> Welcome to Strafford - Car, Van, Minibus and Vehicle Hire / Rental - Gatwick, Stanstead and Heathrow Airports - Hove, Brighton, East Sussex

Strafford self drive has been providing quality self drive car hire throughout the UK since September 1983. All those years ago it started from the rear of a grocers shop doing van hire from Hove in East Sussex. The first year up to 1984 saw rapid growth in its vehicle rental market with the introduction of car hire and minibus hire to compliment the already popular core fleet.

On the 1st of August 1984 Strafford self drive purchased the first brand new vehicle, a single Ford Fiesta! A few days later a brand new 15 Seat Renault Minibus was added together with a brand new Renault 1 ton Trafic van. All those years ago this was high finance.

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Within the next two decades Strafford self drive had established several additional locations or service hubs. Today car hire, van hire, minibus hire and lorry hire is supplied from locations including : Horley, serving LGW London Gatwick Airport : Worthing : Ivor Lane, serving LHR London Heathrow Airport : Preston Road, serving Brighton & Hove : Eastbourne : Burgess Hill : Hurstpierpoint : Ditchling : Haywards Heath : Uckfield : Hastings : Bognor Regis : West Sussex & East Sussex.

1986 saw the opening of a new head office on Hove seafront, East Sussex, which involved the demolition of a former Texaco petrol station forecourt, construction of new purpose built reception with the installation of custom designed computer software named `Easyhire` which was probably the 1st of its kind. All this was designed to deal with the continued growth. In 1991 the head office was moved from this location to a far larger 1 acre site in the centre of the city of Brighton. The former Hove seafront freehold was retained and leased to Enterprise rent a car who are still there today.

Today Strafford self drive takes regular delivery of hundreds of new vehicles as well of disposing of near new ex-rental vehicles to the general public, business and trade buyers, all to ensure that if you rent from Strafford self drive you will experience a new or near new low mileage vehicle every time.  

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