drive vehicle because cops in remote places are not well versed with the ideas of self drive cars.They think you are driving a taxi.I faced this on a drive from Blore to Kerala.Since I had wifey along after a little bit of "discussion" i was allowed to pass.

Had this horrendous experience as well with the indica.on our return from kerala had a front right flat tyre at around 630pm 50kms from Hosur and surrounded by mountains on all sides.I was confident it was no problem at all since I had checked on the spare & the jack before starting.I open the boot and to my horror I find that the rod used to turn the jack is missing.it was never there and i missed out on it as well.It was the scariest moment of my drive life till date.luckily for us,two good samaritans on a bike saw us and offered to go get a mechanic and do the needful.So make sure you check for everything when you take delivery of the car rather than a cursory glance.

[abhi182]

Could you please share the prices you paid for these rentals?

25000/- for 10 days for the Innova
6200/- for 4 days for the Ikon
All exclusive of taxes

Here is another (unworthy ) addition to the list


Name welcome to Smile Self Driv Cars Local Chennai agency apparently run by a guy called Ismail
City Chenai
Car Santro
Rating 1 star - not recommended

CommentsLady in my office booked a Santro for 2 days (@2.4 K) and the guy was supposed to drop it at her address at 8:00 AM (for an additional drop/pick-up charge)

9AM , no sight of the guy...she called him up and he gave some vague excuse

10AM, another call and the guy claimed that he was on the way when he got a falt tyre

11AM, no sight of him still which is when she called a local chauffeur driven cabbie to take her where she had to go

[dhuli]

@pkumar, thanks for your suggestion (last year) on Car Club for innova hire for self drive. I spoke with them short while back. I believe they only rent out small cars. I am trying India Travel House meanwhile. I think your approach to work ones network is a good idea. Cheers.

[KESriram]

One very useful tip while taking rentals. At the time of hire, take thorough photographs of the vehicle (exterior definitely, interior too if desired) with the company representative. Dents always have this habit of going unnoticed while taking the car but being prominent while returning it!

Hyderabad: Autoriders. They have an office in Himayatnagar.
[COLOR=#0e774a]www.autoriders.net[/COLOR]

I hired a Maruti-800 from them 6yrs ago. Think they charged me some 1000/day. Decent service - they take a credit card imprint from you for Rs.10K and tear it up when you return the car properly. Car was in a good condition. No hassles. I don't know how they're doing now

Coimbatore: Yes, there are rentals here as well. Boon for someone people coming further away from Chennai/Bangalore but wishing to drive up the various hills around. There are only 2 agencies here - one of them is getscar: getscar Local Coimbatore contact name is Palani - 9094790305. I hired a Scoprio for 3k/day, they operate 24/7.

I had a very interesting experience with them. Even if your trip is planned in advance, most of these operators don't give confirmations until a week earlier. I was calling them up for over a month and they finally confirmed a Scorpio for me. However, the Scoprio wasn't returned in time so they called up and requested me to adjust with a Qualis for the 1st day and promised that they'll deliver the Scorpio to wherever I wish to on day 2. And they did! There was a driver who came along with the Qualis on day 1 (prompt, one time, received us at the station at 6am in the morning), drove us upto Valparai (I took the wheels in the ghats), drove back to Kovai later in the evening and was there the next morning at 8:30 with the Scorpio. Honestly, I haven't seen/expected such committments from such local operators.

Downside was that the vehicle was lousy (did the job though and no break downs), ill maintained, hard clutch, bad gear throws, A/C didnt work etc., It was basically a jugaad done through local contacts and it showed. There was even a flag pole on the bonnet with DMK flag in it Am hoping the company maintained cars would be in better shape.

While returning the actual owner came to inspect the car and claimed one dent to be my fault. The photos I had took while taking delivery came in handy and he couldn't talk any further.

One thing with local operators is that they give you white board cars (privately owned cars), so you can freely take them across borders without issues.

Other person named Kumar - contact 9489360942. No idea of service, but he sounded very polite over the phone.

Minor irritant with these local operators is that they give the car on empty tank and ask it to be returned the same way!! So you gotto keep a close watch on how to empty on E and still not run out of fuel!!

[dhuli]

Great tips, KE Sriram. Although I wonder if such operators are there in banglaore. The near empty tank funda seems really cheap. If I am in Coimbatore without a vehicle, I will surely check your leads. Thanks.

[joshguy]

I almost finished all formalities for Xylo/Innova in march 2010,but last min i had plans to rent a tempo traveller as the no of passengers increased.

Rental Cars - Self Drive Car - Self Driven Cars in Chennai & Coimbatore

My feedback on Getscar: i felt that they were unprofessional (lying to me), i confirmed them to take a innova for 2 days and called them 15 mins before i reached their office to see the car condition.After i reached they told me that someone came and just took the car for a weeks trip (totally unbelievable) and forced me to take Xylo.

I wanted to negotiate more on the rate so walked out,and then decided to take a tempo traveller.

NOTE: you need to submit your passport to rent your car

Rates:

Innova 3000 /day
Xylo/ 2800 / day

There are lots of other players but all are like owners renting the old (dead) Qualis and scorpio.

Annai self driven car is in such in chennai

Scorpio : 2500
Qualis: 2000/2500 based on your urgency they decide the price

[civicsense]

I am looking to rent a car for self-drive in Delhi next month. I called up Eco Rent-a-Car and they quoted the following rates:

Ritz : 2100 per day
Innova: 3000 per day
Corolla: 3500
Endeavor: 5000

In addition to this, there is a VAT of 12.5% and service tax of 10.3%, which essentially increases the prices by a fourth! Is this usually the case?

Are these rates reasonable? Which are the other reliable car rentals I could try with?

[tarunp]

Hi Guys,

I am based in Mumbai and am planning a 7 day trip to Palampur / Dharamshala / Dalhousie during Christmas week and was wondering if anybody could recommend a good agency for hiring a car (perhaps an Innova or a Scorpio) on a self-drive basis, either from New Delhi / Gurgaon or at Chandigarh.

I would welcome feedback / recommendation from people who have recently used these agencies themselves. Not having hired a car on a self drive basis earlier, I am a little concerned about the terms and conditions of such hire, particularly the attitude of the agency if a minor scratch or dent occurs during the period of hire.

[quadra]

There was an ad by AVIS to hire a endy @2500per day

[ranjitp1]

Originally Posted by tarunp

Hi Guys,

I am based in Mumbai and am planning a 7 day trip to Palampur / Dharamshala / Dalhousie during Christmas week and was wondering if anybody could recommend a good agency for hiring a car (perhaps an Innova or a Scorpio) on a self-drive basis, either from New Delhi / Gurgaon or at Chandigarh.

I would welcome feedback / recommendation from people who have recently used these agencies themselves. Not having hired a car on a self drive basis earlier, I am a little concerned about the terms and conditions of such hire, particularly the attitude of the agency if a minor scratch or dent occurs during the period of hire.

First things first-its going to be super expensive during the xmas/ny time and you would be lucky if you do manage to get a self drive one.

The trusted ones at Hertz(Carz on rent),Avis,Autoriders.The last one is the least reliable of the three.

The process is simple,you negotiate a price with them,leave with them proof of identity,proof of residence,and a preauthorisation on your credit card for an x amount which again is negotiated.As for dents/scratches etc,they generally dont make a big fuss about small line scratches etc,but dents etc are a problem,you could end up forfeiting the deposit amount.Frankly its a big headache the self drive option especially in India.You cant trust the condition of the vehicle,tyre conditions can be dicey,etc etc.

Mumbai to these places,y dont you drive your own vehicle?

The roads are excellent,you could reach Delhi on day 2 from Mumbai and Day 3 you could be at palampur and drive around & go home with memories of an adventeruous drive!

Else I would recco that you hire a car with a driver.

[tarunp]

Ranjitp1, you mentioned Autoriders (which is Mumbai based) as the least reliable - did you personally have a bad experience with them ?

[ranjitp1]

Originally Posted by tarunp

Ranjitp1, you mentioned Autoriders (which is Mumbai based) as the least reliable - did you personally have a bad experience with them ?

Tarun,i have used all three and i know of ppl who use all of them on a regular basis,of the three I would rate Hertz high because their fleet is very well maintained,autoriders the fleet is badly maintained and hence I wouldnt go with them.But cost-wise,you would get the cheapest deals from Autoriders.There is a new kid on the block now, called Car Club (http://www.drivecarclub.com/) ,
pretty decent guys and since they are relatively new,they would be eager as well.I would recco a self drive car,only if you are well versed with the technicalities of a car,as then you would know what to check and you would spot a difference in the noise the car makes etc,else I would go with a chauffeured car.I had an experience wherein I ended up on a highway with a flat tyre at 7pm and I was confident I had everything in the boot to change the tyre and I open the boot and voila everything else is there except the jack spanner.the spanner present in the car was of a different size and hence was rendered useless,then had to hitch hike get things done etc etc.Just an example that you need to be really careful when you take the car and what all to look for.

There is a thread running on this topic,you could read it here http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/route-...-agencies.html

[rajiv.kulkarni]

I am planning to hire a bigger vehicle for my trip to Waynad this X-mas.

Could one of you recommend a good car rental in Bangalore.

I googled and got Hertz and Avis but I believe the franchisee do not do a great job, any ideas would be welcome.

BTW I'm planning to hire a Safari or a Sedan.

Thanks,
Rajiv