Rental Car Experiences?

kyfdx

I haven't been anywhere where they don't share fleets.... Basically, the same company, with National focusing on business, and Alamo on leisure travelers..

As far as paying for second drivers, etc... I think almost all companies charge for that.. I just ignore it.. I figure the only issue would be if I have an accident, and if so, my insurance company will cover it..

I'm pretty sure that Enterprise bought National/Alamo in the last year.. I normally avoid Enterprise, as they are nit-picky (maybe, not so bad at airport locations, though)..

National/Alamo typically have better rates compared to Hertz/Avis/Budget, etc... in my experience.

stever

Letting someone else not on the rental contract drive sounds a bit dicey. You may want to check with your insurance agent.

"If someone else drives the car without the rental car agency's permission your contract maybe voided for protection and even claims against your personal insurance coverage." BNM.com

Looks like it can vary by state law though. And what if you turn the rental over to a valet? I think this link says the car rental insurance company wins (fun link for me because I've eaten at Mama's Fish House, even if it's hard to sort out who wins when insurance companies sue other insurance companies).

kyfdx

If I didn't have my own auto insurance, that might be relevant, but since I do.... it isn't.. Violating the rental company's contract might mean they won't cover me, but it is immaterial to my own car insurance..

If I'm driving your car, your car insurance covers me... but, if they don't, or if you don't have insurance, or if the liability exceeds your limits, my company will cover me for the claim... Works the same way with rental cars...

I don't pay hundreds of dollars per month for nothing... lol (teen-age driver).

stever

Let's ask Marsha7. (link)

stickguy

when I went last year, I booked with whichever "name brand"it was that had the best deal (except budget, more on that later). Maybe alamo (sounds right). I think I booked a mid size, since I didn't feel like driving a barge. And of course, I am cheap.

well, we arrive (off site there) and turns out the mid size was something like a whopping Sentra. Counter guy (only 1, we were only customers) looks at the 4 of us and the pile of luggage (wife always travels as if we are driving the minivan) and gets a panicked look on his face. So, we get the upgrade pitch (I love this, seems to always be cheaper than booking originally).

Offer was for our 5 day rental about $70 total extra to go to a premium FS car, with a moonroof and XM. Needless to say, I was all in. Offered a brand new taurus or a maxima. Took the Ford, thinking it was the new style (wasn't), and for the big trunk.

Nice driving car, but what a major barge. Should have taken the maxima, but the ford only had about 2K on the clock, and drove great. For about $14/day, a nice deal (even though we stayed local for a couple of them).

and as someone noted, for the cost of a Florida vacation, a drop in the bucket.

stickguy

and why I won't use them.

Few years back, when to Orlando, and got a nice deal through budget. not sure what I had, but some legit midsizer that worked just fine. Only drove to disney, disney to winter park to visit friends on the way out, then back to the airport. Maybe 60 total miles. And i stopped after the visit to top up the tank (whopping 3 gals or so to peg needle).

Get to the airport, and drop the family and stuff to check in, and take the car back to drop it off. This was probably around dinner time. Wait to get my check in receipt but get a story from clerk about the computer being down, so she writes down the info on the jacket or something. So I leave.

down the road, get the charge card bill, and compare the charge (it just seemed higher than I remembered). It was over by maybe $30? so I call, and they tell me it was for gas, since it only had 1/2 tank when returned. After going off on the agent, I end up getting a copy of the actual check in report (I believe from early the next AM).

Car ends up having about 200 miles more than I put on it, explaining the missing gas. I go nuts, and it took repeated calls, emails and emails (I think sent, not just threatened) to the airport people before I could get them to do anything. Oh, and since I could not find the gas receipt, I had to request a copy from the charge company.

finally I get my charge credited (and nothing else, the punks!) and they lost a customer forever.

I am sure that it was a scam run by the clerk to get a "free" car to drive for the night. Way to hard for it to have been re-rented for such a ST rental and have the charges go to me. And I also will never drop the keys and run. I insist on a printed receipt showing miles and gas level!

fezo

Well, here we go so far - from Budget.

Their mid-size says G6 or equivalent. I ask what is equivalent and he mentioned a few clearly smaller cars and can't do a straight price comparison on the next level that he clearly wants to sell me and I was ready to bite - but not without a price. So, I get........ a G6! Kind of ironic. Today was the last official day for Pontiac - the actual dropping of dealerships and all. They haven't made one for a year. This one has 20K on the clock.

OK - the report so far, This car confirms that you pretty much cannot get a car that sucks anymore. It's perfectly competent, quiet enough and while not exciting in the least it's OK. Sure I'd do the dash differently and it looks a little too much inside like it might have been designed in the 80s but hey. It's a dark red, not unlike the Tempest I learned to drive on so it gets a sentimental point.

I'll see what happens with it. The charge is more than quoted but not by that much and what he says was the case is that I was there earlier than anticipated and they have me leaving later. I'll deal with it after I get home. It was through Costco so I don't anticipate a big issue.

This is a cheap vacation (leftover Disney tickets from last visit and a nice cheap airfare). We'll see.

stickguy

back in 2007 I spent a month on business in Iowa ( a pair of 2 week trips a month or so apart). rented through National I think. Both times, got a G6.

1st time was a relatively beat 4 cyl. Probably 20K on the clock. Horrible seats (like sitting on a bucket, open side up!) Steering column knocked like it was loose. noisy dog, but it did cruise on the highway fine. Something that American cars seem to always be able to do, loafing along.

2nd time, a newer 6 cyl. this one at least seemed to be in good shape, and drove a whole lot nicer. Better seats too. this one at least crossed the barrier into not horrible catagory.

Actually, the nicest car (besides the taurus) I ever had was back in the mid 90s, when I got a brand new, loaded Sirus (or derivative) . Leather (perforated), moonroof, autostick. I actually liked it enough to consider one.

michaellno

Ah, rental cars.

I traveled for business from 1989 to 2003 - averaged about 40K per year in airline miles - so have rented a bunch of cars from a number of different companies. I could probably write a book on my experiences.

Nicest car - Taurus SHO I got in Minneapolis. Had to drive to Menomonie, WI, so was able to put the HP to good use.

(Not so) Nicest car - Pontiac Firefly (Chevy Sprint twin) in Toronto. Good since gas was so expensive.

fintail

I might rent only a couple times a year, but I remember them all.

Not nicest car would be a tie between an Enterprise Kia Spectra that at 25K miles looked like it had been dragged from the bottom of a lake - interior was terrible - carpets threadbare and ruined, hubcaps were warped and weird looking, and an old Malibu that had a non-working stereo and a temp light that stayed on from startup.

Nicest car - Easily,this, in Germany ....Not bad for the smallest engined diesel

fezo

Who was it that said they always take all that insurance with a rental car?

Well, for the first time ever I have a claim on the car. Someone hit the G6 at the right rear bumper just behind the tire. You can't see it from the back but can from the side. Parking lot hit at Epcot and no note or anything.

I made a couple of phone calls. My insurance company picks it up with a $500 deductible. American Express picks up the $500. A lot of paperwork no doubt but all will be well.

The car is still basically fine. Not spectacular but certainly competent.

fintail

That stinks...one of the "last ever" G6s gets damaged :shades:

When I rent, I usually use the Amex policy too, but when renting in Europe where a car can have a 100K+ value, I have used their insurance just for peace of mind.

fezo

Yeah, if I were looking at those kinds of numbers I'd probably take the insurance, too. This looks more like an annoyance more than anything else.

I did finally look at some things on the car like opening the hood to confirm that it's a 6 in there. Made in October of 09 and a 10 model year. Ohio with a UAW sticker in it.

stever

Who was it that said they always take all that insurance with a rental car?

That was Bob (aka Marsha7).

The last time I rented a car the front end got smashed. By my sister. She told me to park out of the way at the end of her driveway and then forgot it was there. :sick: Her insurance picked up the tab.

fezo

That was Bob? Boy, you can't figure out them lawyers....

stever

He's buying convenience. "Even tho I have that CDW coverage with my credit cards, I will often buy it thru the rental agency for the $13/day, simply because if there is a wreck, I just hand the keys back to Hertz and walk away, let them handle it..."

link

Or maybe he hates doing demand letters for himself.

iluvmysephia1

ya take away the UAW/GM discussions and our friend just gently slips away in to the Atlanta sunscape. Sheesh. marsha7, are ya out there, man?

fezo

I remembered the post but forgot it was Bob's. I'll see how much paperwork the little scrape generates. Maybe Bob wants to pay for the damage..... He's always been my favorite right wing lunatic....

fezo

Well, I have to say that getting through returning the car was easy enough. They took all the insurance info and it only took a couple of minutes. Now we'll see what happens.

The G6 was OK. I will never understand how rental car companies think. They said a Malibu is an upgrade from a G6. I thought they were reasonably close to the same car.

Wasn't until we got back to the AC airport and put the luggage back in my wife's Camry that we realized just how small the G6 trunk is.

igozoomzoom

"The G6 was OK. I will never understand how rental car companies think. They said a Malibu is an upgrade from a G6. I thought they were reasonably close to the same car."

The Pontiac G6, Chevrolet Malibu and Saturn Aura are all built on the GM Epsilon platform and are identical in most dimensions- wheelbase, headroom, legroom, etc. They varied in overall length by only 2.8 inches (189.0 to 191.8 inches long). Perhaps the rental agency considers it an upgrade moving from a discontinued brand (Pontiac) to a car that's still in production (Malibu)?

Interesting fact, the Saab 9-3 is still built on the 1st generation Epsilon platform, as was the 2004-2007 Malibu. The main difference is a 7" shorter wheelbase.

igozoomzoom

"The G6 was OK. I will never understand how rental car companies think. They said a Malibu is an upgrade from a G6. I thought they were reasonably close to the same car."

As far as upgrades go, the Enterprise closest to me considers a Chrysler Sebring/Dodge Avenger to be an upgrade from a Toyota Corolla or Kia Optima. Granted, the Corolla is a compact and the others are considered mid-size, but the Sebring and Avenger are a downgrade from ANYTHING this side of a moped! I had the displeasure of driving a rental for 32 days earlier this year after my poor Mazda3 was almost totaled. They gave me a Dodge Avenger initially and it was the very last car they had on the lot....I kept it for the weekend and Monday morning I went back and they had a 2010 Toyota Corolla LE that had just been turned in and hadn't even been cleaned up yet. The manager looked at me like I was insane when I told him I'd take it as is to get rid of the Avenger.

The Corolla is about as plain vanilla (minus the vanilla) as it gets, but it was still a Lexus compared to the Avenger! I will give the Corolla props for fuel economy. I drove the heck out of it and still managed 31mpg overall for the four weeks I had it! My Mazda3 is 5-speed manual and I barely average 26mpg,..

fintail

Recently saw a rental 740d and a rental CL500....wouldn't mind having either of those for a few days

berri

I was in Las Vegas and it was a bit surreal. Hertz had a bunch of vehicles in their lot, but very little Detroit metal - mostly Mopar minivans. Camry's and Altima's dominated the area. I didn't see one Fusion or Malibu.

fintail

Sounds like Seattle - Camry rental heaven, along with lots of Altimas and Fusions. Not so many Malibus there, but not uncommon. The Camry SE is a pretty ubiquitous rental in that area.

fintail

Got my rental car today. They had no diesels in my rental class - I even stalked around the garage to make sure, and all I found were a couple E-class 4-banger diesels and some "kleinkram". So, I am living with what they gave me - a fairly loaded 528i "touring" with around 2500 miles on it. Leather, large navi, internet function, heads up display, lane departure warning, parking aid, side window blinds, power assist for rear gate, large sunroof, etc etc etc...I am sure I missed something. Went around 200 miles on just under half a tank today, so that seems ok, but not as good as a diesel. Per the BMW.de configurator this would sticker for around 66K Euro, barring any mistakes or overlooking anything by me. Sure beats the rentals at home...I mean...socialism sucks :shades:

stickguy

I want that wagon. Bad.

anyone got roughly 66K to loan me? ALthough I expect it could be had with modest options (don't need all the electronic crap!) for about 50K, minus my Accord, carry the 1, take off other sock...

OK, just sent me 35K and I will cover the rest. I take cash and paypal.

kyfdx

You can't have it.. the new 5-series wagon is not coming to the US... We got the 5-series GT, instead...

Too bad.. that is an awesome looking car.. :surprise:

lemko

Wow! Nice wagon! Is that wagon available in the U.S. or do we have to settle for the silly X5 cross-overs and such?

stever

I never could understand why their signs over there usually say "STOP" instead of "HÄLT" or "STOPPE" or something in Deutsch.

stickguy

that stinks. That is an ugly beast with way less utility.

I better get one of the prior generation wagons (before the dame edna model) before they are all gone!

fintail

I think "STOP" is something of a cultural universal now. I don't know of anywhere in Europe anyway that doesn't use the same sign.

fintail

Apparently it will not be sold in the US...I was not aware of that, makes me think the car is that much cooler. The kind of hunchbacked GT exists in the fleet of the company I rented from...I'm not complaining I didn't get one, really, this "touring" is big and heavy enough anyway. If I had got an X5 I probably would have balked, although an X6 might be interesting for its malformed pointlessness.

Here it is today at a Rasthof:

fintail

Mind you that's the inclusive price in Euros - although the cars always come more loaded in NA, so it would probably cost little more than 60K in the states.

You can order them pretty much ala carte here...want it with a stick, cloth, no roof, no gadgets? You can do it.

fintail

Last pic, yesterday near the Baltic Sea. I am posting this also to show the oddities in the background - 5 door 1er and a lowline A5 coupe.

I put ~1700 km on the car and averaged 9.8l/100km. Not horrible, but not as good as a diesel. Still, not a bad experience

stickguy

if they had brought that 5 door over, in a relatively base model, I would have one in the garage already.

fintail

They are quite popular there, along with the 3 door...somehow, I don't mind either of them.

stever

Did your G6 incident get wrapped up ok? We're heading for PR next month and are facing the usual debate over whether to get the rental car insurance or rely on the VISA card collision coverage and personal car insurance for liability.

lemko

...I just buy their insurance anyway. It eliminates a lot of drama if something does happen.

fintail

I use the Amex insurance. $25 for the duration of the rental, and I've never heard of a problem when it comes to a claim.

In a couple months I'm likely to take a trip to Hotlanta, and am already looking into a rental. I am thinking of playing the Thrifty "Wild Card" game...anyone else ever use that? Oh yeah, and rentals in Atlanta are insanely cheap compared to here.

fezo

Ya know, nobody's done a darn thing - including Budget .

Stay tuned - though at this point if they tried to collect I'd tie up Amex for what would no doubt be the rest of my life....

deltheking

This is the best piece of advice for a rental car. So many website,news outlets , media advise against buying rental car insurance at the counter, but IMO that is the best option you can buy. Personal insurance policies may cover- but they are so restrictive an exclusive that you need tons of paperwork and proof before they even start coverage. Same with credit cards - they are mostly secondary. And many personal policies specifically exclude rental cars.

And no personal policy covers rental car damages for - "LOSS OF USE""- the latest gotcha the rental car agencies demands. As the name says- they need coverage for loss of revenue as long as car is in repair shop- days they could have rented out the car. And no personal policy covers this. Smart ?? You bet !! And guaranteed - you are charged the highest per day rental fare.

Personal policy -- if they cover -- and they usually dont cover the entire bill - they will then jack up your premiums to stratospheric heights. Just surf the web for numerous denied insurance coverage stories by personal policies for rental car damage. :sick:

My advice - ALWAYS ALWAYS - buy the rental insurance. better safe than sorry. they are all inclusive and basically - you hit it, you walk away. Any scratch , dent -- is overlooked. Otherwise , you can bet your car is examined in detail for every minor scratch. Not everywhere, but in many places. I always select the cheapest car available-- mostly the compact and intermediate - and buy the insurance at the counter. Costs a few dollars ,but much cheaper than the thousands that can cost you if you get in an accident! :shades:

Sandman6472

Fin, how does this work? Is it like the guys who let one pick any car from this aisle? Not sure whose commercial that was. :confuse:

The Sandman :sick: :shades:

fintail

I think that's National.

The "wild card" is apparently a scheme where you rent at a cheap rate and are guaranteed at least a 5 seater - so midsize or above, but could get anything from a minivan to SUV to convertible. I've never rented from Thrifty before. The price is so low I might give it a shot.

fezo

Yeah, that's National but nowadays National, Alamo and a couple more are actually all the same company.

Two years ago Alamo's lot for Impala sized cars was pretty empty so they told me to pick one from National. It all works...

berri

Thrifty - probably Mopar, Kia or Mitsu (you get what you pay for - just kidding!)

berri

National and Alamo merged some years back, but now they're both owned by Enterprise.

fintail

For what it would cost me (~$18/day pre tax), I am not too concerned. I wouldn't mind trying out a new Optima or even a Sonata. I think the PT Cruiser is finally phased out of most fleets now...I guess an Avenger or Galant might be pretty blah...but it's all about cheap with a little fun of not knowing what you'll get.

fintail

I've never rented from those either. I've always used Hertz, Budget, Enterprise, and in Germany, Sixt.

Although I am not looking to splurge on this trip, the rental is part of the fun for me...kind of like opening a present when you get the keys. Sometimes you get a new bike, sometimes you get a festive holiday sweater :shades:

igozoomzoom

I used to rent form Hertz whenever possible for my business travels. I usually got a Mazda3 or Mazda6 and, if one wasn't available, they at least had the Ford Fusion as a backup. Mazda drastically cut the number of vehicles they sell to fleets in late 2008. When they introduced the 2009 Mazda6, they cut back because of the negative impact that high volume fleet sales on resale values. They still had 2008 models until early 2010 at most locations, but they rarely have a Mazda for rent at Hertz any more... =(

I've used Enterprise for the last year because they usually had the best pricing. The only thing I ask of them is NO CHRYSLER PRODUCTS!!! I've been stuck in a Sebring, Avenger and (several years ago) a PT Cruiser....NEVER AGAIN! They keep a note on my account that I prefer a Kia Forte, Optima, Soul, or Sportage OR any Hyundai except the Accent. They are usually very accommodating, although numerous rental agents have offered me an "upgrade" to a Toyota or Nissan and I told them that I hardly considered that an upgrade!? I'm almost embarrassed to admit this, but I've become very fond of the 2009-2010 Optima (the virtualliy unknown, anonymous-looking model, not the new 2011 'bling' version.

BTW, I live in Atlanta and you are right about our car rental rates- among the cheapest in the country! There is also a substantial difference in rentals from locations at the airport compared to non-airport locations.

fintail

Yeah, Hertz here had TONS of 6s and 5s...not so many 5s anymore, but there are plenty of new style 6s in the Seattle fleet.

I've received a Ford, Kia, and Mitsu in my recent Enterprise rentals. My recent Budget rental was a Nissan. Makes it hurt when I think my last 3 rentals in Germany were an E class, 7er, and 5er. Different world! The Germans are obsessive about rentals as they are about everything else about cars too, there is even a busy forum devoted to rental cars. I can't wait to go back.

I am guessing airport rates there are even cheaper than off-site...I can't get over how cheap it is there. Even after taxes and fees, it'll average about $25/day...unheard of out here. And now that the PT is gone, I hope I won't get something I hate.