Wilbur

I am planing a self-drive trip to the explore the countrysides of France, probably the Provence region. Does anyone have recommendations to a reliable and affordable car rental agency?

Rex

Comparison shop these four: <BR> <BR>www.autoeurope.com <BR>www.its-cars-hotels.com <BR>www.kemwel.com <BR>www.travelocity.com <BR>www.raileurope.com <BR> <BR> - - in addition to any company for which you have "preferred" status (Hertz Gold, etc). <BR> <BR>Keep in mind that www.autoeurope.com and www.its-cars-hotels.com neither one actually have any cars; they are brokers for all the majors (Hertz, Avis, Budget, National, EuropCar), and you will often get the best deal from them - - but not always. <BR> <BR>Best wishes, <BR> <BR>Rex

Wilbur

Thanks Rex, will check them out. Any personal preferences?

the turnip

I always use the cheapest I can find, which is usually Budget. However they have also been the best. Easy check in and out, helpful english speaking workers and they didn't bat an eye when I crashed their $53,000 Mercedes into a garage. What more could you ask for?

Rex

I agree with the turnip - - go with price; secondary considerations are the precise location, relative to whatever means of transportation are getting you to that city in the first place. For example, Avis and Hertz are much closer than Budget to the train station in San Remo (Italy - - closest Italy rental location to the French-Italian Riviera border) - - but it takes very careful research to learn little details like this. <BR> <BR>Specifically, in Provence, both the airport and the train station for Nice are very convenient, though there is a nerve-racking absence of street parking space to pick up or drop off cars for ANY of the agencies at the train station. Only other city in Provence I know (for car rentals) is Avignon (the train station) - - a two block walk, no matter what company you choose. <BR> <BR>Of the five websites I listed, (I said four by mistake), I have never actually rented through Kemwel nor RailEurope, but I have seem good quotes there at times. ITS has treated me nicely, but they are much more obscure; AutoEurope is always good, and they are very trustworthy to answer their 800 number 24 hours a day. I have needed this when getting off a plane and encountering a glitch at 9 in the morning, Europe time! <BR> <BR>And of course, Travelocity simply clues you into rates available directly from various sources. They don't actually rent cars. I have NOT found Expedia useful for getting accurate quote or availability info on car rentals in Europe. <BR> <BR>Best wishes, <BR> <BR>Rex <BR> <BR>

Bob Brown

I have had 3 painless rentals with Avis. <BR>We were in Switzerland each time, so that experience may not carry over to France. But the rates were OK, and there was no haggling over the price. <BR>We paid what was advertised in advance, and got the car we thought we would get, except once we got an upgrade at no extra cost. <BR>One time we even called up from someplace and asked if we could keep the car two more days. No problem. <BR>And Avis requires that someone on the staff speaks English. (So I am told.) <BR>We went through Auto Europe each time. <BR>The last time, I went with Avis even though it was not the cheapest because my previous two experiences had been very positive. Saving $15-20 is not worth it to me if there is griping and fussing over the contract.

Randall Smith

Salut, <BR> <BR>We love driving in France and have for the last 7 or 8 times when we have rented have actually leased a new car from Europe by Car. You get a brand new car and a save the TVA tax. Which I beleive is 19.6%. I also think Renault and Peugot have similar programs. You do however need to lease the car for at least 17 days or so. If you need a car for less time then a regular rental is probably best. You can visit their website at http://www.europebycar.com/ <BR> <BR>Some of their drop off locations have been a problem "especially in Marseille" nowhere close to the Gare St. Charles. So I would check this out prior to rental. <BR> <BR>Good luck and good travel in France. <BR> <BR>RJS

wilbur

Thanks everyone for the tips. Will have to do some detailed research on convenience of pick up and drop offs now. <BR>regards

Merri

WE found that it was definately cheaper to make the reservation from the states - even if you need to make revisions once you get there. We booked thru Hertz and got a Peugot 406 for one leg of the trip and a Volkswagen Passat for the other - both for the equivalent of $31 a day. Be careful that once you get there that they don't try to add anything that's not on your reservation sheet (like extra for a second driver). We actually prepaid Hertz so all we had to pay in France was taxes.