I have just returned from my fifth trip to the good ole USA, and I thought I would start up a thread about personal reviews of rental cars available and maybe share a few tips/tricks to snag a bargain.
First point. The rental car folk behind the counter are all focused on upgrades. This is where they make their dollars. So if you want a Chev Tahoe and you book on line, you cannot negotiate. You pay top dollar. My advice is to book something midsize, then let them start the haggling upgrade process.
My recent trip I booked mid size for approx $30 a day. At the counter, the expected upgrade dance began. After considerable negotiation I drove away in a Ford Expedition (Monster) for $40 extra per day. If I booked this truck on line, it would have cost me $1000 more!
FORD EXPEDITION REVIEW
This thing was a beast. Three rows of seats, and plenty of room. We fit three large suitcases plus carry on without having to drop the rear seat. Everything electronic/power assisted. Heaps of grunt and quicker then the Lincoln navigator I hired three years before. I beat everything off the line and it struggled to hold traction when I booted it. I assumed some massive 6.6litre engine, but then I lifted the hood. WHAT THE F? 3.5 litre V6???? Its called the ecoboost engine. Golly God! After driving this there is no need for a V8. 294KWs and 600 odd nm of torque. I can only imagine this engine in a smaller car. The only downside to the car was its length when parking. You needed to straighten it up a few times because if you swung into a spot, you were always at some sort of angle and the wheelbase in so long. Suspension was a bit floaty but never dangerous. Actually very comfortable ride. SATNAV shat itself one day and rebooted overnight so it was fine. Drove it for three days straight giving it a hard time, and filled up and it took $50 of fuel. Mind you that was over 100 litres as fuel is approx 43 cents per litre over there.
Would I hire again??? Absolutely. I loved it. Still cant believe the grunt from that little V6. Only downside was the thing is a little too high, so it takes two steps to enter the cabin. I would have preferred a step in step out variant.
Cheers
Sled.
