Hiring a car in Florida for the first time.

[Steve]

The thought of driving in the US for the first time can fill even the most hardy of UK drivers with fear. I know it did for me the first time I travelled to Orlando. I studied all the maps I could find, even a map of the airport to make sure I knew how to get out of the airport! You can hire or take your own Sat Nav these days but back in 1990 they were thin on the ground. Anyway after all of this I still went wrong getting out of the airport. It was also dark, which didn't help, as the flight we arrived on got there about 6:00pm and by the time we got our car it was after 7:00pm. Another thing we saw then that we don't see now was groups of young men, taking you and your luggage to your car and explaining how it all works. That was the only time in all the years we have visited Orlando that we got one of these guys. They apparently worked for tips.

We had ordered a full size car and I think it was a Dodge Intrepid. I remember thinking what a nice car it was and that you couldn't hear the engine running once inside. Once we had tipped the car guy we were on our way. I had driven an automatic many years ago and remembered that I needed to forget about my left foot so the driving of the car was no problem. I have seen a few instances where this is not the case for some first time automatic transmission drivers, who insist on using the left foot for braking resulting in a kangaroo display!! We once walked down International drive on one of the roads that branch off of it after having our evening meal and saw this car jerking its way towards us and came to a halt with a screech of the tyres, the wife opened the window and asked us where the Quality Inn plaza was, there was a couple of anxious kids sat in the back and I could see the fear in there eyes. I told her that they were almost there and to go down this road a little and they would see the entrance. She said with dread, "we haven't got to go back on that busy road again have we?" No I said, this guy must have drove from the airport using his left foot for the brake. So that is something to remember, just drive the car as you normally would but forget that left foot.

Anyway back to my first experience, I did feel nervous and was driving out of the airport, sure I knew what to do and which signs to look for but I still missed my turn off. The reason is you don't get a lot of warning for exit roads some times and I just said past thinking it was coming up but in fact the first time I saw the sign it was where I needed to turn off onto the B-line express way (Beachline) as it is now called. Once we got to where we were staying I realised that it was pretty simple to get about and this was confirmed throughout our holiday. The roads are much wider, the speed limit is somewhat lower than the UK and I found that other drivers tend to be more courteous than the UK. So although it may seem daunting believe me it isn't. I would rather drive there than many of our major cities and motorways.

So go ahead and enjoy!!

[Shirls]

My first time driving in Florida was around two years ago. As someone who hates driving, it wasn't something I was looking forward to.

I made sure I knew where all the buttons and switches were before I left the garage which also included the panic alarm :eek: thankfully someone came over and showed me how to switch that one off!!

So off I went, did miss one turning, but turned round at the next junction and found my way to the villa, via a few shops, feeling very proud of myself.

I now enjoy driving over there. The roads are wide and most people are courteous. You can turn right on most red lights if the road is clear which is so sensible. I do panic a little on some of the left turns across several lanes of traffic, but there are usually guide lines on the road to follow so you don't end up on the wrong side of the road.

I don't think the signage is very good, but you get used to the short notice of turns. Most major roads have junction numbers that relate to the distance from where the road begins, so if you check your junction number before you travel, then you will know how far you are from your turning.

[Steve]

Nice post Shirls, love the avatar too.:)

[jo-anne]

The first time I drove I was feeling very proud of myself as I managed to get from the airport to Publix near our villa, so stoppped to get some groceries. I spent 10 minutes sobbing in the car because I couldn't get the key out of the ignition! I'd never driven an automatic before and didn't know about the 'park' option when I'd turned off the engine!!!!!!!<:embarr

[Steve]

The first time I drove I was feeling very proud of myself as I managed to get from the airport to Publix near our villa, so stoppped to get some groceries. I spent 10 minutes sobbing in the car because I couldn't get the key out of the ignition! I'd never driven an automatic before and didn't know about the 'park' option when I'd turned off the engine!!!!!!!<:embarr

<:lol Not to worry Jo-Anne, done it myself!! <:widegrin

[Dawn]

Sorry but had to laugh that really tickled me. The first time I drove over there I pulled up under the lights like in this country, instead of stopping back. I must admit I did shaking like a leaf as I was driving never done it since. <:widegrin

[ncmurray]

The first time we drove in the US, we had a seven seater minivan, and when we stopped at a shop to pick up a few bits, we engaged the footbrake. When we got back into the car, neither of us could find out how to disengage the footbrake. We tried pushing it in again, but this only locked it more. Eventually, we had to ask a man that was walking by if he could help us out. It turned out that there was a small lever that you had to pull in order to release the brake. Even now, I think that it is a really strange way to release the brake<:confused

[Steve]

The first time we drove in the US, we had a seven seater minivan, and when we stopped at a shop to pick up a few bits, we engaged the footbrake. When we got back into the car, neither of us could find out how to disengage the footbrake. We tried pushing it in again, but this only locked it more. Eventually, we had to ask a man that was walking by if he could help us out. It turned out that there was a small lever that you had to pull in order to release the brake. Even now, I think that it is a really strange way to release the brake<:confused

<:lol Yes I have come across both types, The very first car I hired had the push on push off type. Then all the others since have had the push on with the release lever.

I remember once, we flew into Newark and drove to Niagara Falls for a few days then drove South to Florida. We picked up an 8 seater GMC van at Newark, with Florida plates after paying $300 for a one way rental as we were going to change the car once we reached Orlando for another one for the last 3 weeks as the rental rate is a lot cheaper in Florida. On arriving at Orlando and having time to reflect on the journey down, we realised that we had paid Alamo $300 to take one of their vehicles back to Florida for them!! So we complained to the booking clerk at Orlando and they refunded it and gave us a brand new Dodge Grand Caravan. Anyway back to the reason for this post. After we left Niagara, we stopped somewhere for a bite to eat. When we came back to the vehicle it was my turn to drive and I put the key into the ignition, turned it and nothing..... turned it off and back again still nothing. We thought oh no! After several minutes thinking that we will have to call Alamo out I tried once more, this time I happened to put my foot on the brake pedal and it started! Both the other driver and myself must have previously done that when we wanted to start the vehicle, without noticing and this one time I didn't do it. <:Doh! So needless to say it is second nature now. Maybe we didn't have the parking brake on and it is a failsafe type of thing. I rarely use the parking brake over there and over here in my car, it's an automatic too, unless I am on a steep hill, then I would.