Centralparkgirl

ky, eks or anyone - I need to rent an automatic in Italy for two weeks in May. The prices are outrageous. I come up with an error message on Autoeurope. Is that because May is too far out? If you use Autoeurope.it and you don't speak Italian, how do you know the 'fine print?'

kybourbon

It could be because May is too far out, but you might try autoeurope.it or hertz.it (which lets you select English). For Autoeurope, it might also be the locations you are selecting. Since they use several companies you can't select a town that has Hertz only and try to return to a town that only has Europecar. You must select towns with the same company.

ekscrunchy

CPG: This reminds me, I need to book my automatic for next month very soon! (In and out of Brindisi). This is one of the travel tasks that I abhor and I keep putting it off!



I asked some questions here about the "fine print" on the Italian site--see if there is any info in the attached link that might help; I need to read it again myself. Also, you can take the quote from the Italian site, call the US site and see if you can get them to match it for you. Supposedly they will match competitor pricing--not sure how this plays out with their own sites in different countries.

http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...s-resident.cfm

Centralparkgirl

Thank you eks and ky. This appears to be a nightmare. I tried hertz.it, but couldn't read it. I printed out the pages on hertz.com and it appears to be a translation. On hertz.it, it asked for euros in advance and the only automatic available was a full size mercedes. Last time we had a small mercedes (C) and it was great, but a big car on narrow roads...........not a great idea!

portiaperu

"....however Cambridge, Somerville, Watertown, the Mass Pike, and of course Providence are not Boston....I'm talking downtown!!.....with the oneways and cobblestone streets that were made for horses and buggies and yes, still exist....try the North End!..... "

Warning, I'm about to be harsh . . . .

I live in the Boston area. I don't understand what is so difficult about driving in Boston. I've driven in many cities and countries and each has it's own habits, good and bad, and Boston is the same. Don't make it out to be a horror for drivers.

First, Boston is SMALL. If you get lost once, it's hard to get lost again, unless you're not paying attention.

As far as one way streets, narrow lanes, and congestion, it's not any different than older cities the world over. The one way and/or narrow streets compose a small part of Boston - the rest of the neighborhoods are pretty standard. You can't have too much difficulty in the North End. It's one square mile in size . . . And the Big Dig? It's been over for ages . . . .

Why the need to make Boston out to be such a difficult place to navigate? It's just not true.

As for Boston drivers, I don't see much "road rage" on my daily travels. There are plenty of jerks on the roads, but I rarely see anything that escalates into road rage. And, I've seen road rage. Over the years I've seen cars stopped, the drivers brawling. Or, one car tagging another on the expressway. But I can count these experiences on one hand.

I just don't see Boston as any better or any worse than other cities.

Back to the original topic - I drive a manual at home and whenever we rent a car. It makes driving much more interactive and I find it much more enjoyable than driving an automatic.

Re car rentals, we have used autoeurope exclusively. The price is right. The selection of cars is very good. And, the model you select is always waiting for you. I've recommended autoeurope to friends who drive an automatic and they have not experienced any problems with getting a vehicle (in Italy and France) although I don't know the details of their rental.

Good luck with your rental and enjoy your travels!

jubilada

I live in western massachusetts and drive in Boston with some frequency. I find it easier to find my way since the completion of the Big Dig ; however, Boston drivers do seem very impatient if one is hesitant or lost. But not a nightmare by any means.

ParisAmsterdam

No places teach driving a standard transmission car? In NYC, the lasrgest city in the US?

http://www.fasttrackdrivingschoolnyc.com/

http://www.prodriveny.com/stick.htm

kybourbon

What do you want in detail? You can select English as your language on the Hertz.it website. If you start the booking process, when you get to the page to enter your info, scroll down past it and click on rental qualifications and requirements. You can select the topic you need.
http://www.hertz.it/rentacar/reserva...OnHomepage.jsp

ekscrunchy

CPG: Please see the other thread: i just rented an automatic on the AuroEurope Italian site for a decent price.

http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...s-resident.cfm

Centralparkgirl

ky - are you saying that you can opt for English after you fill in the first page?

eks - just saw it and posted there as well. Thanks!

kybourbon

On the home page of Hertz.it in the upper right corner select English (leave residenza as Italia) and then click vai.

ekscrunchy

Also look at:

www.autoeurope.eu in English