Photograph by Alexander Spatari of Old Small Red Vintage Car On The Streets Of Rome, Italy

Since I ship my containers from Rotterdam in the Netherlands to the Port of Baltimore in Maryland, I usually fly into Amterdam's Schipol Airport.  At the airport I rent a car to drive through the countryside (since many of the wholesalers and markets I visit are off the beaten path) and then stay in various B&B's while I'm on a buying spree throughout Holland, Belgium, France and Germany.

Over the years I have discovered that the best deals on rental cars in Europe can be found at Auto Europe.  Auto Europe is a large car rental wholesale company, working with approximately 20,000 car rental locations in 180 countries in Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia, as well as North and South America. Auto Europe has been accredited with the Better Business Bureau since April 2, 1993 with an A+ rating.

Auto Europe always have a good selection of cars in all class sizes at very competitive prices (even vans if you're going to buy a lot at those markets you want to visit).  If you make a reservation, be sure to print out and bring along the car voucher, which you will need when you arrive at the rental location.

Make sure you fill up the tank at a local gas station before you return the car, or Auto Europe will charge your credit card a hefty sum to do so (gas currently costs about $6 per gallon), and they will double or triple that amount just because you didn't take the time to stop and fill up.

Another tip: Europe is filled with speed cameras and watch out!  You will often not see them but they will catch you if you'e going faster than a few kilometers over the speed limit.  Having a rental car is no excuse; the local authorities will find you in the U.S. and you'll be responsible for both the ticket and any additional costs that the rental company charges you.