Rental Car Experiences?

fintail · June 2017

I suspect you won't find a Yaris on any dealer's lot that lacks cruise. The no-cruise cars are fleet specials.

berri · June 2017

I'm wondering if the automakers are also partly to blame choosing to push out cheap models as basically overhead absorbers instead of considering their rental car sales as potential customer experiences. Over the years I've bought several vehicles after experiencing them as rentals, but nowadays I'm mostly turned off by the strippers I often get as rentals (and I don't rent the cheap, small budget models).

fintail · June 2017

Definitely the automakers are part of it, along with the rental companies wanting the absolutely cheapest metal possible, no doubt in order to pad executive bonuses. They then act surprised when they lose customers.

ab348 · June 2017

I always found it hard to understand why auto makers take the time to engineer and tool up for minuscule volume things. Cruise may be an exception I suppose, though in these computer-controlled days I don't know for sure what is involved other than the switchgear and indicators. My favorite example used to be door windows. With 99% of cars having power windows, why design and manufacture a manual regulator assembly? I would think the costs of that would outweigh any production savings. Ah well.

berri · June 2017

I can understand some of that if the car or similar version is sold globally. Don't understand it with Detroit. I also think it would be simpler and cheaper if things like cruise control were just standard across the line. Detroit seems to still often have too many combinations coming off the production line. But just an opinion.

fintail · June 2017

Aren't most volume mass market cars pretty much relegated to a few trim lines and option packages now? I know at one time GM was great for an almost bespoke-style options assortment, but I don't know if you can do it so much now. You can do wacky things with German cars anyway.

andres3 · June 2017

fintail said:
Aren't most volume mass market cars pretty much relegated to a few trim lines and option packages now? I know at one time GM was great for an almost bespoke-style options assortment, but I don't know if you can do it so much now. You can do wacky things with German cars anyway.

Not so much at Audi anymore. Choose a red leather interior on a new TTS and the artists at Audi have overruled the bean counters, you may only select white, black, gray, silver, or dark gray paint with that. Of course, if you are willing to shell out the big bucks (I think +$2,000+), then you can select a custom color exterior paint. But if you don't have the big bucks to shell out extra money for paint color alone, then you must take a black or gray interior in order to get blue, red, or yellow paint.

tjc78 · June 2017

GM has streamlined. Just go build and price most anything and it's largely by trim level with a package or lone option (usually a moonroof or a wheel upgrade).

Ford still seems to have a lot of a la carte options, but who knows if they are ever on dealer's lots that way.

Chrysler. I have no clue as I don't regularly look there.

fintail · June 2017

Saw a rental Expedition EL Ecoboost in the workplace parking garage today.

fintail · June 2017

Of course on a German car many colors will be extra cost, but on MB anyway I think nearly all are under 2K, many under 1K. Black and white are the only free colors on E-class and below, IIRC. However, still tons of possibilities - I think there are 4 or 5 wood options alone, at least as many interior options, and numerous paint colors, numbers growing with price. I think most interior and exterior colors can be mixed, too. If you want to wait for a car to arrive, a car can be special ordered with ala carte options of your choosing. I remember a salesman at the local dealership telling me about a guy who ordered a CLK63 AMG cabrio without nav - and how his wife wanted to strangle him for it.

It's even better in Europe - if you want a 4cyl manual cloth interior E-class, you can still do it.

andres3 said:

Not so much at Audi anymore. Choose a red leather interior on a new TTS and the artists at Audi have overruled the bean counters, you may only select white, black, gray, silver, or dark gray paint with that. Of course, if you are willing to shell out the big bucks (I think +$2,000+), then you can select a custom color exterior paint. But if you don't have the big bucks to shell out extra money for paint color alone, then you must take a black or gray interior in order to get blue, red, or yellow paint.

tjc78 · June 2017

fintail said:

Of course on a German car many colors will be extra cost, but on MB anyway I think nearly all are under 2K, many under 1K. Black and white are the only free colors on E-class and below, IIRC. However, still tons of possibilities - I think there are 4 or 5 wood options alone, at least as many interior options, and numerous paint colors, numbers growing with price. I think most interior and exterior colors can be mixed, too. If you want to wait for a car to arrive, a car can be special ordered with ala carte options of your choosing. I remember a salesman at the local dealership telling me about a guy who ordered a CLK63 AMG cabrio without nav - and how his wife wanted to strangle him for it.

It's even better in Europe - if you want a 4cyl manual cloth interior E-class, you can still do it.

Not so much at Audi anymore. Choose a red leather interior on a new TTS and the artists at Audi have overruled the bean counters, you may only select white, black, gray, silver, or dark gray paint with that. Of course, if you are willing to shell out the big bucks (I think +$2,000+), then you can select a custom color exterior paint. But if you don't have the big bucks to shell out extra money for paint color alone, then you must take a black or gray interior in order to get blue, red, or yellow paint.

That reminds me of a Taurus at the Ford dealer a few years ago. It was absolutely hard loaded NAV, fancy stereo, all the safety nannies available back then but no heated seats. Dealer said he will have to install aftermarket ones because he would never sell a near 40k without them.

fintail · June 2017

I wonder who ordered that, someone must have forgot to check a box when ordering a group of cars, or something destined for FL ended up in NJ.

I've seen late model MBs with weird things - every single option but leather, or everything but LED lighting. Why not go all the way when you are so close?

tjc78 said:

That reminds me of a Taurus at the Ford dealer a few years ago. It was absolutely hard loaded NAV, fancy stereo, all the safety nannies available back then but no heated seats. Dealer said he will have to install aftermarket ones because he would never sell a near 40k without them.

andres3 · June 2017

fintail said:
I wonder who ordered that, someone must have forgot to check a box when ordering a group of cars, or something destined for FL ended up in NJ.

I've seen late model MBs with weird things - every single option but leather, or everything but LED lighting. Why not go all the way when you are so close?

tjc78 said:

That reminds me of a Taurus at the Ford dealer a few years ago. It was absolutely hard loaded NAV, fancy stereo, all the safety nannies available back then but no heated seats. Dealer said he will have to install aftermarket ones because he would never sell a near 40k without them.

some times I think dealerships have "quick pick" software that leans towards heavily loaded, but completely random options and packages.

fintail · June 2017

Could be, or maybe as simple as picking 8 out of 10, let the computer decide.

andres3 said:

some times I think dealerships have "quick pick" software that leans towards heavily loaded, but completely random options and packages.

fintail · June 2017

Saw a rental Subaru Crosstrek today, such a Seattle choice, you can really blend in driving one of those. If a young Xer or younger, just get things like a beard, spoiled kid, murse, size-too-tight jeans, bonus points for a small trust fund, and you can pretend to be a local!

suydam · June 2017

berri said:
I'm wondering if the automakers are also partly to blame choosing to push out cheap models as basically overhead absorbers instead of considering their rental car sales as potential customer experiences. Over the years I've bought several vehicles after experiencing them as rentals, but nowadays I'm mostly turned off by the strippers I often get as rentals (and I don't rent the cheap, small budget models).

One of the reasons we bought the Encore was that my daughter had a very nicely appointed one as a rental and I loved it. Prior to that I had never heard of that vehicle, and if it hadn't been so well equipped I would have dismissed it as another cheap GM car (totally unfair, but I had zero experience with GM at that point). Really changed my mind.

imidazol97 · June 2017

Rental experience at Houston continued:

The agent at the airport apparently wanted more ID as to being with the company making the booking for the car, as it was, and seemed miffed my son didn't carry business cards. Besides trying to upsell everything and ignoring to explain their awful middle of the night check in, she misrepresented availability of gasoline stations at 4 am when the car would be returned, saying that none would be open anywhere.

The return setup for when office of closed was one short sign blocked from view by 5 cars already parked in front of it. The things it said to do weren't obvious. When calling the emergency contact number for help shown there, my son was told to different things to complete the return which weren't the same as what the sign said. There weren't even pens or pencils to complete the return form to be left...

The cars are usually upgraded by Hertz, as done on every other business trip with others my son had been on. Apparently this clerk did not upgrade out of vengeance is the subjective assessment of my son. So she stuck him with a Yaris with no cruise control.

My son after consultation with superiors contacted appropriate folks at Hertz NOT in Houston. LOL It's apparent the office needs to be fixed at that location. My son said that he almost had gone with another company when choosing the rental to be booked, but everyone else's information said their location was off airport while Hertz's didn't disclose that, even though the actual office was off airport just like the others, so there wasn't any convenience factor gained by using Hertz. Another black mark.

His previous business trip had him upgraded to a Hyundai Elantra, which he found odd but interesting as a vehicle, especially compared to the Yaris Hertz stuck him with on this trip.

berri · June 2017

I think at least many rental counters are franchises because the experience within a company at airport sites seems to very quite a bit. For example, I use Hertz a fair amount of the time. I often get less quality cars (undesirable, high mileage or just kind of beat up) at Milwaukee, but not always and don't care for Tampa either. OTOH, San Diego is excellent. Found it similar with other companies.

imidazol97 · June 2017

It's like ChickFilA. If they want to be a professionally respected company they need to handle all aspects of their business. That includes a properly equipped return counter when the business closes.

Apparently Hertz saw the problems when they were contacted. He was satisfied by Corporate Hertz in his conversation with them.

fintail · June 2017

Other cheapskate renters probably stole the pens/pencils earlier that night

Regarding the customer service, with low wages and a constant pressure to sell rather than to provide what people need, that's what you get. Total executive fail there.

Sandman6472 · June 2017

Absolutely correct Fin, it's not a job that I'd ever want. Add to the constant pressure unreasonable customers who basically expect a new vehicle, can be a total nightmare. Most folks who book the cheapest vehicle might be surprised to actually be put into one of them though many are hoping the location has none so they get bumped up! Unreasonable to expect that but many times, one will be bumped up, a lot depends on the customers attitude. We had one a few weeks ago who didn't like the mustard color of the newish Kia Soul she was supposed to get and refused to take it! I was a bit confused as to why the color was an issue but it was. Luckily, a comparable vehicle had just come in and she had to wait awhile till it was done with the current customer and then cleaned/washed.
Think if most folks go in with the proper attitude, they will get what they want. Come in and demand crap, chances are you will get just the vehicle you reserved. End of story!

The Sandman

suydam · June 2017

Hmm. I find more often that the vehicle class I ordered "isn't available" but they'll be happy to rent me a larger one -- for $25 a day more. That was my latest experience. Eventually we did get a vehicle, a Kia Soul as it happened -- but not yellow!

fintail · June 2017

I know at one time it was a trick to book cheapest and get an upgrade, as the cheapest might not be in stock. Might not be so easy now, with the amount of Spark, Yaris, and Rio I see on the roads with rental barcodes.

I've had free upgrades when my reserved class wasn't in stock, but not downgrades - I've refused, and the agent quickly relented and allotted me the other vehicle. I book the class I actually want, then anything on top of it is a bonus. The best was in Germany when I booked a 5er/E category and received a 7er. My last rental in Germany was the same 5er/E category (which specifies a 6cyl car - German car rentals can be grouped by engine size as well as vehicle type) They assigned me a 4cyl base CLS - technically a higher class, but smaller engine. I pointed that out, was offered a Jag XJ (upgrade, but I don't like the ergonomics), I acted hesitant, was then offered an X5, which I accepted. Nice agents there, I always buy the insurance when renting abroad, no upsell pressure.

kyfdx · June 2017

I don't really worry about having the correct attitude or demands when I rent a car. It's a service industry, and I expect (demand) good service. Fortunately, there is plenty of competition in the car rental biz, so it's easy to move on to another provider.

Yes, I can get stuck having a bad experience here or there. But, that just informs me for the next time.

suydam · June 2017

In my experience LAX rental car providers are particularly bad. Long lines, upsells, poorly maintained cars -- across the board. Wish there was a better way.

andres3 · June 2017

Las Vegas seems to have a million rentals available. I heard Hertz had a lot of C63 AMG's laying around going unrented in Vegas....

Michaell · June 2017

andres3 said:
Las Vegas seems to have a million rentals available. I heard Hertz had a lot of C63 AMG's laying around going unrented in Vegas....

In a place like Las Vegas, I would think taxi / Uber / Lyft is gaining traction. No worries about DWI, and now that the casinos are starting to charge for parking, personal transportation by tourists may be taking a hit.

fintail · June 2017

I saw a rental X3 today.

In LV, I want to rent a car so I can escape the strip for a bit. I've read Hertz has a number of C63 too.

Mr_Shiftright · June 2017

Rental Car MORAL DILEMMA:

Got stuck on a cheap rental rate with a Nissan Versa. Got me from A to B, although I practially flew off the road when I forgot I wasn't driving a Mini Cooper or Porsche.

But lo and behold, in the glove box was someone's rather expensive sun glasses. The car came from Texas originally.

Now, the dilemma.

I wanted to return the glasses to the local office, BUT....

The local car rental staff looks something like this:

fintail · June 2017

Trust fund hipster pretending to be tough?

Maybe return it to a corporate office or better location.

Mr_Shiftright · June 2017

Thought of that but maybe what I'll do is call corporate and ask them to contact me if they get a lost and found request. We are talking $200+ glasses here.

berri · June 2017

$200+ - is that a felony charge

Sandman6472 · June 2017

The last 3 years, we have gotten about 50 Civics and Accords as Hertz rentals from the Honda store where we have a kiosk. My group has been the ones to bring the new cars down from the 5 story parking garage to the ground floor to be cleaned and prepped to go into service. Always enjoy those days as I get to drive new vehicles with 4 or 5 miles on them. Just love that new car smell to be honest. EVen today, had to move about 40 vehicles up to the 5th floor of the parking garage since Honda is having a big sale this weekend. There were only 2 of us drivers plus the lead, so drove a bunch of vehicles upstairs, a lot of new Civics also.
Come Monday morning, we'll have to go back and bring many of them back down to be rented. But we'll have a larger crew to do it with.

The Sandman

berri · June 2017

Seldom see a Honda rental. Do you work out of MIA or FLL?

js06gv · June 2017

I got tired of getting mediocre miled up rentals from Hertz for business use so I signed up for our corporate rate with National's emerald aisle. Used it for the first time today and chose a new Buick Envision with 1,400 miles. Very nice ride, great size, comfortable and smooth but man this thing needs more motor. The first year Envision was only available with the base corporate 2.5L, while the 18s have the option of a turbo mill. I had a 3.5 hour trek from Portland to a resort in the sticks, and the car struggled in the mountains. On a straight line it was fine, but adequate at best. I'd definitely rent another with a 2.0L turbo.

imidazol97 · June 2017

js06gv said:
I got tired of getting mediocre miled up rentals from Hertz for business use so I signed up for our corporate rate with National's emerald aisle. Used it for the first time today and chose a new Buick Envision with 1,400 miles.

At least it had cruise control.

ab348 · June 2017

js06gv said:
I got tired of getting mediocre miled up rentals from Hertz for business use so I signed up for our corporate rate with National's emerald aisle. Used it for the first time today and chose a new Buick Envision with 1,400 miles. Very nice ride, great size, comfortable and smooth but man this thing needs more motor. The first year Envision was only available with the base corporate 2.5L, while the 18s have the option of a turbo mill. I had a 3.5 hour trek from Portland to a resort in the sticks, and the car struggled in the mountains. On a straight line it was fine, but adequate at best. I'd definitely rent another with a 2.0L turbo.

I didn't realize the base engine on those was the 2.5. I agree it is not enough for something like that. I must admit that the design of the Envision leaves me cold. Every one I see on the local dealer lot (and they usually only have one in stock) just looks dull and generically boring to me. Too bad because if done a bit better I can see it doing well - it might have even been on my short list - but not as it currently is.

berri · June 2017

The Envision is made in China and so I'm guessing the engine is geared to Chinese preferences or tax/law structure.

suydam · June 2017

I don't think so.

imidazol97 · June 2017

Here's the charts for the torque and horsepower. Looks like an engine that likes to rev up and produces power at 4000 or so. The transmission and powertrain computers probably try to keep it in higher gears for economy ratings.

berri · June 2017

Suydam - the Buick Envision is a Chinese product imported into the US. You may be confusing it with the Enclave which is NA produced.

suydam · June 2017

No, I wasn't disputing its origin meant that I doubt it is imported here the way it is for "Chinese Tastes". All vehicles have regional differences tailored for their market.

imidazol97 · June 2017

The 2.5 in an Envision with a 6-speed is probably good for most of the drivers in most of the country. But for steeper grades, I'd think it needs more gears than the 6-speed or needs the 2.0T for more power.

I noted that there's a 7-speed dual clutch but that must be only in China. Even the 2.0T has the 6-speed. If it's the same as the 6-speed in my Malibu, the two top gears are both like over drives. Hitting 4th gear means serious revving at higher speeds.

fintail · June 2017

That does seem like kind of a lukewarm mill for such a heavy vehicle. It appears to put out the same hp as my Bluetec, but half the torque. The economy on hilly roads probably isn't so hot, either.

js06gv · June 2017

suydam said:
No, I wasn't disputing its origin meant that I doubt it is imported here the way it is for "Chinese Tastes". All vehicles have regional differences tailored for their market.

I agree the engine choice has nothing to do with a China build. The 2.5 has been a popular engine to put in lots of cars lately, whether adequate or not. In a Malibu I don't question it. But once you start talking Impala, Envision and ATS I think it's a stretch. And I know the ATS is a similar size to the Malibu; I just think a Cadillac is more deserving of a motor that doesn't sound like it belongs in a Malibu.

js06gv · June 2017

fintail said:
That does seem like kind of a lukewarm mill for such a heavy vehicle. It appears to put out the same hp as my Bluetec, but half the torque. The economy on hilly roads probably isn't so hot, either.

I'm getting a hair over 25 mpg over 200 miles.

Sandman6472 · June 2017

I work in southwest Broward County and we go to MIA and FLL mostly. But we've also gone up to the West Palm Beach airport to pick up vehicles and the airport over in Ft. Myers. But we mostly go between Miami and Lauderdale to service our local HLE offices. Has been very busy but today was the first "light" day we've had...I even got off at 5:15 instead of the usual 6 or 6:30 we normally work till. But I was tired and my back was hurting so just asked the boss if I could go and he said sure. I hardly use my bad spine as an excuse so when I tell him I'm in pain, he knows I'm not kidding and let's me go home to rest. And I think it's because I always show up unlike some of our other employees. And if I need to swap a day, I give them plenty of notice so they won't be short handed. Just try to be a good employee and he knows that.
But as I was telling the other half, I'm tired and will finish out 2017 but not sure how long I'll go in 2018. I just do not know!

The Sandman

berri · June 2017

Well Sandman you don't need to decide right now, so take 'er easy

Sandman6472 · July 2017

That's the best part really. Was so dog tired yesterday, left at 5:15 and if asked, would've said goodbye forever. But woke up today, and felt that staying on till the end of 2017 will be the plan for now. Come December, I can decide if I want to plow ahead into 2018. And that's the beauty of this job, I can leave whenever I want to. There are pros and cons but for now, the pros outweigh the cons so Monday morning, I'll go into work and be happy to have Tuesday off. Working the every other day schedule seems to work best for my bad spine but having those two days off back to back are great.

The Sandman

tifighter · July 2017

Currently in Corsica. Rental in possession is as follows:

It's almost made for here...

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