Renting a 911 in Frankfurt

[mhh]

I've booked 2 weeks in Germany in September to visit the motor show and do some touring. The Avis website shows 911s are available but when I make the booking, it tells me the model isn't available. My travel agent can't help either, claiming language difficulties when she rings them. Perhaps all the Porsches are booked out due to others having the same idea? I've tried both UK and German Avis websites.

Has anyone rented a 911 in Franfurt? Any other ideas?

[6C4GTS]

I've done it from Dusseldorf but not Frankfurt I'm afraid..............they always had a good selection available in the parking lot. If you do get one keep clear of the Ring - Avis are not too keen on you running laps.

[mhh]

6C4GTS said:

I've done it from Dusseldorf but not Frankfurt I'm afraid..............they always had a good selection available in the parking lot. If you do get one keep clear of the Ring - Avis are not too keen on you running laps.

You rented a 911 in Dusseldorf? From Avis?

[Rockster]

mhh said:

I've booked 2 weeks in Germany in September to visit the motor show and do some touring. The Avis website shows 911s are available but when I make the booking, it tells me the model isn't available. My travel agent can't help either, claiming language difficulties when she rings them. Perhaps all the Porsches are booked out due to others having the same idea? I've tried both UK and German Avis websites.

Has anyone rented a 911 in Franfurt? Any other ideas?

A UK published Porsche car mag (911 & Porsche?) had a story on this some time back, at least a couple of years back.

Things may have changed, but what I remember was the writer called the AVIS number and got an english speaking person and without much effort reserved the car, a 911.

Takes two major credit cards and a valid drivers license (naturally). Daily mileage limit was 200km. Go over this and you pay big time.

Bring the back car with even one tiny extra parking lot door ding and the charge is hundreds of Euros. So check the car out very carefully before and after you bring it back. Take high res digital pics.

The rental contract specifically prohibts any 'ring driving, any track driving of any kind.

Furthermore, in Germany my info is if you are going over a certain speed (like driving on one of the derestricted sections of the autobahn at high speed) and have an accident, regardless of the circumstances you're assigned half the blame.

Be sure (be damn sure) you have insurance to cover the car. My credit cards provide rental car insurance, but up to a $50K limit and the fine print specifically excludes exotics like Ferraris, and M-Bs and of course Porsches.

Your personal car insurance may or may not cover the car. You need to be very sure you and the car is fully insured for liability and personal injury, etc. Remember you're renting a fairly expensive car to begin with and in some cases (all that I know of) the rental car company will also try to charge you and your insurance company for the loss of rental money having the car out of service. Since these cars generally are busy and a repair could take weeks if not months you could be paying the daily rental on a wrecked Porsche rental car for a long time if you have the unfortunate luck to wrap one around a tree.

(My insurance company says it would subpoena the car rental company's books to verify the rental car company lost any money because all other cars were fully booked. But I read where credit card companies (even though they offer rental car insurance) do not do this for fear of upsetting the car rental companies which of course bring a lot of money into the credit card companies.)

Sincerely,

Rockster.

[mhh]

Thanks Rockster - that's pretty comprehensive. It isn't essential to have a Carrera but I want to drive Stelvio if it's open and some other alpine passes and want my favourite car to do it in if I can. I've no desire to do the 'Ring - once was enough for me.

http://aussieexotics.com/forum/driving/went-to-the...

My Ferrari dealer has offered a factory tour at Maranello. I'm still thinking about this. I visited the Lambo factory a few years ago and was underwhelmed by the experience.

[Rockster]

mhh said:

Thanks Rockster - that's pretty comprehensive. It isn't essential to have a Carrera but I want to drive Stelvio if it's open and some other alpine passes and want my favourite car to do it in if I can. I've no desire to do the 'Ring - once was enough for me.

http://aussieexotics.com/forum/driving/went-to-the...

My Ferrari dealer has offered a factory tour at Maranello. I'm still thinking about this. I visited the Lambo factory a few years ago and was underwhelmed by the experience.

Which reminds me. If you rent the car in Germany taking it into Italy may be forbidden. Eastern Europe countries may be off limits too.

But check with the rental car agency and clerk and be sure to read the section carefully that details into which countries you can and can not drive the car.

Sincerely,

Rockster.

[madala]

Eastern Europen countries are off limits in any old dog of a German rental car.....let alone an "exotic".

[MogulBoy]

Not terribly handy for Frankfurt I would admit but I just noticed this via a Google ad. (probably the first one I have ever cliked on) for a Hotel in the Austrian Alps that offers packages with 911's and other interesting cars thrown in.


http://www.hotel-defereggental.com/en/cabrio

[6C4GTS]

mhh said:

6C4GTS said:

I've done it from Dusseldorf but not Frankfurt I'm afraid..............they always had a good selection available in the parking lot. If you do get one keep clear of the Ring - Avis are not too keen on you running laps.

You rented a 911 in Dusseldorf? From Avis?

Sorry for delay - yes. just checked current price its 220 quid a day which I reckon is not too bad.
http://www.avis.co.uk/Extras.aspx?VehicleId=4653df...

Edited by 6C4GTS on Tuesday 21st June 16:43

[6C4GTS]

Cayenne Panamera Cayman 911 Cab - all here:
http://www.avis.co.uk/Fleet.aspx?PickupCode=DUS&am...

[March2008]

As close as we got...

Was great fun, we picked it up from Franfurt Railway Station, so exciting. They can't actually confirm what car you'll get until you turn up on the day. They try to get the car you specify, but it doesn't always turn out that way, a friend wanted a TT for a blast in the Alps, ended up with an RS4, needless to say, he didn't complain. But the reverse could be true!



We're planning on doing something similar next year, involving Geneva Motorshow, the Alps, Zuffenhausen and a Panamera S.
(But the Panamera will only be on the German side)

Edited by March2008 on Tuesday 21st June 20:51

[mhh]

I've just dropped my Avis 911 back at Frankfurt which I had for 12 days. On the advice here I checked the car as carefully as I could in the pickup area and found one scratched panel which I had marked on the form before I drove off. On returning the car a couple of dodgy looking Avis spivs found another almost invisible scratch that I had missed and charged me 500 euros for it. I certainly hadn't added the "scratch" (which was only in the clearcoat low on the front bar and would have been fixed with a quick polish) but they wouldn't agree to delete the charge at the desk. bds!

Anyway, I had a ball in the car. I ordered a manual coupe and got a PDK cabrio - which was probably a blessing being unused to changing gear with my right hand. Also the weather was great so I had the roof off. I discovered too late I wasn't allowed to take the car to Italy - I'd already been to Bormio before I read the contract. I could only do the Bormio side of Stelvio due to snow on the other side but I did tons of other roads in the Alps. I reached 260km/h on the autobahn from Berlin today.

I'm afraid I've got a few speeding tickets coming - I notice a couple of flashes at least.

I did 3500km in less than a fortnight - from one end of Germany to the other and back plus Austria, Switzerland and the Italian Alps (presumably with no insurance!). It cost a fortune - and was worth every euro.

Edited by mhh on Tuesday 27th September 19:44

Edited by mhh on Tuesday 27th September 19:50

[majordad]

You Sir, are a true PHer !

Well done.

[Rockster]

Oh, I don't know. I'm tempted but of course I'd have to fly from probably SFO to Frankfurt which is a longish time to spend around, in airports and on a plane.

Couple of years ago took a business trip to Zurich and flew SFO to Heathrow then after 5 hour layover on to Zurich and not looking forward to repeat that.

However, at Zurich work was waiting while at Frankfurt a Porsche would be waiting...

Still I think it would be cool to drive a Porsche in its native land so to speak.

Sincerely,

Rockster.

[mhh]

Rockster said:

Oh, I don't know. I'm tempted but of course I'd have to fly from probably SFO to Frankfurt which is a longish time to spend around, in airports and on a plane.

Couple of years ago took a business trip to Zurich and flew SFO to Heathrow then after 5 hour layover on to Zurich and not looking forward to repeat that.

Rockster, you've got it easy. I've just arrived home after Frankfurt-Singapore (12 hour flight), 7 hour layover in Singapore, then a 6 hour flight to Adelaide. I'm a little tired.