bagold

I am looking into a possibility of going to Geneva, renting a car and then driving to the south of France for a few days in August.

Does anyone know of a good car rental agency there that will allow me to take the car to France and also give me good rates? I was thinking of indulging a little and renting a luxury sports car like a BMW M-3 or M-5, Porsche or Audi TT.

Hertz quoted me an Audi TT for 2 days at $746 and I am only given 200km! Any suggestions?

mileonaire

I seem to remember some problems being reported by people renting a car on the Swiss side of Geneva airport and then driving into an EEC country i.e. France.

I think you should check with the rental agent about this and maybe pick up the car from the French side.

BlondeBomber

I rented from the Geneva airport (Swiss side) and drove through Italy and France two years ago. The cost was only about $35 CAD/day for a compact car (Opel Astra type as I recall, 1.6 l engine) as I pre-booked on the internet through one of the major chains (Alamo I think, which was being handled by one of the other agencies at the time). Those of our group who didn't pre-book paid $150 CAD/day (about $100 US).

Budget has econo cars now for $42 CAD/day unlimited km and Alamo has minis for $152 CAD/week (about $100 US). Compact or intermediate runs a bit more (about $160 US/week for intermediate) but you will appreciate the extra power on mountain roads. All are pretty much manual transmission so it makes the driving fun.

Compared to $850 US/week unlimited from National for just a convertible (Peugeot 306 Cabriolet 2000), the intermediate car is a steal (Opel Vectra type car with 1.8 l engine). But sometimes you just have to let the wind blow through your hair . . .

ALAMO ALLOWS HOLLAND, BELGIUM, LUXEMBURG, FRANCE, SPAIN, PORTUGAL, ITALY, AUSTRIA, DENMARK, GERMANY, NORWAY, SWEDEN, GREAT BRITAIN, THE REPUBLIC OF IRELAND AND FINLAND. NO EXTRA CHARGE

BUDGET ALLOWS AUSTRIA, BELGIUM, DENMARK, FRANCE, FINLAND, GERMANY, GIBRALTAR, HOLLAND, ITALY, LUXEMBOURG, NORWAY, PORTUGAL, SPAIN, SWEDEN, UNITED KINGDOM. NO EXTRA CHARGE

Good luck and have a great trip.

[This message has been edited by BlondeBomber (edited 07-03-2000).]

BlondeBomber

. . . now if you got to Nice, Europcar will rent you a sports car (not luxury I don't think) intermediate for $180 US/week unlimited. You might want to check out nearby locations outside of Geneva for different/better rates.

bagold

Thanks BlondeBomber for the rates. I just checked and I could fly into Nice instead of Geneva. Actually looks closer to where I want to go (St. Remy) so I'll try Europcar. Is your experience booking through the internet better than talking to a person? (In terms of getting what you want and a better rate?)

BlondeBomber

There is no consistency in either so I try both, knowing I can cancel either with no penalty. Generally, I can say I get lower rates on the net, but not always.

With Budget in South Africa, they could not get me an unlimited km rate through Budget's own booking number, even with my corporate discounts etc. They flat out stated "we cannot meet the internet rate you have." I find this strange as they have to pay more for the internet booking (i.e. a commission to Travelocity etc.) which they don't if they use their own booking staff.

BlondeBomber

. . . as with anything else, make sure you have a printed copy of your internet booking confirmation.

Having it in writing (not just the rate, time etc but also the policies--Travelocity does the best job of this) is very helpful if there are any disagreements. While I seldom have needed it, it has come in handy a couple of times.

JayBrian

I have found it a must to pre book a car when going to Europe. The price can be triple when just showing up and renting a car vice making arrangements from the states. I don't understand why there is such a difference in price.
My last rental through Hertz for pick up in Switzerland was an Opel Vectra, it was ok and about $40.

Jay

stimpy

The Vectra is actually a very nice car and works well on those small French roads. Mercedes is usually too big.

At Nice airport, I sometimes get upgraded to luxury cars when I bring my Hertz coupons with me. They seem to like Hertz Gold members who have coupons. My favorite rental there is the Alfa Romeo Spyder Cabriolet. It's an awesome ride on the Riviera.

Be warned, the drive up to Geneva is through a lot of mountain areas. Sometimes there are huge backups at the tunnels with tourist and truck traffic.

mileonaire

At Nice airport all the rental agencies usually have a good selection of prestige motors for rent, including various convertibles.

How about a Rolls-Royce Corniche?

Also, try this Avis AWD # E400,000 (fully inclusive rate)

[This message has been edited by mileonaire (edited 07-04-2000).]