Renting a car in Germany

[XXL]

Very difficult to work with this editor. This time it tricked me into deleting my own post. Anyway here it is again.

Last time Interrent at Terminal 2 in Frankfurt sent me on my way with a car I discovered later contained no yellow vest and no warning triangle.

This time I checked many things except the mileage. I discovered too late 280 km had already been "driven" when I picked-up the car. I have 4000 km free for 20 days, so that may turn out to be sufficient but I resent being cheated like this.

Last time a Russian guy who had returned a car was complaining at front desk and I chukled when they dismissed him with "sorry we speak no Russian" and "you have to pay Sir". Now in retrospect I sympathize with the Russian guy. He was probably being scammed.

Those Interrent employees go through the paper work at baffling speed. They answer your questions before you have time to phrase them. Efficient they may seem but there's more to it than efficiency. During the whole quick "efficient" process they never look you in the eyes. People who never look you in the eyes are either out to kill you or to scam you.

Area where your rental car is parked is very dark. Area where customers return the car like a supernova. A well-known trick, here caricaturally obvious.

In the future I'll stick to the rental at Ferdinand-Happ-Str. All cars in outside parking, no light issue. They inspect the car with you before you sign.

[XXL]

The rental car I drove this month had neither a yellow vest nor a warning triangle inside. Those items are mandatory as well as a first-aid kit. There are so many things to pay attention to when you pick up a car it's difficult for one's mind not to be overloaded.

Regarding satnav, I was lucky enough for my latest 2 rentals to be equipped with a satnav, which I wasn't charged for since I had not booked one. Yes Google is the best but what about the cost of data? If used offline it has no realtime traffic update. Attaching the smartphone for proper viewing is not easy. How long before the smartphone runs out of power? Nothing like a big-screen onboard satnav.

[Pistons]

If renting a car, a satnav or other device with live traffic is essential. Having live traffic has meant that I have not got stuck in any one jam for more than fifteen minutes. In some areas jams of an hour or more are commonplace.

And also, it is a good idea to try to time journeys to avoid going round major cities in the busiest times (08.00 to 09.00 and 16.00 to 18.30 is my guess).

Good luck.

Nothing beats Google Maps on your iphone or android. GPS is a complete waste of money.

[Downandup]

....a satnav or other device with live traffic is essential. Having live traffic has meant that I have not got stuck in any one jam for more than fifteen minutes.

Agree 100%.

Good Friday, I was travelling from Cologne to Bamberg and the A3 around Wurzburg had a 90 minute delay. Google maps sent me off the autobahn onto major and minor roads until I ended up on the A70, I ended up losing only 30 minutes.

[Ludacris775]

Driving here is not like driving along the Florida turnpike where you could just as well sleep at the wheel. You should plan to drive no more than 400 km on a single day. For example drive from Frankfurt to Stuttgart and spend the night in Stuttgart with a visit of FKK Paradise. Or drive from Frankfurt to NRW with a stop at Finca Erotica along the way. If you must drive to Zurich (not recommended), spend one night in Stuttgart and another one in Munich / Augsburg (FKK Colosseum / Laufhaus Vitalia in Munich).

Traffic jams can easily turn what should be a comfortable 3-hour drive into a 6-hour hell. Switzerland is one of the least car-friendly countries in the world.

Returning a rental in Zurich can carry an extortionate one-way fee. If you want to visit Globe why not book a flight from Amsterdam then back to Frankfurt where you pick up the car?

Don't labour under the delusion that you can have great sex only at GT, Oase or Globe because they're the clubs reputedly "with most stunners".

All this info was really helpful guys. I'm going to renege on driving to Zurich for sure. If I go to Zurich, I will probably fly. I think I'm going to skip Globe all together this time and just focus on the Dutch and German scenes. I'm definitely going to check out the Amsterdam red light district on my first free day, and then after that probably head to Bruggen and Dusseldorf, then Friedrdorf and Frankfurt all by car.

I will be carpooling with some other mongers I have met through my Nevada mongering on my roadtrip from Amsterdam to the German houses, then driving back on my own.

[Optimist]

If renting a car, a satnav or other device with live traffic is essential. Having live traffic has meant that I have not got stuck in any one jam for more than fifteen minutes. In some areas jams of an hour or more are commonplace.

And also, it is a good idea to try to time journeys to avoid going round major cities in the busiest times (08.00 to 09.00 and 16.00 to 18.30 is my guess).

Good luck.

[McAdonis]

Traffic jams can easily turn what should be a comfortable 3-hour drive into a 6-hour hell.

Agree. Traffic can be horrible, given the amount of road construction, long haul trucks, and in the summer RV campers. Additionally, accidents also happen. Often the result of impatient drivers that execute risky maneuvers to pass said slow vehicles on the autobahn, which frustratingly is usually two or three lanes. But back to main point, on the drive from Frankfurt to Zurich, one would pass some of the worst traffic hotspots on the German autobahn (#2, #4, and #7). It might be advisable to say visit a Frankfurt club and leave at 21:00, then check into Stuttgart hotel at 23:00. Next day attend Stuttgart club until 21:00 then make the drive towards Zurich.

http://inrix.com/wp-content/uploads/...NAL_lo_res.pdf

I think parking opportunities in cities are kept artificially scarce and expensive as a policy to force people onto public transport. I remember a tv documentary about how in Zurich even bankers preferred used public transport rather than their own company cars.

NYC and London are considerably more expensive. Zurich's parking prices are partly attributed to higher average wages of Zurich's residents. https://www.autoguide.com/auto-news/...-surprise.html.

I guess when you say parking spaces artificially scarce, you mean that Zurich is much smaller and less bustling and congested than NYC and London.

[XXL]

.....

Good to know, XXL. Someone mentioned police hostility. I've never driven to Switzerland, could you provide some specifics? Thanks!

I think parking opportunities in cities are kept artificially scarce and expensive as a policy to force people onto public transport. I remember a tv documentary about how in Zurich even bankers preferred used public transport rather than their own company cars.

[Smoke Light]

Traffic jams can easily turn what should be a comfortable 3-hour drive into a 6-hour hell.

So true! I actually had physical pain in my left hip pushing the clutch 2+ hrs in a miserable traffic jam on A3 between Frankfurt and Munchen last summer. The autobahn was flooded by campers and RVs from Holland on their way to Salzburg / Austrian Alps and beyond.

Switzerland is one of the least car-friendly countries in the world.

Good to know, XXL. Someone mentioned police hostility. I've never driven to Switzerland, could you provide some specifics? Thanks!

[XXL]

Wondering if it is just better to take the train instead of renting cars to go from Amsterdam to Dusseldorf to Frankfurt to Zurich and back? Have any of you done this?

I am reading this thread and weighing the pros and cons of doing this vs renting a car.

This is my first European mongering trip.

Driving here is not like driving along the Florida turnpike where you could just as well sleep at the wheel. You should plan to drive no more than 400 km on a single day. For example drive from Frankfurt to Stuttgart and spend the night in Stuttgart with a visit of FKK Paradise. Or drive from Frankfurt to NRW with a stop at Finca Erotica along the way. If you must drive to Zurich (not recommended), spend one night in Stuttgart and another one in Munich / Augsburg (FKK Colosseum / Laufhaus Vitalia in Munich).

Traffic jams can easily turn what should be a comfortable 3-hour drive into a 6-hour hell. Switzerland is one of the least car-friendly countries in the world.

Returning a rental in Zurich can carry an extortionate one-way fee. If you want to visit Globe why not book a flight from Amsterdam then back to Frankfurt where you pick up the car?

Don't labour under the delusion that you can have great sex only at GT, Oase or Globe because they're the clubs reputedly "with most stunners".

[LaBambaBoy]

Wondering if it is just better to take the train instead of renting cars to go from Amsterdam to Dusseldorf to Frankfurt to Zurich and back? Have any of you done this?

I am reading this thread and weighing the pros and cons of doing this vs renting a car.

This is my first European mongering trip.

Man,

I always like to have a car for the flexibility, but that's a pretty long way you are thinking about driving. I considered Frankfurt to Zurich, but since I rent cheap tiny cars, it was not going to be very comfortable.

And if you rent a big car, then you have to park it. Lots and spaces in Germany can be very tiny, and roads will squeeze you.

If you can drive stick, you can rent a little car really damn cheap, but it isn't going to be pleasant for a 6 hour drive or anything. And stay out of the left lane, unless you rent something with serious muscle.

Also look into *flying. Frankfurt to Zurich is really cheap, IIRC.

[Smoke Light]

Wondering if it is just better to take the train instead of renting cars to go from Amsterdam to Dusseldorf to Frankfurt to Zurich and back? Have any of you done this?

I am reading this thread and weighing the pros and cons of doing this vs renting a car.

This is my first European mongering trip.

While train has obvious advantage, I would still chose a rental car for flexibility.

Trains aren't cheap, so no advantage in pricing if you driving a manual transmission car. Automatic transmission probably more expensive than a train, but I am only guessing.

It's summer and sometimes long distance IC / ICE trains don't have proper air conditioning. It really sucks if you have a seat reserved in a specific train car with such problem. I consider AC in my car really important for any long distance travel.

I would advise driving no more than 600 km in one day. Otherwise it's too tiring in heavy traffic, construction zones, slower areas close to country borders, etc.

Why drive all the way back to Amsterdam? Waste of gas and money. If you make Zurich your last stop, return the rental car there and either fly or take the train back.

[Ludacris775]

Wondering if it is just better to take the train instead of renting cars to go from Amsterdam to Dusseldorf to Frankfurt to Zurich and back? Have any of you done this?

I am reading this thread and weighing the pros and cons of doing this vs renting a car.

This is my first European mongering trip.

[Optimist]

Chongmai. For what it is worth I had a 3 cm scratch caused by me and Hertz did not charge me.

Companies do change their attitudes. I used to use Enterprise who were lenient until a year ago, when they even confessed they were losing money so we're trying to be very strict and charge for any conceivable scratch.Luckily, I had no scratches

I always take photos on pick up and drop off.

[Triptogamont]

Was driving on the highway in NRW and a seagull (I think) flew in front of me, exploding against the grill. White feathers everywhere! Scared me half to death. Luckily, no other cars were around, because I am sure I swerved into every lane. I pulled over and a thousand feathers were stuck in the grill. I pulled a lot of them out, but had to get going again to return my car. The girl at the return looked at the grill and then at me with raised eyebrows. I explained what happened, but there was no damage to the vehicle, so no harm done. Except to the bird.

So, another thing to look out for while driving in Germany!