How safe is it to drive around without speaking Turkish? My fear is that we'll be "out there" and at the mercy of whomever if we get lost or have a problem.

Do not drive in the cities. Not knowing the language is not dangerous. Being on the road with Turkish city drivers is! Travelling is fine on the highways. You may get a little lost, but in my experience any merchant will know alittle english and everyone will understand the turkish name of wherever you're trying to get to. To be on the safe side, take a dictionary or atleast some paper with phrases you should know. Please Thank you Where is How much Bathroom etc.. That should help alot.

ZWho. my cheese shop is owned by a great guy who is Turkish here in Cambridge, Ma. And all the Turks I have met here are nice.

yea but that's cambridge, the last outpost of socialism in the world....

The wife and I went to Istanbul this July. Had agreat time but the drivign is as bad as Moscow. Taxis are cheap. If you decide to rent a car, I wish you the best of luck. Have a great time!

judyrose ; highways are ok to drive, sign posts are all international anyway.
However try to avoid driving in big cities. I try to take taxis when I am in istanbul. If I have to drive than I am depressed If you are travelling between towns I suggest to drive daytime only. At night sometimes there can be cars with one headlight or non, sometimes a donkey can be also trying what is like to walk on asphalt....

Otherwise keep the speed limits and get a hire car from a reputable company that you can reach all the time.

A small dictionary suggestion is good one and have a recent map with you.

If you get lost there will be many people around to help you do not worry about that.

Have a good time in Turkey

No problem driving in Turkey without knowing the language but have a good map with you, not the kind they give you at the rental companies. I was able to purchase one before I left the US.

There was a recent thread about driving in Turkey , do a search for Turkey and it will pop up