Rental Car Experiences?

fintail · May 2012

That's a heck of a deal. And a heck of an insane upgrade price, as from what I have heard, the rental BMWs out there are very sparsely equipped - not that the price would be even close to worth it even for a loaded model.

Hertz has a very diverse fleet thanks to their "prestige" and "fun" collections. A lot of their mainline stuff tends to be pretty dull, and the horror stories of receiving abused high mileage cars usually comes from that company, but it could also be a location issue. Last time I rented from Hertz was 5 years ago in Vegas, rented a special deal for an A6, $80/day (I splurge now and then), trouble free rental, car was like new.

I too like to travel and rent cars, the anticipation is kind of Christmas-like. I think rental fleets are as good now as they've ever been, and there are some truly nice cars out there to rent, sometimes at good prices. In a few weeks I am off to Florida, and I have reserved an E-class from Sixt that I got at an amazing prepaid rate. I am looking forward to it already.

fintail · May 2012

You can now rent a new F10 M5 for more than a few bucks

Strangely, the C63 is more

Or an M3 for a lot less

stever · May 2012

Nice but I'd still need a fly/drive with a free flight, even with the M3 at 99  a day. :sick:

fintail · May 2012

If that's too dear, there are some deals in Florida to be had. Sixt in Florida from time to time has C-class for around $25/day which includes taxes and fees. Here's a pic taken by someone at yelp:

Boring car for the most part, but compared to the rest of the rental spec stuff out there, not bad for the money.

stever · May 2012

That would be fun for a change.

I think I've already done my Florida trip for this decade though.

fintail · May 2012

I'll be there in about 10 days. I expect that will get it out of my system for some time too :shades: Hopefully I'll get a car worthy of posting here.

fezo · May 2012

I was just comparing the standard Sixt rate to the discount Hertz rate for a theoretical November trip to Orlando. Immediately realized I gotta find where the Sixt counter is!

If they even allow me to travel at that point I might well just drive down. That gives me a convertible there for nothing!

fintail · May 2012

Sixt seems to use some kind of weird algorithm to determine prices - they sometimes are huge on either the cheap or expensive side. I've noticed for rentals in the next few weeks in Miami, you can get an economy car for under $6/day, and a full size car for under $8/day, which is insane to me. Now and then their luxury vehicles can be cheap too. The prices fluctuate a lot, sometimes in a week or two they have decreased or doubled.

Sixt is offsite in Orlando, they provide a shuttle. They seem to only be in-terminal in Miami and at the rental car center in Atlanta. I've rented from them several times in Europe, where they are well regarded for both price and a nice fleet.

fezo · May 2012

I can live with a shuttle. Have done that before (and back then got screwed in the process). I like that the Sixt site will price the whole thing, including all of the "let's soak the tourist" fees.

fintail · May 2012

Yeah it's nice to have taxes and gouge fees reflected in the initial price. As it is a German company, they are doing it the European way, where the total price for anything is almost always given first. Their site has been lifted directly from the German site, in some places German terms have accidentally been retained. I don't think they are up to speed 100% in the US yet, and are offering cheap prices to gain a following.

fintail · June 2012

I'm in Florida now, and with my "luxury" rental from Sixt FLL", I landed this:

Normal relatively modest spec E350. I am sure the seats are tex, but it still has some niceties - nav, active Sirius, rear shade, rear camera, etc. I got my rental when prices were low for some reason, got this for like $44/day after taxes and fees, pretty cool.

On the lot were a few Cs, an ML, and a couple new 5.0 Mustang convertibles in amongst the normals.

stever · June 2012

Good Florida color too. And if you have the right sunglasses, it'll look a bit limey or lemony as well. Very tropical.

lemko · June 2012

Super cool rental! Beats a Camcord, Sonata, or Malibu any day! I've got to remember that company if I ever go to Florida!

berri · June 2012

Yeah, I can see the Fin now - plaid sansabelt slacks, golf shirt and white bucks. Just hope he noted any dings, etc. in case this outfit makes its money on the backside of the rental. Otherwise, I think he made out big time and ought to catch a flight straight out of MIA to Vegas on return.

fintail · June 2012

Not as cheap as one of those, but one of the best things you can rent on normal terms in the US. Nicer cars are coming around more - you can also rent MB from Hertz, and National and Avis have BMW in their fleet now.

Speaking of normals, the company had insane deals on regular cars, "economy" for like $5/day, "fullsize" for like $7/day. I noticed mostly Hyundai and Ford on the lot for the more usual cars. I stopped by again this morning on my way out of Miami to ask a question about the toll pass I bought - they had 2 other Es on the lot, and a red SLK.

I am not worried about spurious damage claims - I use the Amex premium coverage. I have also used the company multiple times in Germany and never had an issue - they are huge in Europe and have a rep for nicely equipped cars.

fintail · June 2012

Fun rental day... Yesterday the check engine light came on, but when I filled up the car, I noticed the cap seemed to not be tight, so I guessed that was it. It was on all day today, and I looked into it and read the car often throws the light because of fuel system issues. So, I went to Orlando and exchanged it - I'd have felt bad if I somehow made the problem worse. Got an identical white car, but with beige interior. They had a couple more Es in stock, along with several MLs, GLKs, Cs, but no open MBs.

stever · June 2012

Should have stuck with regular. :shades:

May not want to buy a used one.

"Three of the nation's four major rental car companies won't agree to a blanket pledge to not rent or sell unrepaired or recalled vehicles, safety advocates said Tuesday."

3 Rental Car Firms Balk At Repair 'Pledge' (Detroit News)

fintail · June 2012

I was thinking maybe if the car has been running on regular all of its 9K miles, maybe it hurt something. The replacement will get premium too - it's cheap as water here, and the car was technically designed for it.

That repair/recall thing all depends on the severity of the problem with the car. When makers sell directly to these firms, they should arrange for recall issues to be dealt with immediately anyway.

stever · June 2012

I understand the companies not wanting to take a car out of service when the recall is for updating the owner's manual to make some corrections, but it still sounds dicey to rent out a car that's under a recall without fixing it first.

Didn't Enterprise special order cars not that long ago without side airbags that were otherwise standard equipment and then sell them to the public?

fintail · June 2012

There'd be a big risk of legal liability for sure. Of course, with the way corporations who are people are allowed to act, if the settlement paid from the loss of a human life is less than the cost of fixing the problem, the person will die in the name of being business friendly.

Anyone buying an old rental should be leery in many ways - fleet only equipment (were they Malibus or something?) is seldom a good thing.

fezo · June 2012

Didn't Enterprise special order cars not that long ago without side airbags that were otherwise standard equipment and then sell them to the public?

Yes, they did. That's my number one reason I don't want to hear the "well, we could be talking about a semicolon in the owner's manual. If there's a problem fix it.

fintail · June 2012

New car is identical to the old one, but has the IMO nicer two tone interior, not a bad place to rack up the miles:

Damage at the end of the day's journey, not bad as it counts a few stops and some slow stop and go in town driving - no interstates used, only mellow state highways:

stever · June 2012

Mmmm, plood. :-) Reminds me of my Outback. The seats do look nice.

Wonder if they'd freak if they pulled up the message screen and the average was over 90ish for ~300 miles. Might get you blacklisted.

kyfdx · June 2012

Plood?

I'm betting it's the real stuff...

stever · June 2012

Could be. Seems like even the real stuff is plasticized to keep it from splintering in a crash, or maybe it's just too polished for my taste. Just not my favorite dash look (unless it's, say, a TR6), nor is the chrome trim on the steering wheel. Rather have some soft touch plastic instead.

fintail · June 2012

It's real wood, but in the German tradition - laminated and shined up to the point where it doesn't resemble wood. I've had the dark maple in my car accused of being marble. However, this rental does have pleather.

Trip computer stuff is easy to erase :shades:

fintail · June 2012

Well, I have now returned this thing (parked in marsha7's town square next to a 90s vintage Choo Choo Suburban):

Was able to top 30mpg even in faster driving from GA to Orlando, where 75-80 was the norm. I was reasonably the impressed. Negatives include weird acceleration from stop - economy mode has 2nd gear start, maybe, and a drone under some acceleration inputs that reminds me of the hoary Nissan/Infiniti 3.5 noise. But it was well built and smooth on virtually all roads, the high def nav screen impressed my friend, it could get moving if you pushed the heavy throttle, and the styling is aging well. I'd rent it again. The rental return lady remarked how much she likes these cars, which is what the agent who handled my exchange also said.

At the return station they had a full house - a couple other Es and several Cs, many MLs, an SLK and a nice E cabrio, Chrysler 300, Taurus, a couple XC90, several Explorer and Flex, various smaller GM/Ford/Hyundai/Toyota/Nissan cars, Chrysler vans and a wrecked Kia Sedona, and Camaros and Mustangs per usual for Florida.

bhill2 · June 2012

I may be spoiled by living in California, but I have always been able to find a gas station close to a rental location where I could fill a rental car before returning it. Then my wife and I rented one from the Charlotte NC airport. When returning it, once I took the airport freeway exit there was nothing between us and the rental return. Even backtracking and looking around we came up blank. I found out later that if you knew where to look you could find one near the other side of the airport. But at the time we didn't know that. We got soaked $9+/gal for the gas used. The moral is, if you don't know of a station near the rental location where you can get gas, get it somewhere along the route close enough that the fuel you burn completing the trip won't show up as 'not a full tank'.

stever · June 2012

What rental car company was that? Someone should sic the AGs on gouging like that.

fezo · June 2012

I remember getting caught with that sort of thing in Orlando years ago. Last time I ever didn't allow enough time to get to the airport!

That was Alamo. I still find them to be amongst the sneakiest in finding a way to get all that money you thought they saved you.

stever · June 2012

A buck a gallon I could sort of understand. But $5?

Someone should United Breaks Guitar them.

(yeah, that's a hint).

fintail · June 2012

I think the returning gas thing is spelled out in the contract. The close gas station thing smells like collusion between rental companies and cities, to me.

I just returned from Orlando and saw the same thing - difficult to find stations near the rental return area, for my off site company anyway. But with GPS, I found a station no more than a mile away. There was one close station called a "quickie" or something, gouging the latecomers for $5+/gallon.

bhill2 · June 2012

What rental car company was that? Someone should sic the AGs on gouging like that.

It was Budget, and I agree.

bhill2 · June 2012

You're right. If we had packed our GPS we probably could have found one. This experience alone is enough reason to do so in the future. Thanks for the idea.

stever · June 2012

That someone could be you. :-)

fintail · July 2012

Saw an odd car today - Honda Fit with barcode, CA plates, no plate frames - sure looked like a rental. Maybe some kind of private corporate fleet?

I also see Hertz is offering some performance cars - MB E63 can be rented out of a few locations, but at ~$200 day, it requires some commitment.

js06gv · July 2012

On trip through California this week so naturally went for a convertible (can't dream of putting a top down in summer TX weather so taking advantage). I'm not a big Chrysler fan and I know the old Sebring has taken a beating for years for being the darling of rental fleets everywhere (read, appliance) but this car was surprisingly pleasant. Even though this is just an updated Sebring i think Chrysler has come a long way in interior quality. Would've preferred the pentastar six; however, the four was adequate even in the mountains between San Diego and San Francisco. It was also more powerful, smoother and quieter than the similar fours in the Fusions and Malibus I have in my fleet at work. Got 24 mpg overall. The drop top and trunk setup is genius IMO. Huge trunk when you are running with the top up, and not bad at all with it down, plus you get a nicely finished hard tonneau covering it all. The tonneau is actually the deck lid and it operates in both directions. Very slick and neatly done.

I have a business relationship with Enterprise so got a great rate too. Returned the car early when we got to SF yesterday to avoid these ridiculous 50/day parking rates.

Great rental experience overall.

michaellno · July 2012

I spent the last week in California ... but I drove, so I don't have any first person rental car experiences to share.

However, my sister and BIL did rent a car last week. Their primary family vehicle is a Lincoln Navigator, which works well for their three boys and German Shorthaired Pointer. They drove up to my folks house on Saturday with the whole family. On Sunday, they picked up their rental for a week long trip to Monterey, San Francisco and Napa Valley - the Navi was too big and too thirsty for the trip, so they reserved a "mid size" in the hopes of getting something more fuel efficient.

Apparently, Hertz only had one car --- a Toyota Yaris. No frills whatsoever - not even cruise control. And, it was white -- a true "appliance".

They seem to be happy with it, especially the gas mileage.

Go figure.

(BTW, their other car is a BMW 330i with ZHP)

fintail · July 2012

I read today that the CrossCabrio can now be rented from National, at least in Florida. No doubt because the things aren't selling to retail customers.

stever · July 2012

Cool, maybe I'll be able to pick up a cheap one some year. :shades:

igozoomzoom · August 2012

A few weeks ago, while I was grocery shopping in Whole Foods, my 2008 Volvo S60 was hit in the parking lot. It wasn't just a 'rub' either, but the jerk who hit me didn't stick around to take responsibility. Fortunately, I'm an independent insurance agent and I am insured with a very good company. My Uninsured Motorist coverage paid for the $2900 in repairs (using OEM parts) and covered a rental car while mine was being repaired.

My office is located in an upscale area of Atlanta and we send the local Enterprise a LOT of business. They typically have a decent selection of SUVs and 'premium' vehicles in addition to the regular mid-size and compact rental fare.

I called to reserve a rental for four days last week and asked for a Ford Fusion or Nissan Altima, if possible. When I arrived last Tuesday morning to pick it up, they only had a Toyota Yaris, Chrysler 200, and a brand new 2013 Ford Taurus Limited that had never been rented before. They initially tried to give the Chrysler, but I told them no thanks and kindly asked if they had ANYTHING else...

They had just received a new Taurus the day before and I was the first to rent it. It was the Limited model, Sterling Grey with Black Leather. It was a very sharp looking car (19" wheels and all) and I was even more impressed when I sat down in the driver's seat! The interior was beautiful, definitely in line with the car's $35k sticker price.

It drove like a dream and the 288hp 3.5L V6 was plenty to haul some serious tail. It handled great, the ride was quiet and smooth...it could easilly have passed for a Lincoln...and a very good one.

BUT the MyFordTouch and the insanely over-complicated and counter-intuitive instruments and controls were a NIGHTMARE!!! There is reason that something as simple as changing the radio statio or switching from FM to CD or SAT or any other routine audio function should require multiple steps! Even worse, multiple steps using the touch screen which wasn't always responsive and was dangerous to use while driving. I just set it on my favorite radio station and didn't touch it again.

The climate control was slightly easier to use. It could be controlled through the touch screen OR there were buttons for adjusting temp, selecting A/C or Max A/C or AUTO and a knob for selecting fan speed. But the 'buttons' weren't very user-friendly either. They were sort of like the number pad on a gas pump, where you can't tell if you pressed hard enough or not...sometimes they weren't responsive on the first try.

The instrument panel had a crap-load of functions also, but you had to scroll thru menus using directional buttons on both sides of the steering wheel.

It was the WORST experience I have had with technology in a vehicle yet! I thought BMW's iDrive was a pain, but it seemed tolerable in comparison to Ford's cluster-f@%&!!!

I was SO thankful to get back behind the wheel of my Volvo! Buttons, dials and switches with clear labels are all that I need and want!

stever · September 2012

At least one owner around here likes FMT in spite of the annoyances and the kids want to buy tech. Current generations of the software may be a bit much for a rental, especially when you consider that most people don't even bother to adjust their mirrors until they get on the freeway, much less figure out where the wipers are.

The Truth about Cars says that Mulally was in charge of the design of the first all digital flight deck at Boeing. So it'll continue to be tweaked but I doubt that it's going away. Unless Mulally does. BMW's iDrive is still around, tweaked with 7 keys (aka buttons).

fintail · September 2012

That's a lucky rental for Enterprise, my experience with them seems mostly to be cars that have too many miles for Alamo or National (I've had an Enterprise rental with over 40K on it). But that could be a local thing. They do have a small fleet of Infiniti and MB C-class here, too.

igozoomzoom · September 2012

The Enterprise location near my home is like that. I rented from them in 2010 when my Mazda3 was almost totaled in 2010. I went through three different POS crappers before I finally came unglued and went elsewhere!

First, they gave me a 2009 Dodge Avenger with over 30k miles on the odometer. It was bad enough that it had the weak 2.4L 4-cylinder engine, but it had some mechanical issues that made it unbearable. It would hesitate, almost to the point of stalling, if you pressed the gas pedal more than about half-way to the floor. The A/C compressor would also kick on at the worst possible times. Several times, it kicked on while I was trying to accelerate as quickly as possible. Most cars will turn off the A/C compressor under hard acceleration to avoid draining much-needed power. Not this thing!

I took it back and all they had was a PT Cruiser (no way!) and a Chevy Aveo...I was screwed no matter what! I took the Aveo with the promise that I could exchange it for a Sonata, Optima, Fusion or even a Focus on the following day (which was a Saturday). I drove it home and parked it. They didn't call me with anything better on Saturday and closed at noon, so the Aveo stayed parked until Monday. My parents still had my mom's old '95 Jeep Grand Cherokee (with 220k miles on it) and I drove that instead.

I returned on that Monday and insisted on something, anything vaguely similar in size and quality to my 2006 Mazda3. I knew that I would be stuck in a rental for at least three weeks (ended up being 33 days) and I wanted something tolerable, nothing more!

So they came up with a 2010 Toyota Corolla LE that had 28k miles on it and reeked of cigarette smoke. It hadn't been washed or vacuumed, but I took it anyway. I also learned that it had the Check Engine AND Tire Pressure lights were ON, the alignment was out of whack and it was trashed inside (glovebox door broken off, stains and burns on passenger seat and large rip in rear seat fabric...just to hit the high points). I made it about three miles before I spun it around in the middle of the highway and gave it back to them.

I called the Mazda dealership that I used for service and asked them if I could 'rent' a service loaner for a few weeks. They took pity on me and said they could work something out for me. Then I called State Farm (the at-fault driver's insurer) and told them that I ditched Enterprise and that I expected them to cover the rental from the Mazda dealer even though it would be about $10 more per day.

When I got to the dealer, they gave me a 2007 Mazda6 that had been sitting unsold on their used lot for over six months. It was a hideous color called Violet Gray (pretty much as ugly as it sounds- gray with a purple hue). But I was glad to get it and gladly drove it for the next month!

fintail · September 2012

The worst I recall was a Kia Spectra that had been abused. I want to say it was under 30K miles, but the interior was trashed and it had some bruises outside, too. Enterprise, of course. At least it was cheap. Contrast that with a ~19K mile Regal I rented from Alamo/National last year, which was nearly flawless. Years ago I remember an Enterprise Malibu that had electrical gremlins - dead stereo, idiot light malfunctions...I forget the mileage though.

PT Cruiser was probably the most hated rental vehicle of all time. Once the novelty wore off (probably sometime in 2001), they were something you'd always get "stuck with" rather than wanting. My mother had one as a rental once, and even she hated it - and she's not a car enthusiast.

kyfdx · September 2012

... is within walking distance of my house. (less than 2 miles).

I'd love to be able to use them, but they are only open from 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM... I work a pretty normal shift.. but, if I had to wait to get a car when they opened, I'd be 90 minutes late for work... and, if I hit any traffic on the way home, I'd never make their 6 PM close time.

And, it's a suburban location, not an airport... would never trust them by dropping the car off and just getting the credit card charges later... to sleazy and as mentioned, the local cars are total crap..

What kind of way is that to run a business?

seank2 · September 2012

I found myself back at the Albany, NY airport a few weeks ago for another family funeral. Since the Emerald Aisle at National was so accommodating for the last one, I tried them again, especially since their prices were literally half everyone else's. All in, 3 day rental was $60.00.

I arrived at noon on Friday, and the guy in the booth offers me my choice of (1) Dodge Avenger (2) Dodge Grand Caravan (3) Chrysler 300. After a split second of pondering, I took the black over black 300. It turned out to be a 2012 300 Limited, with the Pentastar and the 8 speed auto, black over black leather, showing 12,000 miles.

I've never, ever been much of a Chrysler fan, but this car may change my mind. UConnect, with bluetooth that even my Blackberry can use, Sirius, dual auto climate, and one of the best interiors in an American car I've seen in years; it almost gives my Mercedes a run for the money. I was very impressed with the car, which showed some interior signs of abuse, with several scuffs on the back seat, but the overall quality of the car was spectacular. My father and uncle, from whom I got my "car guy" gene, were also very impressed with the vast improvement in quality of the car, and its interior. Even my stepmother who won't be caught dead in anything less than her X5, loved it.

When I returned the car, 360 miles and 3/4 tank of fuel later, I even said to the return clerk that the 300 was a heck of a car. She agreed and said they've been getting better and better cars, which in a small market like Albany is saying something.

I've sworn off American cars for a long time, since their quality and general competitiveness have been lacking. This 300 may make me reconsider. Now if they'd put the 8 speed in the 300C or the SRT (both of which are expected for 2013), they may have a buyer.

fintail · September 2012

Saw a rental GLK and rental Infiniti M today - both likely Hertz Prestige vehicles.

stever · September 2012

Car-rental companies to support legislation on recalls (Detroit Free Press)

No word on whether they can still order fleet cars without "standard" safety equipment.

stickguy · September 2012

have to make a business trip to Va in 2 weeks (from NJ) and driving ends up being the most practical way to do it. So, not using my car. Booked a Hertz "intermediate" through the Hertz counter at the local AAA office. Will be interesting to see what I get, since the description was "Mazda 6 or similar". next size up (standard) was Potiac G6 or similar.

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