Van Hire - How To Save Money and Time

Vans are pretty boring, right? I mean you've got a car that's quieter, faster, more comfortable and infinitely more stylish than a van, not to mention cheaper and easier to park – so why would you be interested in vans?

Consider this – you're moving house on a budget. Renting a van and doing the removal yourself is the only option. You cheerfully ring up your local van hire company and book a van – "like a Transit, yeah, a big one".

The day arrives and your Transit is a short wheelbase model that isn't going to fit even half your belongings in it. Didn't the rental guy know you meant one of those really big ones? Or maybe it is big – one of those big ones with the box on the back, known as a Luton van.

They certainly have loads of room, but if your Luton doesn't have a tail lift, be prepared for some awkward heavy lifting – they are a lot higher off the ground than a panel van.

Vans may not be the most exciting vehicles in the world, but they sure as hell are some of the most useful vehicles around. You can drive almost all of them on a car license, they are pretty easy to handle, don't use much more fuel than a car and can have anything from moderate to colossal amounts of space inside.

You just need to know what you need – SWB, LWB, Luton or something else?

I've been round the block where vans are concerned – from my first rental experiences where I did exactly what I described above and asked for a Transit-sized van – to my present position, where I own a van and have driven a great many.

Incidentally, the last time I moved house the van I hired was written off the day before my booking, so I ended up with a slightly smaller one. The result was an extra 250-mile round trip, as the load space was a metre shorter and I couldn’t fit everything in...

Getting the wrong size isn't just a pain in the neck – it will hurt your wallet too; it did mine!

Online van rental is now pretty easy, with most of the major rental companies offering a selection of vans online. The problem is that they don't always offer much in the way of helpful advice – you have to know what you need.

Source:- http://ezinearticles.com/?Van-Hire---How-To-Save-Money-and-Time&id=567554