Rental Car Experiences?

fintail

I've read that the Juke has been spotted in National fleets in Hawaii and the mid-Atlantic area. Slowing sales?

Sandman6472

We moved a mess of these puppies today from where they were offloaded and over to the facility that gets them ready for the rental line...all had about 2 miles on the clock. These are excellent for basic people movers with minimal options and for families on a budget, a great alternative to a big sedan. Even with a few options, they are a great deal and are pretty nice drivers. If I were in the market for a vehicle of this size, I'd definitely have it on my short list. Speaking of Dodge, drove another new Dart earlier and I really liked it, a better driver than the Cruze, which I also drove today. Comfy seats and very peppy acceleration made it a pleasure to drive. With the 200/Avenger also in the lineup, Chrysler/Dodge is making some very good vehicles that compete very nicely with the other guys and I think their prices give them a distinct advantage. All they need to work on is people's perception of their products which were hurt from lackluster vehicles just a few short years ago. The new Chrysler/Dodge company has turned the corner, in my opinion, and people should really give their products a serious look. And with my job, I get to drive most of what is out there now.

Great job Chrysler/Dodge...great job!

The Sandman :sick: :shades:

fintail

You must be the only person in the world who adores the 200/Avenger . Maybe you should buy one, get a nice V6, they can probably be had for very reasonable money.

I see a lot of 300 rentals in my area.

fintail

I see the 2013 RAV4 has already entered the National fleet. Pretty quick.

Sandman6472

Haven't seen any yet at Hertz or Dollar/General yet but that doesn't mean there aren't any yet. We moved a mess load of new Dodge minivans the other day and also saw new MB GLK's, Altima's and Toyota Yaris's waiting for plates and then to go over to the prep shop. Pretty slow right now, only worked 2 days last week but hear that things should pick up this week with the holiday approaching and then summer kicking in. So hoping for the best here.

The Sandman :sick: :shades:

fintail

I am wondering if Sixt will get a dump of leftover 13 E-class, now that the 14s are showing up, and there is still some inventory remaining. Either that, or there will be some killer 20%+ off MSRP deals and sweet leases out there.

I've seen the 2014 E is already in German rental fleets, saw a pic of one with the cool high end lighting package.

fintail

Interesting rental news - in Germany, Sixt is now renting BMW motorcycles. That could be pretty fun.

ronsteve

I see the 2013 RAV4 has already entered the National fleet

And on the flipside, my rental ride on my Memorial Day weekend trip was a 2012 RAV4. Naturally the 4-banger with 4WD, one of the very few vehicles left with just a 4-speed auto. Did a nasty attempt at aquaplaning as I tried to merge onto I-89 in Waterbury, enough to make me take a close look at the tires, but they looked to have plenty of tread.

fintail

Hertz?

Sandman6472

Saw a brand new one at the Sixt yard in Miami but it has not yet been put into service. We brought down new Tahoe's the last 2 days to this same yard. Had a bunch of newer models there still not ready for the road yet...Sixt does have a nice selection though.

The Sandman :sick: :shades:

Sandman6472

After having moved these Tahoes down to Miami from Ft. Lauderdale for Sixt these past 2 days, we're taking more to Orlando tomorrow morning for them from the same Ft. Lauderdale dealer. I did see a sticker and it said the cost was slightly over $55k but am sure they get some sort of fleet discount as they purchase a bunch of these suckers. They are pretty big rigs so it took me a little time to get used to their sheer size. Have been told by the others that driving these big boys on the turnpike is a very comfortable experience so we shall see. They accelerate slower than what I'm used to but get up to speed pretty quickly for their size i guess. My biggest complaint is the wimpy steering wheel...very thin though they are leather but heck, even the Chrysler 200's wheel is a pretty thick one which is very comfortable, especially in their top Limited models. Why is Chevy going with such a wimpy wheel for...would think folks would expect a meatier wheel with some thickness to it?
I see a lot of women driving these and even Suburbans around here, our neighbor even drives an Excursion, and am surprised that they aren't too big for them to drive around. Think I'll stick with my compact sized vehicles. Should be an interesting drive tomorrow though and hopefully they'll be light traffic.

The Sandman :sick: :shades:

fintail

I'll be renting from Sixt at MCO in September - I'll have to check with you to see if they have 2014 E-class yet. Not that I'll be unhappy with a 2013.

Regarding some vehicles being too big for some to drive - indeed they are, but our lame invisible licensing standards let anyone drive anything, more or less. Gotta be business friendly and all that.

stickguy

well, first time I rented a FS Frieghtliner 26' box diesel, all I had to do was show my DL and I was good to go.

so pretty much, any of the "new residents" you like so much can do the same.

hey, comes with an AT, and pretty much just like driving a (really, really big) Buick.

fintail

That's a good thought, fresh off the boat, no exposure to motoring, passed a simple test by fogging a mirror oi maybe passing a bribe - here's a baby semi. Or a 42 foot motorhome. Or a supercar. Or a gigantic oblivion-breeding SUV. And they all can be rented.

stever

My brother got rear-ended on vacation up in Vermont and wound up renting a Fiat. He says it's okay so long as you don't forget what your are driving and flail your elbows too much - he's a bit worried that he might break out the windows. :shades:

All their stuff is crammed into their motel room while their Odyssey gets worked on.

ronsteve

Hertz?

Yep, it was Hertz. I've rented from them maybe 12-15 times over the last 7-8 years, and this was the 4th RAV4 I've ended up with. At least 2 of them have been 4WD.

fintail

They have a lot of them in the fleet here, too. A ton of Camrys at SEA Hertz as well.

I drive by a Hertz hotel location every morning on the way to work. Spotted a new Santa Fe Sport with fresh plates and no frames parked near the Hertz parking area, that's a new entrant.

berri

Did a nasty attempt at aquaplaning as I tried to merge onto I-89

Let me guess...Toyo or Bridgestone? I think Toyota is putting a lot of cheap [non-permissible content removed] tires on their vehicles these days. Funny, Toyota seems to be doing too much cost cutting, while GM seems to finally be putting a little more into their vehicles - role reversal!

berri

Steve, you can call him Tony now! How can a car from Italy not have room to waive your arms around - just kidding!

stever

Heh, he worked as an Esso Tiger mascot back in the day (aren't all tigers named Tony?).

Sandman6472

After driving these down to Miami from Lauderdale on Wednesday and Thursday, we had to take 10 of these puppies up to Orlando yesterday. A very nice vehicle to drive on the turnpike, very smooth and easy to drive. Had navi, leather and XM, so the trip was great even though these are pretty large vehicles. Was very surprised how many other folks drive these or the Ford version of them, saw so many others on the road yesterday. Expensive to fill up, as we had to put in some since they were brand new right from the factory. I was a bit intimidated by the size at first but after a few miles, it wasn't so bad...even used the back up camera in the navi when backing out of a parking space and it was a very useful tool to have.

Overall, these are very nice and easy to drive vehicles. For those that really need these kind of vehicles, they are extremely nice. But GM, please start equipping these things with a thicker steering wheel, the one in there now is pretty wimpy to say the least!

The Sandman :sick: :shades:

igozoomzoom

I got stuck with a ragged out FIAT 500 last year at LAX. The 'Check Engine' (I checked and, to my surprise there actually was something resembling a miniature engine was under the hood, and the Tire Pressure light were both ON when I got it. The driver's side door creaked and popped like it was about to snap off, but the next morning I could see the crappy paint work from a previous accident and the body work wasn't much better!

Then when I left LAX and ventured out onto the 405, it felt like I was in my nephew's Fisher Price Kozy Koupe....scary!

I dumped it the next day and just drove my cousin's GX470 for the week...

stickguy

I might live with a CEL on a ST low mile rental, but why take something with a tire pressure light on? That could be serious and dangerous.

Just tell them it is defective and go get me something else.

igozoomzoom

I landed at 12:35am on a weekday, it was the ONLY car on the lot and I wasn't willing to spend the night at LAX...my options were extremely limited! I just crossed my fingers and kept it around 65mph for the 32 mile trip to my cousin's house.

igozoomzoom

My aunt has a 2007 Suburban LT and I hate to admit it, but I LOVE driving it! It averages about 16mpg when I drive it and the first time I drove it, I expected to be intimidated by the size, but it's a great highway vehicle. I don't think I'd want to drive it every day, especially in traffic and on city streets, but it's still a sweet ride. My 2012 CX-9 is about the largest vehicle I could handle every day...and the fact that it handles is a big plus. Handling is NOT a strong suit of the Suburban, I'm not sure if the Tahoe is much better? The 'Burb is about 20" longer but only weighs 350-400lbs more.

stever

I had a loaner Suburban from a friend for a few days in late April. Didn't get on the highway with it but it was a bear cruising around town and the neighborhoods. A friendly bear, but I kept waiting for it to bite me.

It doesn't take all that long to get used to the size, but your parking options shrink.

My brother saw his first Isetta the other day, so maybe he's feeling a bit more expansive in their rental Fiat.

igozoomzoom

The other problem with a rental Fiat is that they all have automatic transmissions. It reminded me of driving my step-mom's '87 Tercel automatic, which was painfully slow...

Sandman6472

I saw a Suburban today and it is a much larger vehicle, isn't the Escalade the same size? Around here, we see many of these vehicles on the roads as many seem to like these larger suv's. The wife never wanted to go this route, the one time we rented an Chevy Equinox, she hated it so much I had to return it for a full size car to keep her happy but I did enjoy the Equinox and like the Captiva even more. I know it's the same vehicle as the Saturn Vue and don't understand why Chevy doesn't have it in it's American line-up? Did a bing search and saw that Chevy in Canada does sell it in their showrooms so why not here? I really doubt it would take away Equinox sales as some folks really want a smaller suv, I'd be very happy to drive one actually as I like the extra ride height and found the engine well suited to the weight of the vehicle when I drove one across the state, it accelerated very briskly and was a real smooth driver. I'd bet it's about the same size as the Hyundai Tuscon, a vehicle I like very much!

I'm pretty much all over the place so it'll be very interesting to see what I end up with next time. With my job, I've had the luxury of driving most of what I'd have on my short list which is really great. guess it'll all depend on what i feel comfortable with at the time and how much $ I want to spend. Am torn between buying brand new or going the cpo route and getting a bit more vehicle for the $. Might be time to completely push the envelope and do something really crazy, something totally out of character!

The Sandman :sick: :shades:

berri

I walked by an Expedition XL I believe and geez, I think that hulk is even bigger than a Suburban.

Sandman6472

It is, my neighbor has one and I've been up close and personal with it...it is huge! They have a diesel and they tell me the mileage isn't that bad actually. Theirs is a 2 tone blue and it is a nice looking vehicle, I think Ford does a better job style wise than Chevy in all their larger vehicles, 12 packs included. For some reason, Ford just seems to have a better handling on the styling in my opinion. I have a feeling that the numbers will back me up on this fact also. For a full size pick-up, I believe Ford has been the best seller for years and years now, again I think the sales figures will back me up here.

The Sandman :sick: :shades:

fintail

Friend of mine just got back from a long trip, rented cars in Mexico and ATL. Received an Aveo in Mexico, which he suspects was "missing a few engine parts" as it was slow. At ATL, he rented from Thrifty and was allowed to choose, what does he pick? A Galant. His reasoning: "it was big and red". His mind works different from mine.

Saw what I am fairly certain was a rental Santa Fe Sport on the road today.

andres3

Enterprise gave me a Chrysler 200 recently with an obviously lame duck CVT transmission and engine combination. Slow... gutless, and I managed to get about 20 MPG with it (granted you had to floor it to move).

If this is the best Chrysler can do then I say they should be exterminated.

uplanderguy

200's don't have a CVT.

200's cost less than anything else like them, so I don't think you can expect them to be the best.

js06gv

The Escalade comes in both versions, Tahoe-sized and Suburban-sized. There is also an Avalanche derivative that is being killed this year.

Sandman6472

Funny, I drive about 25 of these per week and they are anything but gutless, especially the models with the 18" sneakers and leather steering wheels...these move pretty fast when I hit the pedal! For someone looking for an inexpensive mid sizer, these can't be beat! And I'll bet one can be had for a price pretty far south of invoice! And Thrifty does seem to have plenty of Galants still in their stable...pretty boring to say the least and I usually avoid one when ever possible. From what I've been noticing though, Dollar/Thrifty has a large percentage of Chrysler products as well as Ford products...they seem to love the Focus, Fiesta and Fusion models the best.

It's funny, when i first started my fellow co-workers told me that eventually, "a car is just a car" and after almost 5 wonderful months of doing this job, I'm afraid they're right...when I see a line of vehicles we need to move, I just get into the 1st one most times...I do have a preference for Hyundai's and Buicks though!

The Sandman :sick: :shades:

lemko

The guy who posted about the 200 being "gutless" has a pathological hatred of anything Mopar, so I'd take his opinion with an ocean's worth of salt. The 200 is certainly better than it's immediate predecessor the Sebring sedan that had an interior that best could be described as Soviet Bloc. I most certainly wouldn't mind having a new Chrysler 300-C SRT8 myself.

fintail

I'd think the V6 200 could be relatively smooth and quick, especially off the line. From a design standpoint it remains a disappointment, however. The one car in the Chryfiat lineup that needs new skin, immediately.

ronsteve

200's don't have a CVT.

200's cost less than anything else like them, so I don't think you can expect them to be the best.

I had an Avenger as a rental a couple years ago (4-cylinder model), and actually thought the 6-speed auto wasn't too too bad. MPG was pretty solid too... I got 30 in combined city/highway driving. The design is pretty "meh" as someone else touched on, and I am betting it's been well surpassed by the new generation of the Fusion and the Malibu, but it was fairly competitive with the older ones. On the surface I thought the Fusion would have been the far better car but I wasn't too impressed with the '12 version I rented. Another surprisingly unimpressive entry in that class was the Mazda6, the last generation that came out of Flat Rock... big step back from its predecessor.

fintail

I'm in a rental right now - as the creaking noise in the new car never really stopped, and I finally had enough - took it into the dealer this afternoon and told them to fix it by Friday night, even if it means replacing the entire rear deck (the noisy area). I got a loaner, supplied by Enterprise. I got a C250, basic spec - possibly zero options. 6K miles on it, but cars I own at 60K are 100x cleaner. I forgot how nice non-run flat tires are on a modern car. I kind of like the smaller size and lighter feel, and it is responsive and surprisingly smooth. I don't like the C class HVAC controls though.

berri

the creaking noise in the new car never really stopped

Hmm... maybe MB did learn some stuff from Chrysler when they were both under Daimler and Dr. Z. :confuse:

fintail

Funny that my DaimlerChrysler era E55 didn't make noise as much - and I was able to cure most of its issues myself.

I think some modern MBs have plastics issues, they aren't assembled to compensate for heat expansion. I noticed an occasional similar noise in the rental car.

tjc78

I have a rattle in the package tray of my Buick. The dealer lessened it but never fully resolved it. The wife mainly drives it now and she couldn't care less, so I never brought it back in.

My 04 Grand Marquis amazes me in how tight the interior still is.

fintail

I am kind of particular - little things bug me. It is especially annoying when the car has been fairly perfect otherwise. I should have it back tomorrow. I bet rear shelf areas are common in many cars - they get a lot of sun, and are kind of wedged in.

My fintail barely has a rattle or pop, but it also doesn't have a ton of interior plastic.

tjc78

I actually narrowed down exactly what it is. Under the package tray in the trunk there is a carpeted cardboard liner that covers the speakers. It flexes and hits against the protruding bolts. If I wasn't leasing the car, I'd buy some foam tape and cover the bolts. That would most likely stop it.

fintail

If I could fix mine with foam tape, I'd do it myself. From what I can tell, my issue is the plastic very far back on the shelf, near the center brake light. If I push on it, it makes similar noise. I think it is expanding with heat, while the surrounding material is not - and that makes the occasional pop and snap. It could be a defect specific to the time when this plastic was cast - as many owners say their car makes no noise.

I was told today that they are replacing the rear shade, but I am not convinced this is the issue.

Sandman6472

Am still amazed at how tight and rattle free the Civic is which is about a week out of 7 years of ownership...besides the headliner coming down during the past year, the interior has held up very well. Still haven't swapped out the sound system yet like I wanted to do, just afraid that I'm gonna open up a can of worms by doing this upgrade...so I have put it on the back burner for the time being. In another forum someone got on me for not having more exciting and fun to drive vehicles in our stable but we actually don't feel deprived in the least...I don't really see how spending more $ on newer and more upscale vehicles will change things except being more expensive to feed and maintain...they'll still get us from point A to point B in the same fashion. We have what we need, so all is good...guess it really comes down to needs and wants!

The Sandman :sick: :shades:

ronsteve

Am still amazed at how tight and rattle free the Civic is which is about a week out of 7 years of ownership

That was the one thing that struck me quite a few years ago, when my brother was driving "well-aged" Japanese-built Hondas. His 8-year old Hondas (an Integra and an old Accord hatch) would be solid and tight, while my 2-year-old American cars would already be starting to rattle.

Come to think of it, my Volvo which is fast approaching 7 years old seems to have fewer rattles than my '02 Accord (Ohio-built) did after <5 years/80K miles.

suydam

Hondas have been made in Ohio since 1982.

jpp75

As uplanderguy mentioned the 200 doesn't have a CVT, but sad that the Chrysler transmission can be mistaken for one.

jpp75

I'm generally disappointed with the selections at the Denver National lot. You can pick any trim and color of an Impala, 2014 Malibus are everywhere, then your choice of Chargers, Mustang convertibles, Altimas and a few Maximas and Leagcys here and there. I found a Fusion at the end of the row and grabbed it.

Time will tell how they hold up over time but I liked the car. Fuel economy was decent. 33 on the highway with the cruise at 80, 24 around town. It's definitely worth checking out and way more competitive than the Malibu.

I was waiting for a coworker in the lobby and another group of business travelers were leaving for dinner, they were debating who would drive and a lady in the group said "I have a Malibu so we don't want to take my car." Her coworkers all agreed.

While the Malibu isn't a bad car, nothing about it makes people want to check it out or drive it. Perception is reality and that is GM's biggest challenge.