Rental Car Experiences?

fintail

Saw a rental BMW F01 7er today, couldn't tell the company, but I could see the barcode even included the "replacement key minimum charge" warning.

Michaell

I've got a rental set up for my trip to CA in a couple weeks.

Full size - Toyota Corolla or similar.

Sandman6472

Think Enterprise has a blueish sticker in the front driver window while Hertz uses two different bar codes in the back. Not sure what the others use.

The Sandman

andres3

henryn said:

berri said:

Camry is today's 1960's Impala and that's why they sell so well. Reasonably priced, generally reliable and fairly comfortable and economical.

I think your characterization of the 60's Impalas is accurate for the first half of the decade, but not the second half. My brother bought a new 1968 Impala, and it was a true (expletive deleted). And I have heard many similar stories from others.

I do believe modern day Camrys are more than just "generally reliable". Most Toyotas and Hondas are ridiculously reliable, and hold an unbelievable amount of resale value.

I think that ridiculous reliability best explains the success of Honda & Toyota. They've been able to let the rest of the competition catch up otherwise, but it is more arguable they haven't quite caught up on reliability, and even if they have, they haven't been reliable as long as Toyota and Honda which builds lots of trust and goodwill over the years.

suydam

I think there's a little more to it than that.

fintail

Corolla is "full size" now? Jeez

This rental 7er had a sticker on the rear door window. I've always thought sticker placement was random, and some cars have multiple stickers. Some also have "enhance your drive" QR codes which are easy to spot.

Michaell

fintail said:

Corolla is "full size" now?

This is for Payless. I got a Yaris 3-door on my last trip, so this will be huge by comparison. 

suydam

Oh great. We will probably need a shoehorn to fit us into our "compact" Payless rental next week. But no biggie. We don't plan to be in it all that much.

Michaell

suydam said:

Oh great. We will probably need a shoehorn to fit us into our "compact" Payless rental next week. But no biggie. We don't plan to be in it all that much.

I think the Versa is the sub-compact car for Payless. Of course, it all depends on the inventory at whatever airport you are using.

suydam

A Versa will be fine. Orlando rentals are crazy expensive so I'm going as cheap as possible.

Michaell

suydam said:

A Versa will be fine. Orlando rentals are crazy expensive so I'm going as cheap as possible.

Fingers crossed!

fintail

I wonder if Yaris sells in any volume to retail consumers. The Hertz near where I live always has a ton of them.

I've rented from Sixt at Orlando, but I wasn't looking for the cheapest, rather, I wanted a fancier car.

Mr_Shiftright

I like to rent those little crap boxes. They are simple to operate, cheap to rent and for most urban driving, are perfectly adequate. If I were going on a road trip, then not so much.

Michaell

Mr_Shiftright said:

I like to rent those little crap boxes. They are simple to operate, cheap to rent and for most urban driving, are perfectly adequate. If I were going on a road trip, then not so much.

The Yaris I had last year was perfectly adequate ... just a bit small for me and my 6'3" son.

asafonov

Rented a car from Budget in late December 2015 at LAX. Reserved a compact, but the only remaining ones in the Fast Lane were an Accent hatchback, a Miata (we had 4 people), and a Mirage. Took the accent (obviously); it made a strong scraping noise when turning. Turns out, the bumper was torn and had a large piece hanging. After I made sure it was not rubbing against the tires, I drove the Accent for a couple of days until I was close enough to a Budget location to swap it for a Focus.

No apology from Budget for giving me a car in a class below reserved, and the one with a significant problem.

Focus, in a base SE trim, was a decent car, though.

suydam

We had one from Budget last year -- a Nissan Altima -- that was so bad we turned around and took it back. In LA traffic. The Sonata it was replaced with was just fine.

asafonov

suydam said:

We had one from Budget last year -- a Nissan Altima -- that was so bad we turned around and took it back. In LA traffic. The Sonata it was replaced with was just fine.

What was wrong with the Altima?

suydam

It kept making a horrible grinding noise in Drive and was hard to get up to speed. Something wasn't right. No way I was going to go over the Conejo Grade with it. They were very nice about the swap.

seank2

So, after meeting the rear end of a gooseneck landscape trailer in Athens, Georgia last week with the front end of my ES350, I called my insurance company and they said "we'll make you a reservation at Enterprise." Since this is an insurance rental, and knowing most insurance companies reputation for "thriftiness" I wasn't expecting much....

Until we get to the Enterprise lot and the clerk tells me the insurance company will pay $50 a day (!), so go wander the lot and pick out whatever you want. Being the car geek I am, I thought Christmas came late this year.... I walked past all the Versas, Foci, Sparks etc, as well as Town & Country vans in every color, leaving the choices as 2 Expedition ELs, both XLT with leather and no other options, a Suburban 1LT, 2 Tahoes, and a 2016 Cadillac XTS "Luxury Collection" in black on black with 2300 miles. After 12 years in South Georgia, I like the big SUVs as much as the next guy, but now that I'm in Atlanta, a Suburban is a little ridiculous. After gaining approval of the girlfriend, the XTS is in the driveway.

It's honestly far better than I expected, since it is the new livery car of choice, but it handles decently, and is, of course, very comfortable for the 750 miles I've put on it since Thursday (another reason to pass on the Suburban), and decent on gas.

I drive 25-30,000 miles a year for business, so a good road car wins points with me over outright performance, but I must say I'm impressed with the big Cadillac. CUE has a steep learning curve, but otherwise, it's a great car. I can see where the VSport would be preferable, since the base V6 has "only" 300 horsepower, being the 3.6 V6 in the Impala, Lacrosse etc., but certainly enough power to get out of its own way in town and cruise along the interstate at 80 pulling barely 2000 rpm.

It may be around a while, given the damage to the Lexus, or maybe I'll get bored and go swap for something different for variety.

tjc78

I really like the XTS but that's no surprise since I had a 2012 LaCrosse.  As much as I liked the LaCrosse it never felt like 303 HP to me.  It's one heavy car and I'm sure the XTS is even a little heavier.  I'm sure my 268 hp Avalon and 290 HP Genesis was faster.  

carperso

seank2 said:

So, after meeting the rear end of a gooseneck landscape trailer in Athens, Georgia last week with the front end of my ES350, I called my insurance company and they said "we'll make you a reservation at Enterprise." Since this is an insurance rental, and knowing most insurance companies reputation for "thriftiness" I wasn't expecting much....

Until we get to the Enterprise lot and the clerk tells me the insurance company will pay $50 a day (!), so go wander the lot and pick out whatever you want. Being the car geek I am, I thought Christmas came late this year.... I walked past all the Versas, Foci, Sparks etc, as well as Town & Country vans in every color, leaving the choices as 2 Expedition ELs, both XLT with leather and no other options, a Suburban 1LT, 2 Tahoes, and a 2016 Cadillac XTS "Luxury Collection" in black on black with 2300 miles. After 12 years in South Georgia, I like the big SUVs as much as the next guy, but now that I'm in Atlanta, a Suburban is a little ridiculous. After gaining approval of the girlfriend, the XTS is in the driveway.

It's honestly far better than I expected, since it is the new livery car of choice, but it handles decently, and is, of course, very comfortable for the 750 miles I've put on it since Thursday (another reason to pass on the Suburban), and decent on gas.

I drive 25-30,000 miles a year for business, so a good road car wins points with me over outright performance, but I must say I'm impressed with the big Cadillac. CUE has a steep learning curve, but otherwise, it's a great car. I can see where the VSport would be preferable, since the base V6 has "only" 300 horsepower, being the 3.6 V6 in the Impala, Lacrosse etc., but certainly enough power to get out of its own way in town and cruise along the interstate at 80 pulling barely 2000 rpm.

It may be around a while, given the damage to the Lexus, or maybe I'll get bored and go swap for something different for variety.

I am on an insurance rental too with enterprise, Picked out a 2016 GMC denali. Put a lil under 1000 miles on it. I do wanna try out other cars that i normally dont get to drive. Any suggestions. And what is enterprise policy on swapping cars. Does it have to be at the same location or can i swap it anywhere.

suydam

Rented a car from Payless in Orlando this week. A mixed bag. Compact size said "Nissan Sentra or similar". Turns out that meant a 2 door Nissan hatch. I didn't even know Sentra came in that form. An "upgrade" to Toyota Corolla was $60. OK. First one reeked of cigarette smoke. The second one was fine. A good little car and plenty of room for 3 adults and their stuff. Very comfortable as we did more driving than I thought we would. Good on gas. Wouldn't want to own one but a fine rental. Return was painless -- no extra charges. 

asafonov

Interesting

suydam said:

Rented a car from Payless in Orlando this week. A mixed bag. Compact size said "Nissan Sentra or similar". Turns out that meant a 2 door Nissan hatch. I didn't even know Sentra came in that form. An "upgrade" to Toyota Corolla was $60. OK. First one reeked of cigarette smoke. The second one was fine. A good little car and plenty of room for 3 adults and their stuff. Very comfortable as we did more driving than I thought we would. Good on gas. Wouldn't want to own one but a fine rental. Return was painless -- no extra charges. 

Interesting - what was the model of the Nissan hatch - a Versa? If so, a Corolla, with all its flaws, is a vastly superior car.

suydam

Yes. Apparently there's a smaller 2 door version of the Sentra. We've rented Corollas before to drive all around California and they do quite well. Surprising amount of legroom in back. 

Michaell

Just landed at LAX. Let the rental car roulette begin!

fintail

I predict...base Fiesta. If it is Hertz anyway.

Shouldn't the Note be 5 door? I don' think there's a 2 door Sentra or Versa variant.

Michaell

Payless. Intermediate size. 

suydam

That's a Corolla then.

iluvmysephia1

Did you get a Toyota Corolla or a Hyundai Elantra or a Ford Focus, Michaell?

Michaell

Corolla. White. Almost 54000 miles on it. Decent car but my right leg cramped up in LA traffic. Entertainment stuff works fine - able to pair my phone no problem. 

iluvmysephia1

Corolla. White. Almost 54000 miles on it. Decent car but my right leg cramped up in LA traffic. Entertainment stuff works fine - able to pair my phone no problem.

Plain vanilla that won't get in your way can be a good thing. Safe travels to ya.

jpp75

I just had an Avalon in Denver for a couple of days. Smooth and comfortable, decent MPG but the passenger seat had an annoying rattle. The climate control system is way dated as well, but I suppose that's good for the main clientele.

seank2

To answer the question about whether Enterprise allows you to swap cars, the answer is "yes, up to 4 cars total on a reservation."

Knowing this, and taking advantage of having a rental fleet at my disposal, I traded the brand new XTS for something that would let me move things in and out of storage.... and wound up with a black on black 2015 Ford Expedition EL XLT, with 33,000 miles. Which I promptly packed up twice and then ran to South Georgia, for a total of 1200 miles in 8 days.

Some thoughts: the EcoBoost V6 and 6 speed auto is an awesome combination, and makes this truck get up and go. The rest of the truck, especially in base XLT form, is like going back in time, since the entire dash and interior is from the last generation F-150. It just feels big, too. Yes, I know it is huge, but it drives like every once that it is. It reminds me of the Impala Limited, in that it has an awesome powertrain surrounded by last decade's interior. But, the powertrain makes a compelling argument for one of these, if I had need for one.

The beast went back and was exchanged for a 2016 Dodge Durango Limited, with twenty-nine (29!!) miles on it. First renter, 2 hours on the lot. Pentastar V6, 8 speed, and decently equipped. The girlfriend likes this one much better, and said that she can see us having an SUV of this size when one of us gets tired of our respective sedans. Personally, it needs the Hemi, because it gets wheezy in the North Georgia mountains, but I'm seriously impressed with the interior and the 8.3 inch UConnect infotainment system. This one is going to stay until my car is done in the shop, so more impressions to come.

Sandman6472

We also were in a Ford Expedition yesterday and we all commented on the dated interior especially the small infotainment screen, it was like a 4" cell phone! But it did "get up and go" and we were all comfortable riding around town. Like Hertz, Enterprise is updating their fleet now and I know that Hertz did major buying in the Ft. Lauderdale/Miami area within the past few months. Saw a bunch being processed yesterday in Lauderdale, almost ready to be put on the road.

The Sandman

fintail

Saw a rental Camaro SS convertible in the workplace parking garage - someone hit the jackpot. Also a rental BMW F01 740 on the road, I assume Sixt or Hertz.

andres3

I had to take in my S4 for its first warranty replacement part at 42K+ miles yesterday. The right headlight low beam bulb "burned out/broke." Indicator light was very specific about problem with the right side headlight low beam bulb. Audi covered it, although there was a mention that sometimes they might like to wiggle out of paying for bulbs.

I just said no owner would expect to have to replace bulbs in under 4 years or 50K miles. They didn't try and charge me; said it was a $300 bulb.

This was the headlight that was replaced by a body shop; so not original. I"m going to go with not a coincidence, and blame it on the body shop/accident rather than Audi. That's how I'm chalking this one up, and appreciate Audi covering it without making me deal with the hassle of going back to a lousy shop.

Back on topic, I was given a '16 Q5 2.0T Quattro loaner/rental. Nice rig if you like small SUV's. Personally, I say save over $10K and get a A4 Wagon or Golf Sportwagen with the same amount of interior room.

berri

Hertz gave me a new Mustang convertible in Hawaii with some 1600 miles on the odo. It wasn't loaded, but was a pretty nice car. Ended up in a tropical storm on two lane pavement and the car handled well and was pretty quiet. No wind or rain leaks, no body shake - I'm guessing they make these on an assembly line rather than a conversion shop? The only thing I noticed was the car's manual seat seemed to force my legs up at the front end of the seat bottom which became a little uncomfortable after awhile. otherwise the seat was pretty good. Might have just been a height sand body size thing. I'd want power seats I think. I also might have liked some type qualification training on that dash and steering wheel mess, but it had the owners manual

ab348

Interesting, my brother - the one who has had 2 Focuses, along with 2 Ranger pickups and before those a F-150 - just got back from Hawaii. As a Ford guy, he commented that he barely saw any Fords anywhere during his 8 days on the big island around Hilo. I found that odd since my only experience with Hawaii is TV shows like the original Hawaii 5-O and Magnum, and there wasn't any shortage of Fords there back then. They had a Grand Caravan as a rental and he said most of the rental car fleets were Chrysler, Nissan, and Toyota products.

berri

Well Hawaii is about half way between the continental US and Japan. There don't seem to be all that many Ford's in the rental fleets these days. That's probably a mixed thing for them. It may help hold up depreciation a bit and fatten profit margins a little, but it also keeps non-owners from experiencing one. Rental cars have actually influenced me on purchase decisions sometimes over the years.

The Mustang I got was a Hertz Gold upgrade freebie. However, now that you mention it, I think Mustang coupes and convertibles were the only Ford's I saw at either Hertz or Enterprise next door. Locally, it seems like the majority of cars I saw in Hawaii were Asian or lux German. Lots of Detroit trucks though.

suydam

Maybe it's the size segment he was looking at? We had a Mazda 3 in the Big Is,and, and I noticed Ford Focuses among that group.

ab348

He mentioned he saw almost no Fords on the roads either.

berri

Yeah, I think cars turnover a lot at rental facilities, so maybe it was just the timing and coincidence. But I really do seem to see fewer Ford's even at mainland US rental lots. You mentioned the Focus, and the other Ford rentals I probably see the most is the Explorer. Also occasionally a Taurus (which I wouldn't want to get stuck with - cramped gas hog).

Interesting you mention Mazda, because I saw a lot of them in Hawaii, but not so many in the lower 48. Personally, I think some of the Mazda's are kind of neat.

berri

Saw a couple of VW Passat's at Hertz lot in MKE. Seen Jetta's before, but not these. I like Wisconsin, but like everywhere else there are always two sides to the coin. On the plus side are many great restaurants at decent prices. On the minus side - an awful lot of left lane bandits. The state also seems to still like using orange barrels to block off 10, 15 or more miles of a Interstate highway lane with only 1 or 2 small areas of work. Seems like a state government disrespect, or at least lack of concern toward their citizens.

fintail

Meanwhile in Germany:



The new W213 E-class is already entering rental fleets. These are apparently nicely equipped cars with full LCD gauges and LED lighting.

stever

Good overview from Consumer Reports:

Rent a Car Without Getting Your Wallet Emptied

suydam

Just had a Jetta for a week. Not my favorite. Car drove fine, but the lack of even basic tech was really annoying, especially since the little Versa Note I had 2 weeks before that had quite a bit. No backup cam, had to turn on evening lights, no compass (Google Maps is fond of telling you "head east" when I'm in a new city or in a big mall lot and have no idea where that is. The biggest drawback was the AC, which took forever to become effective.

Sandman6472

Most rental Jetta's are the base "S" model. The higher trims have more of the tech now in the 2016 model, they added a bunch that was left off the 2015 ones. Same thing on the Golf, my 2015 has no aux or usb port. No Android or Apple radio either. But for 2016, that stuff was added, and I am pissed off at VW about that faux pas. I did get around the lack of usb port by getting a connector from Amazon.com...the car came with a plug in for the iPod so I got a connector with a usb port at the other end. Problem solved!
But seriously, VW blew it by not putting these things on a first year re-design.

The Sandman

Michaell

 I am scheduled to have a rental car Monday night – I am flying to San Francisco for job interviews on Tuesday

stever

Good luck! (both with the job hunt and the rental you wind up with).

Mr_Shiftright

and the traffic. Where's the interview? what city?