Hiring a car in Orange County? Do I need to?

Renting a car would be a good idea so you can get around while you are here. Irvine and Newport are right next to each other, but the public transportation system here is not good, as you say. You could also consider taking a cab, but that is not cheap either. I would really recommend spending the extra money to get a car. If you are flying into John Wayne Airport then I would recommend renting from "Thrifty" because they are really cheap and have nice cars. You will also need a car to check out everything else while you are here because everything is really spread out.