Glad to see so many positive responses for Auto Europe. We have had wonderful experiences with them and don't know why <BR>anyone would rent with anyone BUT Auto <BR>Europe. The friendliness, the prices, and followthrough (always a standard <BR>shift...nothing else in Europe make <BR>any sense) are wonderful. It's a good <BR>feeling to know that in case of a problem, one can phone 24 hrs. a day <BR>to the USA for help. Auto Europe is a <BR>broker company , and give the lowest price from <BR>whatever rental company they can get. <BR>

I lost my left leg from the knee down due to cancer when I was 14. I've never been able to handle a clutch well tho' I've been forced to a couple of times in Europe. Frankly I think people who aren't used to a clutch are a menace in Europe. I've done it, but it was not very safe for anyone out that day. I'll wait to see how many of you suggest I just stay home. People have reasons for wanting an automatic. They should not be promised one if the promise can't be kept.

I must admit I have been a satisfied AE customer many times. My dad is a travel agent who regularly books cars for his clients using AE; he even uses AE when he does his own personal travel. <BR> <BR>I am using them again this fall in Wales and Ireland. Usually I'm fine with a stick but I am going to be by myself and don't want to risk being navigator and driver while on the opposite side of the road. <BR> <BR>It sounds like the service wasn't up to AE's usual but every company has had bad service one time or another. I would recommend AE any time. <BR> <BR>Deb

OK, I've read all these comments carefully and I still can't make up my mind whether to use AE for a week in England (outside of London) in early October. Anywhere but England, I love driving a manual transmission car. But not there. I've been to England many times but have never driven. Neither my husband (also a good manual transmission driver -- so no brickbats, please)nor I wish to endanger ourselves or anyone else whilst we learn to drive on the left side of the road. So, should we use AE for the cheaper rates, or not? Suggestions, please, and thanks.

I find automatics boring to drive, but I'm not sure I'd want to try shifting with my left hand either. <BR> <BR>Just curious: in Britain, is the clutch on the left or right of the accelerator?

Brian, <BR>My recollection(two years ago) is that the clutch remains on the left of the accelerator----recollection soon to be renewed when I try it again in Ireland in a few weeks!!! I sure hope I'm correct!!!

We have used Auto Europe in the past; however, when we checked rates for September of this year they were substantially higher than Hertz. Auto Europe wanted to charge over a $400 drop off fee, whereas Hertz was less than $100. I was very disappointed with Auto Europes quote and attitude when I tried to discuss the situation with them.

hopefully another satified AE customer here. booked a mid-size car for touring france in october, and got a VERY reasonable rate with no drop fee for a drop in belgium! other agencies were much more, from what i found. now, as long as i can get through paris on my way out of the city...... (and yes, i LOVE driving a stick)

I'm really shocked at your story. We have been using Auto Europe about 10 yrs now and have never encountered the rudeness or inneffective serice yoy've encountered. We have had some problems with the rental companies directly but Auto Europe has always been responsive and refunded the difference. In France the charge was greater than AE and when we got home we were refunded the difference. In Vienna we ran into the same problem you did, no automatics were available and were given a standard, after an initial response not unlike yourself we drove off in it. I am usually navigating and my wife drives, this time I drove and she navigated. We drove into Hungary and had a great time. When we got home we called AE and they refunded the difference and apologized. We have driven all over Eastern Europe and rented from AE inBudapest 2 yrs ago with no problem. This year we are picking up the car in Vienna again. Automatics are becomming more popular in Europe. We have also learned to pick up our rental at the airport, where there is a larger selection. I wait all year for our vacation and something as simple as type of transmission is not going to ruin it. I currently have a VW Passat at home which come with a tiptronic transmission and when I'm driving I'll shift it into manual mode, it makes for a lot more fun than an automatic anyway. alan

Sorry to hear about your experience. We used Auto Europe this summer and will use the company again. We took copies of ALL our reservation confirmations and quoted prices for hotels, cars, restaurants, etc. There were times during our trip when these came in very handy.

brian <BR>the pedals and the shift patterens are set up exactky like the states. the only problem you may have is getting into first gear. when i picked up my car in bath half way back to the b&b i was wondering what that smell was, the clutch! oh well. in the last two years i've driven over 4000 + miles on the "right side of the road" britain and ireland speaking. you get use to it pretty fast, the problem you may have to watch out for is when yhou get home.

I am very surprised by your experience. My wife and I have used Auto Europe for our last three trips to Europe and we have had no problems. Service has been great and the prices fantastic. <BR> <BR>Judging by the other comments, you probably met up with a lousy person. Like most companies, it just takes one to screw it up for everybody. Hope your next experience is more positive!

I used AutoEurope for my last two trips to Italy - Oct. 1998 and May 1999. The service was excellent both times. I would not consider renting from any other company. Your experience was a fluke.

Interesting. First if you rent an automatic, you should get it. Second if you do not know how to drive a stick, you do not know how to drive. Most of the world doew not have the accomidations that we are so used to. You should be aware of this whenever you travel. <BR>

A couple of years ago we toured Europe with a brand new Renault under their lease/purchase program. It included insurance and there were no taxes. Cost was about $17 a day for the 6 week rental. This only works for 3 or more weeks. <BR>

This is a travel forum designed for travellers to share info.in a helpful civilized manner. It never ceases to amaze me why Americans using this service so often resort to name calling and rudeness toward others. No wonder you're disliked abroad, you can't even get along with each other on a travel website!

Dear Lynn, <BR> From your comments, I take it you haven't read some of the postings from residents of the British Isles and Australia. Quite an eye opener!!!!

Mike, I'm surprised and embarassed that so many Americans didn't assume that persons requesting automatic transmissions might be HANDICAPPED!! Lots of folks have had knee or hip surgery.

My,my such harsh words. In my opinion if someone wants an automatic and was TOLD they would recieve one, then what is the problem with being upset if you didn't get what you were promised. <BR> <BR>What I really want to know is did Len every get a refund or further response from Mr. Imad Khalidi, president of AutoEurope? <BR> <BR>We have reservations for our trip next month with AutoEurope. Their rates really seem to be the best and their staff is always very friendly. I will be anxious to see if we get the special request we have made for a vechile at a particular location which they usually do not have there. We were told they would be able to transfer the vechicle from a lot in another city. <BR>I'll let you know when we get back how it went.

????

Len is right in his anguish over not getting what he wanted. Of all the replys, no one has mentioned the other alternative. Public transportation. Unlike the US, you can get all over Europe fairly easy. I drive 20k to 30k miles a year here. When I go to Europe (am leaving on the 29th) I let somebody else drive and I watch the scenery. My mother never wanted to drive and other members of my family insisted on automatics. Whatever the choice, YOU SHOULD GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR.

I apologise for my bigoted and xenophobic statements. I was such a rude cow. Please forgive me.

I am a travel professional who has used Auto Europe for the past 3 years. they are punctual, professional, competitive, and wholly trustworthy. I cannot recommend them highly enough.

Len: If you're still out there, did you ever receive satisfaction from Autoeurope.i.e. Mr. Khalidi, President,CEO of Autoeurope??...Paul J

Tried using AutoEurope since they have a special on all Mercedes cars till 31Aug (which sounded good - but read on), got run around with the quote which concerned me a little (problems now maybe bigger problems when I do give my card number?). Asked for a details to see what was included few times and everytime just got a "total" rental fee, at some point I even got a long explaination that I should refer to my previous postings. Finally someone responded with the breakdown I was asking for - where I learned that the "total" fee did not include Airport Tax or a road fee. By then I already booked with Hertz for $50 less for exact same (and AutoEurope has a special??? hm...).

Top.

Rented a car for 9-2-00 in Brussels from Europe By car which was cheaper than AE. Please tell me I will not have the same problem.

P.S. everybody! When you rent from Auto Europe you are just using a middleman! Call your car rental company of choice directly! Recently i git a rate which was $50 cheaper from Alamo for the same car!

I had a terrible experience with Auto Europe myself in Greece. Twice I was burned. First in Crete were the car rental agency had no record of my reservation. I called customer service directly from Greece and they said they would take care of it and assured me that there would be no problem with my next reservation in Ioaninna. So what happens when I get to Ioannina. No record of my reservation. The only car rental agency there was Hertz and they basically held me hostage. I had to take a lesser car and sign a bunch of stipulations in order to get the car. <BR> <BR>Auto Europe's customer service never got back to me and I had to go through my travel agency to fix the problem. Guess what? I flew to Greece in May 2000 and it is October 2000 and they still have not remedied my situation. <BR> <BR>Yes Auto Europe is great. Good Luck!

The reply from the President of Auto-Europe certainly put that company at the top of my car-renting list. If only airlines would respond in the same manner. My hats off to Auto Europe.

I've used Auto Europe on two trips to Italy, & they're the best.

AutoEurope is not a rental company but a middle man between you and the rental company. Should I say more? Shop around for the best price!!!

All you guys need to know that Autoeurope guarantees the best rates and service in the industry. If you find a lower rate they guarantee to beat it. If you have problems or are overcharge call customer care and speak to an american about the problem. There is no better way to go. you prepay in usd

I'm curious, tgibraltar, why you brought up this 5 to 7 year old thread? Who cares what any company did that long ago?

NeoPatrick - I just sent Fodors an e-mail reporting this oddity. That poster (tgibraltar) has a total of 6 posts, all in a ten minute period this afternoon, praising autoeurope.

KC

I think it is fine to report it but it would seem odd if the poster is with AE to bring up a title that is so negative.
And we have had nothing but good experience with AE.

This is sooooo weird. he registers this afternoon and posts to 6 different threads all praising AE - when it doesn't need any add'l help on here. There are already hundreds of pro-AutoEurope Threads.

But the terminology/zealousness do point to an over-eager AE employee.

too bad, because the posts do look sleazy and AE is a well respected company.

tgibralter: knock it off already (if you DO work for AE, they will definitely not be happy about your handi-work)

Now IF you have used AE to rent cars and traveled to some wonderful places - why not post trip reports instead . . . .

My wife an I have used Skycars to book rental cars here in Spain several times. We get a car from Europcar outlets but approx. 20 euro per day cheaper. The service from Europcar and Skycars is excellent, the staff at Europcar speak good English.

Check this link www.skycars.com