Adventures on Wheels

[romes]

Hello all!

now like everyone here myself and 2 friends are planning on going on about 1 and a half month (55 days-ish) trip up the west coast of america and back again starting in los angeles and returing to los angeles, to alaska and through canada a bit.

and like everyone else here i have been bamboozled (a great word that is) by the overwhelming number of options for rental, leasing etc etc. However after coming across Adventures on Wheels. i think they may be the people to go with, their website seems straight forward and honest... so lets hope they are.

all 3 of us are under 25 (the eldest will be 24 years old).


so i have a few questions:

is Adventures on Wheels the best option? (and by best i mostly mean cheapest, most reliable + reputable)?

assuming Adventures on Wheels is the option we go with, how do i know what insurance to get with them? and how do i know what that insurance covers exactly?

now i think i vaguely understand the different types of insurance - CDW basically protects you from the car being stolen or damaged, and SLI is pretty much 3rd party insurance so if i run into someone else's BMW then i shouldn't have to pay for the repairs to it.

in regards to other insurance, our travel insurance covers us for medical bills and alike if we are in accident (but it does not cover anything else to do with motor vehicle travel).

however, adventures on wheels state in its quote that basic liability insurance is included...
what is basic liability insurance,

is CDW and/or SLI insurance worth getting?

what exactly does Adventures on Wheels' Basic Liability, CDW and SLI insurance cover and not cover?


now i have emailed Adventures on Wheels to ask for their rental and insurance policies but they have not replied.

can anyone help me out with any advice? or by some miracle provide me with their rental & insurance policies? or be able to recommend another rental or leasing car company for a group of Australian travellers all aged under 25?


our rental needs to have unlimited miles and be able to travel up to alaska and canada.


Cheers,
Romes



p.s. here is the quote i got from their website, this quote has all the insurance options in it that they offer:

Rental Price Quote for 2000 C1 Compact Sedan
Item Quantity Price
Rental Base Rate 53 days $1,815.16
Included Miles unlimited miles $0.00
Subtotal $1,815.16
Tax 8.25% $149.75
Coverage:
Basic Liability (included) 53 days $0.00
Supplementary Liability Insurance (SLI) & Collison Damage Waiver (CDW) [$500.00 deductible] 53 days $739.35
Total (includes unlimited miles)

$2,704.26

[Mark Sedenquist]

is Adventures on Wheels the best option? (and by best i mostly mean cheapest, most reliable + reputable)?

Here's one field report by someone who used Adventures and found them helpful.

and how do i know what that insurance covers exactly?

Here's a basic primer about what kinds of automotive insurance is used here in the States.
Here's an overview of some international insurance options
Other buy-back firms

Mark

[Lifemagician]

Check your travel insurance carefully, and speak to the company, tell them what you are planning to do.

I think you will find that it has a box to tick if you will be driving a lease / rental car. If that is the case, you will probably find that the CDW and supplementary liability are already covered. Absolutely no point in paying for the same insurance twice.

From my experience rental companies have just taken a photo copy of my insurance policy, and not charged insurance.

Lifey who is confident you would not dare travel without insurance

[romes]

ok, well our travel insurance is with world nomads who have said (and i have looked through the policy) that they do not cover rental cars, they only cover you if you are in an accident (the medical side of it that is).

thanks for the replies so far they are great!