In southern Andalucia, i want to take a rental car for 1 week or 3 weeks. There are just so many uncertainties and if somehow possible, i would make the final decision only two days before picking up the car/returning it. I will arrive in Andalucia around October 10, but would not like to rent before October 18 or so.
I would like to hear your experiences with certain rentals or brokers. I have no rental experience in Europe so far, only overseas. I have read some threads about car rental in Spain already, also regarding the pre-filled-tank scam, and some experiences about carehire3000 and economycarrentals.com.
Some of my aspects:
- I am not sure now where i would like to rent the car, most likely Seville, Jerez or Cadiz (aware that driving downtown is no fun, will happily try to pick up at airport or elsewhere out of town). But in the first week in Andalucia, i don't need the car.
- I would prefer an open-end rental, i cannot really say if i need the vehicle for 1 week or 3 weeks. Is that doable? (I do have a regular credit card and a V Pay bank card (girocard)).
- Do i have to fix the return city in advance? I would love to have the option of several allowed return cities (including Seville, Jerez, Cadiz and maybe other places in mainly southern Andalucia). Can i decide on the drop-off point (and the drop-off date) spontaneously while already using the car, maybe just two days before drop-off?
- The ideal car for me would be small (1 pax only), with back door, automatic gear, high ground clearance (even if that sounds contradictory), smooth and troublefree. I don't plan (or even like) any offroad driving, but sometimes i get "taken away, discovering" and i feel safer with a hi-legged car. A navigation system would be ok.
- I like a smooth and hasslefree car and service. I happily pay a few Euro more if it reduces the stress just a little. I would also accept to pay more to get the desired flexible arrangements outlined above.
If you could recommend any navigational (GPS) system for Android useful in Andalucia, i would be interested too. I will have a 1:200.000 paper map and an Android phone with OSM and with Google Maps (hopefully mostly online, depending on available Spanish SIM cards). So far, i had great experiences with Google Maps navigating on several continents, but you never know which services they will offer tomorrow – or not – and which ones will be available offline as well. I'd love a system where i can mark my own points of interest by tapping on the phone or alternatively also by clicking the place on a laptop screen. I also need the navigation for city walks.
Thanks for all recommendations and experiences!
