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Car Hire Question

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Wed, 04/29/2015 - 10:24
amy1989's picture
amy1989
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Car Hire Question

Hi!

Hope you can help me out here we are looking at hiring a car for our trip in September just for a few days to get us to the outlets etc and I'm in the process of pricing up and noticed there are 2 prices one for just the car hire and another for car hire and GPS now last year we added the GPS on but paid for it when we handed the car back with the other costs etc and we had a seperate GPS system so when I am looking its PS11.99 per day for GPS but only about PS10 difference to have the GPS included.

now onto my actual question! if the GPS is included in the price does that mean the GPS is in the car rather than a removable device or does anyone know if I can request a removable GPS? the one we had last year was soooooooo easy (and seen as last time I couldn't even work how to get the radio on in the car the simpler the better!!!)

hope this makes sense and someone can answer my question

Thanks in advance!!!

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Wed, 04/29/2015 - 13:58
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Hi Amy. We usually rent from Hertz and don't opt for the GPS as I have a removable one, and my husband's phone is capable of giving directions. However, when we went to WDW in Sept, picking up the car from Hertz was such an ordeal (we had a reservation, but their system didn't have any of my husband's info; they had to put it in manually; when they were almost finished, their computer crashed, and they had to do it all over again), they included a GPS at no charge. It wasn't one of those that is built into the dashboard. It was a removable unit that was somehow permanently attached to the car. It looked like it was made in the 80's...bright yellow plastic/rubber case with big rubber buttons, black & white screen. And it was very confusing. We couldn't figure out how to operate it so we just used mine. If we had to pay for it, I would have been very angry. It was worthless. That is my one and only experience with using a GPS in a rental car. I can't speak for any other rental car company, but if you're renting from Hertz and your phone is capable of giving directions, I'd skip the additional cost of a GPS.

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Wed, 04/29/2015 - 14:23
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well we rented ours from alamo last time (from the Disney car care centre) and because this was my first time driving over in the USA and the removable one they gave us was amazing everything was programmed in and I assumed that if I got a deal that included GPS that I would get one of those but my mam said it could be a built in one and if its anything like the built in one in my car at home then I would never get anywhere with it!!!

thanks for your input anyways

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Wed, 04/29/2015 - 15:47
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If you have a smartphone with international roaming, you should be able to use its navigational features to travel here mickey .

I think wheelchair

Wed, 04/29/2015 - 17:02
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I've usually gone through a site called US Car Hire and they link onto the cheapest deal out in the States - usually with Alamo or Thrifty. I haven't ordered a GPS rental since the first time when I got stung massively on the cost of hire. I bought my own US maps to fit the Garmin I have and took that over with me. I have my work phone as a backup as a couple of times it looks like the charger hasn't done its work and I've been left almost stranded.

http://www.uscarhire.com

If you have a GPS unit in the UK, then it'll be cheaper to buy a map and take yours with you...I got mine for $25 on eBay and it turned up just in time for my trip in October 2013.

Back to your question, I'd imagine if it said GPS included, then it'll be either a removable unit they have a deal with or will be an in-dash one but that generally tends to be on the more expensive cars.

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Wed, 04/29/2015 - 17:46
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Emilio wrote:
If you have a smartphone with international roaming, you should be able to use its navigational features to travel here mickey .

I think wheelchair

Usually that would be our go to but being from the uk it would cost us massively to use the phone out of wifi!

Thanks for that sid man I think I know somebody with a garmin might look into it otherwise I'll just order it to be on the safe side because as confident as I am on the roads I'm a worrier by nature!!!

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Wed, 04/29/2015 - 17:49
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amy1989 wrote:
Emilio wrote:
If you have a smartphone with international roaming, you should be able to use its navigational features to travel here mickey .

I think wheelchair

Usually that would be our go to but being from the uk it would cost us massively to use the phone out of wifi!

Thanks for that sid man I think I know somebody with a garmin might look into it otherwise I'll just order it to be on the safe side because as confident as I am on the roads I'm a worrier by nature!!!

To be honest, I believe the GPS would probably work better over in the States than over here in the UK...and it's well worth having one as a backup. Also look at getting a 3 SIM - they have 'all you can eat' data, even on PAYG (but they're subject to another bolt on). That way you'd have the GPS and a back up on the phone.

It's never the getting in that worries me...it's the getting out!

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Wed, 04/29/2015 - 17:55
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Sid Man wrote:
amy1989 wrote:
Emilio wrote:
If you have a smartphone with international roaming, you should be able to use its navigational features to travel here mickey .

I think wheelchair

Usually that would be our go to but being from the uk it would cost us massively to use the phone out of wifi!

Thanks for that sid man I think I know somebody with a garmin might look into it otherwise I'll just order it to be on the safe side because as confident as I am on the roads I'm a worrier by nature!!!

To be honest, I believe the GPS would probably work better over in the States than over here in the UK...and it's well worth having one as a backup. Also look at getting a 3 SIM - they have 'all you can eat' data, even on PAYG (but they're subject to another bolt on). That way you'd have the GPS and a back up on the phone.

It's never the getting in that worries me...it's the getting out!

My issue isn't getting in or out mines the navigator to my right!!!!! Last year we picked the car up and we're headed to our hotel near DTD so a sign left lane DTD, right lane EPCOT so I started gravitating to the left "no no Amy we need to go right that's what the gps says" okay then if that's what it says so be it........,followed the road around and were greeted with the signs welcoming us into EPCOT

Sat nav (which I named betsy) was not wrong, navigator was!!!!! Good job navigator is my mother and I love her!!!

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