Ask the Car People.SM


Rental Car Experiences?

739 messages,  Last post on May 19, 2013 at 1:13 PM

You are in the Automotive News & Views Forum.

What is this discussion about? Automotive News

Messages Page 58 of 75

#564 of 739 . by fintail

Jan 25, 2013 (2:47 pm)

I've heard National at SEA now has the LR2 - that's an odd rental. Roll the dice.

#565 of 739 . by fintail

Feb 09, 2013 (5:59 pm)

Read today that National in Hawaii is carrying the Lexus CT. Been a long time since Lexus has been in any NA fleet.

#566 of 739 C Class by sandman_6472

Feb 09, 2013 (9:21 pm)

I've seen these in the Hertz Emerald aisle, I think that's what they call it, even saw a gorgeous GLK suv...impressive in dark blue! So far the nicest I've driven is a new Passat with 2k on the clock. A larger car that I had thought, I do prefer Jetta sized vehicles, but the leather(?) was pretty nice and it had a power throne with memory. Waiting for the day that I can drive a VW across the alley to Tampa so I can see what all the fuss is about German cars and the firmness of their suspensions. After a few hours drive time, I can get a good feel for the car. Driving across I-75 there are usually stretches with little or no traffic so I can play with the speed as long as no cops are hiding out. I use the cruise once the traffic thins out so I can concentrate on the interior creature comforts. And I'm usually very happy with what I find.
 
Drove a basic rental grade Chevy Spark on Friday up to Clearwater and it got the job done rather nicely. Had cruise ans SAT radio so I was happy going in. I had tried to snag a new Malibu but being the newbie of the team, I was shown to the lowly Sparks lined up for us. Fine and once situated and fixing the mirrors and seats, I finally noticed the goodies. I prefer to have cruise so the trip can be more relaxing. These Sparks had just come off the truck and had all the plastic coverings still on the hood, roof & mirrors. The plastic was all over the seats and headrests so I just took off what was on the drivers seat so I wouldn't be sliding around. A little loud on hard acceleration but a very willing little econo mobile and perfect for the rental fleets. The dash monitor said I was getting 33.9 mpg's after driving about an hour...very impressive for a car with 6 miles on it when I drove out of the lot to go fill the tank. It had a tilt wheel and the odo moved up and down just like in a motorcycle...it did not telescope unfortunately so I just moved the seat a little closer. I arrived on the other side of Florida a couple of hours later with a smile on my face and my bad back wasn't too upset with me. It took everything O threw at it and came back for more. One drawback is the smallish fuel tank...most of us had to stop for some petrol, the 1st time in the two weeks I've been transporting rentals, certainly not the cars fault. A shame this car is not offered to the general public as it would sell pretty well I think as an entry level vehicle.
 
The Sandman

#567 of 739 Re: C Class [sandman_6472] by steve_ HOST

Feb 10, 2013 (6:59 am)

Replying to: sandman_6472 (Feb 09, 2013 9:21 pm)
You know that most cars have a little triangle or arrow near the fuel gauge to indicate which side of the car the fuel filler is, right? Might save you some time heading to fill-up, since you are driving so many different cars.
 
All the new digital displays probably have that info buried three menus deep.
 
Here's one from a 2012 New Beetle. Snopes says the hose on the gas pump handle icon doesn't necessarily indicate which side the flap is on.
 

#568 of 739 Re: C Class [sandman_6472] by js06gv

Feb 10, 2013 (11:19 am)

Replying to: sandman_6472 (Feb 09, 2013 9:21 pm)
The Spark actually is available to the public as a regular production vehicle. My cousin just bought a new Spark after Hurricane Sandy swallowed her Kia on Staten Island.

#569 of 739 Re: C Class [sandman_6472] by fintail

Feb 10, 2013 (4:09 pm)

Replying to: sandman_6472 (Feb 09, 2013 9:21 pm)
If you get a German car, filler door should be on the passenger side - has been on all of the modern German cars I have driven. Makes more sense that way too, IMO.
 
I think "Emerald Aisle" is a National thing. Speaking of agencies, I hope Sixt contracts with your employer - they have a large highline fleet, and you might get to drive something cool.
 
And yeah, Spark is available as a normal car. Old co-worker of mine bought one a few months ago. There's a new loaded one sitting on the local Chevy lot today, spotted it this morning, bizarre roof rails and all.

#570 of 739 Re: C Class [fintail] by stickguy

Feb 10, 2013 (4:19 pm)

Replying to: fintail (Feb 10, 2013 4:09 pm)
My Volvo has the filler on the right side. Once in a while I would forget it was backward from the rest of the fleet.
 
actually, everything is reversed from my Hondas. tach and speedo, steering wheel radio/cruise controls, etc.
 
and if you drive in Jersey, you really want it on the left, since you have to deal with the gas attendant, and it screws them up to have the filler on the right, so you end up with them at the passenger side window!

#571 of 739 Re: C Class [stickguy] by fintail

Feb 10, 2013 (4:25 pm)

Replying to: stickguy (Feb 10, 2013 4:19 pm)
Oh yeah, Joisey is like Oregon, people can't be trusted to pump their own gas. Still don't get that. I guess for that it makes sense.
 
When I rent, I usually remember to check for the filler hole first thing, just to save face at station.

#572 of 739 Re: C Class [steve_] by sandman_6472

Feb 11, 2013 (7:38 am)

Replying to: steve_ (Feb 10, 2013 6:59 am)
Yes Steve, I do know this. I always look to see where the the icon is pointing...our first rule when getting into a car is to check the gas gauge to see what the situation is. We have 4 vehicles in the family fleet and two of them are on the passenger side of the car and two are on the drivers side. The Honda and Hyundai are on the drivers side while the Nissan and Mazda are on the passengers. Stick, our Mazda and your Volvo are the same body just with different front and rear fascias among other things. When I was thinking of purchasing the S40 a few years back, I noticed how similar both cars were. To this day, I'm still a bit sad that I didn't do the swap and buy the Volvo but that's part of life. Now that I'm driving a nit more, I'm thankful for the better mpg's of my Civic. It's all a trade off I suppose.
 
Really had no idea that the Spark was on sale in the states through Chevy...seems very much like a shrunken Sonic. Hopefully I'll get to drive a Sonic but haven't seen too many of them in the lots we cover.
 
Fin, Sixt is a client of ours and I have noticed that they do have C Classes in their fleet so I should Be able to snag one eventually. The great thing about this job is that we never know which client is going to want us to move what where. We did a Key West run yesterday for Dollar and they needed us to do another one this morning. I did have to bow out today as scheduling became an issue for me as I still do have a life outside of work. My crew chief was cool about it but I also gave him over a weeks notice about today so he was well aware. Hopefully I'll get a call later today or in the morning about another run somewhere. I've learned to keep my cell near me at all times and tend to get up around 7:30 just in case I'm needed. I like to bring a snack and some drinks as I can't eat fast food every day.
 
The Sandman

#573 of 739 Re: C Class [sandman_6472] by steve_ HOST

Feb 11, 2013 (8:01 am)

Replying to: sandman_6472 (Feb 11, 2013 7:38 am)
We have 4 vehicles in the family fleet and two of them are on the passenger side of the car and two are on the drivers side.
 
Never fails; two cars here and the fuel doors are on different sides.

Messages Page 58 of 75

To POST a message, please Sign In.

Advertisement

Browse by Category

Browse by Vehicle
   View All Vehicles

Browse by Board
Browse by Topic
View All Topics

Edmunds Community

Advertisement