Off topic - How to rent car in Europe??

radcon · radcon's Garage

My wife and I are taking our now six month old daughter and heading to the French Alps in September for a week. We plan on flying to Geneva. We traded our timeshare in Hawaii for a place in Bozel, France so the accomodations are taken care of. But other than Travelocity.com, etc. are there any other reliable and inexpensive services for auto rental in Europe? Also, are there any peculiarities that I should look out for such as hidden costs, insurance, etc. when renting a car in Europe? Thanks. I don't want to wait till the last minute to find out that I won't be able to get transportation.

mingmong · mingmong's Garage

Try Hertz or Easycar. You'll be Ok finding something at the airport. The French aren't that backward! Insurance is usually all in the price. Some rental companies (here in Blighty) have milage restrictions which can escalate your costs if you go over the limit. Enjoy the French food and especially the wine! M

Yellowbird RS · 04-16-2005, 08:03 PM

using Amex,visa or MC
try avis, hertz or budget web sites

tdatk · 04-16-2005, 08:37 PM

Funny story,
Rented a Renault from Hertz in Parma Italy a few years ago and when I dumped the clutch, the shifter punched up through the console and into the stereo. It was a brand new car ~15k miles on the odo. I drove around the block stuck in first gear back to the Hertz place and tried to explain that the motor mounts were broke to no avail and had to do a visual for the counter guy that spoke no english. He got the picture when I dumped the clutch again and gave me another car. We exchanged paperwork and I was off. I watched my MC for months after that to see if they tried to back charge me for the damages.
It took me 10 minutes to stop laughing after I got the replacement car, I'm sure that I didn't break the MM but I don't think the counter guy was convinced.

SalazarS2K · 04-16-2005, 08:40 PM

There's a rental agency called Europcar and they are all over the place, try I have used this company once in the past and got a good deal on a BMW 320d, they also have a host of cool sports car if you are looking for something more fun.

jtratza · 04-16-2005, 08:47 PM

I vote Hertz. I picked up an Opel (wanted an Alfa) at the airport in Milan a few years ago. They were very helpful on directions and getting the car. Car was great. Turned it back in Rome and waited to see what I would end up with on the credit card. Everything turned out fine and couldn't have been easier. Still wish they had an Alfa though.

LakeCleElum · 05:45 PM

Radcon: Have done a rental car 3 times in Europe.....I agree with comparing the Hertz, National, Avis, etc. AsK for a diesel, as it will be a turbo diesel. They are fast, fun and get 45-48 mpg. Diesel is available, but be careful. In some countries, it's the black pump handle and green is the gasoline. On my first trip, I compared rental prices in several countries and found the prices vary a lot. I ended up flying in and out of Geneva, as it was the cheapest for the car. Insurance - my credit card has a perk where they pay the difference of whatever your personal car insurance won't pay. Since my insurance co. won't cover a rental out of the country, the credit card policy took care of the insurance at no cost. The only claim I ever filed is when I cut a tire in the Netherlands and a shop nicked me $180 US for a new tire. The policy reimbursed me after the fact. Also, I thought the Opel Vectra was great car, but whatever you rent, pull over as soon as you can and learn all the controls, gas cap release and all that.....It will be all different and it's a ***** not knowing how to roll down the window to pay to get out of the parking garage.....Enjoy your trip........Bob S>

Joeaksa · 04-16-2005, 09:08 PM

Good thread, going to Geneve and Florence in 45 days. Course there aint no way I am going to drive in Italy, just not going to happen! Driven lots in the rest of Europe but the Italians are trying to keep the auto makers in business by wrecking cars!

Always used Hertz but will try the other links above...

JoeA

LakeCleElum · 04-16-2005, 09:12 PM

Give Italy a try.....After a half day, you'll be blending right in with the others........

Gooch1971 · Gooch1971's Garage

Too bad you are not traveling to Scotland. I stumbled across a really interesting company called Caledonian Classic Car Hire. They rent everything from a '72 911e (factory upgraded with "S" components), Jaguar E Type, VW Beetle Cabriolet, to a Bentley S2.

Milu · 04-16-2005, 11:15 PM

All the major rental companies are at the major airports. It's sometimes cheaper to prebook your car from outside the country.

Mr Beau · 04-17-2005, 01:39 AM

Hi Radcon,

You can go the the Geneva airport website, and you'll see the car rental companies are here. Really, it's no different that renting a car from any other airport, expect for the fact that you'll pay more if you want an automatic transmission.

The car will likely be diesel. Diesel prices have gone up considerably over the past while so it's not necessarily cheaper than gas anymore.

One interesting aspect of the Geneva airport is that it stradles the French border and there is actually a French portion (Switzerland is not in the EU so there is a difference). Chances are it will be cheaper to rent the car from the French side, which should be listed as the city Ferney-Voltaire. It's a bit tricky to make it to the French side (especially if you have lugguge) after landing, but certainly doable. Gas seems to be about the only thing consistently cheaper in Switzerland than France.

I live about 5 miles from the Geneva airport. It was almost 20C (70F) a week ago, and it's been snowing since last night! Crazy! There's still some ski resorts open if that's your thing.

Let me know if you need any more info on the area. I've been here a year and half now, and some aspects are really quite nice.

Ciao!

radcon · radcon's Garage

Thanks for all the info. I have travelled through a few countries in Europe and have been through most of Asia, but all of my transportation has always been via train or bus. This will be my first time driving in Europe. It's funny, because I'm not as concerned about the actual driving as I am dealing with any weird insurance issues or traffic laws they may have.

Mr Beau · 04-17-2005, 06:25 AM

One of the hardest things to adapt to is "priority on the right". Basically this means that if you are approaching a 'T' intersection and expect to go straight through but the "dead-end" leg is on your right, you have to stop to let them go.

This applies all the time--not just 'T' intersections. So you can be travelling down what you think is a main road and a connecting road on your right hand side could have the right of way.

If they other direction has a stop or yield sign this doesn't apply, but it's easy to get caught nonetheless.

Erakad · Erakad's Garage

Renting is like anywhere else...best deal. I agree with the turbo disesel, great cars. Bottom...don't stress.