Rental Car Options . . . In Europe?
 

Hi all,

My wife and I are heading to Scottland this May for a friend's wedding. Then we're catching a flight over to the continent to see Germany, Luxemburg and Belgium. While in continental Europe we'll be renting a car and since some of that driving will be on the Autobahn I thought it best to check with those here to see about the European market cars available since I know very little about them.

We'll be picking the car up in Brussels and dropping it off in Frankfurt. For a 10 day rental with unlimited milage these are the following rates (in Euro, couldn't find the Euro key so I used the $) and cars:

Volvo S40 1.6L
Manual, 5-door
$404 / 10 days

BMW 320 2.0L
Automatic / 5-door
$411 / 10 days

Ford Mondeo 2.0L
Automatic / 5-Door
$445

The BMW is appealing, especially for the German segment but it is only available in an automatic. I'd kind of like a manual since they tend to be a bit more fun but also to be able to hold gears longer and get as much power out of the engine as possible.

And the Ford Mondeo. . . . well, I've never been in one but I've heard the European Fords are actually not bad.

Thoughts?

Oh, there is also the Ford Ka 1.3L, manual, 3-door for $197.

I would pick the Volvo.

Boring.

I'd get a Peugeot or something you'd otherwise not get a chance to drive.

Alex

Go as small as you can go. I personally enjoy driving renault clios & peugeot 206s.

I like that idea. Although, I'm not sure I'd want one of these -

http://static.flickr.com/93/228542515_0e8696b11e_m.jpg

If you're going to do a lot of driving, I'd suggest a compact car with a stick because:

1) Gas is expensive,

2) Some of those roads are extremely narrow (at least in Ireland, anyway),

3) Parking in some cities may be limited,

4) Nothing like winding out a motor on a rental with a manual (remember, "If it's a rental, don't be gentle").

5) Gas is expensive, hehe.

We rented a Nissan Almera last summer. It was a 4-door hatch, and was roomy enough for my g/f and I. Lots of these type cars were on the road because imo, they are so versatile........and fuel-efficient.

I rented an almera in S. Africa. Perhaps it was made specially bad for that market, but it was one of the worst cars I've ever driven. I refused to drive it so my gf had to... :lol: :lol:

I don't like the smart idea one bit. The clio, peugeot 2ers & (as I'm reminded by my gf) vw polo are nice to drive though.

I had a Euro Ford Escort wagon and some similar sized Opel wagon when I was in Italy for work for ~3 months back in 1996. Both those cars were actually really slick and scooted along nicely.

When I was in Denmark for 2 weeks in 1993, we rented a Ford Sierra and also loved it. It had NO TROUBLE at all getting out of its own way.

I'd recommend trying to get a car you can't get a version of here... Just for the heck of it. Other than that... You're at the whim of the rental company anyway at the time you get the car regardless of what you've "reserved".

My thoughts anyway.

The Almera I had was brand new. It only had less than 100 miles (or was it km??) on the clock. I suppose the right-side drive and the new car smell made an impression on me.

In any case, I concur with that other suggestion of trying cars that are NOT available in the States.

I wish I remembered what rental car company I went with. They were pretty reasonable when compared to the others.

One of my concerns, though, is not getting run over on the Autobahn. I've been in Germany twice before. The first time we had a base rental Opel. Shit that thing was weak and scary. We were getting passed by semi-trucks doing 90+ mph. It was an eye opener. The thing could barely get out of its own way and it made for some nerve wracking times trying to merge on the freeways.

The second time we learned and rented a Mercedez with better power (E320, I think) and it felt significantly safer. The extra power was good on the Autobahns with keeping up and/or changing lanes, etc. and it was a far more stable car at those speeds, too, with better brakes. Something important when there's a sudden traffic jam at 120 mph.

For Belgium, Luxemburg, or just about anywhere else I wouldn't really care what car we get but in Germany I'm more concerned about it.

I hear y'all on the point of getting something not available in the US or cheap, light, manual to rev the snot out of (appealing).