Rental Car Experiences?

suydam · August 2014

Compared to my Pontiac Vibe anything has oomph. She commented that it was really good driving the Turnpike. I really liked the quietness of the Encore and the interior. And it gets better mpg than the Vibe does.

stever · August 2014

Been ripped off by your rental car company? Gotta start watching your hotels too. Sheesh - this one may be ripe for a class action.

Just picture this: Travel companies are eager to charge customers for damages (Washington Post)

imidazol97 · August 2014

@stever said:
Been ripped off by your rental car company? Gotta start watching your hotels too. Sheesh - this one may be ripe for a class action.

Just picture this: Travel companies are eager to charge customers for damages (Washington Post)

Really interesting news article you linked to.
Thanks.

suydam · August 2014

Fortunately that has not been my experience.

Sandman6472 · August 2014

At Hertz, we have those damage forms and a lot of folks use them and go with the agent to document the pre-existing damage on the vehicle. Good idea just to save any hassle. I know I was accused of causing damage on a car I drove to a location but I took pics and denied that I caused that damage. The pics I had showed the rust already there, plus I took the agent out to show him the rust. If I caused the damage just now, I explained, why is there rust there? In the end, nothing happened because I didn't cause the damage and the rust already there proved it.
All I can say is do your due diligence when renting and you should be fine!

The Sandman

fintail · August 2014

I've sometimes photographed a car, if I spotted damage before the rental.

A few years ago, my rental Impala (picked up with 4 miles on it) got hit and ran in the hotel parking lot in suburban Atlanta. I called Amex, who I use for rental insurance. I estimated about $500 in damage - Thrifty must think of Impalas as a disposable commodity, as they never filed a claim.

My last trip in Germany, I noticed a chip on the front air dam of my rented A8. I was thinking I might have done it, as parking that barge can be a challenge in the usually tight spaces found there. I bought a permanent marker and filled it in (on plastic), never noticed it. It might have been there before. I've never damaged a rental car and had it be my fault, or be charged for it.

Sandman6472 · August 2014

Keeping us very busy at work and I know I made the right decision becoming a Hertz employee. Last summer working as an independent contractor for those other companies, I worked only a handful of times July, August and September...nothing near the hours I am getting now. And I've got a very good feeling that I will be able to keep this gig until I finally decide to retire again...they have no plans to outsource it again at least in our area and the rental market is pretty strong here in South Florida most of the year. Season is always busy and this summer has been very busy for our locations...we usually go right to work at 8 when we clock on and never really just sit around doing nothing...it's pretty constant work all day long. Hey, today was a 10 hour day though Monday's and Friday's are our busiest days. And from what I hear, my old companies are real slow again this summer as I know people who see them when they do work.
No, I definitely made the right decision by going with Hertz as a part time employee. And I left the door open to go back to the West Palm gig once season starts as I know they will need drivers...I just need to use more moderation on the days that I do decide to work for them and no more working 7 days a week!

The Sandman

berri · August 2014

I've generally been happy with Hertz. I'm gold. But seems like recently they are cheapening out a bit on models and options. Might go back and give National another try.

Sandman6472 · August 2014

I work at a Hertz Local Edition location and got to drive one of our BMW 328I's over to have the tracking device installed. Nice ride and saw a few new one's at the maintenance lot getting prepped to be put into service. Think they're getting ready to purchase a bunch of new vehicles soon because you are right, some of our fleet is getting a bit miled up. Think the company lengthened the time period when they purchase replacement vehicles. Funny, but certain makes and models are sold at the auctions more so than others. I know we drive a bunch of vehicles to be wholesaled or taken to the auctions. Guess it just depends on the make and model and mileage of the particular units. Give Hertz another try in a bit and think you'll be much happier. I will pass along your comments to our area manager as comments from actual renters are always helpful so we know what areas we need to improve on.
Right now, I am a very happy Hertz employee and have loved it since I came aboard last January 17th. Hope to stay with the company until I retire again, and for good, once I turn 65 in about 5 more years. I'm lucky because I look forward to going into work each time I go...working part time also could have something to do with it. Do not want full time work and was lucky enough that they only want me part time. Have been averaging around 27 hours/week which works out great actually, working 3.5 days each week which is enough as I did the full time thing for over 31 years with Uncle Sam and now looking to ease out of the work force gradually.

The Sandman

fintail · September 2014

Local Avis/Budget was pretty packed this morning, nice cars included an XC60 T5 and an XTS4.

lemko · September 2014

@fintail said:
I've sometimes photographed a car, if I spotted damage before the rental.

A few years ago, my rental Impala (picked up with 4 miles on it) got hit and ran in the hotel parking lot in suburban Atlanta. I called Amex, who I use for rental insurance. I estimated about $500 in damage - Thrifty must think of Impalas as a disposable commodity, as they never filed a claim.

My last trip in Germany, I noticed a chip on the front air dam of my rented A8. I was thinking I might have done it, as parking that barge can be a challenge in the usually tight spaces found there. I bought a permanent marker and filled it in (on plastic), never noticed it. It might have been there before. I've never damaged a rental car and had it be my fault, or be charged for it.

My wife and I photograph a rental car all the time after Enterprise tried to rip her off a couple years ago for pre-existing damage.

fintail · September 2014

I wouldn't be surprised if rental agencies give agents a cut of the proceeds from "damage" claims (that never get repaired, I'd wager). I suspect it's a racket.

@lemko said:
My wife and I photograph a rental car all the time after Enterprise tried to rip her off a couple years ago for pre-existing damage.

jpp75 · September 2014

Had a new Chrysler 200 last week in Indianapolis, definitely an improvement but I wasn't wowed. The brakes were super "grabby" especially after it sat for a bit. Nice interior and their UConnect system seems to be one of the best out there in terms of responsiveness.

berri · September 2014

Hey Lemko - read an Andre post: What happened to the Grand Marquis?

andres3 · September 2014

@fintail said:
I wouldn't be surprised if rental agencies give agents a cut of the proceeds from "damage" claims (that never get repaired, I'd wager). I suspect it's a racket.

Enterprise tried to scam me for a pre-existing contoured paintless damage dent for $250. They charged my CC, I disputed it, while in "dispute," they sent me a check for about 77 bucks since the supposed "repair" cost less than $250, and I won my dispute with the credit card company, so I got the $250 back on top of that.

andres3 · September 2014

Rented from Sixt Rentals that just opened up over the Labor day weekend in San Diego by the airport. They are right next to the Airport, but you don't pay ridiculous Air Port fees and taxes.

I rented a luxury car (C-Class Mercedes or BMW 3 Series) and ended up in an E350 Mercedes. Nice ride. Super special opener deal at $37/day + fees/taxes. I had the car for the 3 day weekend and paid about $124 total. Very good looking almost all female rental staff. I mean a bunch of good looking young ladies. Didn't ask what the upcharge would be to include one of them in the passenger seat.

Michaell · September 2014

@andres3 said:
Very good looking almost all female rental staff. I mean a bunch of good looking young ladies. Didn't ask what the upcharge would be to include one of them in the passenger seat.

If California is still a community property state, I'd say about 50% of everything you own.

fintail · September 2014

Sixt is in LA now, too. If/when I am there again, I will probably choose them. The rates for a fancier car are bargains compared with the traditional players.

Regarding the rental agents - I've seen the same thing in Germany.

andres3 said:
Rented from Sixt Rentals that just opened up over the Labor day weekend in San Diego by the airport. They are right next to the Airport, but you don't pay ridiculous Air Port fees and taxes.

Sandman6472 · September 2014

The Sixt rental place in Ft. Lauderdale is right off the airport and their shuttle continually goes back and forth. Loved moving vehicles for them because they had some nice iron and their prices weren't that outrageous to be honest. If I end up going back to the old company on a limited basis, hoping they still contract work with Sixt.
Today was a bad pain day and am second guessing my idea to go back to the other gig on a limited basis. Was going to send off a letter today but ended up in bed so need to rethink this idea. I can handle the 3.5 days at Hertz with no problem but I have the other days to rest my body which I seem to really need. Might be best to leave things the way they are and just because I ask doesn't mean they're going to welcome me back either!

The Sandman

fintail · September 2014

A friend of mine decided to take a last minute trip to the coast this weekend, went to Sixt at Seatac and got an S60 T5 for $35/day. He liked it a lot, feels like a Bentley compared to the Prius.

Sandman6472 · September 2014

Funny you should mention a Prius, drove a '13 model at work today with 20k on the clock and hated it, absolutely hated it! So slow while getting up to speed and no way drove like the CT200h I almost bought last year, the Lexus at least seemed to have better pick up from a stand still and felt I could live with it on a day to day basis. But no way with a Prius, no freakin' way!!
Just for the hell of it, got on the web and read some owners comments on the Mitsubishi Outlander Sport that I passed on and most of them were negative on the cvt tranny...that seemed to be the major complaint from folks who responded about their vehicle. I only drove it about 5 minutes on a rainy day so don't remember how it really drove but obviously, if I had really loved the vehicle, I would've bought one. This finally got me over the thoughts that maybe I acted to hasty when I bought my new vehicle last year...I guess we all second guess ourselves after a purchase but I remember after getting the Civic, I knew it was the right vehicle for me at that moment. Right now, I'm happy with what I bought but have a feeling that it's not going to stay around past the 5 year mark as I am rather intrigued with the new small Honda cuv due out in 2015, not sure of the name but it looks to be the perfect size for my purposes and hopefully when I'm ready, it'll be around and include Sirius/XM radio, something Honda doesn't seem to offer on it's lineup as of yet.

The Sandman

Sandman6472 · September 2014

Drove a '13 GL 450 at work a couple times today and liked it except for that dumb shifter...what's so wrong with the normal one used in 99% of other vehicles? Being different isn't always better as this proved to me. Also never realized what a big vehicle it is but since it was parked next to a Tahoe on one side and a Navigator on the other, I got to see how big it really is. I'll take the smaller one, just not sure of it's name. A very nice vehicle though and something I could definitely get used to. And noticed that the BMW dealer finally sold, or got rid of the red 1 Series coupe I was lusting after...killer looking ride and something that looked like tons of fun. Last year I was going to test drive a white 1 Series coupe at the local BMW store that was used in the showroom...think it had like just under 30k and they wanted around $27k but he said it was negotiable. When they tried to get it out for a test drive, the damn thing was dead and even though they tried to jump start it, nothing. Took it as an omen and never went back. It was the same day I had tested the black '05 drop top and stopped in to have them check the vin # to get a history of the vehicle. This white one was in the showroom and I was immediately in lust. I must admit, I was all over the place starting with the drop top, then loving the Lexus 200CTh and finally ending up deciding between two cuv's. I know I made the right decision getting the Tuscon though a little more lux would've been nice to!!!

The Sandman<

stever · September 2014

Rental car companies charge extra fees if you’re in a state with electronic tolls, and they’re getting sued over it (washingtonpost.com)

fintail · September 2014

My friend rented another car for a weekend excursion, this time he got a Volvo V60 for the same rate he paid for an S60 last weekend. He's liking these cars so much, he's definitely not going to be a repeat Prius customer.

fintail · November 2014

Crazy one - Prius friend rented another car for the weekend as he's going east and doesn't want to worry about snow (not to mention the comfort of his car). Got an upgrade at Sixt and received an Audi Q5 diesel - yes, a diesel. I know Sixt has recently added a lot of Audis to the fleet, but a diesel is shocking.

Mr_Shiftright · November 2014

As long as he looks for the green handle, he'll have a good experience.

fintail · November 2014

I told him to confirm with me that it said diesel on the gas cap - it did. He knows better than to make the dumb mistake (I don't know if modern fuel fillers allow the mixup anymore).

PF_Flyer · November 2014

fintail said:
I told him to confirm with me that it said diesel on the gas cap - it did. He knows better than to make the dumb mistake (I don't know if modern fuel fillers allow the mixup anymore).

Never underestimate the ability of humans to find their way around "fool proof"

Mr_Shiftright · November 2014

They should change the expression to "fool-resistant".

fintail · November 2014

I'd think running diesel rentals in a low-information driver society as exists in the US would be risky. I hope the filler neck would stop mixups.

Sandman6472 · November 2014

I haven't seen any diesels at our Hertz HLE location yet and most of the vehicles we get from the airports have just over 30k though sometimes we get some in the 20's. A lot of folks drop off their rentals at our locations so we do end up with vehicles that have "never lost" gps's in them or other low mileage vehicles. The "never lost" vehicles go back to the airports but we tend to just rent out most of the other returns from what I gather though I don't stay in the office much to actually know. We usually get into the chase vehicle within 2 to 3 minutes after clocking in and besides our 1/2 hour lunch in the rear of the store in the lunch area, we are usually out on the road all day. I can honestly say that we are on the move about 95% of the time we are on the clock with that other 5% being our lunch break. We secure vehicles for about 7 locations in the South Broward/North Dade area so we move a lot of iron on a daily basis. We're down a few drivers since a couple left for other opportunities and even though 3 new folks started within the last month, only 2 of them came to our office. Just got an old co-worker to put in his application online so he can be hired soon we hope. With all this part time/full time nonsense with benefits and all, they have tried to keep us all at 24 hours/week which gets to be ridiculous sometimes. I love the job but some of the policies in place are just plain stupid but it is what it is...just wish they were more employee friendly if you get my drift!!!

The Sandman

Sandman6472 · December 2014

Drove two new Chrysler 200's yesterday and was pretty impressed with the interior and the way they drove...much better than the one's they replaced. A very good job by Chrysler and think they will sell more than to fleets with this version!!!

The Sandman

PF_Flyer · December 2014

sandman_6472 said:
Drove two new Chrysler 200's yesterday and was pretty impressed with the interior and the way they drove...much better than the one's they replaced. A very good job by Chrysler and think they will sell more than to fleets with this version!!!

The Sandman

A question... when you rent, do you choose a vehicle that you like? Or do you choose one to see IF you might like it? Or do you choose one you think you might NOT like to give it a fair shake?

I've taken all three approaches at various times

Sandman6472 · December 2014

All depends on what they have on the lot in the price point I want to spend. Usually go for something I've never driven before just to try something new. No sense driving something you are real familiar with unless it blows your socks off and then yeah, go for it. Hope this helped.

The Sandman

PF_Flyer · December 2014

I'm wit' you... mostly it's the "never driven" factor when I choose. Some work out better than others. I recall a Dodge Caliber I tried in LA and finding out that the lines of sight from the inside are really disrupted by the pillars. perfect for keep track of traffic around you

suydam · December 2014

I mostly try for cars I have driven or have heard favorable comments about. I don't want to ruin a trip with a miserable rental car. But my highest criterion is a car free from cigarette smoke.

kyfdx · December 2014

PF_Flyer said:
I'm wit' you... mostly it's the "never driven" factor when I choose. Some work out better than others. I recall a Dodge Caliber I tried in LA and finding out that the lines of sight from the inside are really disrupted by the pillars. perfect for keep track of traffic around you

The infamous crappy Caliber rental... I still have scars..

ab348 · December 2014

I remember maybe 8-10 years ago taking a PT Cruiser for a rental just because I had never driven one and thought they looked cool and so might be interesting. What a disappointment! The car annoyed me in just about every way possible. I found nothing about it that seemed a redeeming feature. I turned it in at the end of the rental and told the guy, "not for me ever again!".

suydam · December 2014

I had a Caliber rental once too. Still shiver to think about it. That and the Chevy "Classic", what ever that was. One of the worst cars ever.

fintail · December 2014

My mother had a PT rental when her Corolla got hit. She was 60+ then, the PT demographic, and she loathed it. The window switches especially. Too bad it was allowed to wither on the vine - I remember in the summer of 2000, they seemed like a fairly cool car.

Chevy Classic = 1997 Malibu still being made in 2005, as decontented as can be, because old GM.

PF_Flyer · December 2014

kyfdx said:

The infamous crappy Caliber rental... I still have scars..

Ah yes, almost forgot you got to experience that ride

uplanderguy · December 2014

The only things I really don't like about my daughter's PT are the rough idle, even with new plugs and wires, it doesn't get great mileage, and it's not got a good turning radius IMHO. But we like the seating position and room to swallow up big stuff in the back. Hey, I paid $6,930 cash for it when it was two years old--and $5,501 for my other daughter's '09 Cobalt a year or so ago...add $9,900 for my new Cobalt in '08 and I'm pleased to say we own four cars but haven't had a car payment in ten years. Saving for college and retirement mean more to me than they used to when I buy a car. Our '11 Malibu was more--$19,600 new. Still, I don't see a new car in the horizon for a long while thanks to college costs.

I used to rent cars frequently when I travelled much more with work. I usually got whatever was offered in that class. I often remember hearing so much about this car or that car and afterwards thinking, 'what the hell was so great about that car?'.

The worst rental cars that stick in my mind? From way back, an '80 Fairmont that left me stranded (only rental car I ever had that did that), an '80 Grand Prix V6 that ticked like a time bomb and I actually added three quarts of oil to--also, the dome light and driver's side courtesy light were burned out and the radio went on and off with bumps in the road--and more recently, a Camry with 15K miles where it had the sound of worn control-arm bushings up front and the "Traction Control" light stayed on.

PF_Flyer · December 2014

That Dodge Caliber was a bad one. Best rental we ever had was a Volvo V70 wagon we rented in San Diego. Fully loaded, leather interior, the works. That one had the kids BEGGING us to buy one.

Sandman6472 · December 2014

Best was a brand new Impala LTZ fresh from the factory with 20 miles on it when I got it. In Boston and the agent saw I was having difficulty walking with my cane and was in a lot of pain so she upgraded us for free into the Chevy as it had a full power seat as I recall...I could move the seat back into any position depending on how much pain I was in. It definitely made our whole trip that much easier and paying the extra gas money never entered my mind. And it drove extremely nice also though it was a bit big for me since I was used to driving a small econobox all the time...was a nice change though.
I am very lucky that I get to work at a car rental place and get to drive so many different kinds of vehicles, we hardly ever get to chose as the lead driver hands out the keys to us drivers. Luckily though, one of the lead drivers knows which ones I really like and when he can, he puts me in one of my favorites and he knows how much I appreciate it. Just makes this job that much better for me...but I really do have the dream job here!!

The Sandman

berri · December 2014

Renting cars for a few days is a great way to really check a potential vehicle out before buying or leasing it.

suydam · December 2014

If only they weren't the base model so often. Hard to get an idea of what they are really like.

fintail · January 2015

A friend of mine is in Orlando for a few days, reserved a "Camry or similar" with Sixt, received a "loaded" (his words) Chrysler 300 - nav, pano, some gadgets - I have yet to confirm if it is a "C" or not. He's pleased.

suydam · January 2015

On a recent trip to California we got a Camry SE. I was pleasantly surprised at how nice it was. Had the backup camera, Bluetooth etc. Very nice seats and did not have the wallowy drive I have associated with Camrys of the past. Went over the mountain passes with aplomb and got great gas mileage. I think maybe I've been too hard on Camrys.

berri · January 2015

Camry's aren't sporty cars, but I think there may be a bit of Walmart or GM think involved. They are the biggest seller in their segment, so they seem more open to being blasted. Get the big guy. If they were as bad as some speak, there's no way they'd sell as well, and hold their value as well as they do. Honestly though, there are just a lot of good cars right now in that segment.

henryn · January 2015

I agree. It's very hard to go wrong with a Camry / Accord / Altima. Drive all 3, pick the one you like (bearing in mind the resale value will hold up much better for the Accord, with the Camry a close second, and the Altima trailing. The resale value on late model Honda's is truly amazing. If you get a good deal on a new one, the cost of ownership can be very, very low.

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