Has anybody ever used Autotours Europe for self guided auto tours? We are two 50+ couples looking to tour Ireland and France. Any other companies that have been used by other travelers?

OK -- I don't really 'get' the benefit.

per the website:

>>Why Auto Tours Europe?
Here are just a few of the reasons why you should choose Auto Tours Europe for your next European vacation.

• Unlike a bus tour, you can travel at your own pace and customize your itinerary.

{<blue> . . . which you don't need to pay a middle man to do</blue>}

• Choose your own departure time and how long to stay in each city.

{<blue> . . . see above</blue>}

• First Class Hotels including breakfast, taxes & service charges.

{<blue> . . . which is what you'd get if you booked yourself. (taxes and fees are included in European hotel rates)</blue>}

• Car rental collision damage waiver (CDW), theft protection (TP) and taxes included.

{<blue> . . . which you can get w/ any car rental if you choose to</blue>}

Not sure what benefit you get using this company - especially since you would each pay the full cost. It is just independent travel -- but you pay them

We have done numerous road trips in europe. Make all the arrangements ourselves so we get to see exactly what you want. All you need is some good maps (Michelin - yes, paper maps) and the internet and to do a little research.

What is this company doing for you?

The only thing I can see that Autotours Europe offers is one of their standard, cookie cutter, itineraries, with a lot of options to add. If they were to offer to prepare a custom itinerary it might be interesting, otherwise it is nothing better than a 'bus tour', where you end up driving the bus.

Are these the places you want to go and the hotels you want to stay in? Plan your own trip and see what you want to see rather than be dependent on a set itinerary.

You don't even get any guided tours with this plan.

A Michelin Green Guide and a Michelin paper map, with a car (which you can book yourself), Tripadvisor (to pick out hotels) and Booking.com (to book them) will do just as well. Make sure the hotels you choose offer parking. My recommendation would be to avoid staying in larger cities; it's easier to find reasonable lodging with parking in smaller cities. E.g. Amboise instead of Tours

You could even use the itineraries from the Auto Tours Europe website without paying them anything, if you wanted to.

There are also many guide books with driving trips showing routes, ideas where to stay etc.. For Europe for example there are the Karen Brown guides, Frommers 25 Great Drives in [name your country] or Lonely Planet [name your country]'s Best Trips all organized based on driving.

If you have particular questions about renting a car or reserving hotels or otherwise about a driving trip in Europe that made you want to book through a company rather than do it yourself I am sure Fodorites here can help.