car rental

Contact www.gemut.com. They are a US based company that specializes in rentals in Europe. The guarantee the lowest price and are very familiar with the procedures, etc.

Hi Hermann. Look under the 'Travel Tips' link above for a lot of good info from Rick Steves on car rental in Europe. I've used both Hertz and Avis several times and had good luck; check their web sites. Enjoy your trip!

I've had good luck with AutoEurope.com, a New England based consolidator. Most of the time, you'll get a Hertz car, but at a lower price.

There are at least a handful of rental car options to shop. You can approach it a number of ways. Gemut and Autoeurope are two choices. You can also check the major rental companies. I usually shop all of them and choose whichever one offers the best car at the best rate. You don't say exactly when or where you are going. If it's the hot part of summer, you will probably want air conditioning. Most rental cars will include AC, but don't assume the car has it (or automatic transmission). If it does, it will say so. If it doesn't say, assume it doesn't. Also make sure the car will fit everyone you're traveling with plus their luggage. People who haven't rented are sometimes shocked by the tiny trunks. They assume a car that seats five adults will have room for five pieces of luggage. That's not something to count on. A car for five adults can probably fit three adults with a checked bag each comfortably. Another good tip is to use AmEx collision damage waiver insurance. If you have the right American Express card, and set it up for CDW ahead of time, you can get full CDW on your rental for next to nothing. If not, CDW can really add up. It may be worth considering opening an account just for the CDW.

Herman, it works the same way it does in the States. Of course your own US insurance doesn't cover your European rental car, so you'll have to get a rate including at least "Teilkasko" (German word) which covers the damage you may do to another car but not the damage you would have done to your own, or better "Vollkasko" which also covers any damage done to your own car - with a few exemptions, like tires... T here can be a deductable (which lowers the daily or weekly rate) but that can also be excluded. Most car rental companies charge extra if you pick up a car directly at an airport or a train station. They add 20% to your total rental cost. So e.g. if you're flying into Frankfurt it might make sense to take the S-Bahn into downtown to pick up your car there. The two largest (and market leading) car rental providers in Germany are Sixt and Europcar. Up until a year ago I would have recommended Sixt for their great service and all-German-cars fleet. But that's changed dramatically and you'd now end up driving something Asian or - worse, French. At the moment Europcar have got the nicest fleet. Even if you book a compact 2 door you end up driving a VW Golf or Mercedes A-Class or 1-series BMW... No. 3 would be Hertz and 4 is Avis. There are smaller ones, too, like Terstappen-Buchbinder, who are just fine but don't have stations everywhere. If your Sixt car breaks down - anywhere in the country - it's never far to the next station to get a replacement car. (Theoretically the same goes for Europcar but why would a German car break down?) A walk-in rate, which always is the most expensive, for a Jetta-sized car would be around €80-€110 per day. But that can go down to €40 depending on how long and through which channel you book...

Thanks to all for the good advice. I knew there were some very smart folks that could help me. A Merry Christmas to all., hermann

You could read the report from gemut.com and it will give you a good idea about renting a car there. Go to the link below and download the 16 page report. http://www.gemut.com/car-rentals/free-rental-car-booklet.html

If you are a USAA member you can get big discounts. My daughter just got a quote from Hertz for a 1 week rental of an economy size car in Munich for €178.

€178 ?? $225 ?? Good grief! Without looking I can tell you right now that the going rate in Munich for a cheapo is twenty-five bucks a day (or less) for a one-week rental. I've been a member of USAA about since the day they opened their doors, and I've never found that they have a rate that's worth a toot.