Driving manual in Europe?
 

I've never driven in Europe and am preparing to drive through Germany this August. We rented a C class Mercedes to drive from Munich airport to Frankfurt airport (I realize that driving a Mercedes in Europe must be like driving a Ford in the states but I think it's worth a couple extra bucks). I currently drive a manual transmission at home and am comfortable with the idea of driving through Germany, but the idea of controling the gear shifter with my other 'other' hand and the combination of driving on the 'other side of the road' seems a bit to pick up in the airport rental car parking lot.

Should I rent a automatic transmission?

My current rate is approximately 210.00 EUR through Hertz.

Bart

There is no "other side of the road" driving in Germany, nor anything mirrored about the car. You may be thinking about England, or Australia.

Best wishes,

Rex

I LEARNED to drive stick on the spot after 24-hours of travel when we arrived in Copenhagen to find that the automatic car that had been promised was broken and the part would not arrive for two more days. If you already know how, it's a piece of cake. The right side of the road is the correct side in Germany.

210 Euro a day ?? if so thats a lot Ok if you really want a Merc there are far better offers on Europa CAr
Mercedes C180 A/C (Auto) or similar EUR 85.88
http://www.webcarhire.com/QuotationD...ate=18-07-2006

Thanks for the advice, I've been to Europe twice but never driven. I recently got back from Australia and must have assumed it would be the same.

And actually I got the Merc for 210 EUR for 3 days.

Thanks,
Bart

ok - thats not too bad then

You didn't say how long you would be renting the car so it's hard to say whether this is a good rate or not. If you are planning to spend any time in Munich, itself, before leaving for Frankfurt, you may want to consider picking up the car at an in-city location. In Germany, there is an extra tax (about 16%) on all rentals that originate at airports and train stations. You may also want to check out gemut.com, who are brokers working through AutoEurope. I rented an intermediate-class automatic for 13 days in June for less than $38/day, including taxes and mandatory liability insurance. I wanted an automatic because I was going to be driving quite a bit in the mountains, and their rate was hundreds less than anyone else's, even AutoEurope's own web site. The savings on a manual transmission car may not be that dramatic, however.