liebchen

We'll be visiting Germany for two months next June. We'll be needing to pick up a rental car upon arrival in Germany (automatic mid-size for 3 persons, three large suitcases, and three carry-on bags) at the Hannover or Paderborn airport. We'll then stay a couple of days to visit that area, before moving on towards Aachen, where we'll visit the Netherlands, Belgium, and Luxemburg for one day each while staying a few nights in Aachen. The remainder of our two months will be spent in the Southern part of Germany, mainly in the Schwarzwald area, but spending occasional time in Bayern, and hopefully in Tirol, Austria. Our rental apartment is tucked away in a peaceful little valley village, about forty-five minutes from Freiburg. We'll be leaving to return to the US from the Frankfurt airport in August.

We're not able to rely on train or bus transportation for several reasons. We'll be traveling with bulky medical equipment, and will need plenty of room for whatever we'll need (clothing, food, laptop, medical equipment, etc.) not only on day-trips, but during the longer over-night trips, as well. We've rented a car before in Germany, but never for two months. We're aware of the VAT and price of gasoline, in addition to vignettes when driving into other countries, such as Switzerland and Austria.

Does anyone have personal experience or advice to offer on locating the most economical, reliable car rental for this length of time in Germany? The travel agent who books our flights for us has also booked our car rentals for us both times we've driven in Germany in 2011 and 2004. We'll comparison shop, of course, but I'm wondering if someone has already maneuvered through such an undertaking. Thank you!!!

Michael

Renault and Peugeot do offer a lease/buy back plan, with additional fees if the car is to be picked up and returned in a country other than France.

http://www.autofrance.net/

http://www.renaultusa.com/

Travelforbeer

Try www.Gemut.com - you do realize your credit card comp insurance may not cover a rental longer than 21 days...But I think the lease /buy back plan mentioned by Michael includes all insurance..

Have a great trip!!!

bilboburgler

My NZ sister regularly comes to Europe for 2 or 3 months and always does the lease system as it is such a good deal, grab it.

hetismij2

One thing you need to be aware of for German cities is the environment zones. You must have a green sticker, an umweltplakette, on your car to be able to enter the zones, which can be quite large and include many city centres.
I expect most German rental cars already have the sticker. It is doubtful a French lease car would, and without all the documentation would be difficult to get for one.

I would contact rental companies in Germany and see what they can offer you, and ask about the umweltplakette too.

http://www.umwelt-plakette.de/englis_informations.php

bilboburgler

hetismij, perfect I was just starting to look for this detail as I as going to be in Germany in a couple of weeks time. The map reassured me that I can avoid the zones.

http://www.feinstaubvignette.de/file...3__english.pdf

Michael

If the OP is looking for a cheaper rental rather than a convenient two month rental, there is the possibility of renting a car for 30 days and using the Visa card to carry the CDW (with no deduction with my card), turning the car in after 30 days and picking up another one for the next thirty days under the same conditions. I've done this several times, and was assured by my Visa carrier that it was perfectly legal. To see the savings, one need only go to Kemwel.com (or Autoeurope) and compare the rates for a car with CDW coverage (and a hefty deductible) with the same car with a basic rate (no CDW coverage).

<i>It is doubtful a French lease car would, and without all the documentation would be difficult to get for one.</i>

I can't imagine too many difficulties if the car is picked up in Germany. It is always a brand-new one and I suspect that Peugeot and Renault would know how to arrange for the sticker.

annaatas

Correct, Credit Card companies would only cover you for 30 days, some people choose to go back after 30 days to renew their rental in order to maintain their credit card coverage.

With the car leasing program the cars are delivered straight from France and do not carry the German zoning stickers but I hear they can be easily obtained at the local shops when you arrive.

Often times people take their leased car to popular Eastern Europe destinations such as Czech Republic and Prague, (generally this is not allowed with car rentals). This said, I would think it would be difficult for Renault for example know where you will be taking your car after your pickup and have the right local stickers ready for you especially for one-way leases where you pickup in one country and return in another.

Here's a quick chart that compares leasing vs. rental:
http://wheelsineurope.com/carlease.html

To Michael's point, I can't imagine it getting your brand-new buy-back lease car not passing the emission requirements and etc.

Michael

<i> some people choose to go back after 30 days to renew their rental </i>

One does not need to go back to the original rental agency. It can be done with a one-way rental, and sometimes I got the original car back for the next rental period.

nytraveler

I would be very careful what type car you get. Three large suitcases and carry-ons and all the other things you mention might well not fit in a mid size car (esp european definition of mid size). Be very realistic about the type of car you need - you don;t want to have to stuff a lot of things in the back of the car all the time.

annaatas

NYtraveler makes a good point about the size of a vehicle. Cars tend to be smaller in Europe, you can often find comparison or just go by the specs of the trunk, you can click on each car and see the trunk space in cubic feet here: http://wheelsineurope.com/CarModels.asp

I'd say Renault Scenic would be a good choice, it fits 4 suitcases in the trunk (16.6 cubic feet), plus if there are only 3 passengers, you can fold 2/3 of the rear seats for extra luggage space.
Grand Scenic would give you even more trunk space if you fold down the 3rd row.

Approximate Trunk Size:
Grand Scenic (25 cubic feet)- with 3rd row folded down
Kangoo (23 cubic feet)
Dacia Duster (16.5 cubic feet)
Megane Estate (18.5 cubic feet)

traveller1959

Try this rental car company:

http://www.buchbinder-rent-a-car.com/

It has usually much better rates than the well-known international companies.