Car Rental In Europe

[paddymoo]

Mate my thoughts would be on a durty diesel as the cost of diesel is far cheaper over there than here and for what you get millage wise its far cheaper on the pocket. opt for the extra 150euro or what ever it is to bring your xs down becasue some rental companies will nail you on even a scratch. if your traveling around mainland europe do try travel by train you wont regret it it is amazing what you see and you'll always be refreshed when you get to where ever you are headed. ireland and the uk....ye get a car, you'll see so much more and the roads, esp on the back and country roads, that i promise. if your looking for a good hire company for ireland and the uk try carhire3000.ie i went home(ireland)with my partner last year for a little over 2 weeks and rented a 2011 ford focus 1.4TCDI and it cost me 376euro for the time i was home with unlimited klms. that car was a little rocket and it did 1000Klms to a tank.

 

if i can help you in any other way feel free to shoot me a pm.

 

enjoy your trip mate and enjoy Ireland.

[carbonboy]

Mate my thoughts would be on a durty diesel as the cost of diesel is far cheaper over there than here and for what you get millage wise its far cheaper on the pocket. opt for the extra 150euro or what ever it is to bring your xs down becasue some rental companies will nail you on even a scratch. if your traveling around mainland europe do try travel by train you wont regret it it is amazing what you see and you'll always be refreshed when you get to where ever you are headed. ireland and the uk....ye get a car, you'll see so much more and the roads, esp on the back and country roads, that i promise. if your looking for a good hire company for ireland and the uk try carhire3000.ie i went home(ireland)with my partner last year for a little over 2 weeks and rented a 2011 ford focus 1.4TCDI and it cost me 376euro for the time i was home with unlimited klms. that car was a little rocket and it did 1000Klms to a tank.

 

if i can help you in any other way feel free to shoot me a pm.

 

enjoy your trip mate and enjoy Ireland.

 

Travelling by train around mainland Europe would kinda defeat the purpose of my trip there, which is to experience some pretty awesome roads. That & it kills a lot of potential flexibility in travel plans for me. However, I will most likely be taking the train from Amsterdam to Frankfurt. :yes:

 

A diesel is high on the 'wanted' list for me, as modern turbo diesels have actually become pretty good performance-wise for their relatively frugal fuel economy. I've got ~2 days in Ireland & the same again in the UK, might look at a seperate rental car for these 4 days to make life easier/more enjoyable. Cheers for the car hire company tip & also the tip on how anal the rental companies might be! :y:

 

I think the biggest change to get used to for me won't be driving on the opposite side of the road (mainland Europe), it'll be the driving for 5 hours & passing through 3 or 4 countries. Here, I can drive for 5 hours & not leave the state! :lol: Should be fun, haven't changed gears with my right hand since the last time I played Daytona on the arcade machines!

 

Will do, chasing up some family history so I know where to go in Ireland, County Cork rings a bell..... :wink:

Edited April 10, 2012 by carbonboy

[7shades]

Driving LHD comes naturally after about 2 hours in traffic.

 

But for those 2 hours, you're packing darkies :P

[philbey]

Keep in mind that what you book and what they give you will most likely change. The old "or equivalent" clause. The only time I got the car I wanted was when I booked a mustang in the us. Every other time it's been a differen car to the one I wanted.

 

I got a brand new Camry (or some Toyota sedan) in the uk in December, pretty punchy motor. Better than the opels I've had in the past. Steer clear of the Smart 4 door, I wanted the proper smart and got that shitbox instead in Italy. I doubt you'll see many camrys in Germany hire joints though.

 

Do not even consider different drop off to pick up locations. The online quotes are often reasonable but when you actually book it the price will skyrocket, particularly if the country changes.

 

If you haven't bought flights, talk to Commonwealth about their gold and platinum credit cards, I just took a 10 week honeymoon with their platinum travel insurance cover. I got the horror story from my travel agent about oooooooh watch out, they're not as good as my 800 dollar premium cover, but for all intents and purposes, they were basically the same as 3rd party insurance, with some covered amounts better, some worse. As long as you buy tickets with the credit card, you are covered.

 

You will most likely need to pay for the extra insurance cover through the car rental to make your travel insurance valid.

 

I second the don't drive in Amsterdam, we didn't but there's no way I would do it.

 

And gps... Always in foreign countries, makes Freeway exiting and roundabouts on the wrong side a lot easier

Edited April 10, 2012 by philbey

[carbonboy]

Keep in mind that what you book and what they give you will most likely change. The old "or equivalent" clause. The only time I got the car I wanted was when I booked a mustang in the us. Every other time it's been a differen car to the one I wanted.

 

I got a brand new Camry (or some Toyota sedan) in the uk in December, pretty punchy motor. Better than the opels I've had in the past. Steer clear of the Smart 4 door, I wanted the proper smart and got that shitbox instead in Italy. I doubt you'll see many camrys in Germany hire joints though.

 

Do not even consider different drop off to pick up locations. The online quotes are often reasonable but when you actually book it the price will skyrocket, particularly if the country changes.

 

If you haven't bought flights, talk to Commonwealth about their gold and platinum credit cards, I just took a 10 week honeymoon with their platinum travel insurance cover. I got the horror story from my travel agent about oooooooh watch out, they're not as good as my 800 dollar premium cover, but for all intents and purposes, they were basically the same as 3rd party insurance, with some covered amounts better, some worse. As long as you buy tickets with the credit card, you are covered.

 

You will most likely need to pay for the extra insurance cover through the car rental to make your travel insurance valid.

 

I second the don't drive in Amsterdam, we didn't but there's no way I would do it.

 

And gps... Always in foreign countries, makes Freeway exiting and roundabouts on the wrong side a lot easier

 

Oh yes, "or similar" or "or equivalent" pops up everytime! Nothing Toyota comes up in my Germany searching, but does in the UK/Ireland search. Might take another look at what the Toyota was worth against the Opels...

 

Cheers for the tip on pickup/dropoff, even with different cities in the same country? I'd noticed "charges payable locally" referring to different PU/DO points & wondered how badly they were "subject to change". Think I'm just going to read this as "We will bend you over & have our way with you. No, we won't be gentle & no, we won't use KY."

 

Flights are already booked, didn't have much of an option with the 'peak season' pricing of the airlines & the ripple effect of the Olympics. Getting another credit card.....scares me. Still checking back & forth between policies re:insurance, in the end I want to make sure I'm covered for EVERYTHING. Would rather spend a few hundred on insurance than end up with an international, tens-of-thousands-of-dollars medical bill/legal $h1tfight. :yes:

 

Point noted about Amsterdam, IIRC they have a bicycle 'borrow' system as well as free buses/decent train system?

 

GPS, GPS, GPS... gotcha! :thumbsup:

[parrot]

Often what is available depends on where you pick up. You may find it cheaper if you pickup away from an airport, but what is stocked at that particular branch may differ markedly from what they show on their website.

 

LHD is no big deal after you've done a few left or right turns onto the wrong side of the road.

 

But wait till you get on a motorway and forget that you are supposed to keep right unless overtaking........

 

Or you decide to overtake something in your 1 litre slushbox and find something closing up your arse at light speed!

 

And you think there are lots of speed cameras here, wait till you get to Europe. It's a bit like red light cameras, lots of well signposted locations, but you never know which one is actually active.

 

One striking difference is the courtesy from other drivers. None of this kill or be killed aggression you get here.

 

Re GPS: In Italy a little while ago, I was supposed to turn onto a motorway toward Florence at night in torrential rain only to find the on ramp shut due to roadworks. Had no choice but to go straight whilst GPS told me to turn around. It finally recalculated and took me via the most convoluted series of back streets I would never have had any hope in working out myself. When you are tired, on the wrong side of the road with no real sense of where you are, it is the best extra expense you will never regret paying

Edited April 10, 2012 by parrot

[7shades]

German drivers are boring but awesome... They will stick doggedly to the posted speed limit in perfect formation, until that speed zone ends, and then *ʞ©$ɟenwhoosh* everyone mashes the pedal and goes to warp speed.

 

Oh and there's a 'bahn hierarchy too. Trucks on the right. Always. Everyone else in the middle lane unless overtaking. (and unlike here, people actually adhere to that rule)

 

The big sedans and coupes OWN the left lane. Do not dawdle in the left lane. You're likely to encounter a V12 7-series or S-Klasse bearing down on your arse at Mach 3, headlights flashing.

 

Mercedes rules the road. Some things haven't changed since the Third Reich...

 

As for Italy... I LOVED driving in Italy. Everyone is insane and/or impatient. Utter chaos. And yet, it still seems to work. Rule of thumb: Just floor it, point the wheels in the direction you want to go, and hope. The scooters are pretty good at dodging you.

 

French drivers are like Italians, except they're shit at it. Just... Hopeless.

[coln72]

German drivers are boring but awesome... They will stick doggedly to the posted speed limit in perfect formation

 

Must of had the only German Taxi drive that was mad.....

 

Belting along the road, in and out of triffic until he spotted the cops in front of us. At this point, he turned to me in the front seat and said "If it wasnt for the police, we would be gone" while making gestures with his hands. Fun taxi ride that one :cool:

[carbonboy]

Oh and there's a 'bahn hierarchy too. Trucks on the right. Always. Everyone else in the middle lane unless overtaking. (and unlike here, people actually adhere to that rule)

 

The big sedans and coupes OWN the left lane. Do not dawdle in the left lane. You're likely to encounter a V12 7-series or S-Klasse bearing down on your arse at Mach 3, headlights flashing.

 

Mercedes rules the road. Some things haven't changed since the Third Reich...

 

As for Italy... I LOVED driving in Italy. Everyone is insane and/or impatient. Utter chaos. And yet, it still seems to work. Rule of thumb: Just floor it, point the wheels in the direction you want to go, and hope. The scooters are pretty good at dodging you.

 

French drivers are like Italians, except they're shit at it. Just... Hopeless.

 

This sounds like Nirvana!

 

I will remember this advice, especially since doing 140 MPH is not a part of my daily commute, unlike the locals.

 

Italy sounds like my daily commute, except that Italy works.

 

and said "If it wasnt for the police, we would be gone" while making gestures with his hands.

 

Sure he wasn't Italian? :laff:

[philbey]

Yeh Italy driving is fun its no surprise that every car in Rome has dents and scratches.

 

Didn't drive in Germany, France I didn't notice shades observations, but it was mostly around Strasbourg and pretty quiet and straightforward.

 

Biggest problem I had with left hand drive was when you're the only one on the road, quiet country road and you'll inadvertently turn and drive down the wrong side for a few seconds.

 

Night time driving on US freeways could get weird too when all you see is lights passing on your left and it gets a bit disorienting.

 

Not sure about the rest of europe, but I'm the UK they had a lot of point to point speed cameras. The GPS actually registered these so you were always aware of it, which was handy.

Edited April 11, 2012 by philbey

[carbonboy]

Okay, I've got myself an Opel Corsa for Ireland (2days), a Vauxhall Astra for the UK (4 days)& a BMW 1 Series for Europe (10days). I know the first two aren't so great, but it got a bit stupidly expensive for a 'decent' car for a couple of days. Figured it was better to spend more on the one I'll be driving more. :)

 

A big thankyou to everyone for the tips & advice, it's all been very useful! :y:

 

Still working on a car for The 'Ring, so many choices!. :o When the time comes, I'll start a Eurotrip thread for those who might be interested in following my progress/failures.

P.S - I have full points on my licence, touch wood I can maintain that kind of driving record/not getting caught overseas.

[7shades]

1 Series will do the job nicely :)

[carbonboy]

Also, European 'domestic' flights are stupidly cheap! It's worked out cheaper & better to just fly from Ireland-UK & UK-Amsterdam & have the 3 seperate hire cars. I drop them off where I pick them up from, am insured like a motherf**ker & yes, have a GPS for each one! :D

[carbonboy]

Got an email from the hire car company this morning.....

 

Travel is allowed at no extra cost to Czech Republic, Austria, Switzerland, Italy, France but BMW, Mercedes, Volkswagen, Audi, Chrysler, Lexus and

other luxury vehicles cannot be taken to former Easter European Countries ( Czech Rep) you will receive another make of car

 

Hmm, what to do? Get another make of car or avoid the Czech republic?

[7shades]

Park it somewhere and hop a bus to Prague. Its the only place you *really* need to see in CR and its a shit of a place to drive in anyway :P