Wow!!! Thanks to you all for your advice. I can't wait to take to the open roads. April seems so far away until I calculate how many paydays away it is. ;-)

E.

AutoEurope, out of Portland, Maine are consolidators....using the major rental agencies and it differs from country to country. They do have good customer service etc.....However, sometimes you can bet better prices by calling HErtz, Avis etc direct yourself. AAA gives you good discounts also for most rental cars. Hertz allows you to pay in full before leaving home and you have a voucher. This way the desk in Paris will not add extras (except a couple of small things).(I think mostly AutoEurope has you pay partial first, then the rest in Europe) WE always rent a car overseas and have for years, and have never taken out CDW (collision damage waiver). It seems that the credit card used for the rental has the coverage!
If you don't feel comfortable with manual shift, by all means get an automatic (one less thing to worry about).
You'll find having a car to be wonderful (do you have someone who is a good navigator with maps)? You can stop in little towns and villages and walk the streets, park close to the sights in Normandy etc. Once we drove the Normandy coast, then drove on down to the Loire Valley and then drove toward Paris and turned in the car at Orly airport (on the S. side of Paris). Then took a shuttle bus into the city for a couple of nights. Versaille, or Chartes or one of the smaller cities would be a good idea also. All depends where you flying into or out of, and if you'll be in Paris at either end of the trip.