Rental Car Experiences?

xwesx

fintail said:

Fun rental car update - received my final invoice from National, as I booked a luxury car and chose a lower category from the aisle they charged me the lower rate, saved me around $100 - I won't complain about that. They also recorded me as having driven 38 miles during the rental, when it was maybe closer to 500 miles in reality.

Do they care about miles on the rental? I've only ever seen that the case when renting something like a U-Haul.

fintail

Nope, I think everything non-exotic is unlimited miles these days, at least in NA. Just a funny error. I recall years ago in FL I had a rental for a couple days and they recorded like 1500 miles, which was maybe 5x the amount I drove, but they never said a word.

xwesx said:

fintail said:

Fun rental car update - received my final invoice from National, as I booked a luxury car and chose a lower category from the aisle they charged me the lower rate, saved me around $100 - I won't complain about that. They also recorded me as having driven 38 miles during the rental, when it was maybe closer to 500 miles in reality.

Do they care about miles on the rental? I've only ever seen that the case when renting something like a U-Haul.

fintail

Found out my work department is going to a conference next month, in FL. We were told we could book flights to arrive or depart with a few days to spare and take a little vacation time (my prior employer used to do a lot of this for people, with less wiggle room as far as I know), so I am taking a few days and renting a car - I have a pile of Hertz points that will expire and I'd probably never use anyway, as Christmas is now a blackout period and I have no other holidays planned. I am renting from JAX, which appears to not be a "choose your car" location, so it'll be fun to see what I get with PC status and a "premium" reservation, hopefully not a Charger with 3 mismatched wheels and 80K on the clock.

kyfdx

National has an Emerald Aisle at JAX. I’d be surprised if Hertz didn’t.

fintail

Looks like they might - Hertz still appears to use old terminology ("Gold Canopy"?) on its JAX page.

I checked out the local Hertz cars for sale page - looks like they are retiring units at around 60K miles.

sda

I haven't rented a car since 2017 when we had the Pilot repaired from a hit and run. I ended up with a fully loaded 2016 Chrysler 300C which I liked a lot. Have rental rates started to subside? Those that I've seen quoted during the later part of last year were sky high.

kyfdx

sda said:

I haven't rented a car since 2017 when we had the Pilot repaired from a hit and run. I ended up with a fully loaded 2016 Chrysler 300C which I liked a lot. Have rental rates started to subside? Those that I've seen quoted during the later part of last year were sky high.

I have a corporate account with National, and the rates really haven't changed.
But, without that, they are off the charts.

Plus, one-way rentals are hard to find. I was trying to plan a trip for this Summer, where I pickup a car in NYC, then drop it in Philadelphia, and there was nothing available. No issue with picking up and dropping at the same place, though.

fintail

Rates are insane right now. The value of the rental I am getting with points is about $800-900 for a week in a "premium" (seems it is spring break time as hotels are also nuts). At Christmas I had 5 days in the Gladiator, billed at the weekly rate to be cheaper, was a little over $400 and that seemed like a bargain.

Someone on Flyertalk says they saw an Optima with 88K on it at Hertz LAX.

Sandman6472

Don't know about rental prices, but yesterday, we were bringing a bunch of new vehicles from the pdi lot to PBI and putting them in the wash line so they could be rented. In that same holding area, the vehicles that are to be sold is so full, we can't put anymore in that space! Gotta feeling that very soon, we'll be bringing sold vehicles to the local dealers, which is what I was originally hired to do. Once the pandemic hit and we came back from furlough, we started to just supply the local rental locations with inventory to rent out. Prefer doing the sales as this way, we get to take longer trips which are more fun to be honest. Our area is from Sebastian Florida down to Key West and over to Okeechobee City but we have gone over to the Ft. Myers area on occasion. I miss those longer drives and so does the others in my current crew as it's great to get behind the wheel of a fun vehicle, crank up the tunes & just drive! One thing I prefer about Enterprise over Hertz is that Enterprise buys all different makes & models, more so than Hertz, so I've gotten to drive some great vehicles!

kyfdx

Reservation booked for National Emerald Aisle at RSW (Fort Myers).
One week - $237 total, including all taxes and fees.
Late April

fintail

It must be spring break, as hotels are also insane during the time I am traveling - of course.

Sandman6472

Drove some new 2022 Jeep Grand Cherokee's & Toyota Tacoma's to the wash line on Friday. Loved both vehicles as there's truly nothing like that new car smell, just so intoxicating and wonderful at the same time. Passed my Toyota store and saw some new inventory which is nice to see actually. Even saw a couple of the new 2022 of the new Corolla Cross vehicles in the mix, something at the top of my short list. Am getting confident that I might indeed make a purchase sometime at the end of the current year if things go according to plan. Hoping that they'll still be offering the 0% financing as I will not disturb my current portfolio at this juncture to be honest as I've got some strong investments and do not want to disturb that income flow. And also, since the Golf is behaving itself, why buy something with the low miles I currently drive.
Got the new 55" t v delivered and after we unpacked it and put it's feet on, a problem arose. Our current t v table was just too small and the 55" wouldn't fit. Was super unhappy and thought about just putting it up on the wall but we'd need to get the hardware and then hire them to install it. My daughter decided to go to Best Buy and came home with a new t v table with a raised center part that we could mount it to if we wanted to elevate it. We could also stand it on it's legs if we so desired. M wife decided it would fit the room better and more could see it if we raised it a bit. Made sense but when could we get it put together. We started but got complicated, fast. Wife gets onto her app and finds some guy who does this stuff to come out later on in the afternoon. By 6, we were up & running plus, with the cable box, t v guided us through set up. By 6:30, up & running plus pairing my Bose headphones to it, the real reason we got the new t v. It's a smart t v & bluetooth ready so when she's working at the bigger table in the dining room, I can listen through my headphones & she won't hear a thing.
Amazing how smart our kids are today. My daughter analyzed the situation & came up with a solution to fix it instead of bringing it back for a smaller set. Kids today are so amazing really...they rock!

fintail

And the rental is....a G70:



Odd spec, or maybe just basic - no sunroof, but fairly full suite of driver assists, leather or pleather, manual trunk close, etc. Infotainment not the most intuitive, but I got it all to work. The 4cyl makes itself known a little at some engine and vehicle speeds, but seems to be getting good mpg and is quiet at other times. Surprised it looks this shiny, as it was pouring in Jacksonville (45 minute tarmac delay due to lightning, so fun), and rained most of the way north.

Hertz JAX had a pretty full house, mostly the usual suspects, but a Honda Pilot caught my eye as something exotic for a fleet.

texases

fintail said:

And the rental is....a G70:



Odd spec, or maybe just basic - no sunroof, but fairly full suite of driver assists, leather or pleather, manual trunk close, etc. Infotainment not the most intuitive, but I got it all to work. The 4cyl makes itself known a little at some engine and vehicle speeds, but seems to be getting good mpg and is quiet at other times. Surprised it looks this shiny, as it was pouring in Jacksonville (45 minute tarmac delay due to lightning, so fun), and rained most of the way north.

Hertz JAX had a pretty full house, mostly the usual suspects, but a Honda Pilot caught my eye as something exotic for a fleet.

No sunroof? GREAT! I wish I could find more like that.

fintail

There might be some in the fleet, there was another parked near mine:



I know in the past some more plush cars made for fleets lacked sunroof - a Cadillac or 300 without it is a sign of possible fleet origins.

Seems to be a likeable car, might be a bargain at the right price. Build quality seems good, I noticed no rattles or fit and finish issues.

texases said:

fintail said:

And the rental is....a G70:



Odd spec, or maybe just basic - no sunroof, but fairly full suite of driver assists, leather or pleather, manual trunk close, etc. Infotainment not the most intuitive, but I got it all to work. The 4cyl makes itself known a little at some engine and vehicle speeds, but seems to be getting good mpg and is quiet at other times. Surprised it looks this shiny, as it was pouring in Jacksonville (45 minute tarmac delay due to lightning, so fun), and rained most of the way north.

Hertz JAX had a pretty full house, mostly the usual suspects, but a Honda Pilot caught my eye as something exotic for a fleet.

No sunroof? GREAT! I wish I could find more like that.

kyfdx

Seeing any Honda in a rental fleet is a rarity.

fintail

I've read of a few Accords out there too, probably retail cars bought on the open market.

texases

Rented an Accord several years ago. LOTS of road noise, maybe needed new tires.

Sandman6472

Drove a Honda CR-V at work yesterday, my first drive in one. We also had an Accord last week that my co-worker who has a new Sonata drove. He liked the Accord so much better he said so assuming he won't be getting another Sonata after having a few since 2009.

ab348

texases said:

Rented an Accord several years ago. LOTS of road noise, maybe needed new tires.

Accords from around the 2010 vintage were notorious for lots of road noise. Not sure what the present generation is like for that.

fintail

Built the G70, basic car with color as only apparent extra cost item, MSRP: $38K

tifighter

Just finished up Enterprise rental out of PSP. 2020 Audi Q3 in bright orange. It had 50K miles on it, which you'd think would be past it's expiration date as a rental, but with the car shortage, they probably don't have a choice. Rear passenger tire howled above 45mph, and it developed an awful squeal by the end of the week. Overall 27mpg though, and with gas in SoCal at $6/gal, it could have been worse.

Sandman6472

I like the Audi Q3 but doubt we'll go with anything German going forward. Expensive to fix and after the warranty period ends, too much of a crap shoot to be honest. Lots of plastic parts which are hard to get to for repair and the issues my VW has had have been things which weren't that usual which VW should've covered as far as I'm concerned. Just know that VW has lost me as a repeat customer & think the wife won't be getting another Audi going forward. A shame as they both drive really nice with that fun factor but the expensive repairs ruin the fun real quick. I know one thing, once my particular configuration of Toyota comes in at the dealer, there's a very good chance that I'll be picking up my new ride & won't be looking back!

tifighter

I won't blame it all on Audi - this thing seemed to have had some hard use, and probably very minimal maintenance. It's not easy being orange.

andres3

Sandman6472 said:

I like the Audi Q3 but doubt we'll go with anything German going forward. Expensive to fix and after the warranty period ends, too much of a crap shoot to be honest. Lots of plastic parts which are hard to get to for repair and the issues my VW has had have been things which weren't that usual which VW should've covered as far as I'm concerned. Just know that VW has lost me as a repeat customer & think the wife won't be getting another Audi going forward. A shame as they both drive really nice with that fun factor but the expensive repairs ruin the fun real quick. I know one thing, once my particular configuration of Toyota comes in at the dealer, there's a very good chance that I'll be picking up my new ride & won't be looking back!

What's been your most expensive VW repair? And the A3's most expensive?

Sandman6472

Will have to get back to ya on that. A bunch of receipts I need to go through to be honest.

kyfdx

This week’s rental: Nissan Maxima

andres3

kyfdx said:

This week’s rental: Nissan Maxima

4 doors sports car (or 4DSC) still?

kyfdx

andres3 said:

kyfdx said:

This week’s rental: Nissan Maxima

4 doors sports car (or 4DSC) still?

I don't think so. Crappy CVT, but a decent car. Nice semi-sporty seats in leather and USB CarPlay

29K miles on this one

texases

Extra nice Altima, these days, isn't it? With a V6 vs a 4. Same size, Altima's a tiny bit larger/roomier.

sda

The Maxima is another fine car that was allowed to wither on the vine. Sad.

kyfdx

texases said:

Extra nice Altima, these days, isn't it? With a V6 vs a 4. Same size, Altima's a tiny bit larger/roomier.

I think the Maxima is definitely longer than an Altima. More room front/rear, looking at the rear floorboard area, with my seat at normal position. Peppy. We'd prefer a small crossover, just for loading luggage and getting in and out in tight quarters. But, so far, we've had K5, Mustang Vert and this Maxima.

The Emerald Aisle isn't what it used to be. Pickings are slim. Not a single crossover/SUV in sight.

texases

Actually they are almost exactly the same dimensions.

We rented a Passport, lots of room but I didn’t enjoy driving it. Not smooth.

fintail

sda said:

The Maxima is another fine car that was allowed to wither on the vine. Sad.

In a way Nissan did that to their cachet and relevancy. 30 years ago it was a very competitive brand among trendy young buyers.

ronsteve

Hertz at PVD seems to have gone away from the Ultimate Choice model. Most of the non premium classes are within a few dollars per day of each other, so I booked a midsize (5 pass) SUV as it was the lowest rate other than economy. They had me assigned a GMC Terrain, pretty much a base/rental spec trim. The loudest seatbelt chime in automotive history eventually taught me to fasten my belt before I started it. Push button start, Ray Charles package, heated seats, not bad for a base car.

One thing about the rear parking sensors on both the Terrain and Acadia is that while the beeps are more subtle than the seatbelt chime, it also vibrates the driver’s seat when the sensor trips. It did get 32 mpg in mostly highway driving, but it was a real dog with a slow responding transmission and no simple way to do my own shifting. Not much different from an Escape I guess. A couple real penalty boxes in that class, especially in lower trims.

ab348

The Terrain sounds better in many respects than the RAV4 base I had, although it had decent (if rough-sounding and coarse) power delivery. The rest of it was a bit of a penalty box.

ronsteve

ab348 said:

The Terrain sounds better in many respects than the RAV4 base I had, although it had decent (if rough-sounding and coarse) power delivery. The rest of it was a bit of a penalty box.

The 1.5 turbo engines I have experienced in that rental Terrain, and the Escape that my office has, are enough to make me think long and hard before I replace the wife's 13 Jetta with a new one.

I had a RAV4 as a rental a few years back and it was a noticeably cheaper spec (vs the Terrain, more comparable to the Escape) but at least got down the road decently.

sda

From what I've read the 2.0T powered the Terrain so much better than the 1.5T yet the 2.0 was discontinued. Go figure.

fintail

2 weeks from today I pick up a rental at SEA for my holiday trip (I will eat the cost - don't want to risk the winter roads/pass and the probable 7-8 hour drive to my mom's house on the coast). I wonder what it will be - prices are insane. I have Exec status with National, and have something reserved that lets me choose from that selection - it was also the best deal when I booked. Probably will be OK, but I am thinking about it already

Last time I checked, for $20/day more, I can get a 5er or similar from Sixt, but not sure if I want to splurge. Afraid of a downgrade or "or similar" being a 5 year old trunkback Versa.

kyfdx

I can't remember, is there a level above Executive? Premium, maybe? The selection in the Emerald Aisle is not good at all. I recall seeing Audi Q5s in another aisle, but I'm not sure what level that is.

fintail

Yeah, usual Emerald Aisle will be choose your Nissan (highest model a base Altima if you're lucky - I hope you like Versas) or lower line Hyunkia, or maybe a Malibu if you're lucky. Executive Selection will have more variety - I remember a number of choices last year, and have read about people getting Caddys, Audis, etc from it (but who knows about SEA) and that's where I found the Gladiator I rented last year. I think National has a "VIP" tier above Exec - technically two Execs - Exec and Exec Elite, I have the latter which was a status match from a program I kind of snuck into )

I will keep an eye on prices on the days leading up to the rental date. I don't want to spend $200/day on something fancy, but I will be in the car for several hours, and would like something a little enjoyable.

Michaell

Do you find it hard to "downgrade" your rental to something that isn't as nice as your daily?

When I moved to Denver in the early 90's, I leased an Accord DX - no power anything, no A/C. I was traveling, on average, two weeks a month and so anything I rented was a step up in terms of convenience and features. Usually a GM mid-sized sedan.

sda

I know when I rented a ‘lesser’ car I didn’t necessarily dislike it but it did make me appreciate what I owned even more.

fintail

It's always fun to experience something new - at least for a little while . Another entry for the "I drove one" list. As said, it can make one appreciate their DD.

kyfdx

In Hawaii, Emerald Aisle at three different airports was Kia K5, Mustang convertible, then Nissan Maxima.
The Kia was the only one that hadn't been beat around.

I'm renting in St Martin, next month, and even though Alamo has availability, National says no vehicles. Which makes no sense. I always rent National, when I can, because I have a great corporate rate.

I'm renting from an off-airport independent, and getting a Renault Sandero (mini-crossover) for $44/day, inclusive of all taxes, fees and insurance.

fintail

I recall as Christmas closed in last year, National became unavailable at SEA, and Enterprise already is. I also notice the "Premium" category is gone, replaced by an "Elite" category which apparently fills the same spot. If the National selection is really bad or if they are somehow out of cars when I arrive (early morning, so that might help my odds), I'd think of peeking in at Sixt, but probably won't come to that.

I was thinking of doing Turo, but when all fees are included + more of a hassle to collect and return, there's no savings, and none of the cars in the price range were terribly exciting anyway.

sda

Is Audi Silver in anyway competitive? You would benefit from the Quattro system if you have to travel thru poor weather.

ab348

sda said:

I know when I rented a ‘lesser’ car I didn’t necessarily dislike it but it did make me appreciate what I owned even more.

I had that feeling earlier this year when I got a RAV4 from Enterprise while my ATS was in the body shop for 10 days. Say what you want about GM, but that thing sure wasn’t no Caddy.

Michaell

kyfdx said:

I'm renting from an off-airport independent, and getting a Renault Sandero (mini-crossover) for $44/day, inclusive of all taxes, fees and insurance.

Isn't that James Mays' favorite vehicle?

fintail

sda said:

Is Audi Silver in anyway competitive? You would benefit from the Quattro system if you have to travel thru poor weather.

Silvercar doesn't seem to exist anymore, replaced by "Audi On Demand", a dealer-based rental system not intended for leisure travelers.

For my Christmas rental, after tax and endless location fees , I am in for about $100 day - tax/fees are around 30% of this. If I want full cover insurance, which I will probably due after the headache with the smashed Jeep a few years ago (I paid nothing, but the endless paperwork and communication was not fun), it is maybe $10/day from Allianz.