Any suggested car rental agencies for renting a convertible in France? (Stick-shift is fine.)

We will be driving from Paris to Normandy in early June.

Any advice is appreciated...thanks!

bettyo - You mean something like a BMW Z4? Most uncomfortable (hard ride) and where does the luggage go!

Tod,

Aren't there any other choices? Hard to believe that the BMW74 is the only convertible offered in France.

Thanks.

I have seen a Citroen convertible available for rental in France via AutoEurope.com

Auto Europe offered a Saab a few years ago. Since I drive that at home I was tempted until I did the numbers. I wanted to rent the thing, not buy it!

cruisinred: Ooh! A Citroen convertible sounds cool - was there any trunk storage space?

In my experience, they are horribly expensive. (Like Carol said) I have a convertible at home and I really miss it on some of the wonderfully scenic roads I've been on in Europe.

You could also check on the Peugeots with sun roofs that open.

Shouldn't be too hard to get hold of a Renault Megane Convertible or a Peugeot 307CC - they are both french after all!
There's not much to choose between the two - both mid-size cars 4 seaters with a hard roof that folds away to nothing. This gives you added security when you leave the vehicle as the car can be left as another - ostensibly a hard top.

I used to have the old soft top Megane upon which the current hard convertible is based (and thoroughly enjoyed it - great car!) and succesfully have packed it with enough luggage for 2 to enjoy a three week holiday in Quercy (driving from/to the UK).

How many are you? though it's meant to be a 4 seater I'd better describe them as 2+2 - I certainly wouldn't want to be an adult in the back for a long stretch at a time. Maybe if you have kids it'd be fine or are short(ish) so the front seats aren't too far back.

Hope this gives you some guidance on the vehicles available.

Dr D.

I just rented a car from Autoeurope in France this summer, and they did indeed offer Citroen convertibles (this was in Provence). I didn't check the agency used, I think probably Europcar. It was not expensive at all, in fact, one of the cheapest options (in the economy to midsize category I wanted) and I almost got one for that reason, even though I didn't really want one. That was within the A/T category, though, a manual would be cheaper, of course.

Now they may not have so many in Normandy, though, I was looking at the Avignon station. For that location, a Citroen C3 Pluriel convertible (compact size) with AT was $439 a week, in comparison to a manual Renault Laguna or manual Citroen C5, both at $378 a week. For those with A/T, it was among or the cheapest model.

bettyo- Sorry about pulling your leg on the Z4! Smashing looking thing as it is, totally impractable! Please forgive the question but, I don't think anyone has asked you, why would you want a convertable?
When we arrived at the Hire company in Chartres last June we were full of anticipation as to what vehicle we had been allocated........what else but the ugliest car I have ever seen. A Megane!
Not deterred by this fact we set off and found it lovely to drive plus it had the most enormous boot(trunk). Above all, it never let us down!

I haven't rented a convertible in France, but I just wanted to caution you about your belongings.
A friend rented one and had her purse stolen from the floor in the front seat when stopped at a traffic light. It was a scam with motor bikes. They just reach in and grab.
Not to say this will happen to you.
It was a lovely ride though, she said.

My experience was similar to Christina's about the Pluriel pricing. The one thing you might want to check by phone with AutoEurope is that they have Pluriel in Paris. Because, like Christine, the one I was researching was in Provence so I am guessing that is much more interesting to tourists there to have a convertible due to the sunny climate.

It is a darling car by the way, like a remake of the old deux chevaux:

http://www.cardesignnews.com/autosho...oen-c3pluriel/

They have a photo of the trunk all the way at the bottom. It doesn't look too bad in terms of size, and besides it is a good incentive to travel light

Let us know if you go for it!

Thanks, Everyone, for responding. I think we'll be renting the convertible in Paris and returning in Paris, so there should be something of a decent selection.

Also, my husband drives stick so maybe that will save us a little money as well.

DrDoGood: It's going to be just the two of us, and some light luggage. Thanks!

Tod: The question should be: WHY NOT A CONVERTIBLE? June weather. Beautiful French countryside. Music blasting.

Cheers to all!

We rented the regular C3 (not the Pluriel version) for a few days and it's a nice little car. No room in the back seat for adults (small kids only), but the trunk did hold more than we expected. It was nifty to drive, shifted smoothly, has good pickup, and my husband, who's over 6 ft, was comfortable in it. We may be buying a compact car soon and it's on our short list. We got well over 40 mpg. Very easy to park...fits in some teeny spaces.
The one we'd rented was supposed to come with a refrigerated glove box (for holding that chilled wine), but no such luck.
It's a very popular car in France. You'll see them all over. We saw several few Pluriels in Brussels last summer...I'm not crazy about the orange colored trim, but it's still a fun car.

Hi BTilke!

Do you remember what you payed for renting the regular C3?

No, sorry, it was a week-end rate, and we got a discount. However, all told, I think it cost us about $50 a day (full insurance, taxes, etc.) Maybe a little less. We rented it in Brussels and saved money by NOT picking it up at the airport.

BTilke: Thanks! That sounds pretty reasonable.