What's the best holiday hire car you've had?
Discussion
So far this year ive had in Portugal a Renault Scenic 1.5 dci 7 seater, had booked a cross/clio/fiesta size but was "upgraded" Majorca was a 3cyl fiesta, Spain was a Jeep Renegade. I loved the little Hummer looks of the Jeep, and the way it took speed bumps at 3 times the speed limit, lovely little car.
In Fremantle, Aus, for work about 10 years ago. Most hire car companies wouldn't let us go more than about 100km north of Perth. Phone Tony - "no problems boys".
6 weeks: Perth - Darwin - Alice Springs/Ayres Rock - Port Augusta - Nullabor - Around the SW corner and back to Perth.
12,700km and if memory serves, about £240 split between 3 of us.
Cheers Tony!
Objectively I suppose the E-class I had would perhaps be the best hire car I've had. I only get them when I travel with work, I was in Lincolnshire and asked for something to transport 4 people. Normally I get some form of Peugeot or Vauxhall, but I was very surprised to see an E220 sat on the drive waiting for me.
The best fun I've had in the UK was when I needed a car for a month or two, and I was delivered a brand new Alfa Romeo Giulietta. What surprised me was that it was very well specced for a hire car - the 150bhp diesel with a couple of options. Some of the build sheets were still in the rear footwell and the rear seat belts were still fastened. The car had 9 miles on the odometer when I first drove it. I handed it back seven weeks later with nearly 9,000 miles on the display.
Abroad (mainly US), I've had the usual shower of s
t but I did quite enjoy a Ford Escape (read: Kuga) in the US. It had a decent petrol engine with a surprisingly nice induction roar. After my week of commuting I took it on a road trip from Indiana to Chicago. It was lovely.
As an antithesis to the thread, I once landed in Connecticut after a pretty crap flight at around 9pm. We had been delayed for nearly two hours at Heathrow, and had to stack for a further half an hour at Connecticut. I was tired, fed up and just wanted to go to the hotel (which was a further hour and a half away). I got to the car hire compound and after a bit of faffing about, got thrown the keys to a Ford, which was in space "E?". Row E had 49 spaces. I walked down the row, my mood somewhat lifted by the fact that every space was filled with a Ford Mustang, and I was a "Preferred" customer. Imagine my disappointment when, eventually, after madly clicking the boot release button to show me what car I had, an old lime green Focus popped its boot right at the back of the row.
The best fun I've had in the UK was when I needed a car for a month or two, and I was delivered a brand new Alfa Romeo Giulietta. What surprised me was that it was very well specced for a hire car - the 150bhp diesel with a couple of options. Some of the build sheets were still in the rear footwell and the rear seat belts were still fastened. The car had 9 miles on the odometer when I first drove it. I handed it back seven weeks later with nearly 9,000 miles on the display.
Abroad (mainly US), I've had the usual shower of s
t but I did quite enjoy a Ford Escape (read: Kuga) in the US. It had a decent petrol engine with a surprisingly nice induction roar. After my week of commuting I took it on a road trip from Indiana to Chicago. It was lovely.As an antithesis to the thread, I once landed in Connecticut after a pretty crap flight at around 9pm. We had been delayed for nearly two hours at Heathrow, and had to stack for a further half an hour at Connecticut. I was tired, fed up and just wanted to go to the hotel (which was a further hour and a half away). I got to the car hire compound and after a bit of faffing about, got thrown the keys to a Ford, which was in space "E?". Row E had 49 spaces. I walked down the row, my mood somewhat lifted by the fact that every space was filled with a Ford Mustang, and I was a "Preferred" customer. Imagine my disappointment when, eventually, after madly clicking the boot release button to show me what car I had, an old lime green Focus popped its boot right at the back of the row.
http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/aa25/bimsb6/259... Rented one of these a few years back . 
Edited by bimsb6 on Monday 27th June 18:06
Booked a BMW 320i which I was kinda looking forward to - paid a bit more as was going to be going from Edinburgh to St Albans via Manchester a couple of times to visit family.
Sorry sir, don't have any left. Thought I'd get a C Class/A4 etc.
BMW 535i appeared. Was pretty happy with that.
Sorry sir, don't have any left. Thought I'd get a C Class/A4 etc.
BMW 535i appeared. Was pretty happy with that.
HotJambalaya said:
Sorry, you can't just win the thread and not give more details... It doesn't work like that!
Pickup/drop off locations
Length of trip
COST!
Picked up in DC last Monday afternoon and dropping off in LA on Thursday evening. Should rack up about 4,000 miles in total. So far we've done DC, Nashville, Memphis, Little Rock, Albuquerque, Flagstaff, Grand Canyon and we're now in Williams Arizona. Tomorrow it's Phoenix then San Diego, a day in Mexico and then up to LA to finish off.Pickup/drop off locations
Length of trip
COST!
Not totally sure of the cost. Booked car hire with BA flights. Had a Ford Taurus reserved and then arrived at the Avis base to see a Corvette, Mustang GT and this Maserati parked out front. Could quite winch the old man into the Corvette (I've taken my father over here as part of his bucket list to recreate a Route 66 Coast-to-coast he did back in 1965), so it had the be the Maserati. Paid an additional 1,400 dollars for the upgrade over and above the BA-booked deal.
This is us somewhere in New Mexico
Yacht Broker said:
I am in the US right now driving coast-to-coast (East to West).
Here is my humble little hire car rented through Avis.
Brand new (ie. less than 200 miles on it when I picked it up) Maserati Ghibli Twin Turbo.
Best not ask the cost, especially factoring in the 'One way hire' supplement.
Sounds the nuts in sports mode. The yanks can't get enough of it. I've been stopped so many times by people wanting to know what it is etc
Nice, this trip is my plan for my retirement lump sum (well a small part of it), soHere is my humble little hire car rented through Avis.
Brand new (ie. less than 200 miles on it when I picked it up) Maserati Ghibli Twin Turbo.
Best not ask the cost, especially factoring in the 'One way hire' supplement.
Sounds the nuts in sports mode. The yanks can't get enough of it. I've been stopped so many times by people wanting to know what it is etc
How much
rallycross said:
4 days and 1.000 km later I was left unimpressed by the Gt86 which I was expecting to love but was frustratingly gutless.
Exactly the same as my evaluation of having one for a month. Don't mention it in any GT86 threads though, people will tell you that you are wrong and you simply "don't get it" 
OT:
Only ever bothered once (normally actually enjoy the challenge of trying to use foreign public transport or just get taxis everywhere) and it was absolutely epic- a knackered 1.2 Fiesta not far from the end of it's life as a hire car.
At least the air con still worked well though.
Going to hire a bike next Cyprus trip (probably a cruiser type thing.) to go exploring on my own a bit instead as I'll be with extended family and we'll only have a people carrier between us.
At least the air con still worked well though.
Going to hire a bike next Cyprus trip (probably a cruiser type thing.) to go exploring on my own a bit instead as I'll be with extended family and we'll only have a people carrier between us.
Edited by Timfy on Monday 27th June 08:46
Never hired a car on vacation (usually take the car), had a fair few temps when the lease car was in for maintenance/damage repair though.
Best one must be a Volvo V60 T3. I had a Focus at the time, and lease policy dictated a one class smaller temp car. Showed up at the place, saw a vauxhall meriva out front and felt my heart sink (never driven an opel, hoping to keep it that way, for completely stupid reasons). Went inside, handed in my keys and got handed the keys to a V60 T3, which was excellent!
Not a practical car though, much more expensive then the focus and an absolutely tiny boot
Best one must be a Volvo V60 T3. I had a Focus at the time, and lease policy dictated a one class smaller temp car. Showed up at the place, saw a vauxhall meriva out front and felt my heart sink (never driven an opel, hoping to keep it that way, for completely stupid reasons). Went inside, handed in my keys and got handed the keys to a V60 T3, which was excellent!
Not a practical car though, much more expensive then the focus and an absolutely tiny boot
g40steve said:
davebem said:
Suzuki Jimny, in 2wd mode got it sideways a few times on the mountain hairpins.
I had one of those in Ibiza managed to get to top of the island, had it on two wheels a few times 
Bit cold looking for petrol at 9pm with no roof.
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