I'm just wondering whether there is a lot of difference if I book my car rental in advance instead of going straight to the counter when I arrived at my destination? I found a good deal at Sixt's website, but I'm not sure if I can get a better deal if I deal at the counter directly as soon as I arrived at my destination.
Thanks for your feedback!
Not sure about better deal or not, but if I were set on renting a car for an extended period of time, then I do it ahead. If I just want a car for a day or two, I wait and do it there.
Don't know for sure which is cheaper, but I'm guessing booking in advance. Also, if you book on the internet you can shop and compare many vendors for the best value. If you show up at a counter without a reservation, guess who's in charge of THAT negotiation (hint: not you)?
Often, when you book in advance you will be pleasantly surprised by an upgrade once you get to the counter. That has happened to me several times.
I think the peace of mind is worth the advance booking.
I arranged rental in advance thru gemut.com and got a VW Golf Diesel in Germany for $168 (DOLLARS)for three days. For comparison my German friend (lives in Germany) shopped for the same car at the same location on the same day and was quoted 220 Euros (That's euros, not dollars) With the conversion rates, my deal is about 1/2 of what it would cost walking up to the counter.
One time we arrived in Frankfurt and we were not happy with our car. We went to all of the other car rentals and they did not have anything available for us. We had to concede to our first car rental company and take the unwanted car. You might want to think about that possibility as well by waiting until you approach the counter. You can always price shop once you are there, but knowing that you already have a car reserved with Sixt will be comforting.
Generally you will get a substantial savings from booking ahead versus walk-up, let alone they may not have a car at your location without a reservation.
