It is usually better to rent the car in your own country - where they often offer bargain rates that

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I was talking to the Hertz agent here in Australia and he mentioned all cars listed on their website are automatic unless other wise stated; apparently most car rentals in the USA are automatic?? is this correct?
He also mentioned full insurance of the vehicle is by law covered in the cost of the rental. I'd like to confirm this , as I read an article on the internet advising to take out full cover to be sure of any mishaps. This article may have been old not sure. Can someone also please confirm that full bodily and vehicle insurance cover is a requirement of rental in the USA and is automatically included in the cost of hire/rental?
Essentially european travel package all rental european travel package cars in the US are automatic - since byy far most of the cars on the road are automatic and many drivers don;t now how to drive standard shift. The only way you could get a standard shift car is to rent some sort of expensive sports car from a specialty agency.
I think if you book as an Australan outside of the US, the insurance is included. Be sure your confirmation says this. Otherwise you can get insurance at the counter or from a third party site. I'm afraid I don't know the real answer here.
Sorry - credit cards outside the US usually do NOT cover insurance for rental cars as part of their service. Even US cards have different standards of what they cover - based on type of card, issuer, and level (plain, gold, platinum, black, etc).
Foreign travelers aren't european travel package getting insurance from their credit cards (well, they may be depending on the card). They're getting it from the car-rental company, which bundles the insurance european travel package with the rental fee.
There are also a lot of travel agencies in Australia that can bundle insurance with the car-rental. The thing I'm just not sure of is what happens when you book directly with Hertz, but I've read that non-Americans are usually quoted a rate that's inclusive european travel package of insurance. This may depend on the company. If you're not sure, you can always call Hertz directly.
I rent cars in the US and pay for loss collison damage waiver, personal european travel package insurance,theft protection etc, the whole nine yards plus any excess (eg if you are liable for the first xx amount of damage you can pay an excess or deductible so you are not liable for anything). You can book directly european travel package with Hertz or whoever, it doesnt matter, european travel package if you look at Hertz.com they list the payable extras so you can see if loss damage or CDW is included or not, same as unlimited mileage etc. I booked my car thru autoeurope and ended up with an Alamo car. I take everything being offered, the US is the last place I want to be with inadequate cover.
It is usually better to rent the car in your own country - where they often offer bargain rates that include both taxes and all-inclusive insurance (collision, personal injury an deductible). While in the US these are typically all on top of the price you are quoted.
The only vehicle I have rented was in France last year, and they are the opposite; most vehicles are manual and you pay extra for an automatic vehicle. They also charge 6 euro a day environmental fee for the first 6 days as they consider automatic vehicles to be less efficient.
When I used Hertz in France I took out full cover with Hertz themselves and they didn't even inspect the vehicle in my presence, presumedly because they weren't in a position to be claiming anything against me anyway.
What was surprising to me when I posted initially was how much cheaper it was for a small vehicle with full cover in comparison to the one in europe, hence my post asking for information about full cover.
Car rental is less expensive in the US, compared to Europe. Sometimes you cannot pay for the excess at time of booking but when you collect european travel package the car you might be asked if you want additional insurances, which I usually take.
And yes, travel insurance is also more expensive because of the medical cover, there is one price for worldwide exc US/CA and another for US/CA and usually you have to make sure the cover is for several million $$.
Many things are much cheaper in the US than in europe. Typically car rental is much cheaper - since it's our primary transit (we really don't have a viable train system). Also, cars cost much less here than they do in europe (not sure if because the market is bigger or because foreign makers have to compete with US car prices - but a Japanese car in the US often costs less than it does in Japan).
Definitely rent ahead of time from OZ. Americans usually either use their personal auto insurance or credit card coverage when renting at home. Those aren't options for most foreign visitors and you can get MUCH better deals renting from home . . . especially if you are doing a one-way drop off.
Car hire in USA is lots cheaper than Europe. We have hired cars in USA,prior to visiting, using the web sites available I.e. Expedia etc. The details of the rental show what is included, collision damage waiver etc. Usually the 'Gold' package covers everything. The car hire desk when one picks up the car will try to sell you further insurance (they are on commission) which you do not need. Don't be conned into buying it. Always pay with your credit card for cover if anything goes amiss with your booking.