Renting Car with Automatic Transmission
 

None of the four of us on upcoming trip to France has driven a standard shift in a while, so decided to rent an automatic. The only automatic available is a Mercedes, which is, of course, twice as expensive as what we'd otherwise rent, but additionally, I have a question about the size of it. Will it be so big that it will be unwieldy in villages? It is considered a "full size" car. Will we have to take additional insurance because of the category of car?

Any experiences, suggestions are welcome!

Wich Mercedes model ?
For instance, a Class A is rather small

I hope this isn't comparing apples and oranges, but we rented a car in Italy last year, and it had to automatic. The thing we found is that they were only available in the large cities, and they were of limited supply. It was Hertz and a Ford Fiesta, and not that much more costly than its standard counterpart. It would easily seat four adults. Luggage for 4, I'm not sure.

The info I have about the car is at work; will check tomorrow about the Class.

We are renting in Dijon, and I guess that's why only a Mercedes is available; a larger city might have a less expensive car.

I don't know how long you need a car but you can do the lease buy back with an automatic in Dijon.

I am doing want and actually turning it in a couple days early..still less than renting. Check it out..might work for you..
http://www.kemwel.com/buyback.cfm

Grandmere.
One of the times I rented a car in France, they gave me a Mercedes even though I only rented a small automatic because that was all they had.

I cannot remember the model but it would be considered full size, I believe. We drove all over the Cote and had no trouble at all.

I think our sense of full size is much larger than what is available in Europe.

I believe the daily cost of the insurance may vary for the class of car rented. So if they quote you a price for the insurance, that is for the car you are renting.

You should be able to get detailed information from the car rental provider but of course insurance excess is sometimes paid at the local agency.

Dear grandmere:

I wouldn't worry about driving a stick. I hadn't driven one in over 20 years but rented a manual transmission in Italy 3 years ago. No problem. It's like riding a bike or sex: it comes back naturally.

We were in Spain in June. We rented a VW "mini" van for four of us. Plenty of room for the bags and purchases. The "mini" van in Spain wasn't as big as the US. We had no problem in the small towns.

Good luck,

MY

AQ couple of hints - your Merceds will probably be a small one. the trunk is small and wil not hold luggage for 4 people unless you are taking very tiny bags (we had to put a rack on the roof for 2 25" bags. The trunkk held 2 25" and a couple of small carry-ons, the others went inside.)

Also - many companies will rent a Mercedes only with an American Express card - even though they don;t mentin this in advance. (Insurance from Visa or MC usually doesn;t cover cars this expensive - I think the usual limit is $30,000. Make sure you have an AMEX - or a Platinum or Titanium Visa with written proof it covers more than $30,000 or insurance.)

Oh - and we had a C class that wouldn't hold the luggage - and also had next to no pickup on the highway. Apparently in Germany they make them with much smaller engines - perhaps only for rental companies.

&quot;<i>None of the four of us . . . . has driven a standard shift in a while</i>&quot;

I totally agree w/ MichelleY. If you had never driven a stick that would be one thing. But if any of you have driven on in the past it comes back really quickly. (Even easier than a bike or sex :) )

Not only will a stick be cheaper in the first place, the insurance will be lower, and it won't use as much gas. And at $6+ a gallon that adds up quick. Plus you have a much wider choice of vehicles.

So save the money and rent a standard shift car . . . .

try http//www.novacarhire.com


They have the best inclusive prices I've found.. about 1/3 less than Autoeurope. We have reserved a class A Mercedes automatic, pick up in Lyon , dropoff in Auxerre , seats 5 if you don't have tons of luggage.

Another one to agree with the consensus. I had no trouble at all in France re-adapting to a stick and it was the wrong side of the road to boot as well for me.

As you have used a stick drive in the past go with that. As said, cheaper and much more flexibility with model availability. If you intend to be driving on small country backroads at all, I wouldn't want a really large car.

To set your minds at rest, before you go organise to borrow (or even rent if needs be) a manual car for a day and get in a little practice. I'm sure that after a couple of hours of driving you will be wondering why you were so worried.

We only rent an automatic because it is easier to drive, will usually have an alarm system, and often will be a diesel which will save us money. We were fortunate to get a Mercedes from Hertz in Paris which we drove, without extra insurance, for a little over a month. A Mercedes, although a full size car, has a smaller turning radius than many small cars. We had no trouble anywhere in France during over 5000K. The generous trunk (boot) allowed us to store all of our stuff securely out of sight. Check your credit card or travel insurance policy for insurance coverage. We used a Visa card but now Amex may be the best way to go.

The lease buy-back is a great way to go if you will be renting for at least 2 weeks. They are covered 100% in every way. Many options for vehicles.

Grandmere,
It's highly unlikely that you will be given a car that is too big to handle in towns so I wouldn't worry about that.
I rented an automatic two years ago from AutoEurope in Italy and the only one available was a Mercedes C220 so they gave it to me at no extra cost. I drove it in the Dolomites and it was small enough to drive comfortably in the little villages. It handled the mountain roads and the autostrada beautifully, with great pickup.

I don't particularly like to drive, but driving that Mercedes was a real pleasure.

It's a Mercedes C200 &quot;or similar&quot;.
My Mastercard will work for over $30,000. I see, however, that the card will only insure the car I'm driving, not the car we might hit. Will we need additional insurance for that? I'm not sure why I have all these questions since we've rented many times before and never had a problem.

Jody, nova car sent me an immediate message that it did not have the kind of car I was requesting.

Panecott, did your C220 have enough room for luggage for 4? Probably a lg.-ish suitcase plus small carry on, each.

Not using car long enough to lease.

Thank you, all, for your help!

The car you hit is covered by the liability which is included in the cost of the rental.

The liability covers everything outside the car you rent that you damage. I do not know if there is a limit.

I would worry about driving a stick. We rented a manual transmission car on our last trip and it was a total pain in the rear--especially on the Autobahn, in towns, and anyplace with hills.

If the cost of a Mercdedes is an issue, why not rent the car from whichever larger town you are coming from? I assume that you are not entering France via Dijon.

The Mercedes turned out to be an 8 passenger van; I just about freaked when they drove it out for us. By European standards it was huge, and it fit in our traveling companions' hotel gargage door by only 2 inches to spare on either side. Took 2 of us (plus a helpful bystander, the first time) outside car to help guide driver into (and out of) garage. Let's just say that there was plenty of room for luggage :-)!