Carole

We will be arriving in Germany on May 3 and will want to rent an automatic. Are they hard to come by? We know from experience (England) that they are not as widely available as they are in the States. Just curious. We will probably go through Hertz as we get usually get a good corporate rate.

anna

Having been stranded in Copenhagen with three kids and a manual transmission car I did not know how to drive (because the agent promised an automatic and didn't deliver) I recommend you learn to drive stick before you go. It's not that hard. (I know. I learned in Copenhagen traffic, sleep-deprived and jet-lagged with three kids in the back seat giving "advice").

Ed

Roughly 95% of cars in this country are bought with auto. About 95% of cars sold in Europe have manual. <BR> <BR>You'll pay a substantial premium in the rental price, and at $4/gallon or so you'll pay a hefty premium for the fuel you use. Which isn't to say you shouldn't rent whatever you want to rent. <BR> <BR>I'd make a comparison or two against your Hertz rate. AutoEurope for one. <BR> <BR>Ed

gar

if You book in advance You should only tell hertz what kind of car You want. they are good enough to handle that. if You dont book in advance it will be a proplem, but I think You will arrive in Frankfurt, there the renting agencies are big enough to get automatics. <BR>

Mary Ann

Carole <BR>Definitely reserve before you go. We used DER when we landed at Frankfurt in 1999. It is a Germany company rates were great, used it for 21 days and left it in Paris. They have toll free US numbers. We had to have a manual at the time since we were going into Eastern Europe (Prague and Budapest). At that time they required it, which was not a problem since we all drove sticks. <BR>There are numerous war stories on Fodors of all the people that "reserved" automatics and when they got there none were available. Most renters will tell you they cannot guarantee an automatic in Europe. Actually we were glad we had a stick. Apparently on our last stop where the car had been parked for 3 days in Paris, the trunk light never went out and when we picked it up to head to the airport, the battery was dead. Needless to say, in the heart of Paris on a Saturday morning there are not alot of service stations. Thanks to a manual transmission, a french jogger and a young man near by, we pushed it and popped the clutch and it started. Who knew manuals could be so accomodating with the assistance of the French! <BR>Just be prepared. Take some instruction from friends before you go.