Rental Car Experiences?

Michaell

slorenzen said:

fintail said:

I'm in Germany now. Flew in on a LH 747-400. Rental car is about 10 days off.

fintail said:

I'm in Germany now. Flew in on a LH 747-400. Rental car is about 10 days off.

Once when flying SF to Sydney, I happened to be sitting next to the pilot for that flight, who was dead-heading from Eugene. I asked him what a fully loaded 747-400 weighs at takeoff for that flight.

875,000 pounds, with fuel, passengers and cargo...amazing...

I've heard that they can approach 1,000,000 pounds, at times.

berri

...and runway requirements change accordingly.

Michaell

berri said:

...and runway requirements change accordingly.

I should hope so. Doubt something that heavy could use DIA, due to the altitude.

fintail

Pretty sure I saw a Sixt S400 on the road today.

Sandman6472

No word yet from the toll company. Called today and was told it takes 5 business days for an answer. Funny, I read it takes 3 at tops in their literature it seems. Anyways, once they see that my transponder was charged, sure they'll give me a credit for their mistake. Worst part is I asked before we left both Hertz and my transponder company how to avoid this issue and followed their directions. See how that worked out!!!

The Pissed Sandman :@

berri

I think the last time I had that happen (and it was Hertz) it took more like two weeks. But they didn't try to gyp me or anything. So hopefully it all works out smoothly.

fintail

Kind of a short term rental, I forgot to mention I saw a current model XC90 taxi in Germany.

Now in Czech, most taxis are Skodas, with a few VWs and Toyotas mixed in, MBs/BMWs are much less common than in Germany.

Mr_Shiftright

Skodas are pretty much VWs anyway, aren't they?

Sandman6472

Will be getting back $24.75 right now but they say there were other tolls on their listing. Will need to get a copy of those charges to make sure they’re correct. So that leaves seven dollars and change of supposed tolls we’ll have to pay if they are in fact not on our list so far. And I have no issue with paying for them if they are legitimate charges. Honestly, this should never happen since I followed their instructions about using our transponder and where to place it on the windshield!

The Sandman

fintail

Yep, modern Skodas are essentially VWs with different clothing and lower prices. Sometimes better looking.

I saw this rental on the street today:



It appears just like in Germany, 4-wheelers of a certain size are street legal here. Had I known these were rentable, I might have been tempted - looks like fun. If I lived in Germany or here, I'd have one as a commuter - less risk than a bike, but still fulfills childhood fun.

ab348

A few years ago Halifax was hosting a world junior hockey championship and Skoda was one of the sponsors. As part of that they provided a fleet of "official cars". I saw them running around town and they were all very similar in appearance to VWs but had different grille/headlight/taillight treatments, sort of like GM in the bad old days.

Since Skoda is not sold in Canada I dunno how they got them registered for use here since I suspect they likely did not meet all of the various Canadian safety and emissions standards. They were gone after the event, presumably shipped back to Europe.

berri

I believe FL is either a license plate or window sticker toll system, so there is no physical rental car transponder to turn on or leave off like in Illinois. That probably increases the chance of a conflict with your personal transponder unit. It can also make it easier to forget to hold up a personal portable unit because the toll spots aren't as easy to spot sometimes. So don't beat yourself up over it. Hertz will end up refunding what they owe you. If you did miss a toll though, you will still owe the Hertz daily rental fee for tolls. That's likely cheaper than getting a ticket for a missed toll though.

Sandman6472

Which is what’s happening. Just wish it had read the transponder for all the tolls and not just some of them. Once I see the refund to my c c, I will then pay the remaining charges. Hate to owe anyone anything to be honest and pay things a couple times a month if I feel like it. Have taken the majority of my financial control back which only makes sense as we do things a bit differently. Have told the kids to have a joint account with their s o’s but make sure to keep enough aside for yourselves as no one likes to have to ask to spend money they earn or are given. Both parties need a say in financial matters.


The Sandman

tifighter

fintail said:

Kind of a short term rental, I forgot to mention I saw a current model XC90 taxi in Germany.

Now in Czech, most taxis are Skodas, with a few VWs and Toyotas mixed in, MBs/BMWs are much less common than in Germany.

Funny. Nearly all of the taxis in Norway were V70s. All of the taxis were wagons. A Tesla wagon would kick major rear in the Norwegian market.

fintail

Those sweet sweet tax breaks, the Norwegians know how to do it, and can legitimately afford it.

I didn't see a single Tesla in several days in Germany, but I saw one in Prague today. Refreshing after seeing 10 on every corner around Seattle. Not a taxi though. I did see a BMW F10 taxi, and a MB W211 (older car).

tifighter said:

Funny. Nearly all of the taxis in Norway were V70s. All of the taxis were wagons. A Tesla wagon would kick major rear in the Norwegian market.

tifighter

In Oslo, there are a LOT of Model S taxis. I think that could cover the development costs of a wagon body by itself. And hey, I'd be happy to draft off of the effort.

fintail

Tesla doesn't seem to put a lot of creative effort into its designs (X and 3 aren't exactly breaking the rules), I'd suspect a wagon conversion would be easy. But maybe limited in market - Muricans would probably just go for the X. The doors, so wannabe edgy.

kyfdx

I see that as one of Teslas biggest headwinds. While the Model S is very attractive, the X and 3 are awkward looking (trying to be generous, here).

And, mostly because they are trying for a conventional look. They would have been better off going off in another direction.

Sandman6472

VW gave me a Jetta loaner while my Golf is having warranty work completed. Seems it was going to take many more hours than I was told. A bit of a hassle but doable and the new Jetta drives so much better than mine so nothing to sweat now. No turbo lag with this 1.4t engine and gets better gas mileage than my 1.8t. Don't get why though?

The Sandman

Mr_Shiftright

fintail said:

Tesla doesn't seem to put a lot of creative effort into its designs (X and 3 aren't exactly breaking the rules), I'd suspect a wagon conversion would be easy. But maybe limited in market - Muricans would probably just go for the X. The doors, so wannabe edgy.

The Model 3 has its bizarre design features though, some interesting, some dumb. I thought that having the directional indicator lights in the center of the dash wasn't a great deal. Also Tesla copied that annoying BMW non-cancelling directional stalk. So expect to see a lot of Model 3 blinkers on permanently

fintail

I wonder if it will have the same world-beating build quality of the S and X.

Turn signals LOLOL - while Tesla drivers might not meet BMW/Audi standards of signal neglect, in the Seattle area anyway, they definitely aren't religious stalk-users.

Kind of on-topic too, as I know Hertz has had Teslas (basic S) as rentals in numerous locations.

Mr_Shiftright said:

The Model 3 has its bizarre design features though, some interesting, some dumb. I thought that having the directional indicator lights in the center of the dash wasn't a great deal. Also Tesla copied that annoying BMW non-cancelling directional stalk. So expect to see a lot of Model 3 blinkers on permanently

iluvmysephia1

Man, a lot of you love driving the Jetta. V-Dub offers lots of incentives in Kansas City, I recall. Practically open the door up for you.

Mr_Shiftright

fintail said:

I wonder if it will have the same world-beating build quality of the S and X.

Turn signals LOLOL - while Tesla drivers might not meet BMW/Audi standards of signal neglect, in the Seattle area anyway, they definitely aren't religious stalk-users.

Kind of on-topic too, as I know Hertz has had Teslas (basic S) as rentals in numerous locations.

Mr_Shiftright said:

The Model 3 has its bizarre design features though, some interesting, some dumb. I thought that having the directional indicator lights in the center of the dash wasn't a great deal. Also Tesla copied that annoying BMW non-cancelling directional stalk. So expect to see a lot of Model 3 blinkers on permanently

I don't know how the Model 3 quality will be. Most Teslas owners don't complain about it because it's all covered under warranty and some repairs can be done remotely. However, once warranty runs out, I can't imagine what a major powertrain failure would cost to repair.

I didn't drive the 3, only played inside. Interior door handles are weird, charging port is rather cool, interior is rather bland. Having center-mounted screen wasn't so strange for me as I drive a Mini. The ventilation system is strange--it's one big vent that goes across the entire dashboard. To divert the air up or down, it apparently uses a vertical air stream to push the horizontal stream this way or that. It's gadget-y, that's for sure, and maybe that's what the buyer niche really wants.

Sandman6472

The 1.4T engine in the Jetta is fantastic, drives nicer than the 1.8T in my Golf actually. No turbo lag to speak of while I need to put mine in "S" mode to get that same smooth acceleration. Too bad the Jetta is just a bit too long for my side of the garage, it just took a bit too long to get it in the garage so the door would close without hitting the trunk and without me hitting the front wall with the bumper. A longer vehicle just isn't worth that aggravation for me.

The Sandman

iluvmysephia1

I do like the VW Jetta body design. 

Michaell

Like this one?

iluvmysephia1 said:

I do like the VW Jetta body design. 

iluvmysephia1

Yep, Michaell, like that one. And I like the wheels, too. Is that yours?

Michaell

iluvmysephia1 said:

Yep, Michaell, like that one. And I like the wheels, too. Is that yours?

Yes, yes it is.

Photo was taken the day I picked it up from the dealer.

Just now creeping up on 7000 miles after 448 days of ownership (leaseship?)

berri

Clean looking design to my eyes

fintail

I'm 5000+ miles from home, but am still receiving news:

This should be a fun deductible/insurance claim

I know there's a local hobby business ran by a rich kid who rents out mild exotics, I wonder if this was one.

imidazol97

Is that the car's wheel on the end of the guard rail? You know it's going to be a bad day, when you lose a wheel.

Sandman6472

My rental was the same but a blue over beig combo. Nice driver to be sure but too big for my needs. Here's hoping that my Golf remains trouble free going forward!!

The Sandman

Michaell

berri said:

Clean looking design to my eyes

Thanks - I think so, too.

An alternative adjective might be "boring"

ab348

Michaell said:

berri said:

Clean looking design to my eyes

Thanks - I think so, too.

An alternative adjective might be "boring"

I thought that when this generation was first introduced, especially in lower-level trims which were quite stark. But as it has aged and they have refined the trim somewhat I think it now looks good in trim levels like @Michaell 's car. IIRC this is the last year for that version of the Jetta as next year it moves over to the new Golf platform?

Michaell

ab348 said:

Michaell said:

berri said:

Clean looking design to my eyes

Thanks - I think so, too.

An alternative adjective might be "boring"

I thought that when this generation was first introduced, especially in lower-level trims which were quite stark. But as it has aged and they have refined the trim somewhat I think it now looks good in trim levels like @Michaell 's car. IIRC this is the last year for that version of the Jetta as next year it moves over to the new Golf platform?

Yes, the MQB based Jetta is expected next year.

I'm pleased by the equipment level in my car - rear camera, push button start, heated seats, touchscreen infotainment.

For 2017 they added fake leather and a sunroof.

fintail

It's that time again, after not driving for almost 2 weeks, I have a rental car. First, a station report:

As to be expected, Sixt in Germany has a nice fleet. Here's what was present when I stalked the garage before taking delivery:










Some decent stuff there - S560 and S600 (!), nice 750d, F-Type S, M3, a couple of 4ers, Alfa, a few normal other Audi BMW and MB, and a few more normal cars. There was also a Mustang GT lurking around a corner that I forgot to snap.

And on to my rental. I had reserved a 4er or equivalent. That's exactly what they had for me, a 430i (the one near the S-class in a pic). Pretty basic spec - no sunroof, no HUD, basic seats (almost looked like manual seats), didn't appear to have any major opions - kind of surprising after I have rented more loaded cars in the past. I knew this was going to be assigned to me, so I went up to the office to claim the reservation. I mentioned the basic spec, and the agent, who could tell I was into it, made an offer. For 15 Euro extra per day, I got this crazy thing:





I asked about the M3, but he said it was slated to be retired and was not for rent. I wanted something either loaded and odd or fun, so this will definitely work - the fuel costs might have me regretting the decision, however. I doubt my luggage will fit in it, but the nice agent said I could exchange it before I drive back to Frankfurt on Sunday, I won't need luggage capacity til then. Weather should be dry here for a few days, gotta get that top down.

ab348

A bit more powerful than the Fintail!

Looks like lots of fun.

imidazol97

The carpet appears to be a warm brown. What color is the dash? The photo makes it look green.

Michaell

imidazol97 said:

The carpet appears to be a warm brown. What color is the dash? The photo makes it look green.

Looks like the dash matches (or compliments) the paint color ....

tifighter

Okay, that looks pretty fun. But top down okay? If it's up, you might as well take the U-bahn...

berri

You'll need to lower the top to put some luggage behind the seat (or mess your back up doing it)

fintail

There's no room behind the seat either way. Still not sure if I will exchange it on Sunday morning.

I drove the car a bit today, to Sindelfingen and the Porsche Museum. Kept the top up in the morning as it was below freezing, but when I was done at MB, the top came down, even though it couldn't have been out of the low 40s. Not too bad at 110 kmh, but there's a rattle from the wind deflector thing that was driving me nuts, and I couldn't isolate it. I have figured out the electronics a bit more, and am not so irked by it. It's still a pain in tight spaces though, as it is hard to see the edges. Had the top down from MB to Porsche and Porsche back into Stuttgart - I was the only open top car I saw on the road.

Here are some pics from inside the Porsche Museum garage:







And when you park out in the sticks, it never fails:



The Ford is also a rental, Hertz or Europcar I am pretty certain, I forget which.

And a little video clip of starting noise:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SZkP2Vb6PFI

kyfdx

That parking thing just drives me nuts

tifighter

kyfdx said:

That parking thing just drives me nuts

Ditto. What a jacka**...

fintail

Had the top down a bit today, when not on a potentially unrestricted Autobahn. Temps from maybe 32F-40F, so I felt a chill, but I think I dodged frostbite The car drank a bit of fuel, too, no doubt aided by the iffy skills of the navigation system trying to send me down (long) closed streets, to the wrong area, etc. Still, a pretty amazing rental car:

iluvmysephia1

Just another black Chevrolet Corvette, fin, right?

fintail

A British Corvette, yes

I'll admit I sometimes switch the exhaust to loud mode just for the heck of it. Drones too much at speed, but in city traffic, my inner teenager is alive again

iluvmysephia1

I'd do that, too, fintail! Have a ball over there!

andres3

fintail said:

A British Corvette, yes

I'll admit I sometimes switch the exhaust to loud mode just for the heck of it. Drones too much at speed, but in city traffic, my inner teenager is alive again

What do they call "quiet" exhaust mode? Docile?

Mr_Shiftright

tifighter said:

kyfdx said:

That parking thing just drives me nuts

Ditto. What a jacka**...

Where's my forklift?