Florida road trip
Discussion
Looks like I might have a day or two to fill in Florida in the not too distant future and I'm wondering what to do. One possibility is to hire a cliched American V8 and hit the road for a day.
I'll be based in Orlando (Universal Blvd near the convention centre in case anyone's a local!) and wondering what my options are for car hire and routes? Both would have to be vaguely special to justify it - I'm not driving a repmobile to Disneyland.
Any thoughts?
I'll be based in Orlando (Universal Blvd near the convention centre in case anyone's a local!) and wondering what my options are for car hire and routes? Both would have to be vaguely special to justify it - I'm not driving a repmobile to Disneyland.
Any thoughts?
I know it's unlikely to be an outright hoon, but depending on the costs I'd be quite tempted to do the cliched European tourist thing and get a Mustang or Corvette.
It's only for a day or two tagged onto a business trip so if the car wasn't a bit of an event I can probably get a bus or taxi for less than the cost of hiring, insuring, parking etc.
It's only for a day or two tagged onto a business trip so if the car wasn't a bit of an event I can probably get a bus or taxi for less than the cost of hiring, insuring, parking etc.
Hertz seem to be the choice for interesting cars.
Join their 'number one' club now with a credit card (they take no money) then order a dull V6. When you rock up at the desk you get your own shorter queue (as you are in the club) and say 'got anything interesting instead?'.
Doing this (from advice on here) got me a Hertz Shelby Mustang at a rate hugely reduced from that which i would have paid had we simply booked that car online beforehand.
Andy
Join their 'number one' club now with a credit card (they take no money) then order a dull V6. When you rock up at the desk you get your own shorter queue (as you are in the club) and say 'got anything interesting instead?'.
Doing this (from advice on here) got me a Hertz Shelby Mustang at a rate hugely reduced from that which i would have paid had we simply booked that car online beforehand.
Andy
Just noticed that Sebring and Daytonna are both within about an hour and a half too.
It's only the second time I've been to America, I've never had time to explore before (all business) and I've never driven in the states, or indeed an American car. I sort of want to experience a bit of Americana - except in its idealised form, not in four cylinder compact form!
It's only the second time I've been to America, I've never had time to explore before (all business) and I've never driven in the states, or indeed an American car. I sort of want to experience a bit of Americana - except in its idealised form, not in four cylinder compact form!
I'd go with the space centre too, and also agree that all the roads in Florida are extremely boring. Also, any US car you hire will be a pile of s
t. I thought the squealing tyres as people go around parking garages at walking pace were added sound effects in films, but it turns out the cars really are that crap.
Quite how those clever Americans can take so much fuel into so many cylinders of such high capacity and yet have nothing to show for it at the wheels is beyond me. Even when you get something claiming to be 300bhp+ it's sluggish and st. I think they rate their cars in Seahorse power. As I've found many times, leave your pistonhead hat at home when you go to the US as you'll just depress yourself.
Dave
t. I thought the squealing tyres as people go around parking garages at walking pace were added sound effects in films, but it turns out the cars really are that crap. Quite how those clever Americans can take so much fuel into so many cylinders of such high capacity and yet have nothing to show for it at the wheels is beyond me. Even when you get something claiming to be 300bhp+ it's sluggish and s
t. I think they rate their cars in Seahorse power. As I've found many times, leave your pistonhead hat at home when you go to the US as you'll just depress yourself.Dave
PaulHogan said:
Go to Kennedy Space Centre, see the Saturn V rocket. Choice of car immaterial - all roads in Florida are flat and boring.
This.No car compares to the scale of that thing.
There are cars about, but mainly in private collections; one of which I was privvy too at a local aerodrome
Oh, I know they'll be slow and dynamically flawed - although that said the current Vette (offered by Hertz it seems) is supposed to be okay - I was thinking more of the experience. I'm also conscious of the fact that you'll be arrested, tortured and possibly executed for going above 55mph or whatever the limit is in Florida.
dme123 said:
I'd go with the space centre too, and also agree that all the roads in Florida are extremely boring. Also, any US car you hire will be a pile of st. I thought the squealing tyres as people go around parking garages at walking pace were added sound effects in films, but it turns out the cars really are that crap.
Quite how those clever Americans can take so much fuel into so many cylinders of such high capacity and yet have nothing to show for it at the wheels is beyond me. Even when you get something claiming to be 300bhp+ it's sluggish and st. I think they rate their cars in Seahorse power. As I've found many times, leave your pistonhead hat at home when you go to the US as you'll just depress yourself.
Dave
so the cars are crap and the roads are boring. so why do you keep going there ?t. I thought the squealing tyres as people go around parking garages at walking pace were added sound effects in films, but it turns out the cars really are that crap. Quite how those clever Americans can take so much fuel into so many cylinders of such high capacity and yet have nothing to show for it at the wheels is beyond me. Even when you get something claiming to be 300bhp+ it's sluggish and s
t. I think they rate their cars in Seahorse power. As I've found many times, leave your pistonhead hat at home when you go to the US as you'll just depress yourself.Dave
Well, despite popular belief there is more to life than roads and cars - I go there for work. When I was a young lad and hired my first car in the US I was so excited about the idea of the 4.6 litre monster I was going to have that I couldn't think of anything else all the way there. To say it was a bit of a disappointment would be a massive understatement - my 1.6 astra would have asked some serious questions of the pile of donkey turds I was given even on the straight. As much fun as massive oversteer around a car park at 20mph is, it grows old. I thought it might be broken, but my later experiences have shown otherwise.
If I was paying for the hire car myself I'd get the cheapest thing on offer as they're all equally st so you might as well keep your money.
Dave
If I was paying for the hire car myself I'd get the cheapest thing on offer as they're all equally s
t so you might as well keep your money.Dave
Chris71 said:
Just noticed that Sebring and Daytonna are both within about an hour and a half too.
It's only the second time I've been to America, I've never had time to explore before (all business) and I've never driven in the states, or indeed an American car. I sort of want to experience a bit of Americana - except in its idealised form, not in four cylinder compact form!
Daytonna is a sIt's only the second time I've been to America, I've never had time to explore before (all business) and I've never driven in the states, or indeed an American car. I sort of want to experience a bit of Americana - except in its idealised form, not in four cylinder compact form!
thole with not a lot going for it. Best given a miss I thought with regret when we went up there. Clearwater is very nice to wander around, although roads like all in Florida nothing particularly special.
I think driving a Chrysler 300C around for a couple of days was the best exercise in car control your can ever get, especially when you get a downpour 
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