Rental Car Experiences?

tjc78

I would think no NAV is a resale killer on those. I wouldn't buy that kind of vehicle without it.

I remember a few years ago a member who sold Lexus said he had a tough time moving used RX300s without NAV.

obyone

I remember a few years ago a member who sold Lexus said he had a tough time moving used RX300s without NAV.

I would've thought the RX300 would be a hard sell cause everyone knew by that time that the 3.0 I6 was prone to sludge.

isellhondas

Well, on Hondas anyway, most people had little desire for NAV. On used cars (of any make) NAV doesn't add much value.

I'm surprised it would be so important on a Lexus especially since most smart phones have NAV now and the aftermarket ones are so inexpensive now.

fintail

It's an expected feature on premium cars now - but is also often optional, so sometimes there can be problems. People (myself included) like the integrated look, lack of theft worries, and not having to mess with a phone while driving.

Reminds me of a story told to me by a MB salesman about an old guy who special ordered an E550 cabrio without the basic premium package, which includes nav. Apparently his wife wanted to strangle him when she saw what the car lacked. And the resale hit will be much more than the price of that option, I'd wager.

tjc78

The 3.0 is a V6. I had two of them with no problems. Change the oil and they are fine.

Fintail, I like the integrated look as well. My wife now drives the 2012 Lacrosse which has NAV. She claims it gets her lost so she uses her phone. When I get her next car, I'm not paying for NAV.

fintail

I am OCD about wires and other messes. Make it clean for me, the price (decreasing each year) will be worth the decreased mental anguish.

Wife could be user error, I suspect. Maybe next time let her get her car, and you get yours :shades:

Speaking of rental cars, when I rent in a premium or better category, I will look for a car with nav. Not as common in the US as in Europe, but I have seen it.

tjc78

I don't think I can shop with my wife. We would kill each other. She really doesn't care, just wants certain features and of course colors. The other night she told me she would be happy with another Lacrosse or an Enclave. I also remember her loving the new Pathfinder at the auto show.

When the time comes, I'll have her pick the color and take care of the rest myself! The lease on the Lacrosse still has about 16 months, but I'll probably start looking to dump it sometime around Christmas/winter time.

I've never rented a car with buit in NAV, but I haven't rented for a few years (except a Corolla in St Martin).

igozoomzoom

My problem with NAV and the reason I've avoided it for years is BECAUSE is so integrated! If any audio or climate control function requires me to use the touch screen, I'm NOT a happy camper!

When I bought my CX-9 GT last year, it took quite a bit of searching to fidn one in the color combo I wanted and with the Moonroof/Bose package but WITHOUT the Navigation System.

obyone

The 3.0 is a V6. I had two of them with no problems. Change the oil and they are fine.

I stand corrected and just remembered the Supra had the I6. The sludge problem was due to the lack of servicing on the part of the owners?

fintail

Is she paying with her money? Then let her shop on her own and spare yourself the agony. I am sure she can negotiate a deal, I think women are much better at purchasing such things than in the past, less intimidated by the sales shtick.

I've seen mostly Ford and Chrysler rentals with nav - a high spec 300/Grand Cherokee/Taurus or even Fusion sometimes will have it. Sometimes a Caddy or Lincoln will too. I've heard of rental Lacrosse with nav as well. The highline rentals tend to have it too - as not selecting it will kill the residual for the rental company when it comes time to sell. I'm renting an E-class in Orlando in September ($38/day!) and I know it will have nav.

isellhondas

Nope, it was the V-6's with the sludge problem and if people changed their oil often there was never a problem.

As with most "problems" it got totally overblown!

ohenryx

it was the V-6's with the sludge problem and if people changed their oil often there was never a problem.

The problem with that is, the manufacturers keep extending their recommended oil change interval. Yes, I know 3k oil changes are probably overkill on most new cars, but the GM oil change reminder system wants you to go 8 to 10k between oil changes, and I suspect that is a tad too far in the opposite direction.

Personally, I would rather do it "too often" rather than "not often enough", and I would certainly rather buy a used car or truck from someone who does 3k instead of 10k oil changes.

andre1969

I heard that the sludging problem was most common on in the Sienna minivans. I think part of it was weight, as these were on the heavy end of the spectrum of vehicles that used that engine (similar to how with Chrysler products, it was the minivan that was most likely to chew up its transmission), but also some issue with the engine bay of the Sienna tending to not "breathe" as well, and hold in heat.

As you say, if people changed their oil at a reasonable interval, there usually was no problem. But, they just couldn't put up with abuse and neglect in the fashion that some other engines could.

stever

My memory is a bit foggy about the "gelling" but seems like Toyota redid the oil passages in the engine to lessen the sludge issue. Here's a link.

I plan to change the oil in my Nissan minivan this week. It's been a little over 9,000 miles now, so it's about time. Or maybe I'll wait a few weeks and let it roll over 187,000 miles and make it a nice even 10k interval this time. :shades:

isellhondas

Oil is much better than in the old days and 3000 miles is probably overkill.

Still, I'm with you and I won't go over 5000 miles.

I still remember the old "Pennzoil" engines of years ago where you had to use a putty knife to clean out the valve covers.

isellhondas

Yes, the Siennas seemed to be affected more than the trucks or Camry V-6's probably for the reasons you point out.

Minivans get abused like a rented mule. People just TRASH them! They overload them, tow things they shouldn't tow and eat in them like rolling restaurants.

Then they wonder why their transmissions fail after 100,000 miles!

tjc78

Is she paying with her money? Then let her shop on her own and spare yourself the agony. I am sure she can negotiate a deal, I think women are much better at purchasing such things than in the past, less intimidated by the sales shtick.

All one "pot" in our house. I handle all the finances. I'm sure she could buy a car, but wants no part of it.

fintail

Oh yeah I forgot to address this. I too would hate for HVAC to be dependent on a screen. Luckily in MB anyway, it is not. Audio is through the screen, but it is not a touch screen, and can be managed by buttons or steering wheel controls as well.

I'd rather have a mouse-like controller than a touchscreen.

fintail

Oh, too bad. Makes me content with being single, I buy what I want and only answer to my pocketbook :shades:

When I was a kid, my parents usually chose and purchased their cars on their own - but my dad's propensity for dragging home old heaps (pushing the 60 Ford into the driveway didn't go over well) did create some tension.

fintail

Read elsewhere today that the 2014 Impala has been spotted at National in ATL

Sandman6472

Spotted one down here in Lauderdale last week I think it was also. There's a trip to Orlando in the a m but I only know about it because another co-worker called me. He called to tell me something else and then says "he'll see me tomorrow" and I said "what"? Oops! Someone else texted to verified it with me and again, oops! I wasn't asked in the first place! This is the problem with too many workers and not enough work...the favorites get called first...the exact reason I'm still looking for something similar with defined days and hours!

The Sandman :sick: :shades:

fintail

Is there more than one rental transit company? Maybe you could put your name in at two, increase your odds.

Here's a pic of a well equipped Impala LTZ spotted at National ATL - in the premium-special group.

Sandman6472

Already done that but got a feeling my cane is holding me back...I don't usually mention it and it shouldn't be a problem. Did apply to another organization to run folks to their appointments using my vehicle so we'll see. Looking for some more hours still and a boss who communicates better. Got a text to report today at 11 for some lot to lot with a "c ya there". Figured I'm in today's crew but he calls me a few hours later to find out why I never responded and that I'm NOT WORKING! Said the text made it sound like it was a done deal...he hemmed and hawed and admitted, yeah, HE SCREWED UP. I really need a better job with a boss who communicates better. All I want to do is work!!

The Unhappy Sandman :sick: :shades:

andres3

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.

That's a load of crock. If the rental car company really wants the vehicles properly broken in, then they should run them on a treadmill at varying speeds for the first thousand miles themselves.

Since they don't do that they've obviously come to the conclusion that a proper break-in period isn't that important, at least to the original owner that only keeps them 3 years.

andres3

Just got upgraded on a rental in Vegas to the Impala Fuel Flex vehicle. It's the older impala design with about 14K miles on the clock, but Hertz included their "never lost navigation" on this model.

Also ran on 85% Ethanol so I saved 10 cents a gallon at the pump as compared to regular 87 Unleaded in Nevada.

The car is plain Jane in all ways, except it did have a good engine. The transmission was super lazy and slow, but the engine was powerful.

I'd pay a lot more for this Impala than I would the previous 200 rental.

andres3

Touch-screens vary in quality. The 2 year old Garmin I have has a bad touchscreen that has gotten worse with time and is nearly unusable at 2 years, but the 5 year old model still works fine.

The Honda Odyssey built in NAV has an inaccurate touch screen vs. any Apple product, it seems it chooses the wrong adjacent letter way more often than my I-phone does.

fintail

Sounds like managers, they can be pretty ineffectual.

I've seen pics on the Sixt site of the 2014 E-class - if you see one in the fleet, let me know - that would be an interesting thing for my upcoming rental.

fintail

I just don't like the fingerprints, and it seems the resolution on touchscreen models isn't as high as on external inputs.

I can deal with longer input times for a crisper and cleaner screen.

fintail

Oh NeverLost, suddenly it's 2006! Do they still mount it on the console?

I guess that was an Impala with the 3.6, which is apparently a competent unit.

berri

The 3.6L V6 GM is using is pretty quick and smooth. I think it hands down beats Ford's 3.5L and is pretty comparable to a lot of Asian V6's. It's drawback however, is that it is thirsty in real world driving in my experiences.

ronsteve

Also ran on 85% Ethanol so I saved 10 cents a gallon at the pump as compared to regular 87 Unleaded in Nevada.

Is the price difference only 10 cents a gallon?

Here in Louisville, the one station I pass regularly that sells both is getting $3.72/gallon for 87 octane, and $2.92/gallon for E85, which I figure would be a push in terms of per-mile cost if I had a flex-fuel vehicle. That whole detail of ethanol only having about 78% of the energy content of gasoline and all...

andres3

Well, isn't E85 15% gas?

So if 85% has 78% of the energy, maybe it is about 85% of the energy? (Since 15% has 100%).

I feel like I got ripped off now in NV< but yes, the gas was only 10 cents less and still cost $3.50/gallon. In CA were up to $4.00/gallon for regular, so NV is cheap in my book.

I wouldn't buy E85 for my own car, but since it was Hertz, I didn't hesitate.

tifighter

This week's rental with Hertz has been a 13 Outback Limited, which seems like an unusual rental. Last Outback I drove was a 09 XT with the turbo and a manual, but I had never driven the current generation.

Dark blue, light leather, 1k miles on the odo and a really strong new car smell. Its the CVT 4cyl. In my 150 miles so far, I'm getting 28.5 mpg with a 30/70 city/hwy mix and I'm not hypermiling. Seems pretty good for the space and AWD, plus its pretty comfortable. A lot more room than the previous generation. Its definitely not fast though.

tjc78

The 3.6L V6 GM is using is pretty quick and smooth. I think it hands down beats Ford's 3.5L and is pretty comparable to a lot of Asian V6's. It's drawback however, is that it is thirsty in real world driving in my experiences.


It's a decent engine, but no Toyota 3.5 or Nissan VQ. My LaCrosse can get some pretty dismal city FE, but the car is a porker at over 4000lbs.

berri

In a car, I guess I can't really argue. But in a bigger crossover I think an Acadia more than holds its own with a Highlander or current gen Pathfinder despite the weight disparity, although it's transmission probably causes the engine to protest a bit louder in high speed accelerator tromping. I haven't looked at the specs, but driving all of them the 3.6L seems to perform with more torque (e.g. mountain driving) to me. The lambda's are also pretty smooth and quiet, and handle surprisingly well for their size. The Highlander is nice, but get on less than smooth pavement and it can get choppy. It also allows more noise intrusion.

Sandman6472

Drove one up to Orlando today without cruise control and it was butal! Not a bad vehicle but with someone like myself with a bad spine, cruise is a must have. And they have the aux input in a horrible place without any aux button on the stereo so one really needs to look around. And a real shame that they couldn't include a usb port anywhere since the majority of consumers today have some kind of device that uses one. When will domestic car companies just give the public this stuff? Even the base Korean sub compacts have this stuff in plain site...a real faux pas in any vehicle without these connectivity points in their vehicles! If I were to purchase a Dart, I'd have to get a better optioned model as I now come to expect these little creature comforts now. The ride was pretty smooth I must admit but the esc stability control was useless at one point in a torrential rain...it was really scary and the first vehicle I've driven lately that did this.

It's been hours later and my poor back is really hurting still. I will avoid this vehicle on any longish trip in the future!

The Sandman :sick: :shades:

ohenryx

And a real shame that they couldn't include a usb port anywhere since the majority of consumers today have some kind of device that uses one. When will domestic car companies just give the public this stuff? Even the base Korean sub compacts have this stuff in plain site...a real faux pas in any vehicle without these connectivity points in their vehicles!

I truly cannot understand why anyone, in the year 2013, would produce a passenger vehicle without a USB port. It makes about as much sense as producing a car without a spare tire. Oh, wait, they do that too, don't they?

Sandman6472

Another stupid thing! Technology is the future and it seems to be changing all the time. Personally, I won't consider a vehicle without up to date tech anymore. And really, how much extra can it really cost/vehicle? Best to be upfront on the tech front!

The Sandman :sick: :shades:

jpp75

Had a Legacy for a week in Denver on vacation....overall decent but has to be one of the worst CVTs out there. MPG was decent, 32 mpg over 1,000 miles in mostly highway driving but it comes at a cost.

Had a Focus in Nashville today, I generally like them but the DSG transmission really showed itself in this one, had about 6,500 miles on it and was overall good but I couldn't deal with the jerkiness of the transmission.

stever

Not a rental but I was in a cab today. Stereotypical cabby, stomped on it and my neck snapped back (was riding shotguy). It was a Prius C and there were four people in it. Was impressed on how it scooted around in traffic. Good brakes too, lol.

Mr_Shiftright

They should be good brakes. in San Francisco, cabs change out brakes every 6 weeks, so a cab driver tells me.

Sandman6472

My main complaint with this vehicle also...that crazy tranny! Otherwise, it's not a bad vehicle in this compact class. Prefer the hatch as to me, it just looks sportier. The new 2014 Mazda3 5 door looks very similar from the rear 3/4 angle though it's a brawnier looking vehicle, more on the lines of a Nissan Juke...reminds me of a bulldog with it's low to the ground, strong appearance. Personally, I think Mazda is gonna sell a whole bunch of these puppies...hopefully my wife will be one of them!!

The Sandman :sick: :shades:

Sandman6472

Worked for Sixt today from Ft. Lauderdale to Miami Beach and the Miami airport and got to drive a brand new X5 and X3 plus a SLK 250 with 10k on the clock and to be perfectly honest...I was very underwhelmed by all of them! Prefer a vehicle which isn't so complicated and just does what it's supposed to do. The prices were outrageous as was that horrible start on/start off feature...pure garbage! The leather was the best thing rally and the X3 felt better than the X5. I guess they drove o k and just weren't "all that" to me...since I haven't driven 3 Series, I can't comment but I did enjoy the C250 when I test drove one. Needless to say, I seriously doubt that I'll be spending the cash to buy any of these and will be just as happy spending less with another brand. But the bottom line for today is..."meh"!

The Unimpressed Sandman :confuse: :sick: :shades:

tifighter

My one and only Sixt experience was at SEA a few weeks ago. I'm a Hertz five star member but somehow they were actually out of cars, however that happens, so Sixt it was. Mostly like any other company, but the woman that I turned the car into was exceptionally attractive. So I'm pulling the car up, this woman is directing me where to park, and my wife, sitting next to me, says "the Sixt girl is hot. Are you checking out the Sixt girl? You are, aren't you?" What can you do?

BTW, if Fin or anyone other SEA based single is reading, you might want to do a rental for fun with Sixt at the airport. Bring your mints.

fintail

The stop/start can be disabled - the average renter probably wouldn't know how, but it should be a setting in the infotainment screen. Did the X3 really have leather and not pleather? Some German pleathers are pretty convincing. A vast majority of C250 sedans will have pleather.

X5 is an oddity, but maybe not surprising, as the old model is being blown out for a new one.

I read today the 14 Impala is really showing up now, either in ordinary LT or nice LTZ trim.

fintail

Fun. I have to remember that. When I dropped by there some weeks ago to see if they had highline cars yet, there was only a lone guy in the booth.

I remember renting from Sixt in Stuttgart a few years ago, and the woman at the desk was pretty charming and attractive. They also didn't have the car I reserved, so I got a free upgrade to an E class :shades:

stever

A Porsche Boxster start at $395 per day, with 75 free miles and 49 cents for each additional mile; the other rides cost more.

Hertz Dream Car Program Features Lamborghinis, Ferraris for $1,500 a Day

ronsteve

I wouldn't buy E85 for my own car, but since it was Hertz, I didn't hesitate.


Ah, a sneaky way to stick the next guy with a bigger bill for fuel. Remind me not to rent a flex-fuel vehicle after you unless it's somewhere that E85 is priced accurately. Then again, most of those places are close enough to me that I'd be driving my own car.

Sandman6472

Got called in at the last minute to move 8 new Captiva's to Orlando for Sixt today. Very smooth vehicle with plenty of power and having XM was the icing on the cake. Originally, I was #9 to work today but thanks to the person in the first eight who was a no show, I got slotted in so to you who couldn't bother to communicate with our crew chief...thanks, I had a nice day!

The Sandman :sick: :shades:

berri

How did the Captiva compare to the Equinox?