Planning a solo trip to Romania

I want to fly out to Romania soon. Watched a documentary about Vlad the Impaler last week, the guy they called Dracula, and now I'm hooked on visiting those Transylvanian spots where his castle stood. Want to see the countryside and check out the old architecture while I'm there. I can't stand those guided tour groups where you're herded around on a schedule, so I'm planning to explore on my own. How well developed is the car rental scene over there and where's the best place to pick up a vehicle?

That whole Vlad story is way darker than what Hollywood turned it into. Rental options in Romania have grown quite a bit, Bucharest and Cluj have the biggest selection of companies. Booking online beforehand gets you better prices and actual choice of what you're driving. Pick something with decent ground clearance, those Carpathian routes can go from paved road to rocky track without much warning.

That whole region rewards people who go at their own pace instead of rushing through on someone else's clock. Mountain villages pop up between stretches of empty road, you'll end up pulling over more than you planned just to walk around and look at stuff. You can rent a car in Romania here: https://getrentacar.com/en-US/romania . Search by city and see what's listed with the daily rates shown next to each vehicle. Manual transmission dominates there, automatics exist but they're harder to find and cost more per day.