Car rental in Ireland
 

Four people are travelling together. How big of a car should we have with the roads being narrow? Any suggestions for a March trip.

Depends on your luggage and how large you are - tall men don't usually enjoy being crammed in a tiny car! I'd pack as lightly as possible and get as small a car as you can.

I'm a little nervous about your screen name.

Do you know that there may be age restrictions on renting cars in Ireland? Many offices of the Fill in the Blank International Car Rental Company are in fact local franchises, so you may find local restrictions despite the parent company having none or more lenient ones. Not everyone seems to recognize that 70 is the new 50.

Just make sure before you get there. If it is likely to be a problem, of course.

Just remember that cars in europe are SMALL and trunks tend to hold very little luggage. If you have more than a 22" bag each - or anyone is tall or large - get at least a mid sized - possibly more.

Yes, the roads are narrow - but the problem is not the size of one car (unless you've got a Hummer or something)- it's all the other hazards on the road. Once on local roads be very careful to watch out for the SHEEP

I love it when people think its easier to crash a car that is 3" each side wider. At 6'2" & 200lb+ I would opt for a minimum Focus/Golf/Megan size. There are some micro car offerings from Hertz an the like but only children ride peddle cars.
The cars on offer in Ireland are listed in this topichttp://www.tripadvisor.ie/ShowTopic-g186591-i88-k5665287-Car_Hire_fleets_Information-Ireland.html

Thanks for info. Ackislander - I am not 87 as a matter of fact not even 70 but seems there are a lot of grannyb's out there. Love the comment.

HAHAHA..DD becomes a Granny B in April!!! We rented from Dan Dooley and were just fine. A Ford Focus as great but 4 adults?? Plus, manual and left hand drive..The left hand/arm gets pretty darned tired. Luggage presents a problem also..Carry ons only are appropriate for this size car's trunk space. What are your options for the next size??

Take it you mean Right hand drive.

tony2..You are right! I guess I was thinking shifting with your left hand.(.difficult) ergo left hand drive,,Sorry. I know better..

I imagine there are any number who would opt to rent a left hooker LHD given the option but the insurance would be astronomical.

It would be for automatic shift cars also!! Such is the price for the awesome experience of "doing Ireland"!!! Watch out for the traffic circles also, even the tiny ones painted on the intersecions..not fun..goimg around the opposite way that we are used to doing..

We did driving tour of Ireland in May 2012. DO DO DO opt for automatic transmission - worth the money when you are trying to drive on the "wrong side" of the road. Do opt for a midsize car. There were 2 of us and we travel with only carryon luggage and were fine in small car but for 4 people?? GPS is very helpful overall but most of the country roads are not marked with names so it is often a real search to find your destination - but half the fun is in getting there!
Rented from Dooley and they were great. Have fun!

Four of us were in Ireland and we had a car, next size up from Ford Focus. Fortunately we were renting an apartment only an hour or so from Shannon as we couldn't get all of the stuff in the trunk and the two in the back seat had things piled around them. We only had to deal with the luggage to and from airport as we did day trips from cottage.

It would have helped the luggage situation if my traveling companions had not had hard sided luggage. The soft sided stuff has a bit of give so that you can work it into nooks and crannies. Also might have helped if they had had a little less stuff. (But we had a wonderful trip and a lot of laughs!)

@car1286: what car rental company? How much? Is it wise to reserve online or just show up in the counter when arriving at dublin?

I'm looking for car for rent automatic and for a less price...
Please help!

Thank you

If you wait until you get there -= they won;t have any automatics and may not have any cars at all.

Definitely shop and reserve in advance - and be sure to get a car large enough for your needs (remember cars in europe are much smaller) - what we consider a basic family sedan - like an Accord - is a large car there - and their basic cars are minute.

KarenTS see my comments and others in http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...rn-ireland.cfm

Help! We are leaving March 1 for Ireland. There are 3 of us. I went to a local Ford dealership with our luggage to look at the trunk space of a Fiesta and a Focus. I left content that we could manage with either one of the cars. From the comments in this post, now I am worried! Are the car "sizes" different for the same car in Europe vs USA? This is my first trip abroad and I am quite nervous. Thank you!

Timid, what company are you using? Early March is not that busy, so I think it is possible that if you found the car too small you might be able to upgrade to a larger car while still at the airport. (But what a headache at 6:30 in the morning!) My husband and I are comfortable in a compact (see Dan Dooley's site for comparison) and all our stuff easily fits in the trunk.

When you are on a narrow road in Ireland with hedges covering stone walls and you meet another vehicle, you will wish you had a smaller car.

We are renting a car for 4 of us + 4 bags in June from Sixt Rental Cars, booked through DRIVEAWAY HOLIDAYS it is a Hyundai ix35, good for 4 people and bags, a lot cheaper than normal rental car outlets.

Kiwipete.. Please check what is included in your quote...Sixt in combination with an agent rings a few cautionary notes. Generally when one quote is so much cheaper than all the others there is something missing. You should not pay more for crossing the border with a rental but you need to tell the company in case you break down or have an accident up there.