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Fritz · 08-02-2023, 01:41 PM

Rental Car Industry Is Shifting Gears

which is why Turo has become a decent, though not perfect, alternative. As my experience earlier this year showed.

a few years ago I rented a 4 seat conventional yota mid-size sedan in Ocala for my spouse to pick up and meet me in Orlando to continue south visiting fam as it was way more efficient than her Silverado.
The agency "upgraded" the car to a gas guzzling yota 4 runner.
"much more comfortable for long trips." BS!

I was pissed when she showed up at Orlando. When we got back to Ocala I let the agency have it, loud and foul, and demanded half back from them or I'd have AmEx do it (which costs them way more).

They did and that was the last time I rented from a car rental company and hopefully the very last time.
A despicable dishonest industry right down there with insurance of any kind.

May they choke on vomit .... not their own.

oopsie, should have been the regular side .. oh well.
Someone make this political.

gadje · 08-02-2023, 02:02 PM

Many companies allow you to bypass the counter and go directly to the lot and pick a car.

I do this quite often with National. All you need to do is register with them and enter the national membership number when you make the reservation. I rent about every other week.

I go and pick up a car, drive to the gate where they scan the bar code, and scan my drivers license and CC and print the papers. They ask about gas, and if I want EZ-Pass. I decline. I get the papers and drive off. It usually takes 5 min or less, or 10-15 min if there is a queue.

graylocks · 08-02-2023, 02:05 PM

Fritz wrote:

oopsie, should have been the regular side .. oh well.
Someone make this political.

Thanks, Obama!

sekker · 08-02-2023, 02:22 PM

My most recent rental was an EV - in this case, the low-end Tesla Model 3.

Was a great experience. Had a hotel with a charger in the parking lot. Drove around town all day, plugged in for overnight charging (was 7+ hours to full).

Great car, air conditioner worked well even in 105 degree heat. Fun to drive (but I'm familiar with Tesla controls etc).

And it was the CHEAPEST option.

My next rental will be a Tesla EV if possible.

I'm starting to think EV vs ICE rental decisions will become just another 'virtue signal', along the lines of when some rental car agencies would offer Prius cars as a special class.

In Europe, there is a 'green' choice - at rental agency, via Uber etc.

Fritz · 08-02-2023, 02:24 PM

cars kill more people than guns!

thanks O'Biden.

Acer · 08-02-2023, 03:04 PM

Why aren't cars regulated as heavily as guns?

graylocks · 08-02-2023, 04:05 PM

sekker wrote:
I'm starting to think EV vs ICE rental decisions will become just another 'virtue signal', along the lines of when some rental car agencies would offer Prius cars as a special class.

In Europe, there is a 'green' choice - at rental agency, via Uber etc.

N-OS X-tasy! · 08-02-2023, 04:18 PM

graylocks wrote:
In a related manner, a FB colleague performing at a music festival this past weekend was given a Kia EV as a rental. Only vehicle left. She has no previous EV experience. Told her she had to return it 80% charge and the only charger was an hour away (which I think was incorrect as it was the same airport I rented the Tesla from). We tried to help her on FB; myself and others told her about Plugshare or see if the car had a basic charger she could plug in at her destination. She was frantically reading the manual to learn about the car. What nightmare for her. I boned up on youtube before renting the Tesla. The EV learning curb is steep when you need to get somewhere quickly. Rental agencies should not do that to people.

I've heard that the software on the Hyundai/Kia EV offerings is a hot mess. Combine that with a weak charging infrastructure and that's enough reason to stay away.

Loving my Model Y so far. Today's only my second day of driving it (had to drive my old car to work yesterday for reasons), but it's awesome to know I've visited my last gas station and the car itself was delivered in perfect condition.

cbelt3 · 08-02-2023, 04:42 PM

I also use the National/Enterprise fancy pass thing... pick your own car. Thanks to my company's corporate account with them. Which also includes full insurance, which was SUPER useful when the pickup truck I rented last summer experienced an unplanned transmission failure and ran down a hill on its own and crashed.

(Never buy a car with a radio dial for a transmission shifter... )

Speedy · 08-02-2023, 05:31 PM

(Never buy a car with a radio dial for a transmission shifter... )

Truth ^

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Fritz awake for over half a century Posts: 22,508 Threads: 4,936 Joined: May 2025 Reputation: 3 #1 08-02-2023, 01:41 PM Rental Car Industry Is Shifting Gears which is why Turo has become a decent, though not perfect, alternative. As my experience earlier this year showed. a few years ago I rented a 4 seat conventional yota mid-size sedan in Ocala for my spouse to pick up and meet me in Orlando to continue south visiting fam as it was way more efficient than her Silverado. The agency "upgraded" the car to a gas guzzling yota 4 runner. "much more comfortable for long trips." BS! I was pissed when she showed up at Orlando. When we got back to Ocala I let the agency have it, loud and foul, and demanded half back from them or I'd have AmEx do it (which costs them way more). They did and that was the last time I rented from a car rental company and hopefully the very last time. A despicable dishonest industry right down there with insurance of any kind. May they choke on vomit .... not their own. oopsie, should have been the regular side .. oh well. Someone make this political. “Art is how we decorate space. Music is how we decorate time.” Jean-Michel Basquiat Find Reply gadje Posting Freak Posts: 6,264 Threads: 1,030 Joined: Mar 2024 Reputation: 0 #2 08-02-2023, 02:02 PM Many companies allow you to bypass the counter and go directly to the lot and pick a car. I do this quite often with National. All you need to do is register with them and enter the national membership number when you make the reservation. I rent about every other week. I go and pick up a car, drive to the gate where they scan the bar code, and scan my drivers license and CC and print the papers. They ask about gas, and if I want EZ-Pass. I decline. I get the papers and drive off. It usually takes 5 min or less, or 10-15 min if there is a queue. Find Reply graylocks Posting Freak Posts: 16,917 Threads: 1,500 Joined: May 2025 Reputation: 0 #3 08-02-2023, 02:05 PM Fritz wrote: oopsie, should have been the regular side .. oh well. Someone make this political. Thanks, Obama! Find Reply sekker Posting Freak Posts: 33,855 Threads: 2,463 Joined: Apr 2025 Reputation: 0 #4 08-02-2023, 02:22 PM My most recent rental was an EV - in this case, the low-end Tesla Model 3. Was a great experience. Had a hotel with a charger in the parking lot. Drove around town all day, plugged in for overnight charging (was 7+ hours to full). Great car, air conditioner worked well even in 105 degree heat. Fun to drive (but I'm familiar with Tesla controls etc). And it was the CHEAPEST option. My next rental will be a Tesla EV if possible. I'm starting to think EV vs ICE rental decisions will become just another 'virtue signal', along the lines of when some rental car agencies would offer Prius cars as a special class. In Europe, there is a 'green' choice - at rental agency, via Uber etc.	Find Reply Fritz awake for over half a century Posts: 22,508 Threads: 4,936 Joined: May 2025 Reputation: 3 #5 08-02-2023, 02:24 PM cars kill more people than guns! thanks O'Biden. “Art is how we decorate space. Music is how we decorate time.” Jean-Michel Basquiat Find Reply Acer Freaking Poster Posts: 23,027 Threads: 577 Joined: May 2025 Reputation: 2 #6 08-02-2023, 03:04 PM Why aren't cars regulated as heavily as guns? Find Reply graylocks Posting Freak Posts: 16,917 Threads: 1,500 Joined: May 2025 Reputation: 0 #7 08-02-2023, 04:05 PM sekker wrote: I'm starting to think EV vs ICE rental decisions will become just another 'virtue signal', along the lines of when some rental car agencies would offer Prius cars as a special class. In Europe, there is a 'green' choice - at rental agency, via Uber etc.	i rented a Model 3 through Turo in June. As a Volt owner who has always idealized Tesla I was not as blown away as i thought I would be. I was in the northeast so chargers were not hard to find. Still, the features I did like about the Tesla can pretty much be found on most modern cars. When I am ready for a full EV it probably won't be a Tesla. Given how I travel full EV is not going to be an option anytime in the forseeable future. In a related manner, a FB colleague performing at a music festival this past weekend was given a Kia EV as a rental. Only vehicle left. She has no previous EV experience. Told her she had to return it 80% charge and the only charger was an hour away (which I think was incorrect as it was the same airport I rented the Tesla from). We tried to help her on FB; myself and others told her about Plugshare or see if the car had a basic charger she could plug in at her destination. She was frantically reading the manual to learn about the car. What nightmare for her. I boned up on youtube before renting the Tesla. The EV learning curb is steep when you need to get somewhere quickly. Rental agencies should not do that to people. Find Reply N-OS X-tasy! Unregistered Posts: 28,821 Threads: 209 Joined: May 2025 #8 08-02-2023, 04:18 PM graylocks wrote: In a related manner, a FB colleague performing at a music festival this past weekend was given a Kia EV as a rental. Only vehicle left. She has no previous EV experience. Told her she had to return it 80% charge and the only charger was an hour away (which I think was incorrect as it was the same airport I rented the Tesla from). We tried to help her on FB; myself and others told her about Plugshare or see if the car had a basic charger she could plug in at her destination. She was frantically reading the manual to learn about the car. What nightmare for her. I boned up on youtube before renting the Tesla. The EV learning curb is steep when you need to get somewhere quickly. Rental agencies should not do that to people. I've heard that the software on the Hyundai/Kia EV offerings is a hot mess. Combine that with a weak charging infrastructure and that's enough reason to stay away. Loving my Model Y so far. Today's only my second day of driving it (had to drive my old car to work yesterday for reasons), but it's awesome to know I've visited my last gas station and the car itself was delivered in perfect condition. Find Reply cbelt3 Posting Freak Posts: 57,782 Threads: 5,856 Joined: May 2025 Reputation: 2 #9 08-02-2023, 04:42 PM I also use the National/Enterprise fancy pass thing... pick your own car. Thanks to my company's corporate account with them. Which also includes full insurance, which was SUPER useful when the pickup truck I rented last summer experienced an unplanned transmission failure and ran down a hill on its own and crashed. (Never buy a car with a radio dial for a transmission shifter... ) Find Reply Speedy Posting Freak Posts: 54,614 Threads: 1,938 Joined: May 2025 Reputation: 2 #10 08-02-2023, 05:31 PM (Never buy a car with a radio dial for a transmission shifter... ) Truth ^ Find Reply
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