Car Hire From Bkk Airport

[Siam1973]

Many good deals for renting a car from the airport but i have a few reservations

If i picked a car up at the airport is it difficult it to drive out of the Bangkok area heading to Korat?

How long would it take to Korat?

When returning the car to bkk airport is it a nightmare to find the drop-off point?

Any bad points renting a car from the airport?

I've never driven in Thailand apart from a scooter for a week in Phuket, i have no fear of driving in LOS and as i am from the UK drive on the left same same.

seems a good idea at the moment.

[tartempion]

I rented a car with AVIS at Dong Muang airport.

Needed to call them on mobile, wait outside for pick-up, driving with the car I rented to some parking place filling in paperwork .

Dropping car next day at Savanaboom, need to know exact drop-off place (arrivals level, outer curb, door 6?) give a mobile call, wait someone comes to check the car and papers, took 5 min.

Driving to Korat from Savanaboom?

You need to take outer ring East = road number 9, better check a map before you start. You will avoid Bangkok traffic though.

Be careful, after Saraburi the highway goes up and up with slowwww moving trucks (3 lanes?)

be also aware driving in Thailand is a nightmare: high ways have U-turns on the fast lane!!! and motorbikes by the millions who don't give sh*t for their lives, you will see them on the left, on the right, before you, after you and above you, hopefully not under you

[Siam1973]

I rented a car with AVIS at Dong Muang airport.

Needed to call them on mobile, wait outside for pick-up, driving with the car I rented to some parking place filling in paperwork .

Dropping car next day at Savanaboom, need to know exact drop-off place (arrivals level, outer curb, door 6?) give a mobile call, wait someone comes to check the car and papers, took 5 min.

Driving to Korat from Savanaboom?

You need to take outer ring East = road number 9, better check a map before you start. You will avoid Bangkok traffic though.

Be careful, after Saraburi the highway goes up and up with slowwww moving trucks (3 lanes?)

be also aware driving in Thailand is a nightmare: high ways have U-turns on the fast lane!!! and motorbikes by the millions who don't give sh*t for their lives, you will see them on the left, on the right, before you, after you and above you, hopefully not under you

thats the bit im most concerned about, i would have sat nav but finding the exact place to return the car worries me.

maybe i should go to my original plan, book a taxi for 3000 baht and hire a car in Korat for 7-10 days

[think_too_mut]

I rented a car with AVIS at Dong Muang airport.

Needed to call them on mobile, wait outside for pick-up, driving with the car I rented to some parking place filling in paperwork .

Dropping car next day at Savanaboom, need to know exact drop-off place (arrivals level, outer curb, door 6?) give a mobile call, wait someone comes to check the car and papers, took 5 min.

Driving to Korat from Savanaboom?

You need to take outer ring East = road number 9, better check a map before you start. You will avoid Bangkok traffic though.

Be careful, after Saraburi the highway goes up and up with slowwww moving trucks (3 lanes?)

be also aware driving in Thailand is a nightmare: high ways have U-turns on the fast lane!!! and motorbikes by the millions who don't give sh*t for their lives, you will see them on the left, on the right, before you, after you and above you, hopefully not under you

thats the bit im most concerned about, i would have sat nav but finding the exact place to return the car worries me.

maybe i should go to my original plan, book a taxi for 3000 baht and hire a car in Korat for 7-10 days

Buddy, your posts sound so naive I am even thinking if you are for real.

Drop-off location for a rentacar vehicle worries you? Of course, they have their own parking lots. No-name rentals do that at Level 4 of parking 3, where you can hardly see more than 20% of spots taken.

But it does not worry you that, after a 12 hours flight (presuming you took a direct flight), you would be able to drive 7-8 hours into the sticks of a foreign country for the first time?

[Siam1973]

Buddy, your posts sound so naive I am even thinking if you are for real.

Buddy, not everyone knows everything about Thailand, that is why there are forums to help people who are 'naive' like me, and yes i am for real...

Drop-off location for a rentacar vehicle worries you? Of course, they have their own parking lots. No-name rentals do that at Level 4 of parking 3, where you can hardly see more than 20% of spots taken.

Having never rented a car from an airport i am 'naive' about the procedure, thanks for the small piece of information you gave, it is appreciated, but i was not asking where the rental car parks are but expressing my concerns about finding my way around bkk airport to the drop-off point.

But it does not worry you that, after a 12 hours flight (presuming you took a direct flight), you would be able to drive 7-8 hours into the sticks of a foreign country for the first time?

You presumed wrong, it is an indirect flight taking 18+ hours changing planes at Dubai and i sleep quite well when flying. As for it worrying me about the drive, 7-8 hours drive seems a bit exaggerated, 3-4 hours seems more 'real'. A large part of my job is driving where i often drive 3-9 hours a day, so the driving time does not bother me, or the fact that i am driving in Thailand, previously i have had a scooter for a week and rode in 'the sticks' and there where no problems.

any constructive advise would be appreciated,

thank you for your time.

p.s. Thanks 'tartempion' for your experience and advise

[tartempion]

Drop-off location for a rentacar vehicle worries you? Of course, they have their own parking lots. No-name rentals do that at Level 4 of parking 3, where you can hardly see more than 20% of spots taken.

Hy TTM, drop-off did worry me and I am a travelled person, because I had a plane to catch, I could not afford to waiste one hour driving around the airport promises to find where to drop-off the car. Savanaboom ain't a USA airport where nice vans drive around to pick you up at any exit. And the rental company was AVIS.

Funny thing is at JFK I once dropped a rental car in front of the airline check-in desk and handed them the keys. I was late (driving from Montreal to JFK) and they were holding the plane because my company threatened the airline earlier that day, no joke.

To the OP: once you know drop-off is at departure level- outer curb, gate 6 it's fairly easy.

Did you check that website I gave you?

[Krub]

I rent frequently with Avis from Swampy.

Giving back the car can be a challenge until you get used to the facts that :

1. Avis does NOT have their own parking lot, parking area, parking spots at Swampy.

2. You MUST make sure you have a mobile phone number and a mobile phone on you to call them once you arrive back at the aiprort

3.You need to go to ARRIVAL (yes even when returning your car) door 6, 7 or 8 park, call and wait that an Avis guy comes with the paperwork

I always count on 30 minutes extra to give back the car before my check-in time That includes calling Avis, getting the paperwork signed the keys back to Avis and a baggage cart up the departure floor.

Good luck