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Re: <Rental> in Australia

Ephraim Fithian of E39 528i fame asks:

>Wife and I are planning to visit Australia in Oct-Dec 96 and would like to
>rent a car to travel around for 6-7 weeks. Budget quotes $227/week for a
>Ford Festiva A/C, but I would rather drive a BMW while there. Any of our
>Aussie members know of rental companies that rent BMW's? A 316i E36 or ti
>would probably be great if it is reasonable in cost.

It depends where you are going. In Sydney, Brisbane and Melbourne Hertz
offers 318i's. In Sydney John Trivett (one of the BMW dealers) rents 525i's.
Trivett also rents 316i's to clients of his Brisbane dealership's service
department. I don't know if they rent them to non-clients as well. When
renting from a major company in Australia, it is generally possible to pick
up a car in one city and drop it off in another for a fairly small (in
comparison to US pricing) extra fee. This is great if you really want to
see the "great outdoors". It is probably cheaper to book the car and have
the rate set before you leave the US. Expect to pay 1.5 to 2 times as much
as the small Ford. Fuel pricing here is around 55 cents (US) per litre, so
factor that in. Otherwise you should find costs similar to the US for food,
accommodation, etc. Let me know your itinerary: I would be pleased to meet
you or have you drop in on our club activities as you pass through!

><Off-topic> I understand that the Cannonball race is held there in even
>numbered years and speeds reach 185 mph, since there is no speed limit
>outside cities. Do they accept rental cars in the race?

As Alan has already said, only the Northern Territory has unrestricted
highways, and it is so remote that many Australians never even get there.
Victoria has particularly strict enforcement of its speed limits (they
need the revenue more than the rest of the country).

><Even further off-topic> When and where is the Australian Gran Prix Formula
>One race this year? How can I get tickets?

It's was the first race of the season this year, held in March in Melbourne.
Sorry, but you have missed out.

Cheers, Andrew West, BMW Club Queensland, Australia