What's the best holiday hire car you've had?
Discussion
Just had a 318d hire car in Spain for a fortnight. Massively impressed with it. Motorway refinement exceptional, 1000km on a tank (a Euro a litre too) and plenty of poke. Superb nav and Bluetooth connectivity. Even has Rev matching on the downshift. Only negatives a relatively weak stereo and it seems a little easy to get the traction light on with what I presume are low rolling resistance tyres.
Toyota GT86 from Herz in Auz.
Was booked to have a budget hatch like a Yaris and when I saw they had a GT86 in the car park and they agreed to an upgrade for a nominal fee I had to have they keys.
4 days and 1.000 km later I was left unimpressed by the Gt86 which I was expecting to love but was frustratingly gutless.
Was booked to have a budget hatch like a Yaris and when I saw they had a GT86 in the car park and they agreed to an upgrade for a nominal fee I had to have they keys.
4 days and 1.000 km later I was left unimpressed by the Gt86 which I was expecting to love but was frustratingly gutless.
Ordered an estate car, got a VW Touran which was really good, if a little dull. Then someone drove into the side of it when it was parked up, which is a whole other story...
Another time, I ordered a hatchback class, and a BMW 1 series turned up. Managed to get torque and hp gauges up on the infotainment screen - do they all have that feature?
Another time, I ordered a hatchback class, and a BMW 1 series turned up. Managed to get torque and hp gauges up on the infotainment screen - do they all have that feature?
Its a close thing between the 5.0 mustang in New York state or the battered Landcruiser with studded winter tyres we got in Iceland! Loved them both, and didn't want to give either back.
Landcruiser! by Brent Leport, on Flickr
Landcruiser! by Brent Leport, on Flickr
Landed at LAX to see a sign at Alamo: "Ask us about our special summer deals on Lexus".
"What's your deals on Lexus?" I enquired.
Tap tap tappety tap and she announced an upgrade to a GS300 would be £8 per day. Sold!
Then a couple of days later I had a blow out on the freeway. Changed the wheel in 35C heat and drove to LAX to ask for a spare as we were going to Monument Valley, Grand Canyon, Vegas, Death Valley and a load of National Parks.
They didn't do spare tires (see what I did there) and offered me an alternative car a Lexus LS400.
I had another LS400 in SFO when the hotel valet knocked the door off on a car park pillar...
"What's your deals on Lexus?" I enquired.
Tap tap tappety tap and she announced an upgrade to a GS300 would be £8 per day. Sold!
Then a couple of days later I had a blow out on the freeway. Changed the wheel in 35C heat and drove to LAX to ask for a spare as we were going to Monument Valley, Grand Canyon, Vegas, Death Valley and a load of National Parks.
They didn't do spare tires (see what I did there) and offered me an alternative car a Lexus LS400.
I had another LS400 in SFO when the hotel valet knocked the door off on a car park pillar...
Blackbird425 said:
Just had a 318d hire car in Spain for a fortnight. Massively impressed with it. Motorway refinement exceptional, 1000km on a tank (a Euro a litre too) and plenty of poke. Superb nav and Bluetooth connectivity. Even has Rev matching on the downshift. Only negatives a relatively weak stereo and it seems a little easy to get the traction light on with what I presume are low rolling resistance tyres.
You are doing this wrong mate...it's a low powered diesel 3 series, there will be a hundred or so people along shortly with their pitch forks to burn you at the stake for suggesting it is a perfectly reasonable form of transport.Now this is an unusual suggestion.
Best fun I had was in 15 or so year old Nissan Bluebird when travelling through New Zealand. It was a budget rental (15 quid a day or so) from a local rental car company where the guy at the rental car office just marked "scratches all over car" in the protocal and told me to bring it back in one piece.
Drove it in a not so gentle manner which showed after a few days when a stone chip in the windscreen developed to a full blow crack... so much for chassis rigidity
So much more fun driving an old bucket then a brand new 30k car where the rental car company is picky about every little scratch.
Here's a pic of the Nissan:
Best fun I had was in 15 or so year old Nissan Bluebird when travelling through New Zealand. It was a budget rental (15 quid a day or so) from a local rental car company where the guy at the rental car office just marked "scratches all over car" in the protocal and told me to bring it back in one piece.
Drove it in a not so gentle manner which showed after a few days when a stone chip in the windscreen developed to a full blow crack... so much for chassis rigidity
So much more fun driving an old bucket then a brand new 30k car where the rental car company is picky about every little scratch.
Here's a pic of the Nissan:
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
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
Buick LaCrosse 3.6 V6 in America. It was really nice. Just a well specced Insignia really, with a decent engine, plenty of toys and a really nice dark stained ash wood finished interior. Perfect for touring between Maryland and Virginia. The spring and damper rates must be different too, as it rode very well, despite being on big wheels. Far better than any Insignia I've been in.
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