We are planning to rent a car in Ireland for 10 days. Our concerns are: 1. Choosing a vehicle large enough for sightseeing, with 4 people and our luggage, that isn't too big for narrow, country roads. 2. Deciding between manual and automatic. Would it be difficult and frustrating to adjust to a stick shift on the left while adapting to driving on the other side of the road? Would appreciate any feedback. Thanks!
Posted by
Coldwater
55 posts
used a compact with 4 average size adults the last few times we have gone-but rented an automatic-glad we did.We also obtained full coverage-had many scratches-even a tire somewhat shredded from narrow roads-did the Beara peninsula and you cannot imagine how narrow those roads were ! We had 4, 21 inch suitcases plus carry ons in the trunk without difficulty-car was about the size of a Toyota Corolla
Posted by
Chicago
2876 posts
Last year we got a free upgrade to a Land Rover and we drove it from Shannon airport all through northwest Ireland to the north Donegal coast, and over into Northern Ireland, along the Antrim coast and down to Belfast. Had no problems on the Irish roads and plenty of space for 4 adults plus luggage. At first we thought the car would be too big for Ireland but it wasn't. Bottom line: don't worry about a car being "too big." If it's in an Irish car rental fleet, it'll be OK.
If you're comfortable with a stick, shifting with the left hand is pretty easy to get used to. The pedal arrangement is that same as in a left-hand-drive car.
Posted by
San Jose, CA
1994 posts
I'm also trying to decide whether it's worth it to spring for an automatic. Years ago I remember a pretty quick adjustment to driving on the "wrong" side of the road with the shift on the opposite side--but I was driving a stick at home at the time. But I also remember having to back off of a long bridge and later back down some hilly roads to allow trucks/buses to pass me on 1-lane stretches--something I still see mentioned on websites, which is making me lean towards getting an automatic this time. Do have a great trip!
Posted by
Poulsbo, WA, USA
147 posts
We had a nissan altima for the 2 of us, our friends got a BMW X5 SUV for 4. If you can get a auto, that's great but somewhat hard to reserve. Shop around but we used Enterprise out of the Dublin AP.
Look at rates closely. If you rent by the week, it's much cheaper