I received a quote from Gemut for a rental ran through Europcar. The quote doesn't include GPS. I will be returning the vehicle to a different location than pick-up, so I am not sure that supplemental GPS will be available. What are the chances these days of GPS being already built into the car?
Thanks!
We rented a meduim sized, not expensive car, through Autoeurope, and picked it up inVenice at Europcar. It had a GPS in it, but I do not know how we got it.It was a mid-sized, 4- door automatic and we did not pay extra for it. In October we rented through Hertz and picked it up at Orly afterstaying in Paris. Again we rented a mid-sized automatic,and the guy at the counter asked us if we wanted to pay for a GPS. We said no because it was high.He upgraded to their green line for no extra charge, and we got a Prius with a GPS. No charge.Go figure. This year we are taking our own because they are great to have and we can't decide if we would get one again free. I do think they come on the mid-sized cars or bigger.
I don't have a choice but to get a minivan, as I am travelling with 6 (2 adults, 4 children, so it doesn't make sense to take two separate cars.) I would rather have something smaller, but I think it will be ok. I spent 6 years living in Europe (but that was pre-GPS days!) and have also visited. The last time we were there, my granfather had a minivan, and I know the Euro versions are smaller than ours.
If nothing else, I will pick up a GPS here to take over there. I might see what I can get on eBay- maybe cheaper if I just go with a Europe only version, as I have GPS on my cell phone that works in the US.
High end cars are more likely to have it but these are not the kind of car most people rent in Europe. The problem is that it's hit or miss, you won't know until you get there.
Like BMW/Mercedes high end? I am renting a minivan.
Yes, the larger more expensive cars that cost more and are not good (too wide) for many European countries, not the kind people usually rent. The voting here has been 100 to zero in favor of GPS, people who have used them for the first time have been surprised at how helpful they are for Europe. And if you use this method of taking your chances, you won't know until you get to the counter--they usually don't give the GPS units away for free (sometimes but not usually).
I think the chances of getting a GPS included in your rental without requesting it are about the same as in the US; It may happen but I wouldn't depend on it.
Getting a GPS here is probably a good idea. You can learn how to use it and preload points of interest.
The Tom Tom 920/930 and Garmin Nuvi (not sure the number) are the only ones I know of that have both Europe and North America maps preloaded. The others either charge a lot to add Europe maps or can't add them.
I leased a car on my last trip and didn't get a GPS ($100 extra). I was fine in the North but when I got to Italy, I really wished I had one. I wasted a lot of hours asking directions trying to find parking and addresses in Cities and towns.
I recently bought a Tom Tom 920 for $350 online. The price should be going down because they just introduced the 930. I like it because it has driving, bicycle and walking mode so I can carry it with me after I park the car.
