eilig

From my other post regarding my upcoming move to Switzerland, I've had a few requests for info regarding renting a P-car while over there. So I decided to start a new thread to share all the details.

Avis has a "Prestige" division that rents various Porsches, including the 997. I always pickup mine at the airport in Munich. But it can be picked up at nearly any airport in Germany. The cost, when its all said and done, usually ends up around $300/day. That includes 200km per day. Overage is $1.35/km. It also includes insurance, with something like a $2,000 deductible. You can have a second driver for something like an additional $35/day. Here is the booking page:

http://www.avis.de/Fahrzeuge/Prestige-Flotte

If you don't know German, use this to translate:

http://babelfish.yahoo.com/

Over the last 10 years, I have done this about 8 times. Every single time, it has been a wonderful experience. I've never gotten a speeding ticket, or damaged the car, or been involved in any type of accident. So I can't speak to those types of issues. But I've never had any pre-existing damage blamed on me. They don't nitpick the cars. And the cars are generally driven by people who care for them, so they are not beatup. I've never had any issues with things like clutches, brakes, etc.

Over the years, I've driven a 993, 996, 997 C2S 6 speed, 997 C4 Tip, and most recently a 997 C4S with PDK.

The 997 C4S with PDK was probably the most enjoyable that I've ever driven. This surprises me, because I'm sort of a purist who enjoys the engaging experience of driving a 6 speed. But the C4S was just so much more stable at speed on the autobahn. Previously, I had never pushed a Porsche over about 260 km/hr, because it started feeling light and nervous. With the C4S, I pushed as hard as I could without worry. Must be that extra weight in the front that keeps it more stable at speed. I pushed it as far as it would go. Found the limit at somewhere around 285-290 km/hr. The added benefit of not having to take my hands off the wheel at speed to shift was nice as well.

Back to the cars. The fleet of Porsches that they currently offer are all black, silver, or grey. They are usually retired once they reach a certain amount of km. I can't remember what that amount is, but I think it's 50,000 km. I saw about 9 of them at their parking garage in Munich this year. They had them all lined up and ready to go, because I was there during Oktoberfest -- their busiest season for renting Porsches.

Here are some photos I stopped to take while driving through the Swiss Alps few years ago. It was the first time I had rented a 997. It was a wonderful experience.

eilig

I should add a few more details. They do need to see two credit cards when you pick the car up. They prefer that one of them be AMEX. You can rent any time of year, but you'll definitely want to book it a month or two ahead of time. Doing it last minute or only a week or two ahead usually won't work, as they need time for planning to get the car to your location of pickup in advance of your rental.

You definitely can NOT take the car on the ring or any other race track unless you want to assume full liability. Also, you can't drive the car outside of Germany, Switzerland, or Austria. If you do, again, you'll be assuming full liability for the vehicle, as their insurance only covers these three countries. NO driving to any eastern bloc countries, or Italy. As they will tell you, auto theft is a "sport" in Italy. I did an overnight in Belgium once when I went to an F1 race at Spa, and had no problems.

Also, when you drive into Switzerland, be sure to purchase one of their autobahn stickers that goes on the windshield. Otherwise you may get an expensive ticket. It costs around $45. I've been lucky the last two times I rented, as my car already had one of these on the windshield from a previous renter.

And you'll need to purchase the Super Plus Bleifrei gasoline. Be forewarned: It ain't cheap over there.

Edgy01

You really don't need to purchase the Super Plus Bleifrei fuel. The Super is fine enough.

996FourEss

They (avis) also offer the Panamera S and 4S for rental on pretty much the same terms. Would recommend to anyone needing more space than the 911. If you need more kms in the summer but still want to drive something fun, then sixt (www.sixt.de) has over the last two years rented BMW M3s for EUR100/day (EUR110/day for the cabs) with 300km a day of mileage.

Always a lot of fun to rent cars in Germany and one of the few places where you really are able to choose with a degree of certainty the car you are going to get....

Rocci

Good information. Thanks. Where in Switzerland were the pictures taken. Looks like a great driving road.

eilig

This is the road from Interkirchen to Gadmen, which goes through the Sustenpass. That is the Maerenhorn in the background.

Rocci

^ Thanks. We are heading to Europe this summer. May have to include this on the itinerary.

cvazquez

Book marking this gret information for future use. A million thanks!

blake

Great post. I have done the same thing with Avis Prestige in Germany on my last three trips there. The only caveat is that it is very hard to keep the car under 200km in total mileage per day! I usually rent the car for 24 hours, drive like crazy, and then pay the $1000K bill (that has been my average). Worth every penny!

-Blake

amfp

I did Avis a few years ago and was very pleased with the 911. I had placed the reservations for a 911 from the US, but didn't know to specify wanted a 6 speed. The car I had was a Tip, but it was still a very pleasant experience.


Eilig,

Does Avis charge a drop charge? For example, P/U in Munich, drop of in Berlin, or Geneva?
Thank you for your very fine post.

eilig

They do charge for that, but it's a fairly nominal amount. I believe it's something like $50, and may depend on the cities involved.

eilig

The first time I did this, 10 years ago, I had a really hard time justifying the amount of money it costs. I told myself (and others) that it was just one of those things I had to do once in my life.

Well here I am all these years later, and it's now basically gone from "something I had to do once in my life," to "something I do every year."

Funny how that happened.