Hire car options at Launceston?

[Robbo]

I know there was a thread a few months ago relating to taking HCs onto dirt roads, but I am unable to find much information online about the cheaper options for HCs in Launceston. As I'm looking to come across to the annual strollers walk in a few weeks time - if things are finalised before the airfares go up too much - does anyone have contacts re the cheaper hire car places in the North? It is not always easy to get information from across the water and local knowledge on such things is always better anyway. I have a few things I need to do in the North before the walk, so some transport would be helpful.

Any information would be much appreciated.

Cheers

TR

[Ent]

The Launceston visitor centre has details of a small car hire business. Dafna used them and I was impressed. They delivered the car the day before and collected it next day after the hire period and providing you stuck to recognised roads had no problem with gravel roads. To top it off they were the cheapest. Pity I can not remember the name but Dafna found about them from the Launceston Visitor centre. They do not have an office in town so everything is done by phone. As for the bigger mobs best link to the thread Johnw started as his research was detailed on what to expect.

Cheers Brett

[eggs]

We used a hire car with start/finish in Launceston for part of our last trip.

It was with Selective Car Rentals. We were there on Saturdays - so we had to get it from near the airport.
The people there also managed Bargain Car Rentals.
The hire was a reasonable price for a "worn" car. Good engine / tyre condition, but the body and interior showed some wear and tear.
Given we were bushwalking - this was a minor detail.
As far as dirt roads went - unlike the bigger companies that ban dirt roads, this one merely upped the excess for damage on such roads, which I thought was reasonable.

[johnw]

Robbo,
This is the topic that I raised about this:
http://bushwalk.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=2322&p=23605&hilit=car+hire#p20429

We ended up with Budget and I was quite happy with them. Of the major providers they were OK with unsealed roads etc. Most others were not, or had ambiguous clauses in their T&Cs. Didn't have any problems and no unexpected credit card amounts turned up after the trip. I was a bit careful about where I went though, so probably minimised the risks myself to some extent. I remember we attempted to go up one of the dirt roads on the Blue Tier and were stopped by a fallen tree (almost) blocking the road after quite a few kms. We tried to move it but it was too heavy so decided to abandon the idea. I may have just squeezed past but more likely a few surface scratches would have resulted. In my own 4WD I would have done that but wasn't going to risk it in someone else's. If I can find the name of the guy I dealt with at the Launceston depot I'll PM it to you. I found him to be helpful both on the phone and when we arrived, and he had some bushwalking awareness. Whoever you go with, make sure to do a thorough inspection of the vehicle with the hire representive and ensure that they document all existing damage, including underneath and inside, before you take delivery.

[Robbo]

This is the topic that I raised about this:
viewtopic.php?f=3&t=2322&p=23605&hilit=car+hire#p20429

Thanks for this, John, I read your posts at the time and they came up again when I did a search this afternoon.

And thanks eggs and Brett for your replies - all very useful information.

Cheers

TR