Car rental company that will allow a 22yr old to drive??

x8swift9x

As the title says guys, I'm trying to find a company that would be willing to rent a car to me even though I'm (only) 22.

Must be a stupid legal issue I guess, but I think it's stupid that I've been a member of a rifle club since 16, currently applying to the RAF yet I can't find a company that will trust someone my age to rent a car!! Rant over.

OffTheBackAdam

You're a high risk category.
You'd have problems finding an employer that would let you have a company car if you're under 23 too.

x8swift9x

I understand the risk, its just funny how I can own a gun and have the ammunition at my house, but not rent a car (from most of the big companies) I say most, as I have found that europcar allow 21+ on their smaller cars. So i'll be stuck with an underpowered 1.4 golf, but I guess that will have to do!

unixnerd

That sucks. I thought the limit was 21. I had to hire a van through my business for a guy who was installing some unix machines for me, he was under 25 but we didn't have any problems.

cougie

I think it would be a good idea to restrict engine sizes on young drivers. Why do you think a 1.4 L will be underpowered ? I'm sure it will be fine.

unixnerd

A 1.4 is fine for a small car but if someone needs to rent a large estate car or something with lots of room they won't find anything powered by a 1.4.

pastey_boy

x8swift9x wrote:

I understand the risk, its just funny how I can own a gun and have the ammunition at my house, but not rent a car (from most of the big companies) I say most, as I have found that europcar allow 21+ on their smaller cars. So i'll be stuck with an underpowered 1.4 golf, but I guess that will have to do!

by saying you will be stuck with an underpowered car you have just illustrated why hardly no one will let you rent a car. too many young drivers driving like silly tw@ts, killing not only themselves but others too. the golf will easily fly past the speed limit, why do you need a faster car ?

x8swift9x

It is underpowered, no doubt about it! Overtaking isn't going to be easy, and I can imagine hills with a fully loaded car won't be either. Especially when comparing it to the cars I've owned. I've only recently become carless as I no longer saw the need to keep mine.

I guess the statistics are against young people, although I haven't actually looked. Having owned 5 cars, and being a named driver on numerous others with no problems at all (crashes or speeding) Maybe just the tw@ts should be restricted.

pastey_boy

x8swift9x wrote:

It is underpowered, no doubt about it! Overtaking isn't going to be easy, and I can imagine hills with a fully loaded car won't be either. Especially when comparing it to the cars I've owned. I've only recently become carless as I no longer saw the need to keep mine.

I guess the statistics are against young people, although I haven't actually looked. Having owned 5 cars, and being a named driver on numerous others with no problems at all (crashes or speeding) Maybe just the tw@ts should be restricted.

im not tarring all young people with the same brush, but i personally know a fair few families that have been obliterated by young lads driving like maniacs. as with most things nowadays, the majority pay for the lunacy of the few, insurance premiums being a case in point.

*AL*

x8swift9x wrote:

IMaybe just the tw@ts should be restricted.

They are, the insurance companies call them under 25's.

turnerjohn

pastey_boy wrote:

x8swift9x wrote:

I understand the risk, its just funny how I can own a gun and have the ammunition at my house, but not rent a car (from most of the big companies) I say most, as I have found that europcar allow 21+ on their smaller cars. So i'll be stuck with an underpowered 1.4 golf, but I guess that will have to do!

by saying you will be stuck with an underpowered car you have just illustrated why hardly no one will let you rent a car. too many young drivers driving like silly tw@ts, killing not only themselves but others too. the golf will easily fly past the speed limit, why do you need a faster car ?

+1 we've all been young at one point, and Im him guessing most of us have done silly things with a car at one point in our lives. Thats why 1.4 golf is more then adequate...ok its underpowered (compared to a GTi) but the more power you have the more trouble you get yourself in (my second to last car was a 300bhp Impreza Turbo...fun yes but will all the power on tap you end up doing silly things...and I'm 30 :shock: ...oh and touch wood i've never has an accident; thats jinked now I know lol ) even at 21 you have very very very little experience and its experience that means you dont get into a pickle in the first place

x8swift9x

I'm not 21, I'm almost 23 Been looking at an impreza as my next car, possibly a sportback to get the bikes in. Silly, yes we all have - being insured on all my parents cars when growing up was nice! TVR tuscan zzzzzzooooooooooommmmmmmmmmm

spen666

I have to say that the comment re the 1.4 golf being underpowered did bring to my mind that this was the sort of attitude that causes insurers to be reluctant to insure young drivers

EKE_38BPM

I think you've made your point Spen, no need to repeat yourself!

x8swift9x

Typo there, impreza sport wagon - not an audi a3 sportback! Although that would be nice.

Zachariah

Sorry, got to echo Spen here - the fact you consider it important you be able to overtake and zoom up hills at a speed you consider satisfactory is precisely why young men are considered high risk drivers. You do not have a god-given right to drive at ANY speed (including the legal limit) and a 1.4l car will definitely have the grunt to get to 70mph fully laden. And that you even consider a Subaru Impreza to be a desirable purchase. I'm sure you're a very nice and responsible guy - you're a cyclist after all! But you're also confirming every stereotype about young male drivers.

The reason nobody minds you having guns is that you don't carry them round with you everywhere and the statistical risk of you going on a shooting rampage is negligible. It's all about stats, not your personal circumstances. That's how insurance works (and why the recent European ruling on gender equality is bunk and will just give bumper profits to the insurers, but that's another discussion).

cougie

Most of my driving is on dual carriageways and motorways - so I don't need that much power for overtaking. After seeing a lot of bad driving out on the roads in Cheshire during a sportif - I'd say that drivers under 25 possibly haven't the experience or the skills to make overtaking manoeuvres on narrow roads.

This isn't xbox - this is real life and if you get it wrong people can die.

Pross

A 1.4 petrol Golf has 122ps, can do 0-62 in 9.5 seconds and has a top speed of 124mph. That is more powerful and with greater acceleration and top end speed than the 1.6 Bluemotion diesel I am getting as a company car (and as quick as any of the cars I have owned bar one). It is quicker than the Astra SRi my mate had at your age and which was then classed as a hothatch. I am 38 with over 20 years driving experience and manage a family of 4 and a full load of luggage in a less powerful car than that so why on earth do you feel you need more power? The "more power helps you get out of trouble" is, frankly, cr@p and a justification used by people to drive something more powerful than they need. It's 2011, a 1.4 litre mid sized car provides all the power anyone of any age can need unless towing a heavy load (or racing!).

rick_chasey

Street car will let you rent in the UK (mainly in London).

Homer J

Pross wrote:

A 1.4 petrol Golf has 122ps, can do 0-62 in 9.5 seconds and has a top speed of 124mph. That is more powerful and with greater acceleration and top end speed than the 1.6 Bluemotion diesel I am getting as a company car (and as quick as any of the cars I have owned bar one). It is quicker than the Astra SRi my mate had at your age and which was then classed as a hothatch. I am 38 with over 20 years driving experience and manage a family of 4 and a full load of luggage in a less powerful car than that so why on earth do you feel you need more power? The "more power helps you get out of trouble" is, frankly, cr@p and a justification used by people to drive something more powerful than they need. It's 2011, a 1.4 litre mid sized car provides all the power anyone of any age can need unless towing a heavy load (or racing!).

21 years then

nwallace

Having been a passenger in a 1L Fiat Panda 4x4 and having been thoroughly impressed with its performance, I can't agree a 1.4 Golf is underpowered.

And it's been stated about it has 122ps (around 120 bhp?) which is plenty.
Just get your gearing right, if you want a difficult overtake borrow yourself an Austin A40 or something. No that would be difficult, try a 2L SAAB 99 with only 98bhp new (so about 40 now) with a 4 speed box, one you discover what the right gears for doing things is it's easy. (And I'll admit one of the reasons I changed mine to a 5 speed was so the ratios were better for overtaking, they just got the gap between 2nd and 3rd wrong on that box.)

bompington

x8swift9x wrote:

I'm not 21, I'm almost 23 Been looking at an impreza as my next car, possibly a sportback to get the bikes in. Silly, yes we all have - being insured on all my parents cars when growing up was nice! TVR tuscan zzzzzzooooooooooommmmmmmmmmm

I think you answered your own question right there.

Takes me right back to driving up the A9 circa 1984 to go climbing in the Cairngorms, 5 of us with 5 large rucksacks in a Ford Escort 1.1 (that's 45hp, slightly less than my coffee grinder). No problems, just slowed down a bit on the 4% gradient up to Drumochter.

Young people these days...rant...grumble...snore....

rick_chasey

bompington wrote:

x8swift9x wrote:

I'm not 21, I'm almost 23 Been looking at an impreza as my next car, possibly a sportback to get the bikes in. Silly, yes we all have - being insured on all my parents cars when growing up was nice! TVR tuscan zzzzzzooooooooooommmmmmmmmmm

I think you answered your own question right there.

Takes me right back to driving up the A9 circa 1984 to go climbing in the Cairngorms, 5 of us with 5 large rucksacks in a Ford Escort 1.1 (that's 45hp, slightly less than my coffee grinder). No problems, just slowed down a bit on the 4% gradient up to Drumochter.

Young people these days...rant...grumble...snore....

Hey - just be pleased he can afford a car in the first place.

Most of my friends the same age can barely cover rent and food, let alone a car.

Pross

bompington wrote:

x8swift9x wrote:

I'm not 21, I'm almost 23 Been looking at an impreza as my next car, possibly a sportback to get the bikes in. Silly, yes we all have - being insured on all my parents cars when growing up was nice! TVR tuscan zzzzzzooooooooooommmmmmmmmmm

I think you answered your own question right there.

Takes me right back to driving up the A9 circa 1984 to go climbing in the Cairngorms, 5 of us with 5 large rucksacks in a Ford Escort 1.1 (that's 45hp, slightly less than my coffee grinder). No problems, just slowed down a bit on the 4% gradient up to Drumochter.

Young people these days...rant...grumble...snore....

My first car was an 1982 Escort 1.1L, it had an economy light that came on to show you were being heavy footed but it was on permanently just to go anywhere. 3 of us went to race at Castle Combe with our bikes on the roof plus another passenger and I couldn't even get to 50mph going up the drag on the M4 between Bristol and Bath!

ThatBikeGuy

1.4 with no overtaking power? My 1.2 Punto overtakes with ease, like people say it's all about gearing and i'd say a 1.4 is plenty quick enough for any journeys...

bompington

Rick Chasey wrote:

Hey - just be pleased he can afford a car in the first place.

No I'm not, I think spoiled is the word we're looking for here, in its proper sense, i.e. someone who has experienced very nice things and so cannot cope with the merely acceptable, so complains about it.

rick_chasey

bompington wrote:

Rick Chasey wrote:

Hey - just be pleased he can afford a car in the first place.

No I'm not, I think spoiled is the word we're looking for here, in its proper sense, i.e. someone who has experienced very nice things and so cannot cope with the merely acceptable, so complains about it.

Aw boohoo.

I see someone turning green.

HadronCyclist

Ignore the haters. 1.4L is vastly underpowered. Personally think its not worth driving something unless you can get to 62 mph in under 5 seconds.

HadronCyclist

but maybe we should move this thread over to the evo forums so the cyclists dont flame us.

cougie

What is the insurance premium like for a 22 year old on an Impreza ? Must be sky high ?

starlet_gt

Tbh if that 1.4 is 120bhp then its not really underpowered.... hell I have a 1.8TDCI focus now with only 115bhp and have no problem overtaking in that if I need to, my other car is over 200bhp and with the current petrol prices I don't even use it. I think you'll do just fine in the golf....