Sixt Car Rental -- good or bad?

Sixt is a partner of Budget and very realiable.

Peter, we rented a car from Sixt out of Avignon for two weeks. Best price, no problems.

Sixt has become my rental company of choice, particularly because their fee for drop-off in a different company is fairly reasonable.

When I last shopped for a car for 3 weeks, I researched sixt.com among 5 others and finally chose that agency. I wanted to drive into E Europe and talked with an agent about that.

When I arrived at the counter in Frankfurt to take my car, I read the contract carefully and found it prevented my driving in E Europe.

When I showed the agent my confirmation stating that I had reserved a car to be driven into that area, he produced different car.

It was a new diesel Opel with 600 miles on it. It had all the power equipment, including auto trans, A/C, locks, windows and AM/FM radio.

It performed better than I expected and saved me money on fuel. Therefore I can recommend Sixt.

I don't usually read the contract carefully before signing, but I learned the importance of doing so at that time.

Sixt is market leader in Germany, Switzerland and Austria. You'll end up driving a Mercedes, BMW, Audi or VW if not leaving the Western EU countries plus Switzerland. No other agency is better and more reliable than Sixt.

I rented through Sixt in Salerno, Italy last May for a drive up the Amalfi Road (Scary!). They are one of only a couple of rental agencies that might be open on a Sunday, when all others are most likely closed. I had reserved a "B" Class Mercedes, but was pleasantly surprised when they gave me the keys to a brand spanking new "C" Class. They were very pleasant to deal with. They are very scrupulous about inspecting their cars for damage. I had the feeling that they would have charged for any minor blemish. We passed tour buses with literally an inch to spare! One thing, however...I did not get a receipt for the rental return when I returned the car. It was mailed to my home a couple of months afterward. They also put a hold on your credit card for the amount of the rental and don't release it for quite some time. Overall, I would rent with them again.

Let me preface this by saying that we rented from Sixt in Frankfurt about 10 years ago. We had gotten a great deal, about $130/week for an economy car. I asked for the CDW since my credit card only covers liability. I didn't get an itemized receipt when I got my car (I'll take partial responsibility for that, I should have asked).

The license plates were stolen off of the car about 5 days later in Brugge. We called their office in Frankfurt, where we rented the car, and they told us that the only car they had available was a Mercedes M class. They didn't say it would cost more, and I assumed since it was all they had available that it would be the same price (again, I didn't ask, so I'll take partial responsibility for that). An agent brought the car to us from Brussels, and we finished our vacation.

A couple of weeks later I got my credit card statement. $500 from Sixt. Ouch. I don't know if that was the CDW or the difference in car class, I was never able to get an answer from them.