Rental Car Misery

Many people who drive cars that are remotely sporty or luxurious always dread what is waiting for them outside of the rental car office. This spring break, I will once again be a victim of rental car misery. Of course, in an effort to save money, I have chosen to go with the compact car option, plus, I will only be traveling with one other person. Now when I think of a compact car a Chevrolet Aveo, Nissan Versa, or Honda Fit do not come to mind; I think more about the VW Golf or maybe a Ford Focus. Now I know how the old saying goes, "you get what you pay for," but quite honestly when you compare the base prices of all of the previous vehicles mentioned, there really isn't a whole lot of difference.

The real problem I have with rental cars is that you can never really seem to get one that excites you. For instance, the three that I will most likely be stuck with are either the Aveo, Versa, or Fit. Neither of these cars have any ounce of sportiness or luxury in them but that, of course, isn't to say that the car companies that build them are junk. These cars are the bare bones of any model vehicle they are. No navigation, mp3, or 6-cd changer can be found in any of these cars and leather would probably be to much to ask for. I am mentally preparing myself for the cheap plastic dashboard and operation nobs that will be inhabiting my view along with the beautiful Florida sunshine.

Moving away from the unergonomic, mess of an interior that all three of these cars have I really do not have much to say about overall performance and the "thrill of the drive." Neither of these cars could reach 60mph in less than 11 seconds to save their tailpipes! I project that, at highway speed, I will need at least a half mile to pass the hoard of tour buses that will all be slugging along to Universal Studies. No manual transmissions or RWD cornering precision, just plain old boring automatics and torque-steering FWD. All I ask is that the rental car companies do a little bit more research into what their customers want to drive or at least invest in cars draw a second look from people when rolling down the road! Hopefully, this time around, my rental car experience will will be a more exciting one.