Which car to rent?

1547 Views 23 Replies 17 Participants Last post by A4Jetta, Nov 29, 2001

abs0

Discussion Starter · Nov 28, 2001

Hi folks,
I will be flying to California for a business trip in December.
Given the following choices of cars, which would you rather rent and why?
- Toyota Camry
- Mazda 626
- Ford Taurus
- Mitsubishi Gallant
- any other recommendations? I'll most likely be renting from Hertz.
I know, I know, they aren't exactly your dream cars for rent, but I'll be on a company budget, so I'll have to improvise.

1 - 20 of 24 Posts

Skidmark

· #2 · Nov 28, 2001

Re: Which car to rent? (abs0)

I'm renting for a company trip next week, I'll probably see if they have a new camry... gee how sensible of me.

I'd much rather rent an exotic! Oh well... maybe if this was during the dotcom boom of 3 years ago.

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anarchyx34

· #3 · Nov 28, 2001

Re: Which car to rent? (abs0)

I've heard the Galant is a hoot to drive. The camry's boring, taurus is boring, and unfortunately the latest gen 626 is boring as ****e too.

A4Jetta

· #4 · Nov 28, 2001

Re: Which car to rent? (abs0)

Get a Galant. My friend from California always rented an ES V6 to drive down to Canada. Its a hoot-to-drive and pretty comfortable.

Brocktoon

· #5 · Nov 28, 2001

Re: Which car to rent? (A4Jetta)

You can't drive DOWN to Canada, can you?

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A4Jetta

· #6 · Nov 28, 2001

Re: Which car to rent? (Brocktoon)

Oops....UP!!

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daredvl2b

· #7 · Nov 28, 2001

Re: Which car to rent? (abs0)

I hada LHS once as a rental. Very comfortable especially for 5 guys and all our gear! I've also had an Intrepid once. Funny thing is regardless of what I rented it doesn't go past 110

They must be electronically limited or something. Engine cuts off until 105 then comes back on. Funny! hehe I know, I know, I shouldn't be speeding. But have you ever driven from Sacramento to L.A.? 300 straight miles of nothing!

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mutcth

· #8 · Nov 28, 2001

Re: Which car to rent? (A4Jetta)

I have the same problem - taking a trip to SF between Christmas and New Years, and I can't afford to get a Volvo or Lincoln LS from Hertz. (Budget has by far the cheapest rates for when I'm travelling.)
I've reserved an Altima - hopefully that's a new bodystyle Altima rather than the dumpy old one. I'll probably try to upgrade to a Maxima. Otherwise, a 4 cylinder Galant is slow and rolls a lot, the 626 is even worse, and I just don't want a Taurus. I've seen rental Accords, and that's tempting.
Finally, my last two rentals have been Ford Escapes from Hertz, and I've really grown to like them - lots of power, decent handling, and loads of cargo room. Hertz rents Outbacks also, but they weren't real cheap.
Tom

[Modified by mutcth, 1:31 PM 11-28-2001]

Obin Robinson

· #9 · Nov 28, 2001

Re: Which car to rent? (abs0)

GET THE GALANT. trust me on this one! we rented one in August from hertz and it was A LOT better than the other cars you're thinking of. we really really raelly liked renting the Galant. we put about 1100 miles one it in 3 days and it was 100X comfortable the entire time. i had zero problems with it. Hertz got us a good deal on it too.
have fun!
obin

PhilHVW

· #10 · Nov 28, 2001

Re: Which car to rent? (abs0)

As rental cars, they're all bound to be 4-cylinder models. Of the ones you listed, the Galant is probably the best choice.

Spinne16v

· #11 · Nov 28, 2001

Re: Which car to rent? (Brocktoon)

quote:[HR][/HR]You can't drive DOWN to Canada, can you?

[HR][/HR]

Ya can if you're in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan..

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bc

· #12 · Nov 28, 2001

Re: Which car to rent? (Spinne16v)

any car that had a hand e-brake!!!!

landrumdh

· #13 · Nov 28, 2001

Re: Which car to rent? (daredvl2b)

quote:[HR][/HR]I hada LHS once as a rental. Very comfortable especially for 5 guys and all our gear! I've also had an Intrepid once. Funny thing is regardless of what I rented it doesn't go past 110

They must be electronically limited or something. Engine cuts off until 105 then comes back on. Funny! hehe I know, I know, I shouldn't be speeding. But have you ever driven from Sacramento to L.A.? 300 straight miles of nothing![HR][/HR]

Not smart. A guy here in CT got HUGE fines for going on 80 in his rental car from the company like several hundred dollars worth!!

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A4Jetta

· #14 · Nov 28, 2001

Re: Which car to rent? (PhilHVW)

6 banger rentals are harder to find, its just they are not as easily available as 4 banger.

daredvl2b

· #15 · Nov 28, 2001

Re: Which car to rent? (A4Jetta)

Not smart. A guy here in CT got HUGE fines for going on 80 in his rental car from the company like several hundred dollars worth!![/QUOTE]
Huh?! How did they find out? Did he get a ticket? I'm nto a frequent renter but the last 4 I've rented I've hit 110 in every single one of them and haven't been caught (knock on wood). Hmm, this is interesting...

Chris V

· #16 · Nov 28, 2001

Re: Which car to rent? (daredvl2b)

When I went to the Indy 500 this past year, I rented a Taurus SE V6. Surprisingly, I liked it better than the then-new SHO I test drove when I test drove (and bought) my SVT Contour. Good power, comfortable, decent handling (for a basic rental sedan). A civilian edition with a few more amenities wouldn't be too bad (I also like the way the new ones look better than the oval ones from '99).
I'd also recommend the Escape or Mitsu.
I also rented a 3.0 S type for a weekend, and the added money was worth it. As an old saying goes, when renting cars, add the few dollars it takes to upgrade to the luxury car, if you can...

landrumdh

· #17 · Nov 28, 2001

Re: Which car to rent? (daredvl2b)

quote:[HR][/HR]Not smart. A guy here in CT got HUGE fines for going on 80 in his rental car from the company like several hundred dollars worth!!
Huh?! How did they find out? Did he get a ticket? I'm nto a frequent renter but the last 4 I've rented I've hit 110 in every single one of them and haven't been caught (knock on wood). Hmm, this is interesting...[HR][/HR]

The rental company had some type of system on the car and I'm not sure if it was a GPS radio based system that reported back while the car was out. Or if there is a hidden computer they plugged into on the vehicle but the rental company was able to say you went over 80 this many times for this long.
The guy challanged them in court and made alot of noise about it. But I don't know what happened in the long run.
Just saying becareful and read the fine print!!!!!

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mutcth

· #18 · Nov 28, 2001

Re: Which car to rent? (Chris V)

quote:[HR][/HR]As an old saying goes, when renting cars, add the few dollars it takes to upgrade to the luxury car, if you can...[HR][/HR]

That's true. I've done well with Hertz by reserving a Taurus, then when picking it up, looking pathetic and asking for an upgrade to a Volvo - I've gotten the upgrade for $10 a day, far less than if I reserved the Volvo in the first place. 10 days with a V70 hauling around the Utah desert was pretty nice....
Tom

AndrewT

· #19 · Nov 28, 2001

Re: Which car to rent? (mutcth)

From what I heard, they took the rental company to court, and the court decided that they couldn't do that. Something about constitutional rights, I think. So, I don't think any companies are allowed to use it anymore. I wouldn't worry.

garbage

· #20 · Nov 28, 2001

Re: Which car to rent? (AndrewT)

A rented Sentra with the air filter removed is always fun

.

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