I end up traveling a few times a quarter, and a lot of the time I don't have enough time to drive, so I have to fly and rent. I always try to rent something that either interests me, or failing that, at least something I haven't driven before. I give the Hertz agents fits because they just aren't used to the type of renter who cares about what car he is getting instead of the size class. They just look at you weird when you choose a Spark over their beloved, ubiquitous Altima.
The latest for me was a few weeks ago -- a 2012 Elantra out of SNA. I was pleasantly surprised at how good it was. The Elantra had a decent interior, nice stereo w/Sirius, and the auto actually downshifted for me when I slowed in bends. That was neat. Fuel economy was great @ 34 mpg average over 2 tanks, and it even had a decent place for my scanner. :thumbup:
Other notable rentals of the last few years:
- 2006 Caliber: Horrible dynamics, horrible transmission, horrible fuel economy. The complete package.
- 2007 MX-5: Even as an automatic, it made me decide to buy one.
- 2007 350Z Vert: Disappointing, even taking into account the rental and auto status. I thought it would be more fun to drive, but it was kind of a pig.
- 2008 M45: Neat HIDs, everything else was meh at best.
- 2008 Legacy GT sedan: I really liked that car -- rare to get that model as a rental, too, usually they were all Outback wagons.
- 2009 Corolla: Not as bad as you'd think.
- 2009 Mazda 6: I wasn't too impressed, but I wasn't disappointed either.
- 2010 Prius: Also not as bad as you'd think. Great rental. Averaged 53 mpg in 3 tanks over 6 days. Held a lot of equipment. Back-up sound made me homicidal, but you get over it.
- 2010 Silverado 1500: What do you want? It's a truck. It does truck stuff. If you're near Corona, CA and you find an air dam, Hertz @ BUR would probably like it back.
- 2011 Altima: There is nothing you could possibly like about this car.
- 2012 Wrangler: Horrible in town and on the highway, but once you get out into the forest, what a fun rig! I will probably buy one at some point in the future as a result.
- 2012 Sonata: Surprisingly comfortable and well-appointed. Great fuel economy
- 2012 Altima: Man, Hertz must have gotten a great volume deal on these. They could, however, be the worst car ever made. This one was obviously wrecked and misaligned on top of it. I had it for 6 hours -- after my meeting was over, I drove to SNA and traded it for an Elantra.