With my work I stay in a Rental Car. We use Enterprise Rentals and Leases instead of having our own fleet. It costs more, but we are not stuck with repairs or vehicles. If something happens, they go get us another one.
@thismyusername I love it when they say “no problem, just pick anything in isle D. Isle D turns out to have a solitary vehicle. Usually a puke colored Yugo with a wobbly rear tire.
If there’s a need, a minivan. If it’s for a road trip, whichever is the best balance of comfort and price. Usually that means spending a few bucks more for at least a “standard” size versus a compact.
If we are close to looking at a new car, we use a rental as a fortuitous test drive opp. Otherwise, usually an intermediate 4 door sedan (though whats called intermediate today is smaller than the subcompacts of my youth). Corolla or larger. Nothing smaller. I’m tall. No sunroof; I’m tall.
@duodec If possible, that’s what I like to do too. A previous rental was fortunately used to test out a Subaru Legacy. Didn’t get that model, but we did get a Forester.
The wife & I took a trip recently, 9+ hour drive each way so we rented a mid-sized SUV though Costco, like a Highlander type thing. Got to the rental counter late the night before our trip, and somehow they’d lost our reservation. The counter guy said “No problem” and matched the price, everything and just told us to pick whatever was available when we got to the lot. Cool.
The first vehicle the attendant pointed to was an Infiniti QX60. “That work?” they asked. I think I ran over her foot getting out of the gate! Not a bad deal for a whole weekend and made a boring ass drive a LOT more tolerable.
@MrHappypants I’m here to second this. Car rentals alone can pay for your Costco membership. Last New Year’s weekend I went to D.C. with a friend and was able to rent a midsize for about $60 total for 4 days. He thought I was saying $60/day and still thought it was a good deal. When he realized just how cheap it really was, he suggested we upgrade, and we switched to a Camaro for just $50 more.
@MrHappypants Our solar car team had reservations for a couple of minivans and a sedan, and when we got to the rental office, they had rented them out. They still had our reservations. I’m not sure they understood what a reservation is. They had to let us go with three SUVs, an upgrade from what we reserved. Our team captain talked them down on the price, so it was actually cheaper than the initial reservation. We hadn’t budgeted for the fuel consumption of an SUV, so it all worked out about even.
It’s usually only a couple bucks to upgrade a size or two from the microcar, so in the big picture it’s basically the same price for a more comfortable car.
Here in Seattle, I rent cars for 10-20 minutes at a time, from Car2Go (wretched smartcars or nice Mercedes) or ReachNow (nice BMWs or Mini Coopers). When I’m renting an actual car while on a trip, I just aim for a Meh-like experience.
@RiotDemon We’ve rented a couple of times when the Jeep needed service we couldn’t afford and we had a family trip to make, and then a couple of times when getting service done (no loaner from an independent shop). That does not count two cargo van rentals for larger scale stuff relocation.
Pfff, everyone knows you don’t rent a car for the heist, you steal it. And you don’t stash it afterwards, you burn it, along with the bodies of your crew. You’re makin’ me nervous, like you haven’t even done this more than a couple of times before. Still, experience is experience. Hey, how’d you like to be on my next crew, so I can show you how it’s done?
@mfladd That is my answer as well. They usually do not bat an eye if the total amount is under $200, so sometimes it is economy and sometimes it is standard.
@ConAndLibrarian One of my last times of needing a car due to repairs, they had no cars except a brand new Mustang. My kids loved the fact their legs were against the back seat. I was rocking my 23 y.o. girl-self.
@mfladd I took the gf to Florida a few years ago and she really wanted to rent a convertible. It was one of those ‘pick from row x’ options. They were all Mustangs so I walked down the line looking for the best option until I miraculously found one that still had the plastic wrap covering much of the interior. It had 8 miles on it. We broke it in driving cross state from Miami to Naples. So much for keeping a new car below a certain speed when new. Sorry not sorry Dollar!
@ruouttaurmind Me either. I did behave but there was no way I was driving a highway across the state keeping a Mustang under 60 mph the whole way. Otherwise, I do have a lot of consideration for my rentals.
Ooh, I found a picture. Front of it looks covered with giant Florida bugs!
A few years back, I did a project in LA for which I commuted from NY every single week - for 64 weeks. I wanted to see my kids, and the air miles were amazing, but anyway…
I drive a fairly nice sports car at home, and my project manager, (to mess with me) usually rented me an all-white convertible Mustang. It looked like a marshmallow.
I remember pulling up to a car full of attractive young women at a light on Wilshire in Santa Monica, and thinking I was in my M6, I looked at them all sly and shit, even though I’m double their age.
@cpierce I did! I did a project in San Fran, and at the end I was asked for my car rental receipts. I hadn’t rented a car, I used taxis and got rides with people. My project manager told me to go spend $300 and rent a car so his numbers lined up.
I went to one of those “rent an exotic” and could afford a Porsche Boxster S. I got it at 6AM and drove north to Big Sur, turned around and drove back. Amazing day, I remember stopping on 17-Mile-Drive, calling my wife and saying “how do we get to live HERE?”
My company sets us up with a “preferred” account that lets us upgrade for free at any time. I don’t get super fancy cars but I do use it to drive a variety just to see what different cars are like…and to stay away from Hyundais and KIAs (Killed in action).
When I was on vacation in Florida I drove probably 8 different cars. The one I liked best was a Corolla. It wasn’t really an upgrade but I chose it to compare to my '97 beater back home. It was surprisingly quick and fun and effortless to drive. That’s nice when you are driving in an unfamiliar place.
I go for a sensible midsize, but then see what I can upgrade to at the lot. The last two times I’ve upgraded to a Chevrolet Camaro and a Dodge Challenger. The Camaro was fun, but I really want to buy a Challenger now. Even in stripped rental car trim, that was a great car to drive and ride in. I mean, I’d want the blind spot system (it has massive blind spots) but I could otherwise be happy with that car as-is.
@adr5 While adjusting mirrors is helpful, some cars also have blind spots that mirrors can’t get around. Several years ago, we got a Dodge Caliber as a rental (just what they gave us) and it had massive blind spots from the frame of the car that some kind of blind spot warning would have helped a ton with.
@thejackalope if you still have blind spots it means you don’t know how to adjust your mirrors. unfortunately most people are not taught how to properly adjust their mirrors. The right side mirror being convex should be adjusted so that you can see the side of the car. The left side mirror is flat and should be adjusted differently. You should NOT be able to see the side of your car. If you see the side of your car, you will not see cars as they are in the midst of passing of you. You need to adjust your mirror further out. It should be adjusted out so that you can see a car just before they enter your peripheral vision. It takes a little longer to adjust your mirror the first time, but once you know how to do it it is very easy to do. Try it and save yourself $1000 by not having to buy some complicated device that doesn’t do anything you can’t do yourself.
@adr5 Yes. I know this. I tried to describe this above, but you’re not understanding what I’m saying. You are talking specifically about the usual blind spot area alongside the sides of the car.
What I’m describing, and what happens in some poorly designed cars, is that there are either additional areas of blind spot created, or the normal blind spot areas are extended, in such a way that you still have significant blind areas unless you have giant or multiple mirrors on a side. This is the case I’m talking about regarding technology being helpful.
Heck, some manufacturers might even design their cars poorly just to be able to sell more of their warning systems…
@thejackalope Ignore him/her. Many cars have blind spots where adjusting the mirrors in a million different directions won’t help. There’s a reason when you learn to drive you’re told to actually turn your head and double check. I tend to have above average awareness of the cars around me, constantly checking the mirrors in case of the need for a sudden emergency maneuver. While my vehicle does have pretty good visibility, the blind spot monitors have tipped me off more than once to a car that seemed to magically appear.
@thejackalope please give me an example of such a car. I’ve driven many and I have not encountered one where a properly adjusted mirror does not give you all the information you need before making a lane change. Maybe I am missing something.
@cinoclav the same people who tell you to turn your head, which is not a bad idea, before you move over are the same ones who teach you the wrong way to adjust your mirrors.
@adr5 Here, directly from Consumer Reports. There’s a reason they sell those small convex stick on mirrors to add to your side views. (And some manufacturers actually include them on their mirrors.) Because some cars really do have blind spots. I’m well aware of the proper positioning of mirrors but it’s simply not true that it works for every single vehicle on the road. Mine are positioned properly (I drive a CX-5) and like I said, I’ve had moments where a car is lost in a blind spot.
Cars with Worst Visibility
Nissan Z: Visibility takes a back seat due to thick pillars.
Porsche Boxster: With the top up, it is hard to see rearward.
Honda CR-Z: Poor rear visibility is made worse by a horizontally split window.
Buick Encore: Thick pillars and pinched rear glass limit the view.
Infiniti QX70: Wide roof pillars, short windows, and a long, high, bulging hood interfere.
Toyota Tundra: Wide roof pillars and huge rear head restraints obstruct the view to the rear and sides.
Nissan Pathfinder: The small back window inhibits the view straight back.
Smart ForTwo: Thick roof pillars create some big blind spots to the rear.
Jeep Wrangler: A high dashboard and long hood interfere with visibility to the front, while thick pillars, the outside spare tire, and windshield wiper motor housing all interfere with the view to the rear.
@cinoclav someone should tell consumer reports that every single right hand mirror on cars today are convex. You don’t get a choice. Anything that could trigger a blind spot system on the right side will be seen in that mirror first. For that reason blind spot systems are not needed on the right side of your car. That is simple and obvious.
On the left side it’s trickier because it depends on you adjusting your left hand mirror correctly. As I said before, almost all advice on how to do it is WRONG. You need to adjust it so that you will see the car when it is out of view of your rear view mirror but not quite in your peripheral vision. Once you do that, the blind spot system is unnecessary because you will see the car at the same time as the blind spot system.
Basically the car companies are counting on you not adjusting your mirrors properly so that they can sell you a very expensive system.
@adr5 Blind spot monitoring has become standard in many cars and their usage will continue to increase. Don’t assume every manufacturer is selling you a “very expensive system.” Consumer Reports never said those mirrors aren’t convex. FYI, what I was referring to was the smaller convex mirrors you can either purchase or that come preinstalled. Like the ones below or the second image of a Mustang mirror where it’s built in. But you know, since you’ve obviously spent a career engineering and studying side view mirrors and their related blind spots and therefore must be 100% correct, I’m just going to end this right here. Have a lovely day.
I take what the company pays for, so basically something with an alignment problem and one or two missing hub-caps or mismatched rims. I’d like to drive a manual transmission or a non-annoying automatic (like the CVT-transmission Chevy Volt I drive daily).
More importantly - how many take the rental co’s insurance? Whenever I DON’T do it they give me a big harangue on how they’re going to go after my deductible if there’s a single ding.
Because lessons were learned driving west from the Denver airport in what was basically a golf cart…flooring the gas up the mountains and only going 55.
I usually try to rent the second category up. That’s normally the most popular cars. Chances of them not having “my” car are pretty good, and then I get an upgrade. On a recent trip to Seattle, I was supposed to have an uber-modest Chevy Cruze but I ended up with a super decked out Volvo S60!! SCORE!!
We always rent a nice comfortable larger car or SUV with all options. When we rent a car, we probably flew somewhere on vacation. On Maui, we rented a Jeep Wrangler. That was a blast!
As others have mentioned, I also tend to go through costcotravel.com. I typically rent what I need, be it a large SUV on a ski trip with the guys or a intermediate car so I’m not crammed into something tiny when tooling around a vacation city with the gf. Oddly enough, I was booking for a vacation coming up in a few weeks and everything from their economy up to the full size, along with the intermediate SUV were all the exact same price. As I drive an SUV normally, I went with that one. An additional perk of Costco I haven’t seen mentioned is they allow you a free second driver on the contract.
Wow I wish I had seen that silver car rental thing before I had made some travel plans this winter. Chose between two destinations on the easier to get to one because couldn’t be sure we’d get a good AWD car, but if I had known about that would have gone with the more fun
(and cheaper) location. Oh well
The vast majority of my rentals are done through work. They pay for an intermediate, but I always get it upgraded to at least a full by simply being pleasant and asking the attendant.
Earlier this summer, I talked myself up to a Sorento, and that was nice for a week-long trip, especially having the V6. I refuse to purchase a vehicle with less than 250hp, and it was nice to have a rental with a little pep.
If I’m paying, I’ll usually do the cheapest or intermediate and ask for a one- or two-level upgrade at the counter. When my brother and I visited the northeast last spring, we got the cheapest, but chatted with the counter people for 15+ minutes and ended up in a well-appointed Santa Fe. He’s cheaper than me (and used to work at Enterprise), so he claimed there was some shuddering at interstate speeds and got like 20% off anyway.
BTW, I was assigned one of these the last time I went back to visit Mom. Absolutely WORST car I was ever forced to drive. Underpowered, very uncomfortable and cramped interior design, horrible suspension, barely got 20mpg on the highway. I’m a huge Chevy fan, but I am embarrassed that my favourite brand produced that abortion called the Chevy Cruze.
my last rental car was a POS rental in Trinidad. It was PERFECT since the roads sucked, having been largely washed out by rain so it didn’t matter that I was grinding up a 20 degree incline at the top of a mountain ridge…Plus I got to drive on the ‘wrong’ side of the road!!
I drive a Honda Civic, so I prefer compact or at the most standard. It’s hard enough for me to adjust to the automatic transmission as I’ve driven manual all my life. If we have enough people going on the trip that we need a larger vehicle, I arrange for someone else to do the driving.
I usually pick the one that’s most efficient.
With my work I stay in a Rental Car. We use Enterprise Rentals and Leases instead of having our own fleet. It costs more, but we are not stuck with repairs or vehicles. If something happens, they go get us another one.
Whatever the insurance agency, or company are paying for.
@regnowsin The last car my insurance provided was a Pontiac Sunfire.
That name has more letters than POS, but the same meaning.
Went with the closest one to “never rented one”
Geo Metro. Or Buick Roadmaster. Depends which is available.
The one they stick me with when my ‘reserved’ car is missing.
@thismyusername I love it when they say “no problem, just pick anything in isle D. Isle D turns out to have a solitary vehicle. Usually a puke colored Yugo with a wobbly rear tire.
@thismyusername
Portland Enterprise recently:
“We don’t have your Versa, please choose from an F150 or giant minivan for today and you can swap it out tomorrow.”
Next day by phone:
“We’re waiting for some returns. Come back in an hour.”
45 minutes later:
“We still don’t have any small cars.”
I’ll wait.
“All of the ones that are coming back have already been reserved out.”
By people whose reservations came after mine.
“Right, but you already have a car.”
A gas-guzzling land yacht, and I reserved a small car before these supposed people who aren’t even here yet.
“Too bad, so sad.”
If there’s a need, a minivan. If it’s for a road trip, whichever is the best balance of comfort and price. Usually that means spending a few bucks more for at least a “standard” size versus a compact.
If we are close to looking at a new car, we use a rental as a fortuitous test drive opp. Otherwise, usually an intermediate 4 door sedan (though whats called intermediate today is smaller than the subcompacts of my youth). Corolla or larger. Nothing smaller. I’m tall. No sunroof; I’m tall.
@duodec Yep. I do that too. It’s a great way to find out bad things before making a purchase.
@duodec What’s that? You’re tall? I don’t think that you said you’re tall enough times.
@duodec If possible, that’s what I like to do too. A previous rental was fortunately used to test out a Subaru Legacy. Didn’t get that model, but we did get a Forester.
@Coldrice Well I did think I said it enough times; the second added emphasis but a third would have been right out. Small cars are not for me.
The wife & I took a trip recently, 9+ hour drive each way so we rented a mid-sized SUV though Costco, like a Highlander type thing. Got to the rental counter late the night before our trip, and somehow they’d lost our reservation. The counter guy said “No problem” and matched the price, everything and just told us to pick whatever was available when we got to the lot. Cool.
The first vehicle the attendant pointed to was an Infiniti QX60. “That work?” they asked. I think I ran over her foot getting out of the gate! Not a bad deal for a whole weekend and made a boring ass drive a LOT more tolerable.
@MrHappypants I’m here to second this. Car rentals alone can pay for your Costco membership. Last New Year’s weekend I went to D.C. with a friend and was able to rent a midsize for about $60 total for 4 days. He thought I was saying $60/day and still thought it was a good deal. When he realized just how cheap it really was, he suggested we upgrade, and we switched to a Camaro for just $50 more.
@MrHappypants wait, you can rent cars through Costco??
@MrHappypants Our solar car team had reservations for a couple of minivans and a sedan, and when we got to the rental office, they had rented them out. They still had our reservations. I’m not sure they understood what a reservation is. They had to let us go with three SUVs, an upgrade from what we reserved. Our team captain talked them down on the price, so it was actually cheaper than the initial reservation. We hadn’t budgeted for the fuel consumption of an SUV, so it all worked out about even.
@PocketBrain Isn’t there something a bit…hypocritcal about a solar car team renting SUVs?
@alphapeaches costcotravel.com
It’s usually only a couple bucks to upgrade a size or two from the microcar, so in the big picture it’s basically the same price for a more comfortable car.
Here in Seattle, I rent cars for 10-20 minutes at a time, from Car2Go (wretched smartcars or nice Mercedes) or ReachNow (nice BMWs or Mini Coopers). When I’m renting an actual car while on a trip, I just aim for a Meh-like experience.
@UncleVinny A 10-minute rental? Here in NYC we call that “taking a cab.”
Never rented a car.
@RiotDemon it’s your own fault, you know
@UncleVinny yep. Just never had the need. Either I take my car on vacation, or I go somewhere that I don’t need a car.
@RiotDemon We’ve rented a couple of times when the Jeep needed service we couldn’t afford and we had a family trip to make, and then a couple of times when getting service done (no loaner from an independent shop). That does not count two cargo van rentals for larger scale stuff relocation.
Pfff, everyone knows you don’t rent a car for the heist, you steal it. And you don’t stash it afterwards, you burn it, along with the bodies of your crew. You’re makin’ me nervous, like you haven’t even done this more than a couple of times before. Still, experience is experience. Hey, how’d you like to be on my next crew, so I can show you how it’s done?
@nogoodwithnames I think we’re pretty sure what happened to your last crew, though…
The best my company will pay for.
@mfladd
@mfladd That is my answer as well. They usually do not bat an eye if the total amount is under $200, so sometimes it is economy and sometimes it is standard.
@ConAndLibrarian One of my last times of needing a car due to repairs, they had no cars except a brand new Mustang. My kids loved the fact their legs were against the back seat. I was rocking my 23 y.o. girl-self.
@mfladd I took the gf to Florida a few years ago and she really wanted to rent a convertible. It was one of those ‘pick from row x’ options. They were all Mustangs so I walked down the line looking for the best option until I miraculously found one that still had the plastic wrap covering much of the interior. It had 8 miles on it. We broke it in driving cross state from Miami to Naples. So much for keeping a new car below a certain speed when new. Sorry not sorry Dollar!
@cinoclav Aaaannnnddd… this is exactly why I won’t buy a former rental car.
@ruouttaurmind Me either. I did behave but there was no way I was driving a highway across the state keeping a Mustang under 60 mph the whole way. Otherwise, I do have a lot of consideration for my rentals.
Ooh, I found a picture. Front of it looks covered with giant Florida bugs!
A few years back, I did a project in LA for which I commuted from NY every single week - for 64 weeks. I wanted to see my kids, and the air miles were amazing, but anyway…
I drive a fairly nice sports car at home, and my project manager, (to mess with me) usually rented me an all-white convertible Mustang. It looked like a marshmallow.
I remember pulling up to a car full of attractive young women at a light on Wilshire in Santa Monica, and thinking I was in my M6, I looked at them all sly and shit, even though I’m double their age.
Suddenly I remembered what I was driving.
Their laughter still haunts my dreams.
I rented a hybrid, I’d never driven one before (it was almost 10 years ago)
I’ve never rented a car, but I’d probably go for “Audi A4 or similar” and be happy when they gave me a Chrysler 200.
But someday I want to rent something completely bonkers, like a Ferrari. Just for fun.
@cpierce I did! I did a project in San Fran, and at the end I was asked for my car rental receipts. I hadn’t rented a car, I used taxis and got rides with people. My project manager told me to go spend $300 and rent a car so his numbers lined up.
I went to one of those “rent an exotic” and could afford a Porsche Boxster S. I got it at 6AM and drove north to Big Sur, turned around and drove back. Amazing day, I remember stopping on 17-Mile-Drive, calling my wife and saying “how do we get to live HERE?”
Not quite a Ferrari rental but a load of fun.
My company sets us up with a “preferred” account that lets us upgrade for free at any time. I don’t get super fancy cars but I do use it to drive a variety just to see what different cars are like…and to stay away from Hyundais and KIAs (Killed in action).
When I was on vacation in Florida I drove probably 8 different cars. The one I liked best was a Corolla. It wasn’t really an upgrade but I chose it to compare to my '97 beater back home. It was surprisingly quick and fun and effortless to drive. That’s nice when you are driving in an unfamiliar place.
I go for a sensible midsize, but then see what I can upgrade to at the lot. The last two times I’ve upgraded to a Chevrolet Camaro and a Dodge Challenger. The Camaro was fun, but I really want to buy a Challenger now. Even in stripped rental car trim, that was a great car to drive and ride in. I mean, I’d want the blind spot system (it has massive blind spots) but I could otherwise be happy with that car as-is.
@jqubed learn to adjust your mirrors properly and there is no blind spot. BLind spot systems are just a huge profit for dealers and auto makers.
@adr5 While adjusting mirrors is helpful, some cars also have blind spots that mirrors can’t get around. Several years ago, we got a Dodge Caliber as a rental (just what they gave us) and it had massive blind spots from the frame of the car that some kind of blind spot warning would have helped a ton with.
@thejackalope if you still have blind spots it means you don’t know how to adjust your mirrors. unfortunately most people are not taught how to properly adjust their mirrors. The right side mirror being convex should be adjusted so that you can see the side of the car. The left side mirror is flat and should be adjusted differently. You should NOT be able to see the side of your car. If you see the side of your car, you will not see cars as they are in the midst of passing of you. You need to adjust your mirror further out. It should be adjusted out so that you can see a car just before they enter your peripheral vision. It takes a little longer to adjust your mirror the first time, but once you know how to do it it is very easy to do. Try it and save yourself $1000 by not having to buy some complicated device that doesn’t do anything you can’t do yourself.
@adr5 Yes. I know this. I tried to describe this above, but you’re not understanding what I’m saying. You are talking specifically about the usual blind spot area alongside the sides of the car.
What I’m describing, and what happens in some poorly designed cars, is that there are either additional areas of blind spot created, or the normal blind spot areas are extended, in such a way that you still have significant blind areas unless you have giant or multiple mirrors on a side. This is the case I’m talking about regarding technology being helpful.
Heck, some manufacturers might even design their cars poorly just to be able to sell more of their warning systems…
@thejackalope Ignore him/her. Many cars have blind spots where adjusting the mirrors in a million different directions won’t help. There’s a reason when you learn to drive you’re told to actually turn your head and double check. I tend to have above average awareness of the cars around me, constantly checking the mirrors in case of the need for a sudden emergency maneuver. While my vehicle does have pretty good visibility, the blind spot monitors have tipped me off more than once to a car that seemed to magically appear.
@thejackalope please give me an example of such a car. I’ve driven many and I have not encountered one where a properly adjusted mirror does not give you all the information you need before making a lane change. Maybe I am missing something.
@cinoclav the same people who tell you to turn your head, which is not a bad idea, before you move over are the same ones who teach you the wrong way to adjust your mirrors.
@adr5 Here, directly from Consumer Reports. There’s a reason they sell those small convex stick on mirrors to add to your side views. (And some manufacturers actually include them on their mirrors.) Because some cars really do have blind spots. I’m well aware of the proper positioning of mirrors but it’s simply not true that it works for every single vehicle on the road. Mine are positioned properly (I drive a CX-5) and like I said, I’ve had moments where a car is lost in a blind spot.
Cars with Worst Visibility
Nissan Z: Visibility takes a back seat due to thick pillars.
Porsche Boxster: With the top up, it is hard to see rearward.
Honda CR-Z: Poor rear visibility is made worse by a horizontally split window.
Buick Encore: Thick pillars and pinched rear glass limit the view.
Infiniti QX70: Wide roof pillars, short windows, and a long, high, bulging hood interfere.
Toyota Tundra: Wide roof pillars and huge rear head restraints obstruct the view to the rear and sides.
Nissan Pathfinder: The small back window inhibits the view straight back.
Smart ForTwo: Thick roof pillars create some big blind spots to the rear.
Jeep Wrangler: A high dashboard and long hood interfere with visibility to the front, while thick pillars, the outside spare tire, and windshield wiper motor housing all interfere with the view to the rear.
@cinoclav someone should tell consumer reports that every single right hand mirror on cars today are convex. You don’t get a choice. Anything that could trigger a blind spot system on the right side will be seen in that mirror first. For that reason blind spot systems are not needed on the right side of your car. That is simple and obvious.
On the left side it’s trickier because it depends on you adjusting your left hand mirror correctly. As I said before, almost all advice on how to do it is WRONG. You need to adjust it so that you will see the car when it is out of view of your rear view mirror but not quite in your peripheral vision. Once you do that, the blind spot system is unnecessary because you will see the car at the same time as the blind spot system.
Basically the car companies are counting on you not adjusting your mirrors properly so that they can sell you a very expensive system.
@adr5 Blind spot monitoring has become standard in many cars and their usage will continue to increase. Don’t assume every manufacturer is selling you a “very expensive system.” Consumer Reports never said those mirrors aren’t convex. FYI, what I was referring to was the smaller convex mirrors you can either purchase or that come preinstalled. Like the ones below or the second image of a Mustang mirror where it’s built in. But you know, since you’ve obviously spent a career engineering and studying side view mirrors and their related blind spots and therefore must be 100% correct, I’m just going to end this right here. Have a lovely day.
@cinoclav funny but that picture you included is a great example of an improperly adjusted mirror.
Look at costco travel, reserve car from mid size to standard suv. Really depends on the price.
For personal use compact, but will listen to upgrade offers ($8 s day to go from a beetle to a mustang to drive 1,000 around FL? Sure.)
Company I work for requires midsize or equivalent.
I take what the company pays for, so basically something with an alignment problem and one or two missing hub-caps or mismatched rims. I’d like to drive a manual transmission or a non-annoying automatic (like the CVT-transmission Chevy Volt I drive daily).
More importantly - how many take the rental co’s insurance? Whenever I DON’T do it they give me a big harangue on how they’re going to go after my deductible if there’s a single ding.
@aetris That’s your cue to shop around.
@aetris I always use my ipod to take pictures all the way around the car before I drive away. I’ve heard so many horror stories…
@cf1 - I actually do that both when picking up AND when dropping off!
@aetris That is a really good idea. I guess I’m always just in a hurry and want to get out of there…
@cf1 - I set the camera to video and walk around the car slowly - in front of the rental guy. No problems so far!
“The next one up from the cheapest one”
Because lessons were learned driving west from the Denver airport in what was basically a golf cart…flooring the gas up the mountains and only going 55.
I always ask for the most fuel efficient one and they always look at me like I just grew a second head and then give me a gas guzzler anyway.
I usually try to rent the second category up. That’s normally the most popular cars. Chances of them not having “my” car are pretty good, and then I get an upgrade. On a recent trip to Seattle, I was supposed to have an uber-modest Chevy Cruze but I ended up with a super decked out Volvo S60!! SCORE!!
We always rent a nice comfortable larger car or SUV with all options. When we rent a car, we probably flew somewhere on vacation. On Maui, we rented a Jeep Wrangler. That was a blast!
As others have mentioned, I also tend to go through costcotravel.com. I typically rent what I need, be it a large SUV on a ski trip with the guys or a intermediate car so I’m not crammed into something tiny when tooling around a vacation city with the gf. Oddly enough, I was booking for a vacation coming up in a few weeks and everything from their economy up to the full size, along with the intermediate SUV were all the exact same price. As I drive an SUV normally, I went with that one. An additional perk of Costco I haven’t seen mentioned is they allow you a free second driver on the contract.
Nicest car on the Emerald Aisle. Preferably with a USB port. Often seems to be a Jeep Compass (with no compass).
Wow I wish I had seen that silver car rental thing before I had made some travel plans this winter. Chose between two destinations on the easier to get to one because couldn’t be sure we’d get a good AWD car, but if I had known about that would have gone with the more fun
(and cheaper) location. Oh well
The vast majority of my rentals are done through work. They pay for an intermediate, but I always get it upgraded to at least a full by simply being pleasant and asking the attendant.
Earlier this summer, I talked myself up to a Sorento, and that was nice for a week-long trip, especially having the V6. I refuse to purchase a vehicle with less than 250hp, and it was nice to have a rental with a little pep.
If I’m paying, I’ll usually do the cheapest or intermediate and ask for a one- or two-level upgrade at the counter. When my brother and I visited the northeast last spring, we got the cheapest, but chatted with the counter people for 15+ minutes and ended up in a well-appointed Santa Fe. He’s cheaper than me (and used to work at Enterprise), so he claimed there was some shuddering at interstate speeds and got like 20% off anyway.
The one that isn’t a KIA. I don’t think they use suspension in their vehicles.
BTW, I was assigned one of these the last time I went back to visit Mom. Absolutely WORST car I was ever forced to drive. Underpowered, very uncomfortable and cramped interior design, horrible suspension, barely got 20mpg on the highway. I’m a huge Chevy fan, but I am embarrassed that my favourite brand produced that abortion called the Chevy Cruze.
my last rental car was a POS rental in Trinidad. It was PERFECT since the roads sucked, having been largely washed out by rain so it didn’t matter that I was grinding up a 20 degree incline at the top of a mountain ridge…Plus I got to drive on the ‘wrong’ side of the road!!
This is the last POS I got i was so pissed! 1.2L Spark
@ragingredd That’s a reminder to all. Never, ever go with the lowest end option.
I drive a Honda Civic, so I prefer compact or at the most standard. It’s hard enough for me to adjust to the automatic transmission as I’ve driven manual all my life. If we have enough people going on the trip that we need a larger vehicle, I arrange for someone else to do the driving.
The biggest one the boss will pay for.