I have a large family that will be traveling around Western Europe approximately 51 days. hoping you can give us a viable option regarding our
planned self-drive tour of Western Europe our main concern is luggage space, when we toured in
New Zealand we actually used a "minibus" Ford Transit so we would have sufficient luggage space, we have 8 passengers, but would need at least luggage space for 9 full size luggage and a
wheelchair. Can you please recommend a vehicle that we can pickup from Calais in France, like a 12
SEATER MINIBUS TYPE SIMILAR TO A FORD TRANSIT OR A MERCEDES SPRINTER http://www.bmcoaches.co.uk/fleets.htm
In summary;
1) EIGHT (8) PASSENGER seater
2) Need one with Automatic Transmission
3) What is the Luggage Capacity, We need one with enough space for NINE (9) full
size LUGGAGES plus a wheel chair.
Posted by
OP
Sydney
22 posts
Thanks Steve! I've seen most of the vans of Peugeot,Renault and Citroen also inquired about the buy back lease option. I think the Renault Traffic Combi Van featured in Avis is the same size as the Peugeot Expert Teepee Long? My problem is the luggage space, I am worried I will not have enough space for 9 full size luggages and a wheelchair, I have four kids in our family group and would not like them to feel squeezed either. Do you know of any Ford Transit or similar available in France. Thanks again
Posted by
Florida, USA
12172 posts
For 51 days, you should lease. Pugeot and Renault have lease programs. At least one of the two has large vans that should work for you. If you pick up and drop off anywhere in France you won't incur drop-off fees. We picked up in A'dam and dropped in Rome. Even with the pick up and drop fees, it was still a great deal.
You are wise to consider luggage space. My family of five, with one carry on each, leased a seven passenger car that fit just about right. If we were bigger or had more luggage, we would have been crammed in.
If you're planning Italy, I can't recommend a GPS highly enough. I had driven many times in Northern Europe with only a map but I really wished I had a GPS in Italy. I would buy one before your trip so you understand how to use the unit before you start driving.
Posted by
OP
Sydney
22 posts
Thank you for your helpful and insightful suggestion, luggage space really is a major concern of mine as mentioned we are 8 in the group assuming each gets a full size luggage that's eight plus we also have a wheel chair to pack. I am considering leasing am 8 seater Peugeot Expert Teepee Long in fact I already have an unconfirmed voucher from Auto Europe since last week, but still bit reluctant to finalize because of my space concern. Unfortunately they don't have this model available in our country so I could go straight to a dealer and resolve the luggage space issue right there and then. Thanks
Posted by
Copenhagen, Denmark
265 posts
In most of Europe (but nok the UK), any vehicle with more than 9 seats including the driver seat is a bus and not a passenger car, and requires a bus licence. This means that they cannot be rented on traditional rental agreements and are not offered by normal rental agencies. Also the weigth limit in Europe is 3500 kg (3.5 metric tons) Gross vehicle weight rating for a normal driver's licence. More than that, you need a bus/truck driver's licence. That's the reason why you don't find anything bigger.
Posted by
Atlanta
1357 posts
Have you considered renting/leasing 2 cars? Even with paying for gas, that may be a cheaper option.
Posted by
OP
Sydney
22 posts
Thank you Christophe that's the clearest explanation I've gotten so far why I can't drive a minibus like I did in Australia and New Zealand (Ford Transit)
Unfortunately Maureen there's only one driver in our family, and that's me, thanks anyway for the suggestion!
Posted by
OP
Sydney
22 posts
Does anyone have had experience leasing Peugeot vehicles through autoeurope? Thanks
Posted by
Copenhagen, Denmark
265 posts
The problem is that these 9-seaters often have little luggage space, because a large trunk in addition to 9 seats will put them over the weight limit of 3500 kg. But often, the unused seats fold down to create a little more luggage space. I see that you cannot inspect these car models at home, but try to go the manufacturer's European websites to get some more pictures and technical data such as trunk size/luggage space.
Posted by
OP
Sydney
22 posts
Thank you once again Christophe for your suggestion, incidentally has anyone had any experiece leasing a Peugeot from auto europe, and could anyone please recommend a Peugeot dealer or any other company IN PARIS that can install a wheelchair carrier and also a roof carrier for luggages on to a Peugeot Expert Teepee Van?
Posted by
Copenhagen, Denmark
70 posts
You could maybe also rent a trailer with the vehicle for your luggage. The trailer can be driven on a normal driver's licence if its weight is equal to or less than 750 kg (gross weight), even though the combination exceeds 3500 kg. But then the van should of course have a towbar, most rental vehicles have not... The inconvenience is that you have to take the trailer off to get access to the rear of the vehicle e.g. if you want to load the wheelchair from the rear.