Rental Car Experiences?

PF_Flyer

I get it from the rental company view of not wanting to lose a key, but two keys are useless from the renter's view if they're stuck together. Next rental, I think I'm cutting them apart. Logic is on our side!

berri

They can do this because they will charge the renter for any losses while the car cannot be rented due to lack of keys/fob. They used to keep the extra set filed away, but now they don't have to with the shifted burden of any lack of use liability.

tjc78

berri said:

They can do this because they will charge the renter for any losses while the car cannot be rented due to lack of keys/fob. They used to keep the extra set filed away, but now they don't have to with the shifted burden of any lack of use liability.

That actually sounds 100% possible.....

fintail

I notice for some car classes, Hertz points devalued by more than 50%. I'm unable to select points for a full week rental, although I have over 1000 more than required by the new scheme. I am going to contact Hertz first, and if it is not possible, I'll exchange the points (at a poor rate, of course), and move on. With the redemption now, even by using most of my points, my out of pocket costs at Hertz for a Rogue or similar weekly rental would be only $200 less than an XC90/X5 at Sixt.

texases

Speaking of Rogues, just rented one for the weekend in San Diego from Hertz. I was surprised it was $50 less ($100 vs $150) than Avis for the same class vehicle.

PF_Flyer

tjc78 said:

berri said:

They can do this because they will charge the renter for any losses while the car cannot be rented due to lack of keys/fob. They used to keep the extra set filed away, but now they don't have to with the shifted burden of any lack of use liability.

That actually sounds 100% possible.....

I was starting to think along the same lines. The wire cutters come out next time we get a rental! Then it's on me to not lose a key, which is fine since I don't want to lose one anyway, and if I leave them wired together, I would lose them both, wouldn't I?

They want them wired back, they are free to do so

PF_Flyer

texases said:

Speaking of Rogues, just rented one for the weekend in San Diego from Hertz. I was surprised it was $50 less ($100 vs $150) than Avis for the same class vehicle.

Our last couple of rentals have been Rogues from Enterprise, and they were not unreasonable in price

xwesx

My last rental....

I don't want to talk about my last rental. Hahahah!

suydam

PF_Flyer said:

I get it from the rental company view of not wanting to lose a key, but two keys are useless from the renter's view if they're stuck together. Next rental, I think I'm cutting them apart. Logic is on our side!

There are now YouTube videos on how to get those keys apart. Dumbest idea ever. Who wants to carry 2 key fobs around? We got ours apart as soon as we got home. I didn’t bother to put them back together when I returned them either.

kyfdx

With National, I "drop and go" when I get to the airport. Keys are left in the ignition. Where do you put the other set of keys? I'd be a little concerned about them reporting them lost, and charging you.

Of course, I'm not saying the two fobs lashed together is a good idea.

berri

gives you a bigger pocket bulge when not in use

thebean

Did you just rent a car, or are you just happy to see me?

berri

LOL

ronsteve

texases said:

Can you put Rouge on a Rogue?

Is that the automotive equivalent of putting lipstick on a pig?

fintail

Tourist season is in full swing here now - Corollas, Altimas, and Camrys everywhere.

berri

Was in Chicago a bit ago. The Hertz selection was not impressive the day I got there. They looked like they came from Dollar, but at higher Hertz rental cost. I think I'm going to just use Hertz when I need to get out of the airport quickly like right before rush hour or late at night. Otherwise I think it is time to go through Costco. Wish I still had discount eligibility with National.

tjc78

I’ve said it before, but when I traveled heavily for work I loved National. At the time the “Emerald Aisle” was a new thing and it was such a time saver.

I also used to get lots of upgrades. I guess to keep the aisle full they would pull from other classes of cars. I remember getting Caddy’s, Grand Marquis, Tahoe’s, etc all for intermediate prices. Naturally, I had my fair share of Impalas and the Olds Alero was always plentiful in those days. I always preferred those to the Malibu.

PF_Flyer

I know they rent other makes, but I can't recall the last time we didn't get a Nissan as a rental from Enterprise, no matter what size/class. Wonder if it's a regional thing

suydam

Just got back from our daughter’s wedding. We had to spend 8 days in a Nissan Sentra, courtesy of Alamo, which I hope to never do again. Bare bones in every way, and with a small trunk, which was frustrating as we had a lot of gear to haul around. Supposedly it was an “Intermediate” car. Lesson learned. It’s only Plus was good gas mileage, but the discomfort we endured was not worth it.

berri

Hertz stuck me with a Kia Soul when I paid for a full sized car. Not a bad car by any means, but size wise it was lacking what we paid for. Rental cars are getting as rip off as airlines, while hotels are starting to catch up with the rackets.

suydam

I would have killed for a Soul just for its storage capacity, but as a full size? No way! I’d be very unhappy about that.

fintail

I'd rather a Soul than a Sentra anyway. Sentras are one of those cars I watch out for when driving.

Still thinking about renting a small SUV for a September road trip, to avoid putting nearly 1500 miles on my lease car, and giving my mom something a little easier to access - she's found she likes a little ride height. I have quite a few Hertz points, but after their devaluation, it's almost as cheap to just rent direct from Sixt.

sda

fintail said:

I'd rather a Soul than a Sentra anyway. Sentras are one of those cars I watch out for when driving.

Still thinking about renting a small SUV for a September road trip, to avoid putting nearly 1500 miles on my lease car, and giving my mom something a little easier to access - she's found she likes a little ride height. I have quite a few Hertz points, but after their devaluation, it's almost as cheap to just rent direct from Sixt.

Unless you think you’ll go over your allotted miles, and even if you do a little bit, I would think you’d enjoy the trip more driving your car.

xwesx

suydam said:

I would have killed for a Soul.

Best line of the day! Thanks for the chuckle!

berri

Many rental small SUVs are FWD instead of AWD, so if you want the latter you probably need to rent something in a category that is larger.

fintail

I probably would, but I have another 1000 mile road trip planned in October, and I think the combination of those would push me over - I like to have just a little wiggle room. That and potential wear and tear on the car - a couple people I will be visiting live in podunk with unpaved/gravel roads, which I do not like.

AWD doesn't matter much. I'd probably rent from the GLC/X3 class at Sixt, which I think are all AWD anyway. Right now, if I shop around, I can get one for just under $60/day all-in including 0 deductible insurance, which seems like a fair deal, especially in this expensive market.

sda said:

Unless you think you’ll go over your allotted miles, and even if you do a little bit, I would think you’d enjoy the trip more driving your car.

kyfdx

fintail said:

I probably would, but I have another 1000 mile road trip planned in October, and I think the combination of those would push me over - I like to have just a little wiggle room. That and potential wear and tear on the car - a couple people I will be visiting live in podunk with unpaved/gravel roads, which I do not like.

AWD doesn't matter much. I'd probably rent from the GLC/X3 class at Sixt, which I think are all AWD anyway. Right now, if I shop around, I can get one for just under $60/day all-in including 0 deductible insurance, which seems like a fair deal, especially in this expensive market.

sda said:

Unless you think you’ll go over your allotted miles, and even if you do a little bit, I would think you’d enjoy the trip more driving your car.

GLC and X3 still come in RWD, but I doubt you'd find any in a rental fleet.

fintail

I've thought those existed in theory, or maybe only for the south FL/San Diego markets.

kyfdx said:

GLC and X3 still come in RWD, but I doubt you'd find any in a rental fleet.

texases

X3 RWD in stock in Dallas.

2:1 RWD:AWD

fintail

Assuming xDrive actually means AWD, every X3 in stock in Seattle is AWD. Of course, AWD is a big thing here, as the pretend outdoor adventurer is a huge thing.

Michaell

fintail said:

Assuming xDrive actually means AWD, every X3 in stock in Seattle is AWD. Of course, AWD is a big thing here, as the pretend outdoor adventurer is a huge thing.

Confirm xDrive = AWD

sDrive = RWD

fintail

Speaking of X3s, I saw a completely debadged one at work today, and it was sitting kind of low. I suspect not an xDrive.

fintail

I was debating whether or not to rent for the road trip I'll be taking in about 3 weeks (maybe 1500 miles in a week). I made up my mind today, as Sixt prices were lower. I got a GLC or "similar" (claimed as X3, XT5, F-pace) for around $45/day all in including $0 deductible insurance and taxes. Off-airport, of course. Not a bad deal, I decided to act, which means it'll probably be cheaper soon.

xwesx

fintail said:

I was debating whether or not to rent for the road trip I'll be taking in about 3 weeks (maybe 1500 miles in a week). I made up my mind today, as Sixt prices were lower. I got a GLC or "similar" (claimed as X3, XT5, F-pace) for around $45/day all in including $0 deductible insurance and taxes. Off-airport, of course. Not a bad deal, I decided to act, which means it'll probably be cheaper soon.

Yeah, well, for that price, how could you beat it?!

Michaell

I set up a rental for later this week - a rental truck.

The space for our new business is just about complete, and we'll start moving everything over from the garage and basement this weekend.

Rented a 10' box truck from U-Haul for Friday afternoon and Saturday. Likely have to make multiple trips, even if we enlist the Subaru and MINI to take softer goods.

fintail

Indeed, I couldn't resist. I also went for the prepaid fuel, as it was only like $55 - with a 17 gallon tank and local gas prices, I'll time it to come out ahead.

xwesx said:

Yeah, well, for that price, how could you beat it?!

fintail

First day of the road trip. Showed up at Sixt Pike Place this morning, very few cars available. I was assigned an Evoque, which I think is one class down from my reservation, and would be just a size too small for me. Nothing else available, so I asked if I could drive it down to Seatac and switch. No problem. 20 minutes later, I am at Seatac, where I saw a lot of the Sixt fleet. Saw GLC, A-class, various Cadillacs, normal car. I was offered an XT5 (in my booked class) with a 15 minute wait for cleaning, or this thing I could take immediately. I figured this was a road trip, so might as well do it in comfort:



CO plates, 10K miles, I think they all come pretty loaded, still learning a few things on it. It'll swill a bit of fuel, but I can deal with it. $45/day inclusive of insurance and tax, not bad. I had also reserved the prepaid fuel, which will pay off when this thing comes back as close to empty as I can get it.

Michaell

fintail said:

First day of the road trip. Showed up at Sixt Pike Place this morning, very few cars available. I was assigned an Evoque, which I think is one class down from my reservation, and would be just a size too small for me. Nothing else available, so I asked if I could drive it down to Seatac and switch. No problem. 20 minutes later, I am at Seatac, where I saw a lot of the Sixt fleet. Saw GLC, A-class, various Cadillacs, normal car. I was offered an XT5 (in my booked class) with a 15 minute wait for cleaning, or this thing I could take immediately. I figured this was a road trip, so might as well do it in comfort:



CO plates, 10K miles, I think they all come pretty loaded, still learning a few things on it. It'll swill a bit of fuel, but I can deal with it. $45/day inclusive of insurance and tax, not bad. I had also reserved the prepaid fuel, which will pay off when this thing comes back as close to empty as I can get it.

That's a relatively new registration, based on that plate number.

Surprised it isn't red on white - CO has been doing that for a lot of the rentals, lately.

Let's just hope this doesn't suffer the same fate as the Grand Cherokee you had in IL.

ab348

Nice wheels!

fintail

June registration, April build date. Not a lot of miles, but this beast has just a few bumps along the way, maybe expected for a rental. I gave it a 10 minute interior detail to make myself feel better, as I'll be putting over 1000 miles on it in the next few days. As long as I steer clear of Milwaukee, I think I should be OK. Pleasing experience with Sixt so far, bargain for the money.

I think it has radar cruise and other assist features, which I couldn't figure out while driving. I will say the yuuuge screens and crisp graphics in the MP spoiled me, the ones in this Escalade seem a little behind. But it all works, no unexpected squeaks or rattles.

22" wheels.

Michaell said:

That's a relatively new registration, based on that plate number.

Surprised it isn't red on white - CO has been doing that for a lot of the rentals, lately.

Let's just hope this doesn't suffer the same fate as the Grand Cherokee you had in IL.

kyfdx

Most Sixt locations in the US get such terrible reviews, I'd be nervous using them.

fintail

Funny thing, as I have rented from them numerous times in the US (all in FL save for this rental) and never had a real issue. Biggest problem was an E-class I rented ages ago that threw a CEL when I was 2 hours away from an exchange location, and a location that didn't have my reserved class and then tried to downgrade me - I talked my way out of that one. So far I certainly have no complaint with the Seattle branches, everyone was friendly and willing to accommodate me.

I think rental cars in general get negative reviews, as renters don't often read before signing, and sometimes might get upsold into extras they didn't grasp. I think Sixt puts larger holds on cards than others, which may also draw ire - even though it is spelled out in the paperwork.

andres3

fintail said:

Funny thing, as I have rented from them numerous times in the US (all in FL save for this rental) and never had a real issue. Biggest problem was an E-class I rented ages ago that threw a CEL when I was 2 hours away from an exchange location, and a location that didn't have my reserved class and then tried to downgrade me - I talked my way out of that one. So far I certainly have no complaint with the Seattle branches, everyone was friendly and willing to accommodate me.

I think rental cars in general get negative reviews, as renters don't often read before signing, and sometimes might get upsold into extras they didn't grasp. I think Sixt puts larger holds on cards than others, which may also draw ire - even though it is spelled out in the paperwork.

The Sixt in San Diego closed down really fast. I think it was mismanaged, and had a lack of employees (or trained employees (which made transaction times for rental cars unbearable to get in and out). Good cars though, I got a E350 from them when all I needed was C-Class.

fintail

Long day in the rental beast today, I think it averaged nearly 20 mpg in interstate cruising, which isn't so bad given its extreme mass. Not something I'd ever want or need, but it is a fine road trip car, a barcalounger in a den on wheels.

I am not surprised that Sixt had issues in some areas, I remember reading there were teething problems when they launched. I think a lot of their transaction model was European standard, which didn't always match well with expectations here.

Hotel I am in tonight is full of rental cars, pick your color of Nissan or Journey.

fintail

Things I like about the beast: respectable highway cruising mpg for something of its size, great wireless phone charger, decent seats with huge comfort for long driving days, not bad V8 noises when applying throttle, quiet wipers with no finicky "auto" mode. Things I don't like: some truck noises and unrefined feel on rough roads, gulps fuel in traffic, cameras are handy but images are low res, "suddenly it's 2011" ICE. Another 4 hours on the road today with no real complaint. I'm driving my mom around - she's slowing down, and entering the vehicle is not totally smooth for her, but exiting is easy, and she likes the comfort as well. Still very pleased with the deal.

ab348

I have a Cadillac XT4 today as a loaner/rental as my car is being serviced. The "user interface" is quite different from my ATS with lots of options that I do not quite understand yet and some of which are quite subtle - I could not tell if it had a fuel or temp gauge almost until I got home because of the way they display in the cluster, and I am still unsure of how the radio presets work. But I do like the way it drives, being quite zippy off the line, and it seems comfortable with lots of interior room. It has the accursed GM electronic shifter which I still dislike intensely unfortunately, and engine noise when you put your foot down is a bit un-Cadillac-ish, they should work on that. But overall I like it, certainly more than the XT5 I had previously.

tjc78

XT4 = Equinox?

Not a bad place to start from.

ab348

Pretty sure it is smaller than the Equinox.

berri

Egress issues on that yacht - just put a rope on a small bench or stool. She lowers it to exit and puts it back on the pavement to climb back in, then pulls it back up with the rope before closing the door. I've actually seen this low tech resolution several times on pickups and suvs in parking lots.

fintail

Her issue is ingress, but same idea, a stool would work. She suggested this, but I told her I wasn't going to pick up the stool for her, so she has managed. She can get in just fine, but it is something to complain about, so you know how it is.

A couple more complaints from me: the buttons for climate control etc are kind of a haptic touch system, which isn't close to being intuitive. A conventional button or touchscreen would be better. Also, the HUD and nav screen are very difficult to read while wearing polarized sunglasses.