This year’s summer villa holiday is on the island of Lefkas, Greece.
Hire car is from Drive S.A who seemed to have reasonable reviews. On arrival met by friendly staff. No hard sell on additional insurances. Led to a Toyota Corolla saloon, with numerous battle scars and a missing wheel trim. Documents in the glove box reveal it’s a 2017. No idea of engine, other than it’s petrol and puny. It really struggles on the hilly roads. Our villa is up the side of a hill, accessed by a dirt track which has a very steep descent into a tiny parking area - think 6 point turn to turn round to get out. It’s so underpowered there’s much slipping of the clutch required to get it started on the ascent out.
It’s a poverty spec, however it has working aircon, thank the Lord.
Hope the clutch survives until Sunday. Wish I’d asked for an auto now :-)
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I'm sure it will be fine.
My recollection of driving on Crete a few years ago leads me to believe that your hire car will be in excellent condition compared with a lot of the locals and will stagger on for years to come.
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Seven years is positively geriatric in hire car terms, I wonder if it's got some other issue.
I laughed out loud when the agent for the hire company on Madeira suggested I should upgrade as a 1 litre engine wasn't up to hauling our carcasses over the island's mountains. It turned out to be a 120PS unit.
I'd accept that 90PS or even 75 might have required more gear stirring but I'm sure locals managed in the era of the Mini 850 or Renault 5.
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Years ago, I hired a Micra (I think) in Madiera. Second gear on the ascent over 'the hump' motorway standard road, thanks no doubt to EU funding.
Some of the tunnels were hazardous, going from bright sun into dimly lit caverns that weren't straight (you couldn't see the light at the end and needed wipers for dripping water). Locals seemed to cope far better, or they just hoped there wasn't a tourist somewhere ahead!
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A couple more trips out and I’ve mastered the ridiculously steep from a standing start track. I think the clutch will survive, hurray!
When we picked it up, the rep went round with me and pointed out existing damage, advising me to take photos. It was a whistle stop tour in baking heat. I’ve tonight noticed a scuff on the front bumper that I’m certain hasn’t been caused by me, but wasn’t mentioned at pick up. I suppose we’re going to see how good the excess insurance I bought in the UK is now, aren’t I?!
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You did take photos before driving away ?…Im a bit OTT with photos ( and video) but then I’ve been stung twice…although I must have rented almost 100 times over the past decade.
My CDW policy paid out in full, no excess , within a few weeks. Claimed online…very simple but make sure that if you are charged, it is essential they provide you with an invoice, and take photos of the damage they charged you for.
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I took photos as the employee led me around the car, but missed this particular scuff. I have a photo of the car I took a day later and can see the damage - but that’s no use.
I’ve been onto the excess insurance provider’s website and have a list of things I need - including that all important invoice.
Thanks very much.
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Early 90s.
Fiat Uno hire car. 850cc or thereabouts?
Took 4 of us up Mount Teide in Tenerife. Just…..
However struggled even more on way back down….. brakes were cooked.
Low gears and handbrake use to get back down!
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>> Early 90s.
>> Fiat Uno hire car. 850cc or thereabouts?
>> Took 4 of us up Mount Teide in Tenerife. Just…..
>> However struggled even more on way back down….. brakes were cooked.
>> Low gears and handbrake use to get back down!
Motorbremsen
Utilises votre frien moteur etc.
Low gear from the get go.
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Bromp - should be:
"Motorbremse (benutzen)!"
and "(Utilisez votre) frein moteur".
Sorry. I know I'm a pedant when it comes to this sort of thing.
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>> Bromp - should be:
>>
>> "Motorbremse (benutzen)!"
>>
>> and "(Utilisez votre) frein moteur".
>>
>> Sorry. I know I'm a pedant when it comes to this sort of thing.
Point taken. I was quoting the signs you get on long motorway descents in France
I knew the French was an approximation and misquoted the German.
For years we've been mildly amused by the fact that something is one word in German and pretty much a sentence in Italian.
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--For years we've been mildly amused by the fact that something is one word in German and pretty much a sentence in Italian.++
However a single word in German may be longer than a sentence in Italian!
Grundstücksverkehrsgenehmigungszuständigkeitsübertragungsverordnung
.
or motoring related
Kraftfahrzeug-Haftpflichtversicherung
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Even the Googler translation is a mystery.
"real estate traffic authorization transfer of jurisdiction regulation"
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Hire car returned with no drama - worrying over nothing. The €930 hold on my credit card disappeared today, so all is good.
When I returned the car, I took note of what other cars were there. They all looked quite old - a Fabia, some Hyundai i10s, and some other battered looking Toyotas. Drive SA must specialise in keeping hold of their stock as long as possible. Maybe it’s a Greek thing.
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Hire car - Greece - James Loveless
