It is sad, but true. The cheapest rental cars in Europe typically come equipped with stickers advertising the rental car company. And, no, we are not talking subtle advertising here. The car companies, Alimex in the Czech Republic, and others, such as Sixti (renting similarly "stickered" Smart cars for as little as $6/day, as well as other cars, all over Europe) do it.

The car in the picture is a Skoda I rented in Prague to drive to Switzerland, not realizing that it would look like this. Needless to say, the circus-car made quite a few heads turn around the upscale Lake Geneva. BUT, it did cost less than a dinner for two in Lausanne. In fact, if you drive this thing in Switzerland, it is quite likely people will just pick up dinner for you out of pity.

One thing about it is practical. When someone asks you how much you paid for the rental, you can just point at the door, which prominently displays: 450Kc/day. (That would be some $20/day, even given the sad state of the dollar these days.) Of course, it only works if they didn't notice the price from a mile away...

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