cmt

Have you had any experience with renting an automatic car that you arranged to pick up from a rental agency that does not carry automatics in its own fleet? If so, did it work out? Was the promised automatic actually there for you on the date you arranged to pick it up? If not, what alternative arrangements were made? Do you happen to know approximately how much extra you were charged for the service of having an automatic delivered specially for you, to a rental pickup location where automatics are not ordinarily offered?

I'm trying to decide whether to make such special arrangements with AutoEurope to pick up an automatic in a French town near my destination where automatics are not in the rental agency's normal fleet. The alternative would be to rent an automatic in a more distant city, at a location where automatics are normally offered, so that exceptional arrangements would not need to be made.

This will be my, and my travel companion's, first time driving in Europe. We therefore prefer not to start with a difficult drive. However, since we'll be in a place where public transportation isn't an option and therefore a car is absolutely necessary, we don't want to risk not getting a promised car and being stranded. (We never learned to drive stick shift.)

nytraveler

If you want a gurantee of an automatic I would pick up only at an office/airport in a major city where there is a good selection. Even when they promise an automatic they may not have one available - and your chances are obviously worse in an out of the way place.

janis

even getting a "guaranteed" automatic at a regular location is not really guaranteed. They can promise you one - but if one isn't available what will you do about it?

It is probable you will get your automatic - but definitely not 100% sure. As long as you know how to drive a stick you'll be OK. Even if you are stuck with a standard transmission, most agencies will try to get an automatic to you and swap it for the stick as soon as they can.

Joe_in_Silver_Spring

I've only rented cars twice, once in England and once in France. Both times I requested an automatic. In England (at Heathrow) it was no problem. In France (Nimes airport) I ended up with a stick diesel. Fortunately the car and I bonded, and it worked fine. That said, the first two cars I owned--long ago--were stick. I wouldn't want to learn to drive a standard shift in Provence.

cmt

I have never driven a stick, and neither has my friend, so it would be a huge problem if that's what we were offered. However, we might possibly manage, together, if we were only 45 minutes from our rural destination, rather than three hours away and had to drive on dangerous roads, and if there was a good chance of getting the automatic the next day. I was thinking of taking lessons, but ater calling every single driving school in my phone book, I found only one that offeres lessons in stick. It's over an hour away, and it offers a two-hour lesson for $200. Less than ideal, obviously. If it cost less, were local, and included more hours, I wouldn't hesitate to take the lessons. I may take this overpriced teaser anyway, but I would delude myself into thinking that it will prepare me for driving in a foreign country for two weeks. I've been thinking that may really need it if I ever want to drive in Basilicata, where it is not really possibly to get around much without a car, and where I'd like to go again. I really doubt that automatics are available there.

cmt

Joe, what company were you dealing with? I've heard such praise of Auto Europe that I'm hoping they might be a bit more reliable than the norm. But, even under ideal circumstances, I'm not the most trusting....

cmt

P.S. Were you requesting delivery of the automatic to a location that did not normally have automatics in its fleet, or had you requested it from a place that supposedly did carry automatics? It's the former that I'm particularly concerned about, though I'd love it if it could work out.

Calamari

I just booked a car rental though autoeurope for italy. The car we reserved is the Mercedes A 140 and I was so shocked that it will be an automatic. I have never driven an automatic in Europe.

cmt

You mean you didn't ASK for an automatic, and that's what you're getting? (I hope the people who DO ask for one get one, too.)

StCirq

Well, it doesn't surprise me that a car rental agency renting a Mercedes to an American turns up an automatic. Isn't that what they'd assume you want these days?
My understanding of AutoEurope is that they will TRY but not GUARANTEE delivery of an automatic to certain small towns. I DO think that they are a responsible company, and since I know where you are renting the car from I can also attest to the fact that the personnel at that office are exceedingly customer-oriented.
I would call Auto-Europe and see what they suggest. I think if you tell them you DEMAND an automatic, they will see that you get one. There are so few cars at the place you're renting from that the agency is used to bringing in cars from other places to satisfy client demands. I really don't think this should be a problem.

rhkkmk

you have not told us what country...??? i think that this is significant...some countries are more likely to carry through with your request than are others....
if you have not driven a stick and have never driven in europe...i think that you should plan on going to the place where they have them (automatics)all the time...its no guarantee, but it is more likely than not...also go early in the day when there is more of a fleet...also you might call ahead a day or two to assure the car is available...get the person's name...
autoeurope is a wholesaler and does not rent cars...they just arrange for rentals through other companies so have little control over the actual situation...

i had a reservation with hertz recently in munich and i arrived about 9Pm only to find that the car i had reserved 4 months earlier was not available...i am hertz gold also and that made no difference about that specific car...i just stood my ground, did not raise my voice or get flustered and they came up with something that was acceptable...

cmt

Rhkkmk: It's France, in the Dordogne. I thought I mentioned that, but maybe not.

StCirq: I spoke to the people at AutoEurope twice to get info to report to my friend. They sounded responsible, since they said that they didn't know whether it was possible, but that it might be. I have to put in a request for the specific dates and locatiom, and then they will come up with an answer within 48 hours. If they say they can do it, then (supposedly) I can count on it. I liked the fact that they didn't promise too glibly.

I now feel better about this, since I just found out that my travel companion is going to be able to borrow a car from a friend to learn the rudiments of stick shift driving. So if anything goes wrong, we can manage for a day or two. We can just start out with the easier day trips if that happens.

rhkkmk

sorry..i just looked again and did see france...make sure you take maximum insurance if you have the stick...its so easy to make a mistake...
do you know about waiving insurance with a credit card...if not you might want to find out...

cmt

What do you mean by "waiving insurance with a credit card"? Do you mean that some cards provide an alternative insurance if the card is used to cover the rental? I think I read something like that re my Visa Gold. I'll check. Thanks for reminding me. (Or did you mean something else?)

BTilke

Actually, it's not surprising that a Mercedes A 140 (or 160 or 170) will be automatic. We almost got one last year and in chatting with the Mercedes dealer learned that more than half of the A series (they're a type of minivan, a mini minivan, if you will) being sold are automatics and the percentage is expected to be at least two thirds by 2005. I see a lot of them around town and casual glances at the ones parked on the street shows the dealer's percentages to be pretty accurate.

LoriNY

Interesting. I am having all kinds of problems getting an automatic car in France for September. Seems Avis and Hertz no longer carry them in their European fleet. I have checked with AutoEurope, and so far they and Alamo are the only ones I have found.

sfowler

cmt -- I wouldn't count on it.

I'd do the renting from the "for sure" location. Don't take the chance.

OReilly

cmt:

I drive manual at home and have never had to rent an automatic. A couple of comments though:

1. An automatic car is a good idea in your situation. If you do not normally drive manual, doing so in a strange environment is not the place to start. I have just returned from the Dordogne and I think a driver unused to a manual car would find it frustrating trying to navigate up to and through some of those hill towns.

2. I have seen ONE case of where the promised automatic did not materialize on the appointed date as the previous renter kept the car an extra day. The unfortunate new renter was forced to spend a day in Toulouse waiting on the car, but it did eventually turn up.

3. I would suggest that you rent the car from a larger city and at the airport, to increase your selection of cars and rental agents; e.g., for the Dordogne, rent the car at Bordeaux airport rather than in Perigeaux.

regards ... Ger

cmt

Thanks, Ger. We'd considered Bordeaux, but we heard that it is a long and not too safe drive to the place where we're staying, and that turned us off Bordeaux.

Some people seem to have great faith in AutoEurope, aprticularly in dealing with them in that part of France (through the local rental cbusinesses that they use). My friend is going to have someone teach her stick shift. She has the time. I plan to take a ridiculously expensive two-hour lesson, because I can't think of anyone who can teach me informally. So if we absolutely HAD to accept a stick while waiting a day or two for "our" automatic, we might survive...maybe.

We are trying to get one or two more people to join us, and one of the two is someone who doesn't mind driving long distances on all kinds of terrain, so if she comes, our worries are over. But, on the other hand, if eberyone cancels and I'm alone, I will be very very anxious about driving alone!

Sally

My daughter and I rented an automatic car in Chartres from Auto Europe- no problem. We even got an extra 5% discount because we gave them a discount number from Karen's Brown's website. I think this was on top of another discount from AARP.