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[merce]

A friend and I will be doing a bit of travel in France and I have a question about car rental.
There is a chance we will stay in a very, very small village where there are a few buses to the nearest decent-sized town but the last bus to return leaves that town at 6pm. There are lots of interesting places to see if we have a rental car so I'm curious about how that works.
I don't drive a stick shift.
If by miracle a rental place has a stick shift I'd imagine it would cost more than a "regular" car.
My friend can drive a stick but he has lived here for over a year and claims that one is allowed to use one's US driver's licence only for short tourist visits. He claims he can't drive because he doesn't have a french driver's license (which costs thousands of dollars to get).  He leaves France definitively at the end of the summer, as do I.

Now, I think we could go into the airport's Avis Car rental or whatever and given our US passports and they will let us rent a car. He says no.  This makes a huge difference regarding our plans so I'd like to figure this out. However,
I'm theoretically on a retreat for the next four days and not supposed to internet or telephone. And really, it's not as though I'd call us Hertz rental car and say, "my beau says he's not legally permitted to drive? He's wrong isn't he?"

So, anyone here have an idea on whether he is crazy? whether it's easy to get an automatic in rural france? or anything at all.

BTW
I am staying in a place one of you linked to on this forum. THANK YOU! Just got in today and I already feel relaxed.

[theblondeassassin]

A friend and I will be doing a bit of travel in France and I have a question about car rental.
There is a chance we will stay in a very, very small village where there are a few buses to the nearest decent-sized town but the last bus to return leaves that town at 6pm. There are lots of interesting places to see if we have a rental car so I'm curious about how that works.
I don't drive a stick shift.
If by miracle a rental place has a stick shift I'd imagine it would cost more than a "regular" car.
My friend can drive a stick but he has lived here for over a year and claims that one is allowed to use one's US driver's licence only for short tourist visits. He claims he can't drive because he doesn't have a french driver's license (which costs thousands of dollars to get).  He leaves France definitively at the end of the summer, as do I.

Now, I think we could go into the airport's Avis Car rental or whatever and given our US passports and they will let us rent a car. He says no.  This makes a huge difference regarding our plans so I'd like to figure this out. However,
I'm theoretically on a retreat for the next four days and not supposed to internet or telephone. And really, it's not as though I'd call us Hertz rental car and say, "my beau says he's not legally permitted to drive? He's wrong isn't he?"

So, anyone here have an idea on whether he is crazy? whether it's easy to get an automatic in rural france? or anything at all.

BTW
I am staying in a place one of you linked to on this forum. THANK YOU! Just got in today and I already feel relaxed.

It is generally true that you need a local license if you have stayed more than a year in a European country.

As a tourist, you can drive legally in Europe with a US driving license and an international driving permit (which you should get from the AAA before you leave the US).

It is probably better to reserve a car in advance, especially in the summer, and as you can shop around for better deals than walk-ins.

I don't know about the cost of automatic versus standard, but that's a good reason to shop around and to reserve what you want.

[wegie]

Most European cars are stick shift. Automatics tend to only be rentable at big airports or in big cities, are usually more expensive than a stick shift, and quite often only available if reserved in advance.

If your friend has been over here for more than a year and hasn't got a local license, he'll be in trouble if caught. You, on the other hand, as a tourist, should have no problems.

Getting hold of an automatic in rural France, now that could be interesting.

[testingthewaters]

Indeed, getting caught without a local license after the "tourist" grace period is over is asking for a world of trouble, to the tune of driving around uninsured (thus if anything happens, its your fault and you are not insured).

As a second aside and word to the wise: if you rent a car in Europe, carefully inspect the car when you pick it up, and have them note any and all dents, scratches or other damage, even if visible only with a microscope (i.e. the scratches that often occur around door handles from people grabbing them? Yep, note that.) In contrast to US/Canada rentals, my experience with European rental agencies is that they are generally much more anal retentive about damage, will inspect the car at this level when you return it, and will charge you for anything they can find. I've had particularly bad experiences with French car rental agencies, whom I'm convinced leave nicks and scratches on the car just so that they can charge extortionist fees for the damage to multiple customers.

[southerntransplant]

Rental cars are generally stick shift. Automatics are quite expensive. I think I was quoted a cost that was 50% over the cost of a stick shift. A mid-size European car is a Ford Focus. Traffic fines are very high, and if you get caught speeding on video, it gets even more expensive. In the Netherlands, a fine is only payable from the US in Euros and wired to the local judiciary. The cost of wiring and currency transfer was as much as the actual fine.

My suggestion, if this is possible, would be to have someone teach you how to drive stick shift before you embark. Also, don't trust the GPS in small towns.

[scotia]

If your licence is for an automatic (non-stick shift) car it is possible that you will not be permitted to hire a stick shift car.

[southerntransplant]

If your licence is for an automatic (non-stick shift) car it is possible that you will not be permitted to hire a stick shift car.

If the OP has a US license, there won't be a notation about stick vs. automatic.

[mystictechgal]

Getting an automatic in Europe can be problematic--or, at least it used to be. Don't know about France, but when we were going to be driving through England I didn't want to deal with opposite-side driving, opposite-side seating, and a stick shift all at the same time (although, in the States, I drive a stick by preference). I reserved (with some difficulty) an automatic almost 6 months before our trip. Some difficulties with our flight resulted in our (oddly enough) arriving at Heathrow a good two-three hours before originally scheduled. The car I'd reserved hadn't arrived from wherever it was coming from, and no automatics are regularly stocked. Rather than kick our heels for another two-three hours, I accepted a stick. I'd imagine that it would be even more problematic trying to get one spur-of-the-moment, and in a rural location.

FWIW, while I had an International driver's license--both on that trip and on other trips I've taken to Europe, Australia, and elsewhere, I've not actually seen anything that says they are required (it's always just been mentioned as something you can get). No one has ever asked to see it. My US license is the only thing I've ever needed to show when picking up a car. When I travelled internationally on business, renting the car through the corporate travel agency, I never bothered with getting one, and no one ever suggested I should, or offered me one. I don't know anyone that ever got one when doing corporate travel. That may have changed, though, and/or some countries may actually require them; I've just never encountered one.

[merce]

Well bugger all.
My brother did actually have an accident while driving in Rome. hahahhaa, little rascal.
Perhaps driving around illegally isn't such a great idea after all.
I'm in rural France with no car or friends anywhere nearby (I'm doing a solitary writer's retreat for a couple of days before friend comes from Paris) so learning before getting a car can't happen. But, I used to own a stick shift and did try to drive on occasion in a parking lot. My brother didn't want to let me learn because then, of course, he'd not have it for himself. I'm sure I could just learn after getting the car.
That sounds like a fabulous idea.
Can't imagine any problems with that plan. The roundabouts are the only thing I worry about.
Maybe we should get bikes.
Not that I enjoy physical exertion nor do I know how to ride a bike...yet.

[mystictechgal]

Roundabouts aren't a problem--just remember that whoever is already on it has the right-away. Hills you have to stop on, and very slow-going, stop & go traffic can be problems if you aren't used to driving a stick.

Um, you do realize that they will notice if you return the car with a torn up transmission or no clutch pad left, right?

If a bike isn't your thing, and you'd need to learn to ride one, anyway (really?), what about splitting the difference and renting a scooter? Probably less learning curve than the car, not much more--if not less--than learning to ride the bike, faster progress, and less physical exertion. If you could get your initial practice in a rural area, there wouldn't be a lot of pressure, and it'd be a heck of a lot cheaper if you accidentally trashed that transmission than a car's would be. Not sure if you'd need a motorcycle designation on your license (and you'd want to make sure your insurance would cover you--or accept the rental company's undoubtedly overpriced insurance rider). I know that you can rent scooters at, say, Put-In-Bay in MI without having the additional certification--they're treated differently than motorcycles--but, I have no clue what the rules might be in France.

Whichever option you go with, try to get through the learning curve in a rural area. You do not need to be dealing with city traffic at the same time you're learning. And, if you go with bike or scooter, for heaven's sake wear a helmet--particularly as you're just learning. Stay safe, please.

[daniel_von_flanagan]

Roundabouts aren't a problem--just remember that whoever is already on it has the right-away.

Not in France.  The entering car has the right of way (though cars in the roundabout rarely give way as they ought - coup-fourré!). - DvF

[euro_trash]

I spit in your general direction:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9V7zbWNznbs

[totoro]

From our experience you normally need to rent a BMW or Mercedes if you want to get an automatic in Europe.

[mystictechgal]

Roundabouts aren't a problem--just remember that whoever is already on it has the right-away.

Not in France.  The entering car has the right of way (though cars in the roundabout rarely give way as they ought - coup-fourré!). - DvF

Ooh! Nice to know! I've not visited France, so have not driven there. It was on our list the last two times we were in England, but strikes made things difficult enough that we didn't make the crossing.

Still say that hills and stop & go traffic is trickier for a new stick shift driver than a roundabout might be, no matter who has the right of way. (Correction noted. Thanks. It didn't look right to me when I wrote it, but I let it go without thinking overmuch about it other than noting that it looked odd.)

[mouseman]

We rented a car in France a couple of years ago, and I'll add another bit of advice.  When you pick the cart up in the airport make sure that you do a good job checking it for dents/dings, and scratches.  France is notorious regarding the shape of the cars they rent out, and in how they try to hide the problems from renters.  We missed a major bit of damage because they rental location (Hertz) parked it in too tight a place for a walk-around.  Luckily, we changed the car in Switzerland, and because we had picked the car up in Paris, they didn't charge us for the damage (the car had many other problems that should have been fixed before it was rented out).
I also recommend a GPS unit, if you can afford it.