Renting a car in December

Everyone has their favourites and almost everyone can tell you about a bad experience with one company or another, to go with it. We tried Auto Europe twice but have rented with Sixt on every subsequent trip. We prefer Sixt - we find the prices are competitive if not better, we have always had excellent service and so far we haven't had a bad experience.

We always rented from Sixt when we lived in Germany, but now I always call Andy at gemut.com for my German rentals. Lots of good info up front and no surprises when you get there.

Sixt, Gemut.com, AutoEurope.com, Hertz--just compare prices after everything's included. Don't be surprised if a 7 passenger van is relatively expensive.

I'm a member of Hertz Gold Club (free), and get discounts for being a frequent renter.

You'll be better off making a rental reservation before leaving for Germany. Much cheaper!

Renting a 7-passenger van is not going to be easy nor will it be cheap. I'd still consider just adding a second smaller car and do your trips with two cars, especially if your daughter lives in a smaller place with few rental places nearby. Choices might be rather limited.

Hi,

We have used Andy Bestor at www.gemut.com for our last 4 trips and will do so in the future. Whoever you use, book before leaving home.

Paul

I agree with Beatrix - since your daughter already has one car, just rent a second car. Not only will this be cheaper, but it gives you much more flexibility if you want to split up for any reason. It will also be a lot easier to drive and park.

We've driven several 7 passenger vehicles in Europe that are considerably smaller than a typical van or minivan in the US. Some are models that aren't marketed in the US like a particular VW and Renault Espace and another Renault model we drove.

Another thing to be aware of is that a 7 passenger vehicle can ( but not always) have the 3rd row of seats pop up in the very back and not be very comfortable for long touring days and/or eliminate most of the back room for gear or luggage.

I don't know if you are thinking about long day trips or overnight trips with your family. If your daughter has lived in Germany for awhile she is probable familiar with some of the Europe only models and their configuration and comfort.

We rent a car at least twice a year in Germany. We always make reservations in the states on Orbitz. Mostly Thrifty and we never had a problem. The only annoying thing we always encounter is having pay for additional driver.