Best car rental in AU

[mardoc Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close mardoc]

hi all,
me and my friend are thinking to spend August 2012 in Australia, and of course we'll do a roving trip right there.
The plan includes renting some 4wd, naturally Toyota, and leave Perth to Darwin across Outback.
This reason we are looking for a good car rental. we ask for a quote to this one: http://www.4wdcampervans.com/index.html
Does someone of you know them? the cars proposed seem good, and well equipped. unfortunetly price is not too cheap...
Do you have any suggestion regarding it?
thanks in advance
cheers.
Mario

[LaoK User account deleted at own request. Find all posts View Profile Close LaoK]

Re: Best car rental in AU

hi all,
...the cars proposed seem good, and well equipped. unfortunetly price is not too cheap...
Mario

It won't be cheap. We have quite a lot of tourists from overseas crashing/rolling vehicles because they are unfamiliar with our sealed roads with soft shoulders, and our gravel roads which are unique. You will be high risk for any rental company.

It may sound like we here in Australia think we are better than Europe, we are not, we are just different with our Outback. Our roads are so different. We have bulldust holes that you don't even see. Up the far North of Australia we overtake 50 metre road trains on the wrong side because the truck driver wants us to, otherwise we cannot see because of the dust.

The serious off-roaders in this country have skills acquired over many years and they sure know their stuff.

[Capt Crash Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Capt Crash]

Re: Best car rental in AU

Checkout "Wicked Campers" www.wickedcampers.com.au. They have a range of 2 and 4 wheel drive camper vans. They convert Mitsibushi Delica vans for their 4WD camper vans. I see a lot of backpackers coming thru town in this type of hire van than any other brand, so I guess they must be at the budget end of the market.
I have no assocation with the company, just see lots of them on the road.

Cheers

Peter

[leachy_9 Advanced Member Find all posts View Profile Close leachy_9]

Re: Best car rental in AU

Checkout "Wicked Campers" http://www.wickedcampers.com.au. They have a range of 2 and 4 wheel drive camper vans. They convert Mitsibushi Delica vans for their 4WD camper vans. I see a lot of backpackers coming thru town in this type of hire van than any other brand, so I guess they must be at the budget end of the market.
I have no assocation with the company, just see lots of them on the road.

Cheers

Peter

At first I thought you must be joking but the tone of your post suggests you are serious. There have been numerous reports about the road worthiness of Wicked Campers and a subsequent inspection by authorities found almost the entire entire Queensland fleet to be unroadworthy.


Mardoc
Any quality 4WD rental is going to be expensive. Especially if it has been fitted out for remote travel.
If you are looking for a 4wd ad camper trailer, check out Crickey Camper Hire in Perth. They rent good quality camper trailers and 4WDs (Prado, 76 cruiser) that have been fitted out for remote travel.

Another option is to look at hiring a 4Wd from one of the regional centres that services the mining industry. They usually have "mine spec" 4WDs available for rental and have less restriction on where they can be taken compared to city based hire companys.

Leachy

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Re: Best car rental in AU

Yeah, heard bad things about wicked too.
This might work out depending on your luck http://www.standbyrelocs.com/default.aspx

[Schaffer Addicted PP Member Find all posts View Profile Close Schaffer]

Re: Best car rental in AU

I work about 200meters away from the Wicked Campers site in Adelaide (southern City near Gilbert Hotel) and the external condition of the vehicles look dodgy. Wouldn't be something I would touch. Aimed at backpackers on the cheap who are willing for a real Adventure as I wouldn't think the words consistent and reliable can be used to describe them.

[mardoc Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close mardoc]

Re: Best car rental in AU

hi all,
...the cars proposed seem good, and well equipped. unfortunetly price is not too cheap...
Mario

It won't be cheap. We have quite a lot of tourists from overseas crashing/rolling vehicles because they are unfamiliar with our sealed roads with soft shoulders, and our gravel roads which are unique. You will be high risk for any rental company.

It may sound like we here in Australia think we are better than Europe, we are not, we are just different with our Outback. Our roads are so different. We have bulldust holes that you don't even see. Up the far North of Australia we overtake 50 metre road trains on the wrong side because the truck driver wants us to, otherwise we cannot see because of the dust.

The serious off-roaders in this country have skills acquired over many years and they sure know their stuff.

I perfectly understand what you mean.
Luckly we have good African deserts experiences, and ensure you the roads are not better than yours right there.....simply don't exist!
anyway, me too beleive it won't be cheap , most important for us is getting a car that will not crack in the middle of desert....
To be honest, as real lovers of 4wd trip, we'd love to come there with our Land Cruiser, but the transfer needs 2 months by sea each way.. impossible :cry:
waiting for any other suggestion, thanks everybody.
cheers
Mario

[Schaffer Addicted PP Member Find all posts View Profile Close Schaffer]

Re: Best car rental in AU

While it wont be a cheap option you could buy a vehcile over here (second hand) and sell upon the completion of your trip.

I went on a weekend trip with some friends a few years back and while we where there bumped into a fella called Brendan from the UK who was travelling in his 110 Defender. He shipped his Defender over here and then spent about 9 months touring the majority of Australia. I wouldn't have thought it would take two months to get it here but then depending upon how long you plan to be here it may be a suitable alternative. He took in Cape York, Simpson Desert, Kimberly (Gibb River Road, Broome, Mitchell Falls, BNungle Bungles, top of Canning Stock Route), Flinders, Broken Hill (for a Winch Challenge), Kakadu, Red Centre, Oodnadatta and Birdsville Tracks, Fraser Island plus probably a few more locations as well. We met him on the Border Track (took the photos of him going through the bog holes).

Here is a link to his travels. Interesting journey:
Yorkshire Off Road Club Australia 2008

If you do bring a vehicle to Australia be aware that the Quarantine standards are pretty high. Any dirt, grass seeds or other alien items found on your vehcile (inside or out) will fail to pass.

[Capt Crash Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Capt Crash]

Re: Best car rental in AU

At first I thought you must be joking but the tone of your post suggests you are serious. There have been numerous reports about the road worthiness of Wicked Campers and a subsequent inspection by authorities found almost the entire entire Queensland fleet to be unroadworthy

Leachy,
I was and am serious. If you had asked me the same question 2 years ago my answer would have been in the same vein as your response to my suggestion, the old vans they used to hire looked as if they had come from the scrap heap, but recently they seem to have improved the standard of their vehicles. This may have come about from your forementioned inspections. The outward appearance of the vans hails back to the days when the slogans were hand painted, but today its more of a gimick.
I would not recomend a van of this type for travelling the Canning Stock Rout or going off road to cross sand-dunes, however most of the outback roads these days are of reasonable construction and it is more a matter of correct vehicle speed than 4WD type that will get you there safely. Either way it is my suggestion to "check out" these "Budget" vehicles.

Cheers

Peter

[mardoc Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close mardoc]

Re: Best car rental in AU

Leachy,
I was and am serious. If you had asked me the same question 2 years ago my answer would have been in the same vein as your response to my suggestion, the old vans they used to hire looked as if they had come from the scrap heap, but recently they seem to have improved the standard of their vehicles. This may have come about from your forementioned inspections. The outward appearance of the vans hails back to the days when the slogans were hand painted, but today its more of a gimick.
I would not recomend a van of this type for travelling the Canning Stock Rout or going off road to cross sand-dunes, however most of the outback roads these days are of reasonable construction and it is more a matter of correct vehicle speed than 4WD type that will get you there safely. Either way it is my suggestion to "check out" these "Budget" vehicles.

Cheers

Peter

perhaps there was a misunderstanding.
we usually do trips like this:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ugerFirazhA
or this:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wtDDP...eature=related
surely NOT like this:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q8SETudq0nQ :lol: :lol:

we perfectly know what we'll find right there, and just looking for a good rental that could supply great Land Cruisers, to afford the trip as better way as possible.
the possibility of buying cars and sell before leaving is not in the plan, 'cause it will force us to spend lots of days on this.
we have one month holidays only :cry:
having a look on line offers, every single rental seems perfect, but in these cases the infos are never enough.
So, if someone of you guys, has direct experiences or contact , every serious suggestion will be appreciate.
cheers.
Mario

[Davros Advanced Member Find all posts View Profile Close Davros]

Re: Best car rental in AU

I used to visit Kunnanurra every year for 10 days or so. We once hired a mine spec Prado, but it wasn't cheap. The actual hire rate was good, being around $2000.00 for the 10 days, but the excess KM rates were the killer. http://www.hertz.com.au/rentacar/veh...ry=SUV/Minivan
We hired in Perth (picked up at the airport) and drove to Kunnanurra, which left us short of allowable kms for travelling around.

[Schaffer Addicted PP Member Find all posts View Profile Close Schaffer]

Re: Best car rental in AU

How about :http://www.sargent.com.au/

I've never used them but I've seen them advertised and they look to be good. Would be a company that I would consider if I needed to hire a 4wd.

[mardoc Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close mardoc]

Re: Best car rental in AU

How about :http://www.sargent.com.au/

I've never used them but I've seen them advertised and they look to be good. Would be a company that I would consider if I needed to hire a 4wd.

had a look to Sargent, but if i have understood well (sorry for my unperfect english)they propose long time rental and leasing, plus manteniance, only to the companies.
regarding price: 2000aud for 10 days, seems the medium price requested for a 7series, 10series, completely equipped.
next week, i'll restart searching and up-date you.
cheers

[grande1810 Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close grande1810]

Re: Best car rental in AU

there is a 4wd rental company in south Perth, I have seen their vehicles, all look really good,.I dont know the name but they are on Canning Highway in South Perth,
worth trying I suspect,
Cheers mate , enjoy our country when you are here..

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Re: Best car rental in AU

there is a 4wd rental company in south Perth, I have seen their vehicles, all look really good,.I dont know the name but they are on Canning Highway in South Perth,

Core Fleet?