monnyc

Munich Rental Question

We'll be near Sendling-Westpark (81369) going to Salzburg, so looking for Munich location Munich-Pullach and even Main Railway Station and Elisenhof.
Except for compact, economy and midsize, all others come up as Call to Book. Is it normally the process for all other classes?
We are looking for automatic, is it possible to guarantee a Mercedes or BMW? Can this be done only by phone? Would anyone know what the similar cars would be in these categories?

Red Scorpion

I would guess that the reason why you need to call to book is because they only have a restricted supply of cars available at that location.

So if you are calling, you should put in a request for a BMW or Mercedes, but be aware that although there are plenty of both on fleet, in most of the lower Groups, they have plenty of other models as well, so you may not be lucky.

MrDaniel84

Do you plan to return the car in Salzburg? If yes that might be the reason you are getting just those groups offered!

E14 26C

Are you trying to rent during Oktoberfest period ?

If you are going to Austria make sure you have the correct Austrian Autoban tag on the car - I'm not sure if Hertz Germany provide this - the last car I had from there was an Austrian Merc

Red Scorpion

All Austrian rental cars come with the requisite Vignette, but it is pot luck whether any German or Swiss ones do. Whilst the Swiss vignette is valid for the calendar year, you can get Austrian ones for much shorter durations. There are a lot of checks (automated cameras) esp near the border, so you need to get one if you are going to drive on any motorway (autobahn) in the country. The same is true for Switzerland.

monnyc

I did try several locations, but my guess is because it was less than 10 days. My friend just noticed she booked a manual so I'm now trying to find an automatic for next week and most classes come up with Call to book. I did and it was available.

Sorry, I should've been more clear: no, just driving to Salzburg and returning to the same location.
Thanks for the reminder, though I'm unfortunately not going during Oktoberfest, I totally forgot about the dates and some of the dummy bookings I did to test if these models were not available at those locations were in that period, duh!
When I called to book, the agent were not sure if I the car would have the tag and said I would have to ask at the counter. So, will it be just luck to help us get a BMW or Merc with the proper Austrian tag?

Does it mean I can get an Austrian vignette for shorter duration myself if there is no car available with one?

MrDaniel84

Yes, it's just 8,50 Euro for 10 days, you'll be able to buy it at fuel stations in germany befor you cross the border.

Cymro

If you want a good selection of cars, rent out of MUC airport.

MUC to the centre of town is quite a distance but German downtown locations tend to be very small (e.g., Berlin Main Railway Station had a total of six cars available).

I've also found (based on limited experience) that you get 'as close as they can get' to what you've booked, rather than ensuring that the booking matches availability. If you need an automatic, although there is a good range of cars with automatic gearboxes, you really need to go for a higher class car and I would strongly recommend paying a potential premium to go out of the airport.