Rental Car Experiences?

fezo

One would hope GM got out of the business of making rental fleet only cars. Remember the Chevy Classic, which was just a previous generation Malibu?

fintail

I think they are succeeding on making fleet sales a lower part of overall business...but rentals are still big. Around here there are a lot of rental Cobalts and Malibus, along with Equinox. To be fair, tons of rental Camrys and Corollas too.

I think that hoary "Classic" was one of the last gasps of the old GM.

kyfdx

TrailBlazer is still what they list as an example for the class.

The crossovers are a different class, so I don't think we'll get one of those (unless they upgrade me to a Traverse, or something similar)..

I would have gone for a mini-van for four full-grown people or a large sedan.... but, my traveling partner wants AWD for ski country.. plus, a lot of gear to haul.. (and, it's his condo... so, he's been there quite a bit).

Got a decent rate for Colorado... not cheap.

lemko

I once had a Classic as a rental. Soviet-bloc basically describes it. It seems they made the already plain old Malibu even more austere.

fintail

Sometimes the rental car companies lag in what they list online vs what is in the fleet. Sometimes the example photos are even more amusing...I am sure someplace somewhere still shows pics of a Cadavalier or an Alero as example cars.

Maybe you'll get a Tahoe, those are in some fleets too, I think.

fintail

I remember a friend of mine had a Malibu rental in the pre-Classic days. I am pretty sure it had well under 10K miles on it, and already the radio didn't work and the temperature gauge was always pegged no matter if the car was just started. Really made one want to buy a Chevy.

fezo

I had a Classic once and an actual Malibu another time. Both matched lemko's description. The Malibu smelled like someone had been transporting a body in it. turned right around and told them to try again. Ended up in a Kia Optima which was pretty spartan but OK for what it was.

fintail

I've never had to exchange a rental before...guess I have been lucky. Most of the time I have received decent vehicles, although I do remember a Kia Spectra that seemed to be past retirement age.

lemko

From my car rental experiences, these were the best and worst rental experiences:

Best:

Cadillac CTS
Chevrolet Impala
Ford Fusion
Pontiac G6
Chrysler Sebring
Cadillac DeVille
Mercury Grand Marquis
Buick Regal
Pontiac Grand Prix
Chevrolet Caprice
Chrysler Fifth Avenue

Worst:

Mitubishi Galant (Car was OK. Rental agency tried to rip-off my girlfriend claiming damage she didn't do.)
Pontiac Grand Am (Talk about a really cheap and poorly assembled interior!)
Ford Taurus (Gutless 3.0 V-6)
Ford Taurus (Temp Gauge always pegged. Had to run heater in summer and open windows for fear the car would overheat and leave me stranded).

The Others:
GMC Canyon
Toyota Corolla
Oldsmobile Achieva
Buick Skylark
Plymouth Acclaim
Plymouth Reliant
Chevrolet Celebrity

otto8

My last rentals this year in Ft. Meyers and Orlando thru Alamo weren't
too bad. I ended up with a Impala on one trip and a Fusion on another.
Alamo has changed its choice of cars as of late (in Fla). If you rent say a
fullsize you simply pick out your choice of car out of a certain number/
lettered row that has several different makes and models of fullsizers.

Simple and easy! Got a nice AMERICAN Detroit 3 car to drive...........

Yea yea I know the fusion is assembled in mexico and the impala in Canada!

stever

Everyone always says that fleet sales hurt car brands and resale values. But Hyundai is using rental car sales to convince people that their brand is worth buying.

"In addition, a key aspect of Hyundai's marketing - putting its vehicles into daily rental fleets - is paying off. Krafcik said the brand has a very high rate - one of the highest in the industry - of converting car renters to buyers."

Toyota's Woes Open the Door Even Wider for Hyundai, AutoObserver Analysis Shows (AutoObserver)

berri

I've actually bought, or avoided several cars over the years based on rental experiences.

kyfdx

We reserved a "standard SUV" from National, described as a TrailBlazer or equivalent. Note that they had several separate categories for crossovers, from Santa Fe to Dodge Journey to Chevy Traverse.

So, I was expecting a choice of Grand Cherokee or Explorer (do they still make those?).

When we got off the rental car bus, they directed us to the SUV aisle, and said pick anything you want. At least 30 available, and probably 70% were Santa Fes. They didn't seem to worry about the class distinctions that were on the website, but nothing as large as a Traverse was available. There was one Kia Sorento, one Grand Cherokee, a couple of Ford Edges, and a couple of Dodge Journeys.

We had four full-grown men, plus luggage and snowboard equipment, so we needed the maximum room. Started to grab a Ford Edge, which had generous seating room, but not that much behind the seats for baggage. Ended up taking a Dodge Journey (three row seating!), because it had the most room behind the seats (3rd row folded down), and a 2nd row fold-down center armrest, which helped with the snowboard.

Very slow off the line, but good power, once you got out of 2nd gear (AWD, of course, as we were headed for snow country). Basically, reminded me of an AWD Grand Caravan with four doors. Very comfortable drivers seat, and the rear seats were adjustable front/rear, individually, as well.

Nothing I'd be interested in for myself, but perfect for our needs... Not bad looking in gray..

tedebear

I'm of the opposite school. My insurance covers rentals and my credit cards backs it up as well. Cost of insurance can easily double the cost of renting the car.

Same here. The overpriced rental insurance add-on is just another scam the rental companies use to make more profits. At $9.95/day that's over $3,600/yr for just a basic sedan. We're not talking a Lamborghini here. My full coverage insurance on my cars covers rentals and my credit card company also covers it.

I always decline the option and I know it aggravates the agent, who I've been told makes a commission on selling these extras. I filed a complaint recently about an experience I had with a Dollar agent in Vegas after I refused his offer of the ridiculously overpriced insurance and also the scam option of returning the car without having to fill up the tank. That one initially sounds like a great deal but unless you coast back into the return center on fumes the price you pay for the full tank of fuel versus what you actually use can be somewhat higher than filling up prior to returning it.

Anyway, the Dollar customer service rep emailed me back and said the matter with the Vegas agent would be dealt with. I hope I didn't get anyone fired, just a talking to by his supervisor.

fintail

Rented a car today as my normal car is in the shop for a few days. Rented a compact from Budget for ~$30/day, got a Versa hatch with just over 3000 miles on it. Slow, but not a horrible thing.

oregonboy

Slow compared to your E55, I can understand. But how does it compare to the Fintail? :surprise:

kyfdx

Going on a 1500 mile round-trip for vacation... Four of us in my wife's compact SUV.. It's a nice car, but it's leased and whatever mileage we put on it will eventually be miles over the allowance (@ $0.20 per)... Doesn't have tons of luggage space, but you can pile it up high... Sort of stiff-riding for a long trip..

So... have a corporate discount with National... I can rent a full-size sedan (Impala or similar) for $250 from Friday through to the next Sunday (one week + one day in rental time).. That's the total cost, fees, taxes and all..

Probably a little cheaper to rent, but have to pay now, instead of later (when the lease is up).. But, the biggest issue is what car I would get.. Afraid that the full-size line-up all turn out to be Sonatas or some other quasi-midsize.. Plus, there is the 40 minute round-trip to pickup and drop-off the rental at the airport, on each end of the trip...

Hmmm.... What to do? :confuse:

fintail

The Versa is quicker off the line than the low torque 2nd gear start fintail, but when accelerating from 40+, the old car could probably give the new one a run for its money. The Versa also has the modern car trait of a sensitive throttle to make the car seem more powerful - MB throttles are like stepping on a brick.

berri

I don't know where you flew into, but at the bigger locations National usually lets you select which car you want in your category from all of them parked in the lot. Of course, that doesn't help if they are almost out of vehicles which seems a bit more common these days at all of the firms.

kyfdx

Not flying into anywhere.. ... thinking about renting from my local airport for the round-trip...

I'm sure it's the same way here... We rented a "standard SUV" in Denver, a couple of months ago.... Out of the 20 cars in the aisle, probably 15 of them were Santa Fes...

I'm worried that all my choices would be Sonatas or Altimas (which seem to be "full-size sedans" in rental car speak..

Of course, you aren't committed with a rental car reservation... If I got out there the evening before we left, and wasn't happy with anything, we could just cancel and drive our car...

Re-checked the prices, and it's closer to $300 than $250... hmmmmm

fintail

Gave my rental Versa back today and picked up my repaired car. Had no problems with Budget - no bogus damage claims etc - although they don't seem to be the lowest price, the cars might be nicer than Enterprise too. But I have to say, it's nice having the old beast back.

One good thing about the Versa...8 days of use, under 4 gallons of gas.

lemko

Ever since Enterprise tried to rip off my wife on phony damage claims, she takes pictures of the car at all angles to protect herself. The pictures have the date and time on them and they can't claim previous damage was caused by her.

fintail

Yeah, I have heard horror stories about Enterprise and damage claims. My last rentals with them, I would check the damage list and make sure every flaw was noted - sometimes not a short list as they have given me some miled up (40K+) cars. But I had no problem prsonally. I also now use the Amex insurance if I will have it for more than a couple days...let them deal with it.

kyfdx

I can rent a full-size car from Alamo for 9 days, unlimited mileage for $182, all taxes included... I may not be able to pass that up, as it will keep 1500 miles off of our car...

Really, really cheap.. and, from our local airport location..

berri

Just make sure you read the fine print because some of these really good deals can have lots of restrictions such as limiting the area you can drive it.

kyfdx

Agreed....

But, this is basically your straight internet, airport reservation... Just the typical rental car restrictions... unlimited mileage..

The only thing I might run into.... is they usually don't offer locals the same price as travelers, specifically for the reason I'm renting... Taking the car on a long driving vacation, and racking up mileage..

If they balk at the time of pickup (which isn't likely.. it's the kind where you get off the bus, go to your aisle and pick out a car... then, drive through the booth on the way out)... I'll just go home and drive our car on vacation..

kyfdx

When I got there, the Alamo full-size lane was empty, so the agent said to pick any car from the National "Emerald Isle".. Impala and some mid-sizes were the majority of choices... I was kind of hoping for a crossover (Taurus X?)... but, the biggest thing they had was a Ford Explorer...

Crappy gas mileage, but loads of cargo room... Beach vacation for two adults and two teen-age boys... so, right up our alley... Brand new with less than 1000 miles... White with charcoal cloth interior..

Not bad for $182 for 9 days!

slorenzen

My wife and I flew into Raleigh, NC last week for 6 days. with a coupon, we were able to get an Impala for $67 after an internet coupon my wife found.

Took LOTS of pictures before and after rental just in case they try to hit me up in 6 months.

Otherwise, it was a very painless rental compared to Enterprise. No hard sell of all "their" insurance specials, and the A/C was terrific(important detail when it's 105 to 112 heat index).

How do people LIVE there? :confuse:

Kirstie_H

A newspaper reporter is interested in interviewing a Connecticut resident who recently purchased a vehicle from any rental car company. Please email your name and contact information to pr@edmunds.com if you are interested in being interviewed.

fezo

OK, boys and girls! Here is today's challenge. I'm renting a car at the Tampa airport (TPA) on Sunday for 8 days. So far my best deal on an Intermediate (CamCord size) is $206.84 or $273.74 with all the taxes and lovely fees that keep Florida from having to have a state income tax. Can anyone beat that? Rules of the game - it has to be an in-airport rental place and must assume two drivers in the price (Alamo strikes out on both counts). Have at it!

fintail

I can't beat that, but be careful with what you expect from "intermediate". Sizes seem to be inching down...you could end up with a Cobalt or Sentra or something.

fezo

I was worried that no one was going to try.

I beat it by a few bucks going with Budget through Costco. I tried a zillion things, AAA, coupons and such before I thought of Costco. That should work. Pontiac G6 or equivalent. You;d think they'd update that. Maybe I can snag a 6.

fintail

I didn't even think to look through Costco. Your rate looks pretty good, I paid more than that for a compact locally.

I've rented through Budget once, had no problems...they were marginally more than Enterprise, but more convenient for me, Local office has a few new Sonatas hanging around the lot, that might be an interesting rental.

I'll be in Germany in a few weeks, and will have a few days to use a car. It'll be like Christmas morning when I go to pick up the keys :shades:

fezo

BTW, Budget (and Avis) offered Pontiac G6 or equivalent. I sure hope they've run through their supply of those! A new Sonata would be fine. A 6 or an Altima would do the trick as well.

fintail

I drove beside a rental 6 the other day,,.or a random new style midline car with no plate frames and a barcode,Haven't seen a rental 6 in awhile, Fusion seems to be in that segment a lot around here too.

For me, part of the fun of going on a trip is the rental car, and the surprise when you see what you get.

fezo

When I did this last year (and was reminded of how many ways the rental company can empty your wallet, prompting this thread...) they showed me a row of cars and said take your pick. I was all set for a 6 which they had but my 17 yo, who had to share the back seat with two 8 year old sisters, wanted the Impala because the back seat was better. I'll never let her forget that. She's not coming this time. I'd move down to Focus size but keeping a few extra inches between the now 9 year olds is worth the extra money.

fintail

I've never had that luck, they always seem to have keys ready for me when I get there, and I've never been put off enough to do an exchange. I can probably remember every car I've rented...I did have a nearly new Focus a few years ago, no complaints, actually seemed to handle well.

I've heard of people who got PT Cruisers who have tried to exchange...that might get me to do it. On my upcoming German trip, the only thing that will get me to resist is a downgrade to a manual car, or an "upgrade" to an SUV - I think the only one they rent that I'd really want would be an X6 hybrid, just for weirdness.

berri

Fezo, if you analyze your Florida trip costs, the rental car is probably a relatively small proportion of cost versus hotel and food. I'd spend a few bucks more and go with a better company like Hertz, Avis or National. You are more likely to get a decent car. Check for affinity deals such as your employer, insurance company, etc. A lot of them are letting you join the premier clubs like Hertz 1 at little or no cost. Those programs generally give you a better car and allow your spouse to drive free.

kyfdx

What was the issue with Alamo?

igozoomzoom

"I've heard of people who got PT Cruisers who have tried to exchange...that might get me to do it. On my upcoming German trip, the only thing that will get me to resist is a downgrade to a manual car, or an "upgrade" to an SUV"

I recently had to drive a rental for 32 LONG days while my car was repaired from a nasty accident. The at-fault driver's insurance company paid for it and approved anything up to a mid-size car, which was fine with me. I called the day of the accident to set it up with the local Enterprise and the ONLY thing I didn't want was a Chrysler vehicle! When I got there to pick up the rental, the only car they had on the lot was a 2010 Dodge Avenger R/T (bright red, huge spoiler, it was hideous to look at and to drive). I took it begrudgingly because it was a Friday and I knew nowhere else would have anything better in the area. But I made it clear that I would be back at 9am on Monday to swap it out for something else- a Kia, Hyundai, Nissan or GM product would be fine. The best they could do was a 2010 Toyota Corolla LE that smelled like feet and cigarette smoke, even though they don't 'allow' smoking in their cars.....but I took it anyway and drove it for the next month. It quickly earned the name "Crapolla" and I couldn't wait to get my Mazda3 back from the body shop! I suppose it could've been worse, the Avenger could have been a PT Cruiser.....ugh!

As for renting in Germany, be sure that you specify Automatic Transmission ONLY! Even if you did get a manual, at least they drive on the same side of the road (and car) as us! I rented a car in 2004 when I visited the UK for the first time and ended up with a microscopic Peugeot (any smaller and it would've been a bicycle) and it was a manual. I've never owned anything but a manual shift in my 20 years of driving, but it's a whole 'nother story in a foreign country trying to stay on the wrong side of the road AND shift with your left hand! When I visited Englandd again in 2007, I made sure to request an Automatic and it was much easier!

fintail

I do remember how nice it feels to be back in your own car after driving a rental...my MB might be getting old, but it sure feels nice compared to a cheaper car even if its a new one. I've never had to return a rental because it broke or I didn't like the specific car - but I've never had a rental PT.

When I rent abroad, I specify automatic with diesel preference. I don't want to deal with shifting even if I am on the correct side of the road - my attention can be used for better things, and as I only drive a manual maybe a couple times a year, its just less risky. Once they did try to put me in a manual Citroen - which was below the category I rented, so I balked and was upgraded to a nearly new lowline E-class...I was heartbroken :shades:

igozoomzoom

Their low-line E-class is quite a different creature than our 'base model' E-class....all my life, I assumed that all MBs sold in the world had the same standard features as the ones sold in the U.S. Discovering plastic wheel covers and cloth seats on a slightly older C-class was quite a surprise- sacrilege, I thought!

fezo

Alamo is a spring it as a surprise that your spouse can't drive it company. As a result their price was no bargain because for the extra money you could go to Hertz.

I have to look. I rented through Costco. Avis can be gotten through Costco but costs a little more.

fintail

My E had wheels, but cloth interior, 4 cylinder diesel - SLOW but amazing mpg.

US model MB are fairly loaded by Euro standards.

jccai1

Aren't National and Alamo the same company? I rented from National a few times and wasn't very impressed with their service. So I tried Avis on my last vacation in CA and found them not any better.

fezo

Yes. National and Alamo are the same company. There's a third one that's party of that company though I don't remember which.

Avis owns Budget as well.

Sandman6472

Have had good luck with them but have also swapped out a couple of them for a nicer, cleaner car which worked out nice. Luckily, we have an Enterprise store right outside our development which makes swapping out very easy actually.

Usually use Hertz for out of town rentals & have always had stellar rides. With my spinal issues, last time they upped me from a mid sized to a full sized Chevy Impala LTZ (?) which was brand new with a power driver seat...made all the difference in the world. This was back in '06 for my kids high school graduation in New Hampshire. Kept the car for a week...got it in Boston & dropped it off in Hartford. Best rental we've ever got and it was extremely back friendly for the 1k miles I ended up driving.

The Sandman :sick: :shades:

berri

At smaller airports National and Alamo seem to share fleets, but at the larger ones National generally has its own area and you can chose which car out there in your category you want to drive off in. By the way, they are both owned by Enterprise. I've found Hertz to generally have the nicest cars, but sometimes they are priced too high. Then I default to Avis and from there National. I try to stay away from places like Dollar and Thrifty. I'm not a big fan of Enterprise either because I've gotten too many strippo-mobiles there, and high mileage cars as well. They are priced cheap for a reason IMO.

iluvmysephia1

of shifting with my left hand, even though I'm left-handed, is enough to make me cower from foreign manual rental cars forever!

I've never owned anything but a manual shift in my 20 years of driving, but it's a whole 'nother story in a foreign country trying to stay on the wrong side of the road AND shift with your left hand! When I visited Englandd again in 2007, I made sure to request an Automatic and it was much easier!

fezo

We have an Enterprise in town here. They are the default for insurance rentals and such. One time I rented for a week from them and they started me in this last generation Malibu which was a generic enough thing but smelled like someone died in it. I took it back and they gave me a Kia Optima which was OK and at least pretty new.

Last year I was at Alamo in Orlando and after everything got sorted out and I had rented an "Impala or equivalent" they sent me to a row of cars that weren't nearly that size. They tried to convince me otherwise but finally broke down and said to just go over to the National lot and pick from there.