Rental Car, Not So Miserable...

I am writing this in response to my most recent blog about the "misery" or driving a rental car when on vacation. First of all, I must say that it was not as terrible as I had originally thought it was going to be; in fact, it was an eye-opening experience all together! The car I ended up getting was the Nissan Versa, a small four door that had a surprisingly peppy 4 cylinder. The car was white and anyone who has ever experienced the Floridian sun knows that any light color paint is your best bet. The car had a black cloth interior which didn't seem to bother me too much because at no point and time did I ever burn the back of my legs; leather will do that to you of course! The car had standard "steelies" which were covered by silver hubcaps which were, most certainly, nothing to write ho me about. The standard non-xenon headlamps did a nice job of illuminating the roadway for me the few times I drove in the dark and the in-dash display glowed of amber. The automatic drivers-side-window was also a nice touch!



There was nothing ergonomic or exciting about the center console although I will say that the 6-cd changer as well as auxiliary jack came as a surprise to me; neither were used. The center cup holders were blocked in by the gear shifter and the rear ones were too much of a pain to use. The car, in relation to its overall look, was actually more spacious on the inside than one would guess. We were able to fit four adult-sized individuals comfortably. As stated in my previous blog, performance is usually not relevant to any rental car you get and that proved true this past week. The Versa's little 4 cylinder did get us to where we needed to go but there was not "left-lane driving" on any of the excursions. I will note that, because of the small engine, it seemed as if it wasn't ever necessary to stop for gas! we managed to drive nearly 400 miles on a little over a tank (all of which were highway miles). Another nice feature about the Versa is that it took the lowest grade gasoline so filling it up didn't run my pockets dry.

Overall, the Versa worked out just fine and helped us reach all of our fun destinations, not in a hurry or comfortably, but it managed. I will say that for the starting price of the Versa being under $10,000 you get a decent car. The little 1.6lt. engine wont suck down the gas and the amount of space in the cabin doesn't make you feel like your riding in a compact. The base model also comes with six standard airbags and a tire pressure monitoring system (Nissan USA). Will I ever own one? Not if I can help it. Will I ever rent one again? Yes, because at the end of the week the Hertz bill didn't put that big of a dent in my already-empty pockets!

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.