There will be six in our party and I am concerned about getting around. Want the flexibility of a car but worried a van may be too big. It's also a manual transmission which scares me.

Whats your ?

Vans are smaller here more like minivans or people movers in the U.S. Do you know how to drive manual? Ask if they have an automatic. Just take it easy you should be fine. Cars and vans are much bigger in the U.S.

letsem,

Don't fret about driving a van around Eire. Several years back, I drove a Renault van-like vehicle all around the Republic and the North for two-plus weeks, logging in more than 1,300 miles, and I experienced little trouble maneuvering the vehicle around the island's seemingly endless byways.
The extra storage space offered by the van, along with plenty of leg room, was a real plus.

An automatic transmission may be worth looking into. While your gas mileage will suffer, the ease of driving increases. Besides, why bother shifting when you're much better off being pre-occupied with Ireland's scenery?

Best of luck.

I know of some who actually prefer a van. They say the added height allows for better visibility in maneuvering on Irish roads.

I'd definitly upgrade to the automatic. If you need the size of a van, just go slow. Most roads are narrow with stone walls. There are many places to pull over and let other by.

Letsembellish -

Over the past 3 years, I've driven a Spacewagon (its like a stationwagon, it sits up higher then in the States), a Ford Transit (diesel, manual), a nice Peugeot Van (from the North) and a Mercedes Vito. The only van that gave me any trouble was the Transit, you see I?m short, and I could not shift and hit the clutch at the same time. We it rented from Dan Dooley and they swapped it out for the Peugeot with out any problems. I know that the Mercedes comes in both Manual and Automatic Transmission. If you drive a manual car, you should have no problem driving one in Ireland, it just takes a few days to get used to the left-hand shift.

- eyps

2 years ago we (4 people) rented a Ford van from Dan Dooley. Had no problems, even with the manual transmission. And the people in the back can actually do some sight seeing with our craning their necks! We're doing the same thing for our trip to Germany later this month.

We traveled in a Mercedes vito for two weeks last April. There were six of us. We has no trouble traveling, and plenty of room.