OT: Talking Cars Tuesday - Your most interesting rental
We've all had it - the fastest car in the world: A Rental Car. What was your most interesting rental? Interesting can go a lot of ways
- Something about the car surprise you? would you consider this car/brand in a way you never had before?
- New technology? Did the rental have bluetooth or a backup cam or something else you've never had that now you want in your next car? (Maybe it was a Dealer Loaner - the newer version of your car? (Thanks for the impetus for this week's question Hatter))
- A horrible car that you'll never rent again ever ever?
- That cliche convertible that they gave you in LA that you loved to drive up the coast?
Good, Bad, Ugly, let's hear some rental tales.
My brother and I were moving and we rented an old U-haul. I mean an *old* U-haul. Dodge something with a stick (I think, can't remember), metal dash, and an AM radio with the speaker right above it in the dash.
We both fell in love with that thing.
While not the absolute most interesting rental I've had, the U-Haul with the pre-hemorrhaged transmission that somehow made the entire route of moving out my apartment and into my current home in 2003 is definitely right up there. Died in the U-Haul parking lot as I was attempting to return it. They even tried to charge me for the repairs before closer inspection determined that I rented it in that condition (the problem was unknown to me before I began driving it, of course).
I rented a Jeep Wrangler on Martha's Vineyard several years ago, and it was awesome. I had never driven one before, and I sure as hell wouldn't want one in Michigan, but it was the perfect car for the island with its smooth roads and beautiful scenery.
They charged buttrape prices though. Around $100 for the day IIRC.
If it's your only car I think the Wrangler has too many compromises. I haven't driven a JK, but based on my 91 and 98, they were horrible on gas, loud, rough, etc. I'm sure it's all a bit better now, but still.
For a few of my friends who have wanted a 3rd car, or a more fun car that they don't always use, I've suggested Wranglers. Want a convertible that fits kids comfortably? Get a Jeep! Hugely customizable, easy to fix, etc. The wrangler makes a WONDERFUL toy.
was the ride quality. I think after 6 months of driving that thing on Michigan roads a kidney transplant would be in order. Otherwise, fun car. And pretty powerful with that awesome straight 6.
/I never should have sold my Cherokee.
Lots of people have echoed that sentiment. Myself included.
The Wranglers aren't bad. My brother had a YJ and now a TJ as his daily driver since '98.
I rent 6-12 times a year for work and I haven't had too many crazy rentals. Mostly I drive from Chicago to Metro Detroit to meet with customers (I work for an auto supplier, I visit the Big 3 and other suppliers/customers in the area).
The Chrysler 300 is basically my perfect rental at this point - plenty of power for highway crusing, plenty of space, good visibility, good enough music streaming for the 4-5 hour drive.
I had a new Suburban for this trip recently with a few coworkers and I was very impressed. We got 22MPG in a 6000 lb car! If I had tons of kids and needed to tow, I'd consider it. It's also like $50K.
I also notice weird things. I hated the Jeep Compass - no power for highway stuff. It would near redline itself on cruise control. The Dodge Journey was just fine - but the A pillars were massive, I was nervous about pedestrian visibility.
I'm hoping some of you have better stories
Love the 'Burb class. But damn, I just can't afford a truck today. Hell, a new car is insanely expensive.
I was reading an article about the Dodge Demon that said the original sold in '71 would sell for about $17K today.
The inflation is nuts. I'm a permanent used guy now.
April 11th, 2017 at 10:10 AM ^
I'd argue that performance, emissions, features, and safety have all improved much much more on new cars compared to increases in cost.
April 11th, 2017 at 12:50 PM ^
but I think that you have a valid point. But at some point it doesn't matter; if cars continue to get more expensive people won't be able to afford them en masse; and if that happens you'll build less, requiring a larger margin.... you risk a classic death spiral.
But the trunk is disappointing. Baby does not have back.
The interior is super nice though, and I generally like sedans.
I'm sure 300's are nice cars since they're a complete ripoff of a Bentley but in my experience the drivers tend to be real douches. I think they actually one Car and Drivers douchiest car several years in a row.
I was in England a couple years back and got a rental care for a few days. Most of the rentals over there have manual transmissions (its been many years since I drove a stick shift, but I owned a couple of stick shift cars in my younger days so I didn't think it would be an issue.)
When I picked up the car from the rental agency it had been backed into the parking space, so when leaving I just drove straight out without having to put the car into reverse.
Things were going as well as can be expected when driving in England (wrong side of the road, shifting with the left hand, all the stupid round abouts, the narrow roads, etc.) until I pulled into a parking spot then tried to leave - I couldn't get the car into reverse!
The top of the stick shift had the shift pattern imprinted on it, but it still couldn't get it to work. Ended up having to put the car into neutral and push the car out of the parking spot. Ran into the same problem a few more times where I need to back up but couldn't get the car into reverse.
I eventuall had a local that I knew take a look at it. He couldn't figure it out at first, then after the two of us talked about it for a while realized that you had to pull up the boot around the base of the stick shift at the same time you were shifting into reverse. Worked fine the rest of the trip!
Rented this jeep on my honeymoon in Hawaii. Pulled out of the lot and the thing started shaking like crazy going down the road. A few miles later the dashboard lights light up like a Christmas tree and I look over at my new wife and I say to her. I think we are heading back to the rental lot.
Got to the rental car desk after an exhausting flight with multiple connections lugging two children under 5 years old. Our expected small 4 door rental car option was not available - of course. We were offered a brand spanking new Ford Mustang instead. I smiled. It was a complete bitch to fit the car seats in the back seat, but Daddy had a great vacation crusing around in a Mustang instead of a Tercel.
I was offered either a 200 or a Challenger while in South Carolina - I had 2 coworkers with me. Chrysler 200 it was.
I was offered a BRAND NEW CAMARO 6 recently to go to Detroit, had 2 coworkers and ended up in the Suburban.
I'd probably hate the Camaro's visibility on I-94, but still!
I love the car. and it looks great. But its not a car that you can drive around toddlers or small animals. There had to have been a better way to execute that.
Rented a Ford Escape. Liked it so much that when I bought a car for the first time in over a decade I bought one. Had never even owned a Ford before. I also really liked it when I owned it. Myy mother has it now & went from "It's nice, but it's not what I would buy" to when I moved to NYC & was going to sell it, she bought it & loves it. (It's a hybrid.)
Most surprising that I didn't like that I thought I would was a Chrysler Pacifica. It just felt larger than it was. Rather cramped inside, but felt like you were pulling a boat or something.
Fun: On a long drive with girlfriend of the time was upgraded . "Sorry, we're out of the economy, but here's a luxury Buick." Cool. Was telling her about the time I was driving through that part of Pennsylvania & had a flat. She fell asleep. I had a flat. She slept through the changing of the tire. Stopped at a Wal-Mart & had a few hours to kill before the tire center opened, so I woke her up. She didn't believe me that she had slept through a flat & changing it until i showed her the spare.
I rented about 2 years ago. Thing had a turning radius of the titantic and didn't ride very well. Also surprised and how poor the gas mileage was. Drove it around town for a few days and got less then 15 mpg. I thought man I will always avoid those vehicles when renting.
I've had a few:
I spent 3 weeks in Seattle one summer (I just booked consecutively rather than fly back and forth from Chicago) and convinced the Budget employee to upgrade me. I got a Mitsubishi Eclipse Convertible. I took it down to Oregon and over to the Olympic National Forest. It was great.
I recently had a 2016 Volvo V60, which was a great car.
Worst: PT Cruiser in Atlanta. I pleaded with the guy at the rental counter. No luck. I had to drive the thing to and from South Carolina and I was legit worried it wouldn't make it up some of the mountains in Eastern Georgia. Also, there are more blind spots on a PT Cruiser than a semi truck.
Bonus: Toyota Hilux near Fraser Island, Australia. 4x4's are required on the island.
Let's lead with that. So last year I was renting a car to drive to my brother's second wedding. He has always lived a bit hand-to-mouth, and the wedding was going to be a nice backyard affair to save some money.
I show up at the rental agency, and the manager walks by and asks if I'd like to upgrade from my economy class car to an ... Aston Martin. For $20 extra a day (it was one of the big name rental companies that had a luxury car rental branch, and I happened to be renting from the "got bucks" location). I said "no" because I did not want to be showboating in front of my brother on his big day.
I spent the entire five hour drive to and the five hour drive from my brother's kicking myself in the head for that decision. Aston Martin is my "if I won the lotto, what would I drive?" car. All I needed to do was explain to my brother why I was driving it - but my initial impulse missed wildly.
Did I mention I'm a fucking idiot? I did? It's true. But I've still got my $40.
/Hangs head/
You really are a fucking idiot.
That's my dream car too. I don't care who I would have offended, I would have taken that shit.
But I'm kind of an asshole.
Park it around the corner!
April 11th, 2017 at 10:18 AM ^
There are so many better answers than "no thanks" when the car rental guy offers you a smoking-hot deal involving your dream car.
People think being a fucking idiot is easy, but you really have to take it to the next level to turn down an Aston Martin rental for $20 extra a day (especially when my economy rental was not much more than $20). The manager's face was ... well, he knows a fucking idiot when he hears one.
Did I mention I still have my $40? I did? Cool - so I've got that.
/Hangs head again, adding slow sad shake/
April 11th, 2017 at 11:10 AM ^
Im the opposite kind of stupid. "would you like to upgrade from your 200 to a charger for a mere $100 a day?
Me: shut up and take my money!
April 11th, 2017 at 11:03 AM ^
You're a good brother; you would completely be big-timing his wedding. People do funny things around exotic cars
That said, out of curiousity, I looked to see how much renting an Aston would be; through Enterprise Exotics, an Aston Martin DB9 is around $900-$1500 per day, plus mileage costs. So the manager was offering you at least $1760 in discounts.
...
Just keep telling yourself you are a good brother.
April 11th, 2017 at 11:18 AM ^
People also do funny thing in exotic cars, and sometimes pay a lot more than $40 to partake in said activities.
Missed opportunity, but great sibling.
he could've let his brother drive his bride around in an Aston Martin from the church to the reception - forget the limo!
Upvoted because you are both A) a good brother and B) a wise man who did not want to hear the bullshit about big-timing at your brothers wedding for the rest of his life.
Either that or you should have rented in, parked it at the hotel and then ubered to the wedding.
Back in the late 90's my wife had a fender bender and her car had to go into the shop. So we got a rental and they give us this Pontiac Sunfire. Knowing nothing about them I was like, oh nice little sporty car! Until I drove it. Going down road at 45mph I would have to mash the accelerator and almost stand on it to get any acceleration out of it. Biggest dog of a car I've ever been in, even including the Ford Escort a buddy of mine had in college back in the 80's.
My wife's Impala was in the shop after getting hit, so I picked up a Hyundai Sonata for like $20 per day from the rental place next to the shop.
The Sonata was in the same class as the Impala, but the MSRP was quite a bit less IIRC.
I was stunned how much better the Sonata was than the Impala. Nicer interior, quiet, great handling, powerful as hell V6, and better gas mileage.
GM filed for bankruptcy not long after and I wasn't surprised at all. The Hyundai was superior in every way.
The Sonata is technically a size down from the Impala, but I don't doubt your story. I recently had a 2016 Impala and was quite impressed. The interior was busy, but nice. GM's got a few corporate 3.6Ls, and the one in this Impala would scoot.
I've been generally impressed with rental Hyundais though. I've had a Sante Fe and an Elantra, both were quite "Acceptable" in the sense that I wouldn't buy one, but wouldn't be upset to be in one again as a rental.
about the size, but the interior space was similar. I didn't use the trunk, so it could have been quite a bit smaller.
I'm almost 40, so in my mind Hyundai was still making disposable shit boxes like they did in the 90's. I was stunned how far they had come in little more than a decade.
April 11th, 2017 at 11:10 AM ^
I had a Sonata last month in Texas and really liked it. I had a new Malibu in January and the interior was waaaay too busy. The ride itself was fine but I really didn't like the interior.
Kia Optima is another rental that I always enjoy.
offering the V6 as an option when they redesigned it. The engine is what made the car great.
April 11th, 2017 at 10:07 AM ^
I remember when Kia, Hyundai, and Daewoo hit the market they were shyte. But they *really* turned it around quickly.
April 11th, 2017 at 10:28 AM ^
And their luxury cars are outstanding now. Fortunately (for me as a used car buyer), perception still hasn't caught up with reality, so they're depreciating really fast.
The Equus is around 60k new and I'm seeing low mileage examples for sale below 25k. If they hit 15 I'm buying one.
April 11th, 2017 at 12:04 PM ^
The Genesis is another really nice car from Hyundai.
Jalopnik reviewed the 2014 Equus and priced it at $68,000...the S Class at $130,000.
April 11th, 2017 at 12:46 PM ^
and I could see the evolution of their luxury cars. I swear there was a Hyundai there that looked like a '90's Town Car shrunk down.
I agree, their luxury cars are quite nice.
Rented a first generation Prius. Could not figure out how to work the controls to get it out of the rental lot. Because the dam thing did not make any noise it was hard to figure out when I got it right. I am relatively technically adept but the controls were screwy.
Rented a Jeep Wrangler 4 door on St John in the US Virgin Islands. Very curvy roads with lots of elevation change - and driving on the left side of the road. Cool ride.
I have rented a couple of the cubemobiles - Scions, Nissan Cubes and the such - that were more fun than I expected. Not sure I would want to own them but good for a rental.
Rented a convertible Mustang on Maui - extreme fun on the road to Hana.
Ah...the road to Hana. I got to drive that.... IN A DAMN MINI VAN. I'm gonna go with glass half full on that, but still.
Regardless of what you are driving, the road to Hana is one of the all-time great road... period.
Nothing beats the Going-To-The-Sun Road in Glacier National Park. The scenery will make you weep tears of joy
I spent some time in Calgary in the late summer. Drove through Banff and Jasper. It was stunningly beautiful, but I didn't shed any tears. Maybe I shoulda went south to Glacier National Park.
I was stuck with the absolutely awful Dodge Avenger in Hawai'i for a week. The absolute worst transmission I have ever had to deal with. It simply refused to shift when it should. Which should make it even more shameful for the Mazda MX-5 that I was able to pass while on a winding road.
I was so worried I was going to break it that I didn't go to the "secret" beach my friends visit every time they go. It's down a crap road on the SW side of Kuai, and I was convinced the car wouldn't make it. I had been warned that cell service was nearly non-existent there, so I didn't make the trip.
I used to rent 50-70 times a year for work. The most surprising was the Kai Soul. I really like the interior, but would never buy one because the exterior is so ugly.
If I never drive another Nissan Sentra it will not be too soon. In fact that is true for all of the Nissan branded vehicals. Oddly, I'm a big fan of Inifiti and own one now.
I always rented from the same place so they would throw me free upgrades pretty often and now I want to buy an Infiniti QX80 dispite living in the city and have no need for any of what it is capable of. I never understood the appeal of huge SUV's until I drove that.
I also got Challenger once. That was a fun day.
Back around 2000 I was going to a conference in Scottsdale. Beforehand I rented a car for a couple of days to visit a friend in Prescott. Was able to get a Honda Insight (red), back when they had just come out. That car got a lot of looks - I parked it on the street somewhere and it was fun to watch people do constant double takes and try to figure out what it was.
Even better were visits to Arcosante, Canyon de Chelly, and an evening of the conference held at Taliesin West. That was a great trip.
Rented a 2017 Cadillac CTS 3.6 for a trip with the MGoWife. The car had every available luxury option known to humanity, and had 26 miles on it when we picked it up. AWD, that car was very quick. I didn't get to max it out though, rev limited by the terror coming from the MGoWife when I started the standard procedure of seeing how fast the rental car can go.
I've rented a Mustang (Hertz, gold color of course) and a Camaro, they were garden variety fast, and slushboxes to boot. Kinda meh.
Rented a Nissan Maxima 3.0(?)... that was surprisingly fast.
Most interesting rental though was probably a trailer... rented a flat bed trailer to move an aircraft tug from Flint to Ann Arbor. I knew the tug was heavy, but had no idea HOW heavy. That thing is a beast with large portions made from solid steel. Towed it with a regular ol' GMC pickup. Felt like I was slowly torturing my poor truck to mechanical death.