I think I've seen 0-60 times of around 6.3 seconds for the V-6 version of the 200. And I've seen them listed for sale online for as cheap as $21,000 or so. Of course, that's with all incentives thrown on, and all buyers may not qualify for all incentives. Still, a lot of car for the money.
I agree though, it needs to be updated ASAP. I think the car actually looks okay from the front back to the B-pillar. And I think the taillight treatment is attractive, if a bit Hyundai-ish. But I just think the whole rear door area/C-pillar/rear quarter panel area is awkward.
Not all of them. Definitely not the Integra. And there were some Accords for the US market that were made in Japan as late as 2002. My '02 was made in Ohio. My brother's 1986 (which is the car I learned stick-shift on) was made in Japan.
I bet one could get it for the incentive price if not less - they have to be impossible to sell anywhere near MSRP. That rear door/C-pillar relationship irritates me, too, it looks cheap. I think it's the last holdover of the bad old "merger" days.
That almost seems TOO good to be true. I'm sure there's got to be some fine print, somewhere that I'm missing.
Kinda scary to think, as cheap as that is, it probably has the performance to give just about any old musclecar a run for its money, either in 0-60 or top speed...or in many cases, probably both! AND with air conditioning and an automatic...something that the top performing musclecars back in the day usually lacked.
Fine print says price is after all rebates - but I bet if you showed up with that asking price in pocket, you'd could drive away in it. Not the prettiest profile (and it has a rental stigma to rival Malibu/Impala), but there's some bang for the buck in that thing. Hell of a car for the price of a fancier Accent or Rio.
I'm renting from National at LAX - but not til later in the year. As it is on my dime, I reserved "premium" - it was just a few dollars a day more, and should give me better odds of something decent. I'll have the car for 8 days, so I don't want to be stuck in a penalty box.
I've seen a few rental Legacy sedans on the road lately.
Not the best ones! I've purchased '05 and '07 Honda Civic EX's both made in Japan. I seek out the J as the first character in the VIN when I'm buying Honda. The one I bought in '03 that started its VIN with a 1 did have some minor rattle and trim issues (Accord LX V6). The Japanese built Civics have been nearly flawless, and clearly superior to the Ohio built Accord (in assembly and quality control), in my opinion and the experience bearing that out.
'18 Porsche Macan Turbo, '16 Audi TTS, Wife's '19 VW Tiguan SEL 4-Motion
Now I'm not sure what it was, but it was from Enterprise, it was an "intermediate/standard car" rental, it said Chrysler on the steering wheel, and the RPM gauge remained "stuck" for several seconds at the exact same RPM at times.
Yes, the RPM gauge also moved, but it was artificial and lagged when it did. Maybe the needle was getting stuck? Either way, it's either a design flaw or a part defect/broken.
No way was this a V6 unless three cylinders were dead on arrival given the power output.
'18 Porsche Macan Turbo, '16 Audi TTS, Wife's '19 VW Tiguan SEL 4-Motion
Right now, the 200 is offered with a 2.4/4-speed, 2.4/6-speed, or 3.6/6-speed.
I wonder if you got the 2.4/6-speed? My 2012 Ram has a 6-speed, and to me it feels funny when it shifts. And sometimes it seems like there's a bit of a lag. I guess the more gears you have, the closer it's going to feel to a CVT.
Interestingly, if fuel economy is your concern, the 4-cyl versions of the 200 don't really do much better than the V-6, so you might as well just get the V-6 and at least have some fun. EPA ratings are as follows:
Definitely the gutless 2.4 engine, which makes sense, it was a rental.
I have a 6-speed Audi DSG transmission-ed vehicle, and trust me, even with 10 gears it would never be confused with a CVT.
Granted, the DSG is more like a manual than an automatic, but still.
The problem was clearly that the TACHOMETER would stay at a constant RPM while the SPEEDOMETER moved significantly! I'd only experienced that previously with a CVT.
So I stand corrected, but the tachometer on the 200 must be from the 99 cent store.
'18 Porsche Macan Turbo, '16 Audi TTS, Wife's '19 VW Tiguan SEL 4-Motion
My tach did that for a while on my Quest. Finally opened up the dash and "rearranged" the faceplate under the needle. Turns out the shaft was rubbing on the hole in the faceplate, and recentering the shaft fixed it. It was a known issue although not that common.
Now I need to dig back in there and replace half the little bulbs that have burned out but I haven't had the energy to tackle it, and the bulbs are weird.
The fact that I mistook the automatic transmission in the 200 for a CVT is bad enough. But now that it has come to light that a car with under 6,000 miles had/has a broken and defective part makes it even worse!
'18 Porsche Macan Turbo, '16 Audi TTS, Wife's '19 VW Tiguan SEL 4-Motion
I've driven a 5-speed automatic, and a couple of 6-speeds I'm sure.
This is BEYOND an issue in my opinion. Besides, my particular Audi just crossed 101K miles and hasn't needed any new gauges.
Admittedly, it was time for new spark plugs and coil packs between 100K and 101K miles. Some would consider that a maintenance item and not a repair cost.
The old '92 Honda with nearly 200K miles did have some speedo gauge issues but that was probably because someone was trying to fool the smog check station by disabling the check engine light with a short wire creating a "short"
'18 Porsche Macan Turbo, '16 Audi TTS, Wife's '19 VW Tiguan SEL 4-Motion
I think if you rented a Chrysler 200, you'd much better appreciate a Malibu. The 200 is OK, but I think very dated in drive and refinement. The Malibu is a decent driver for it's price with comfortable front seats.
Someone mentioned earlier about an incident where one lady in a group said you don't want to take my rental to dinner - it's a Malibu. Might be she really didn't care for it. But it is just as likely she said that because the back seat is cramped or because she didn't want to drive in a strange city and used it as an excuse. Personally, if I'm on travel and want a lower priced rental, I could do a whole lot worse than a Malibu - trust me!
I was curious so I checked to see what dealers in the Atlanta area were advertising-
I found a 2013 Chrysler 200 LX, 2.4L and no options for $14,475 (NEW)
and
Chrysler 200 LX, V6, 6AT, Heated Seats, Power Drivers, Seat, Ucommand Voice activated Bluetooth audio & phone, Auto-Dim rearview mirror with microphone for $15,785 ($22,285 MSRP)
There's a $2500 additional incentive for the 200 LX with V6 in addition to any other incentives.
The 200 you referenced for $15.654 is actually the mid-level Touring model. It looks a lot better than the LX models I found. But the same dealer that has the Silver V6 Touring you referenced also has four (4) Touring 4-cylinder models for $15.999...so the V6 makes it cheaper. And the V6 is easily the best thing about these cars!
The 2.4L Sebrings and pre-update Avengers (with the original interior, made from plastics not fit to make a litter box) were not worth buying no matter how cheap they were! No matter how little you paid, you still had to drive it and that was NOT a pleasant experience! I can't fathom how bad it would feel to drive one and be making a $400/month payment (people who would buy one probably were easy marks to inflate payments, the Avenger/200 is still one of the most popular cars for sub-prime buyers.) Sad but true, the only people who buy them don't have much of an alternative....I wonder if the suicide rate is higher among owners of certain horrible vehicles?
One big difference is that most rental 200s I see are base, where I see better equipped Malibus from time to time.
A new Malibu is also infinitely better than the Malibus infesting the fleets 10 years ago.
I haven't rented in a while, but about 7-8 years ago when I did heavily National always seemed to have decently equipped cars. Not fully loaded, but not base either. I didn't get a lot of Malibus but plenty of Impalas.
As late as 2007 I'd get Malibus, sometimes the 'Maxx'. I remember getting LTZ's with the suede-insert seats, which I always liked, and satellite radio. That was the previous-to-mine generation, but even then, with the V6, I thought they were nicer cars to drive than the same year Impalas.
2024 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray 2LT; 2019 Chevrolet Equinox LT; 2015 Chevrolet Cruze LS
Since I work in this industry now, I see many different vehicles when I work. The majority is done with Hertz and Dollar/Thrifty, now one company...and they have a good amount of 200's split pretty evenly between the 4 and 6 cylinder models, I can tell by the steering wheels and the alloys or bolt on wheel covers. The 6's all seem to have SAT radio also and truthfully, they all drive pretty much the same. More Fusions are making their way into the fleet now and new Dodge minivans...we had to move about 30 of them a couple weeks back to be prepped for the rental line. A bunch of Jeep Liberty's and now Ford Escape's in the small suv lanes also.
Yesterday in the pouring rain, we had to move 13 brand new Mustang convertibles up to Orlando and last week it was Tahoe's up there and down to Miami for Sixt, a company Fintail knows a lot about. For yesterdays trip, we all had transporter tags and their was a line of us driving up 95 to Cocoa Beach and then over to the airport area...the only bad thing was the torrential rains from Andrea while we were trying to gas up and put the tags on. Finally we just gave up and put them behind the rear headrest as the holes for the license plates weren't punched out yet, so this was just easier. Mustang's are pretty fun vehicles to drive but one needs to be careful as it gets to speed pretty quickly!
All in all it's a fun way to get a pay check and the icing on the cake is when the vehicle is equipped with SAT radio, like yesterdays Mustangs...stay with stations 6, 7 & 8 and I'm in heaven!
The Sandman :sick: :shades:
2023 Hyundai Kona Limited AWD (wife) / 2025 VW GTI (me) / 2019 Chevrolet Cruze Premier RS (daughter #1) / 2020 Hyundai Accent SE (daughter #2) / 2023 Subaru Impreza Base (son)
National has a rep for decently equipped cars, yes. I remember back around 07-08 they even had a ton of Impala SS in the fleet, and even now it is now unusual to find a rental Impala with leather and roof, etc. Today, some of their rental Fords and Lincolns can be loaded, and 300Cs with nav etc are not unknown either.
Here's my loaner (provided by Enterprise, code GXAR) C250
(yes, I gave it a quick cleaning after I picked it up)
I got a performance model Grand Prix at one time. I can't remember if it was the 3800 supercharged or the Impala SS clone (GTP or GTX maybe?). That was fun to beat on :shades:
I guess the rental companies probably don't pay much more for the upper models than base models. From a business standpoint the lower line models would make them more money, however the manufacturers would rather get higher trim lines in the customer's hands.
That and the better models might have a better residual, and the rental companies can offer them as upgrades too.
I was in Vegas in 07, and I recall a lot of Impala SS rentals there. That was my only time in a Hertz Prestige Collection car, there was an online offer, I had an A6. It was cool, but I loathe the Hertz "NeverLost" navigation, kind of old and clunky even then.
(yes, I gave it a quick cleaning after I picked it up)
I thought I was the only one to wash a rental. For the past 6-7 years most of my rentals have been through Enterprise as whenever our vehicles are in for warranty work the go to company that the dealers use is Enterprise. One thing I've notice is that the rental agents are the ones responsible for cleaning the cars or sending it to the car wash. While I can deal with the occasional dirty outside, I've returned over 5 vehicles with bad odors on the inside. When asked what's the problem with the vehicle I tell them sit in it for 5 minutes and you tell me. Once done getting a suitable replacement is no problem. So learning a little I will sit in the car with the ac running for a minute or two before signing off on it.
I usually clean the inside more than outside, too. I spent a mere 5 minutes inside - went over the glass with a wet and dry towel, wiped down the dash/console and cleaned the steering wheel. Makes a world of difference. The car had been freshly washed before I got it, so I just gave it a wipe down with Meguiars Ultimate Quik (spray) wax - can do the entire car in ~10 minutes. 15 minutes total investment had the car looking good, like it should have been all along. The car was under a year old with ~6500 miles on it, so the work made the car shine again.
I've never rented a car with an odor problem, but I remember once at National ATL, being happy to find a loaded Taurus (current style) but it smelled heavily like lemon furniture polish - someone was trying to hide a smell. I didn't choose it. The Regal I chose was clean outside, but got a quick interior cleansing, too.
I agree, I can't say why she didn't want to take her Malibu, but I can tell you that everyone quickly agreed. It's not a comment on how bad the car is, but rather the perception. No one wants a Malibu, it sells less than a Sonata and is a good 10,000 units a month behind the Fusion and Altima.
I've seen many reviews on the Regal where the reviewer admits it's decent car, but the target audience isn't going to buy a Buick. GM may have gotten the cars right but they haven't worked on image/perception and that counts for a lot in this market.
Hawaii can be a unique US rental car market. Last time I as there I saw a bunch of new Nissan minivans. Not a big seller in the 48's, but I believe Hawaii is closer to Japan where it is made than some of the US plants and shipping may be cheaper regardless because Japan and Korea cars avoid the Teamsters and other US dock worker unions.
I used to see a base model Accord now and then in the fleet, saw a Civic once. Haven't seen a new one though, I'd grab one if it was there....although they are usually stripper models like the Passats and Jettas.
Years ago, I flew into LAX on a non business trip. I decided to save a few bucks and went to Ugly Duckling Car Rental...I didn't care what it was as long as it got me to where I was going.
They gave me a somewhat ratty Monte Carlo that was probably five years old.
For those familiar with the area, I was on Century Blvd, three blocks from where I rented it, in rush hour traffic when a rear tire blew out. There was nowhere to pull over so I put on the hazards and got out to take a look.
Heck, I was willing to change it myself until I saw all four tires were BALD! It blew out because it was, literally, down to the cord!
So, I grabbed my bags, ignored the horns blaring at me and left it there!
I walked the three blocks back, threw him the keys, probably said some bad words and asked for another car!
He couldn't believe that I had left it sitting in a lane of traffic during rush hour. I let him know that had the tires not been BALD that I would have changed it! Heck, I was about to get on the freeway!
He was so ticked off that he swore at me (I think) in his native tongue and refused to give me another car. I made him tear up my CC slip and I walked across the street to Avis!
He learned some bad words in English that day too!
EDIT:
I forgot to add...about twenty minutes later I drove by where I had left that Monte Carlo and there were cops EVERYWHERE! Flares had been lit and they were directing traffic. In the midst of the action I saw my rental agent being yelled at by an angry cop as he flailed his arms in the air!
Great story ISell. I once had a Taurus with marginal tires out in the boonies of Idaho. I had a flat and drove it (slowly) the last few miles to the agency. I just played dumb.....
Yep. Century Blvd will take you straight into Watts. No stop lights on Centurn once you get there. So many muggings at cars stopped for red lights the police couldn't keep up. As a solution, they just removed the lights.
Got lost there back in '82 when we were on the way to relatives in Marina Del Ray...not sure what we did wrong but it was a bit scary. We had a mid sized Ford as a rental as I recall.
The Sandman :sick: :shades:
2023 Hyundai Kona Limited AWD (wife) / 2025 VW GTI (me) / 2019 Chevrolet Cruze Premier RS (daughter #1) / 2020 Hyundai Accent SE (daughter #2) / 2023 Subaru Impreza Base (son)
but the target audience isn't going to buy a Buick. GM may have gotten the cars right but they haven't worked on image/perception and that counts for a lot in this market.
Hence, why many smart people recommended we not bailout GM and Buick, and let them die out. Many of the pro-bailout bonanza proponents said bailout GM, but let Buick die. Probably a small % of people felt Buick was worth saving, and most live in China.
'18 Porsche Macan Turbo, '16 Audi TTS, Wife's '19 VW Tiguan SEL 4-Motion
A few weeks ago, I got rear-ended in my 2012 Mazda CX-9 GT by an unlicensed driver who tried to do a hit-and-run. I managed to pull across the other lane and block him. Thankfully, a cop happened by about 30 seconds into the drama and he dealt with the jerk.
The guy had a suspended license and was driving his girlfriend's car with her permission. She only had minimum liability coverage (25/50/25 here in Georgia) with a non-standard (high-risk) insurance company that I had never heard of...and I'm an insurance agent!
Because he was driving without a license, her insurance company did everything possible to avoid paying. Luckily, I have a great insurance company (and high Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist limts with $0 deductible) so they took care of me. The cosmetic damage didn't look too bad, but the Rearview Camera, Blind Spot Monitoring System and Power Liftgate were all damaged in the impact. It did over $7000 in damage.
I wanted a decent SUV/Crossover for a rental and I would have been fine with something like a Highlander, Pathfinder, Chevy Traverse or similar. But instead the rental agency tried to give me a freakin' Jeep Compass! I refused to accept it and after calling my insurance company again, they told me to try AVIS because some locations have the BMW X3. I called one in an upscale area of town and they had no X3s available, but they happened to have one X5 sitting on the lot.
My insurance company paid for the X5 at the discounted rate they would've paid for the X3. For nine days, the X5 would have cost $1098 at the published rates, but my insurer paid $572 instead. And they've bullied the at-fault driver's girlfriend's insurance company into paying up for the repairs and rental.
I enjoyed driving the X5, but it was fairly basic for a $53k vehicle! My CX-9 stickered for $38k and had quite a few features the X5 lacked. The 300hp 3.0L Twin-Turbo was fun, but it didn't feel that much quicker than the 273hp 3.7L V6 in my CX-9. The build quality was pretty amazing and so was the quality of interior materials....but I still couldn't pay $53k+ for one.
Did a run to Orlando on Thursday for Hertz and we brought up 13 Dodge/Chrysler minivans...with vacation time getting ready to kick in, Orlando is going to get very busy real soon. On the way back, they threw a Miami to Lauderdale run for Sixt which consisted of Elantras and Sonatas. Mine had just under 11k on the clock but the poor interior was trashed with stains all over the front seats. Even the minivan I drove earlier in the day was a mess...can't believe what pigs many folks are! Bet they wouldn't treat their daily drivers that way! A big reason why I'd never buy a rental, folks just abuse them big time. I know when I get a brand new vehicle like the Tahoe's a few weeks ago, I try to drive them lightly and don't brake really hard or keep it at one speed the whole way up but I know many don't respect these rentals like I do.
Hopefully things will pick up soon as the pickings have been a bit slim lately and my back went out yesterday when they asked me to do a lot to lot...had to decline unfortunately to stay off my feet, felt bad as it was the first time I've declines any work.
The Sandman :sick: :shades:
2023 Hyundai Kona Limited AWD (wife) / 2025 VW GTI (me) / 2019 Chevrolet Cruze Premier RS (daughter #1) / 2020 Hyundai Accent SE (daughter #2) / 2023 Subaru Impreza Base (son)
It was AVIS. And even though my CX-9 is White (Crystal White Pearl, to be exact) any time I see a BMW in 'Alpine White' (one of the two non-metallic colors) it looks cheap! The X5 has thin black body side moulding also, which only add to the effect. It also had the standard "Leatherette" upholstery, which is ridiculous in a car at this price, IMO.
It was the the base X5 xDrive35i and the only options were Heated Seats, SiriusXM Radio and Power Liftgate.
It was great as far as performance (acceleration, braking, handling) but still didn't feel anywhere near a $50k car.
I'm sure they'll start adding the X1 to their fleets before long, a base sDrive28i starts at $31k...
White with lots of black plastic trim isn't the best look. Black side moldings or mirrors look pretty cheap too. I don't mind the non-metallic white on my car, but it is also an unusually bright color that kind of stands out, and is offset by the pano roof.
No nav on the X5? I don't see the point without it, for a premium rental. I have rented BMWs in Germany, always fairly loaded.
Comments
I agree though, it needs to be updated ASAP. I think the car actually looks okay from the front back to the B-pillar. And I think the taillight treatment is attractive, if a bit Hyundai-ish. But I just think the whole rear door area/C-pillar/rear quarter panel area is awkward.
Not all of them. Definitely not the Integra. And there were some Accords for the US market that were made in Japan as late as 2002. My '02 was made in Ohio. My brother's 1986 (which is the car I learned stick-shift on) was made in Japan.
That almost seems TOO good to be true. I'm sure there's got to be some fine print, somewhere that I'm missing.
Kinda scary to think, as cheap as that is, it probably has the performance to give just about any old musclecar a run for its money, either in 0-60 or top speed...or in many cases, probably both! AND with air conditioning and an automatic...something that the top performing musclecars back in the day usually lacked.
I've seen a few rental Legacy sedans on the road lately.
Not the best ones! I've purchased '05 and '07 Honda Civic EX's both made in Japan. I seek out the J as the first character in the VIN when I'm buying Honda. The one I bought in '03 that started its VIN with a 1 did have some minor rattle and trim issues (Accord LX V6). The Japanese built Civics have been nearly flawless, and clearly superior to the Ohio built Accord (in assembly and quality control), in my opinion and the experience bearing that out.
Yes, the RPM gauge also moved, but it was artificial and lagged when it did. Maybe the needle was getting stuck? Either way, it's either a design flaw or a part defect/broken.
No way was this a V6 unless three cylinders were dead on arrival given the power output.
I wonder if you got the 2.4/6-speed? My 2012 Ram has a 6-speed, and to me it feels funny when it shifts. And sometimes it seems like there's a bit of a lag. I guess the more gears you have, the closer it's going to feel to a CVT.
Interestingly, if fuel economy is your concern, the 4-cyl versions of the 200 don't really do much better than the V-6, so you might as well just get the V-6 and at least have some fun. EPA ratings are as follows:
2.4/4-speed: 21/29
2.4/6-speed: 20/31
3.6/6-speed: 19/29.
I have a 6-speed Audi DSG transmission-ed vehicle, and trust me, even with 10 gears it would never be confused with a CVT.
Granted, the DSG is more like a manual than an automatic, but still.
The problem was clearly that the TACHOMETER would stay at a constant RPM while the SPEEDOMETER moved significantly! I'd only experienced that previously with a CVT.
So I stand corrected, but the tachometer on the 200 must be from the 99 cent store.
Now I need to dig back in there and replace half the little bulbs that have burned out but I haven't had the energy to tackle it, and the bulbs are weird.
BTW, nobody says too often that Audis don't have issues.
This is BEYOND an issue in my opinion. Besides, my particular Audi just crossed 101K miles and hasn't needed any new gauges.
Admittedly, it was time for new spark plugs and coil packs between 100K and 101K miles. Some would consider that a maintenance item and not a repair cost.
The old '92 Honda with nearly 200K miles did have some speedo gauge issues but that was probably because someone was trying to fool the smog check station by disabling the check engine light with a short wire creating a "short"
Someone mentioned earlier about an incident where one lady in a group said you don't want to take my rental to dinner - it's a Malibu. Might be she really didn't care for it. But it is just as likely she said that because the back seat is cramped or because she didn't want to drive in a strange city and used it as an excuse. Personally, if I'm on travel and want a lower priced rental, I could do a whole lot worse than a Malibu - trust me!
A new Malibu is also infinitely better than the Malibus infesting the fleets 10 years ago.
I was curious so I checked to see what dealers in the Atlanta area were advertising-
I found a 2013 Chrysler 200 LX, 2.4L and no options for $14,475 (NEW)
and
Chrysler 200 LX, V6, 6AT, Heated Seats, Power Drivers, Seat, Ucommand Voice activated Bluetooth audio & phone, Auto-Dim rearview mirror with microphone for $15,785 ($22,285 MSRP)
There's a $2500 additional incentive for the 200 LX with V6 in addition to any other incentives.
The 200 you referenced for $15.654 is actually the mid-level Touring model. It looks a lot better than the LX models I found. But the same dealer that has the Silver V6 Touring you referenced also has four (4) Touring 4-cylinder models for $15.999...so the V6 makes it cheaper. And the V6 is easily the best thing about these cars!
The 2.4L Sebrings and pre-update Avengers (with the original interior, made from plastics not fit to make a litter box) were not worth buying no matter how cheap they were! No matter how little you paid, you still had to drive it and that was NOT a pleasant experience! I can't fathom how bad it would feel to drive one and be making a $400/month payment (people who would buy one probably were easy marks to inflate payments, the Avenger/200 is still one of the most popular cars for sub-prime buyers.) Sad but true, the only people who buy them don't have much of an alternative....I wonder if the suicide rate is higher among owners of certain horrible vehicles?
Frankly--although I don't own a 200--I'd probably commit suicide if I had to drive a Mazda. It's all relative.
A new Malibu is also infinitely better than the Malibus infesting the fleets 10 years ago.
I haven't rented in a while, but about 7-8 years ago when I did heavily National always seemed to have decently equipped cars. Not fully loaded, but not base either. I didn't get a lot of Malibus but plenty of Impalas.
2025 Ram 1500 Laramie 4x4 / 2023 Mercedes EQE 350 4Matic / 2022 Icon I6L Golf Cart
Yesterday in the pouring rain, we had to move 13 brand new Mustang convertibles up to Orlando and last week it was Tahoe's up there and down to Miami for Sixt, a company Fintail knows a lot about. For yesterdays trip, we all had transporter tags and their was a line of us driving up 95 to Cocoa Beach and then over to the airport area...the only bad thing was the torrential rains from Andrea while we were trying to gas up and put the tags on. Finally we just gave up and put them behind the rear headrest as the holes for the license plates weren't punched out yet, so this was just easier. Mustang's are pretty fun vehicles to drive but one needs to be careful as it gets to speed pretty quickly!
All in all it's a fun way to get a pay check and the icing on the cake is when the vehicle is equipped with SAT radio, like yesterdays Mustangs...stay with stations 6, 7 & 8 and I'm in heaven!
The Sandman
2023 Hyundai Kona Limited AWD (wife) / 2025 VW GTI (me) / 2019 Chevrolet Cruze Premier RS (daughter #1) / 2020 Hyundai Accent SE (daughter #2) / 2023 Subaru Impreza Base (son)
Here's my loaner (provided by Enterprise, code GXAR) C250
I guess the rental companies probably don't pay much more for the upper models than base models. From a business standpoint the lower line models would make them more money, however the manufacturers would rather get higher trim lines in the customer's hands.
2025 Ram 1500 Laramie 4x4 / 2023 Mercedes EQE 350 4Matic / 2022 Icon I6L Golf Cart
Were the Mustangs V6 or V8? I noticed Sixt Ft. Lauderdale had a number of well equipped V8s sitting around when I was their last year.
I was in Vegas in 07, and I recall a lot of Impala SS rentals there. That was my only time in a Hertz Prestige Collection car, there was an online offer, I had an A6. It was cool, but I loathe the Hertz "NeverLost" navigation, kind of old and clunky even then.
I thought I was the only one to wash a rental. For the past 6-7 years most of my rentals have been through Enterprise as whenever our vehicles are in for warranty work the go to company that the dealers use is Enterprise. One thing I've notice is that the rental agents are the ones responsible for cleaning the cars or sending it to the car wash. While I can deal with the occasional dirty outside, I've returned over 5 vehicles with bad odors on the inside. When asked what's the problem with the vehicle I tell them sit in it for 5 minutes and you tell me. Once done getting a suitable replacement is no problem. So learning a little I will sit in the car with the ac running for a minute or two before signing off on it.
I've never rented a car with an odor problem, but I remember once at National ATL, being happy to find a loaded Taurus (current style) but it smelled heavily like lemon furniture polish - someone was trying to hide a smell. I didn't choose it. The Regal I chose was clean outside, but got a quick interior cleansing, too.
I've seen many reviews on the Regal where the reviewer admits it's decent car, but the target audience isn't going to buy a Buick. GM may have gotten the cars right but they haven't worked on image/perception and that counts for a lot in this market.
They gave me a somewhat ratty Monte Carlo that was probably five years old.
For those familiar with the area, I was on Century Blvd, three blocks from where I rented it, in rush hour traffic when a rear tire blew out. There was nowhere to pull over so I put on the hazards and got out to take a look.
Heck, I was willing to change it myself until I saw all four tires were BALD! It blew out because it was, literally, down to the cord!
So, I grabbed my bags, ignored the horns blaring at me and left it there!
I walked the three blocks back, threw him the keys, probably said some bad words and asked for another car!
He couldn't believe that I had left it sitting in a lane of traffic during rush hour. I let him know that had the tires not been BALD that I would have changed it! Heck, I was about to get on the freeway!
He was so ticked off that he swore at me (I think) in his native tongue and refused to give me another car. I made him tear up my CC slip and I walked across the street to Avis!
He learned some bad words in English that day too!
EDIT:
I forgot to add...about twenty minutes later I drove by where I had left that Monte Carlo and there were cops EVERYWHERE! Flares had been lit and they were directing traffic. In the midst of the action I saw my rental agent being yelled at by an angry cop as he flailed his arms in the air!
It was almost worth all of the hassle.
2025 Ram 1500 Laramie 4x4 / 2023 Mercedes EQE 350 4Matic / 2022 Icon I6L Golf Cart
Yep. Century Blvd will take you straight into Watts. No stop lights on Centurn once you get there. So many muggings at cars stopped for red lights the police couldn't keep up. As a solution, they just removed the lights.
Watts...such a lovely place!
The Sandman
2023 Hyundai Kona Limited AWD (wife) / 2025 VW GTI (me) / 2019 Chevrolet Cruze Premier RS (daughter #1) / 2020 Hyundai Accent SE (daughter #2) / 2023 Subaru Impreza Base (son)
That's what happened to me, on my last trip there...
Edmunds Price Checker
Edmunds Lease Calculator
Did you get a good deal? Be sure to come back and share!
Edmunds Moderator
"PS - don't ever buy a Fiat!"
Guess he didn't think much of the rental, lol.
Hence, why many smart people recommended we not bailout GM and Buick, and let them die out. Many of the pro-bailout bonanza proponents said bailout GM, but let Buick die. Probably a small % of people felt Buick was worth saving, and most live in China.
The guy had a suspended license and was driving his girlfriend's car with her permission. She only had minimum liability coverage (25/50/25 here in Georgia) with a non-standard (high-risk) insurance company that I had never heard of...and I'm an insurance agent!
Because he was driving without a license, her insurance company did everything possible to avoid paying. Luckily, I have a great insurance company (and high Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist limts with $0 deductible) so they took care of me. The cosmetic damage didn't look too bad, but the Rearview Camera, Blind Spot Monitoring System and Power Liftgate were all damaged in the impact. It did over $7000 in damage.
I wanted a decent SUV/Crossover for a rental and I would have been fine with something like a Highlander, Pathfinder, Chevy Traverse or similar. But instead the rental agency tried to give me a freakin' Jeep Compass! I refused to accept it and after calling my insurance company again, they told me to try AVIS because some locations have the BMW X3. I called one in an upscale area of town and they had no X3s available, but they happened to have one X5 sitting on the lot.
My insurance company paid for the X5 at the discounted rate they would've paid for the X3. For nine days, the X5 would have cost $1098 at the published rates, but my insurer paid $572 instead. And they've bullied the at-fault driver's girlfriend's insurance company into paying up for the repairs and rental.
I enjoyed driving the X5, but it was fairly basic for a $53k vehicle! My CX-9 stickered for $38k and had quite a few features the X5 lacked. The 300hp 3.0L Twin-Turbo was fun, but it didn't feel that much quicker than the 273hp 3.7L V6 in my CX-9. The build quality was pretty amazing and so was the quality of interior materials....but I still couldn't pay $53k+ for one.
Was the X5 Avis or National/Alamo? I know they both have some, usually very basic trim.
Hopefully things will pick up soon as the pickings have been a bit slim lately and my back went out yesterday when they asked me to do a lot to lot...had to decline unfortunately to stay off my feet, felt bad as it was the first time I've declines any work.
The Sandman
2023 Hyundai Kona Limited AWD (wife) / 2025 VW GTI (me) / 2019 Chevrolet Cruze Premier RS (daughter #1) / 2020 Hyundai Accent SE (daughter #2) / 2023 Subaru Impreza Base (son)
Peek inside a few cars at any parking lot and I bet you retract that statement!
2025 Ram 1500 Laramie 4x4 / 2023 Mercedes EQE 350 4Matic / 2022 Icon I6L Golf Cart
It was the the base X5 xDrive35i and the only options were Heated Seats, SiriusXM Radio and Power Liftgate.
It was great as far as performance (acceleration, braking, handling) but still didn't feel anywhere near a $50k car.
I'm sure they'll start adding the X1 to their fleets before long, a base sDrive28i starts at $31k...
Friends bought a 2012 CX-9 GT, earlier this year... also in white.... they love it!
Edmunds Price Checker
Edmunds Lease Calculator
Did you get a good deal? Be sure to come back and share!
Edmunds Moderator
No nav on the X5? I don't see the point without it, for a premium rental. I have rented BMWs in Germany, always fairly loaded.