First Car Rental South Africa: A Very Good Experience!
Written: Feb 13 '09 (Updated Sep 10 '09)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Instant quotes. Straight-forward contracts. No surprises!
Cons: Their office at Cape Town's International may be under-staffed. Expect long lines during peak hours.
The Bottom Line: Easy to book online. A great selection of cars. Various packages are offered to suit your budget. I'll recommend the Executive Package, as it includes many, many extras.
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| reginafug's Full Review: First Car Rental |
UPDATE: September 2009
I rented an automatic VW Polo for four days. The reservation was handled efficiently. I picked up the car in O.R. Tambo Airport and returned it to a different location in Johannesburg; I was not charged extra for this service. The car was very clean when I picked it up, and had no problems whatsoever with the rental.
I continue to recommend this car rental company!
Original Review - February 2009
Sometimes it's difficult to keep up with the world of mergers and acquisitions, and in the case of car rental companies, in April 2008, EuropCar acquired National and Alamo Car Rental South Africa. Instead of leaving the old name "National Alamo Car Rental" alone, EuropCar re-branded, and called the new entity, First Car Rental, South Africa.
Cape Town is one of the most beautiful cities in the world, with truly spectacular coastal towns and roads, making it a necessity to rent a car. Renting a car offers the tourist infinite freedom to come and go as they please, as opposed to going on a bus tour, on a fixed schedule. This is our second visit to Cape Town, and although we previously rented from Avis and were perfectly happy with the service, I wanted to try a different product.
Booking Online
Online service is something most car rental companies in South Africa do not offer, except for the major players. Smaller car rental companies have a website, but you must inquire first, and you can expect a reply by email several hours later or the next day. Tedious!
As easy as 1-2-3, First Car Rental has an infinitely easy to use website. First Car offers a real-time reservations system and when your online reservation is complete, you are guaranteed to receive the car of choice, at the rate quoted online. There were no surprises at the time of pick-up in Cape Town International Airport. In spite of the fact that our Amex card number was taken at the time of reservation, they only billed the card after we signed the rental contract. We rented a car for 10 days.
Picking up the Car
We were lucky on arrival, and there was only one client ahead of us. Two very friendly guys helped us, worked really fast, and we were out of there in about 10 minutes. We requested a GPS device, but we were told they do not offer them, but we would get a special rate at Vodafone, across the concourse when we showed our contract. Easy enough.
When the reservation process was complete, the Customer Service man called a lot attendant to come help us and take us to the car. The walk from the terminal to the car lot takes about five minutes, and at present there is extensive construction taking place, but with someone else maneuvering the baggage cart on our behalf, it was no effort. Once the First Car guys in the lot spotted us, they took our baggage cart, found our car, loaded the bags, and answered our questions about the car.
The Mazda M-3 rental
The car was in excellent condition, it had less than 3,000 kms, and it was clean and shiny, and we had a full tank of gas. The car already had a good number of dings, and we noticed the left side of the front bumper was not flush with the rest of the car's body. We pointed that out and the attendant scribbled a comment on the sheet. A very cute car this was, and was quite an improvement over our first rental with Avis, the VW Chico.
A Word about Car Models Abroad
It goes without saying that car models found in the US may not be found overseas, so when making a reservation it pays to research the car model you reserve (unless it's a known brand, of course). Since we were splurging a bit more than the last time, this car turned out to be quite comfortable and attractive.
Driving on the left side of the road: It takes a bit of time becoming comfortable shifting a stick with your left hand. It was hard for me to change gears, so I recruited my husband to shift for me. I'd say... Jerry... OK, here goes, Clutch... Shift... well-done! Eventually I got used to it!
The Mazda M-3 is a fun little car, it's well-equipped, and it certainly handles beautifully on Cape Town's very curvy roads that hug the coastline!
By the time we returned the car, the bumper was practically hanging on a wire (left side), so thank goodness the attendant had made thorough remarks on the check-out sheet. We were not billed for that.
Car Rental Details
We opted for the Executive Package because it had unlimited kilometers and insurance was included.
Rental period: December 2008 (high season)
Ten days for a total of R3,020 (approx. US$325).
Inclusions
~ CDW (Collision Damage Waiver)
~ TLW (Theft Lost Waiver)
~ VAT
~Airport Surcharge
~ Tourism Levy
Exclusions
Deposit : R2000, Rental Value, Applicable Add Charges
Contract Fee :R40
Additional Driver :R140 per add driver (one time fee)
No Show Fee: R1000 (about $95)
Final Thoughts
This is our second car rental in South Africa, and we have found the process straight forward, without hidden charges or surprises. When we returned the car, there was only one guy handling the desk and about six clients in line. We were not happy with the nearly 30 minutes wait time, but we were happy that the bumper issue was a non-issue.
We were delighted that there were so many perks included in the rental amount, something that is not possible when renting in the US or other world locations.
We were very pleased with the little Mazda M-3, it worked really well (except for the dangling bumper). Knock on wood, it's been a full two months since we rented this car, and have not seen any additional charges on our Amex card. Overall, minus the long wait on the return, the service we received from the staff when we picked up the car, and the lot attendants, was very good. We would definitely rent again from First Car South Africa.
Thanks to Chris for adding this car rental company to the database!
Recommended:
Yes
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