I'm thinking of renting a car in the 3rd week of July for my holiday traveling around the Mediterranean. The question is, do I rent a car with or without A/C? I was thinking of doing the drive from Antalya to Izmir. I know how hot it gets down south, just wondering if it's feasible to tough it out or not.

Don't even consider without!!! Temperatures get up into the high 40's

Yep Air con is very nice on ong journeys etc but if you are hopping in and out of cars and into the heat then you have a bad cold/pneumonia (sp??) risk as a few of my friends have found out. Same applies for going in and out of buildings with air con, long time in or out not a problem but hopping from one to the other not so heallthy.

Thanks for the health warning bryn, but I have to tell you......I lived in Arizona for 25 years where we would go from A/C to extreme heat daily (and I'm talking Antalya or greater hot) in the summer going in and out of buildings and the car and we never got summer colds or pneumonia. I still haven't acquired the Turkish pathological fear of the cold. Sorry about your friends; I hope they were okay.

Spot on! Darsante you'd melt before you reached Izmir

course u bloody need it woman!!! Especially if im coming might come along for a week or so if u have room.

You are a very brave, or foolish, man! Depends how you look at it.

You're welcome to join me, but I'm going to warn you, I'm on a geocaching, http://www.geocaching.com/, mission. There are caches at Olimpos, Simena, and Bodrum I want to get, a virtual at Kas I want to claim, and there's one at Bozburun near Marmaris that I need to repair. Hence, this translates as a "busy out hiking around searching for little hidden boxes" holiday and not a "lying in the sun and drinking beers all day and night" holiday.

And I've only got one week in which to go from Istanbul to Kapadokya to the Mediterranean back to Istanbul, so I will be on the move. If you're up for getting lost, searching around for hours, and having adventures in which anything goes, then by all means, join me!

I think it is best to have A/C since summer around the area is going to be scorching hot.. Enjoy the trip!

I'm not a big fan of a/c's.
I always open the window, it's much better imo.
(not to forget that the a/c makes me sick)

to A/C or not to A/C...that is the question!!

first there's the expense! what's petrol running these days? i've converted to LPG and i'm delighted...i don't have A/C and believe me, i don't go out in the mid-day sun...if you're traveling early in the AM or late in the afternoon, then i say you don't need A/C...it could save you a bundle. but if you need to boogie during high noon, you better get it or you'll faint.

i have only been to Kemer in late April...and that was hot enough! end of July...you're fry your brain.

a/g

I HAVE TRIED BOTH through Turkey in the dead heat of summer along the West and South coasts.

Definitely go with A/C and try not to set the air more than 10 degrees cooler than the outside temp. to avoid playing havoc with your body.

Because your body will spend so much energy trying to cool you down in the heat, if you go WITHOUT A/C, you'll arrive at destination with little energy left to go do and see things. AND-- it often gets SO hot that it's hard to STAY AWAKE while driving. Even at night

Definitely go with A/C.

Dunno why this debate continues...

There is no doubt that the south in July or August is so hot many locals have cars with air con.

If you don't get a car with it, your going to have a pretty hot and miserable time.

JF

Thank you all for your input.