USA Car Hire - The American Dream

[aarondbs]

To alleviate the January Blues we are planning our Summer hols. The wife has boldly stated that we are not driving to teh South of France as we have done for the last few years and I have boldly agreed with her!

Having two sisters in the States, one in Georgia, Atlanta, one in Richmond, Virginia and with the two kids now reaching an age that they might appreciate more of the world it seemed appropriate to look at the States as an option.

Now, being a PHer it got me thinking about what car we might hire though I do realise there might be one or two other details to sort first. Trips to the states previously have seen me driving a Grand Am, a Pontiac Bonneville, a Buick and a Geo; quite a range. What I really liked was the 'Americanness' of the Bonneville, the GrandAm and the Buick (the Geo was a rebadged Hyundai I think) and I want to hire a car that will give me that same Americanness again.

All the usual sites are full of FWD, four pot, Japanese and Chrysler (Lancia) offerings. So where do you hire a RWD V8 (or even V6)? Do all Americans now buy Euro/Jap boxes and have they lost their own auto identity?

Edited by aarondbs on Sunday 19th January 08:30

[Dr Interceptor]

There are companies (like Hertz) with Mustangs on the fleet, mostly V6's, but still better than most rental crap.

Last time I went I had a V6 Charger... it wasn't great to drive, but looked epic.

[boz1]

Dr Interceptor said:

There are companies (like Hertz) with Mustangs on the fleet, mostly V6's, but still better than most rental crap.

Last time I went I had a V6 Charger... it wasn't great to drive, but looked epic.

Yeah, had a Charger when I went. Definitely looks the part and even the 3.6l V6 isn't too bad, having nearly 300bhp. Although not as much torque as you might expect so doesn't feel amazingly fast, being a heavy car.

We got a Charger from one of the standard rental agencies - if you speak to them direct then you should be able to specify even if they don't specifically list the Charger on their website.

Hiring V8s is probably a different matter where you might need to go to a specialist agency costing more.

[hairyben]

Try hertz andrenaline, we're hiring a hemi challenger out of Vegas on our honeymoon in a months time, than also have v8 mustangs, cameros vettes etc.

[Toaster Pilot]

Dollar have Mustang Convertibles in some locations, Hertz have Mustangs and Chargers.

[Matt..]

Go into the holidays forum on here. These threads come up all the time, so there's lots of advice

[aarondbs]

The Charger looks like a decent possibility so long as 2 adults and 2 kids can fit and travel for a good few miles. Probably be away for three weeks and I imagine a lot of clutter will develop within. I don't mind even a full size US barge like the Bonneville from years ago. I'll be having a look at the Hertz options and contact directly as advised.

[aarondbs]

Matt.. said:

Go into the holidays forum on here. These threads come up all the time, so there's lots of advice

Thanks for that, I will do.

[steveo3002]

had those 2 last year from hertz , play around a bit with the country settting to take advantage of currency differances and quidco makes em almost affordable

the challenger is massive , loads of room for bags etc

[surveyor]

2 adults and 2 kids I would expect, with luggage will make the 'sporty' options impossible.

You really are going to need something with a proper boot.

[mr_spock]

I had a Ford Explorer in Florida last year. A real hoot actually, huge, comfy, lots of toys. Just as much the American Dream as the pseudo-muscle.

[boz1]

aarondbs said:

The Charger looks like a decent possibility so long as 2 adults and 2 kids can fit and travel for a good few miles. Probably be away for three weeks and I imagine a lot of clutter will develop within. I don't mind even a full size US barge like the Bonneville from years ago. I'll be having a look at the Hertz options and contact directly as advised.

It's enormous by European standards... according to Wiki:

SWB current shape S-class:
Wheelbase: 3,035 mm
Length: 5,116 mm
Width 1,899 mm

Current shape Charger:
Wheelbase: 3,052 mm
Length: 5,077 mm
Width: 1,905 mm

[aarondbs]

boz1 said:

It's enormous by European standards... according to Wiki:

SWB current shape S-class:
Wheelbase: 3,035 mm
Length: 5,116 mm
Width 1,899 mm

Current shape Charger:
Wheelbase: 3,052 mm
Length: 5,077 mm
Width: 1,905 mm

So long as the interior is large too it could be a winner. The biggest car I have owned was an XJS and that was also the smallest...

[Dr Interceptor]

Chargers are fine in the back, but limited on headroom as the roofline slopes. Providing the kids aren't 6ft plus yet, you'll be fine.

[numtumfutunch]

done the authentic American dream twice in the last few years with regular rental cars upgraded at the airport desk for peanuts

firstly a landcruiser
second trip a white Crown Vic which had us marked as undercover cops for 2 weeks - ace fun

[_Neal_]

We hired a Cadillac DTS when we were last in Atlanta (have friends there too) - Sure, it FWD, but it's a good slice of America - big lazy V8 and electric everything, including massage seats and heated wheel. Tons of space inside and in the boot too.

Lincoln Town Car another good option - RWD V8, lots of toys, FBI chic.

Both of the above are available from (IIRC) Enterprise at Atlanta airport.

[toon10]

Dr Interceptor said:

There are companies (like Hertz) with Mustangs on the fleet, mostly V6's, but still better than most rental crap.

Last time I went I had a V6 Charger... it wasn't great to drive, but looked epic.

Me too. It looked great and was a good cruiser but had the V6 engine (about 300 horses I think). I'm sure you could get a full blown version if you're prepared to pay for it

[Dr JonboyG]

aarondbs said:

Having two sisters in the States, one in Georgia and one in Atlanta, and with the two kids now reaching an age that they might appreciate more of the world it seemed appropriate to look at the States as an option.

Atlanta is a city in Georgia Still at least it means you've got less far to drive to visit them both.

said:

Now, being a PHer it got me thinking about what car we might hire though I do realise there might be one or two other details to sort first. Trips to the states previously have seen me driving a Grand Am, a Pontiac Bonneville, a Buick and a Geo; quite a range. What I really liked was the 'Americanness' of the Bonneville, the GrandAm and the Buick (the Geo was a rebadged Hyundai I think) and I want to hire a car that will give me that same Americanness again.

All the usual sites are full of FWD, four pot, Japanese and Chrysler (Lancia) offerings. So where do you hire a RWD V8 (or even V6)? Do all Americans now buy Euro/Jap boxes and have they lost their own auto identity?

If you rent through Hertz most of their offerings are American, and you'll usually be given some leeway when you go to pick up the car - if it's a midsize, for example, you'll be able to pick from whatever they have in currently (a Mazda 6 vs a Malibu vs a something else). You can also rent muscle cars (Camaros, Mustangs, Challengers), a lot of it depends on what the place has in stock.

FWIW most big American cruisers are not RWD (and neither were the Bonneville nor the Grand Am unless you drove them 20-30 years ago). I had a quite enjoyable experience with a Cadillac ATS that I rented in Austin, that's RWD and has a nice V6, maybe look for one of those.

[aarondbs]

Dr JonboyG said:

If you rent through Hertz most of their offerings are American, and you'll usually be given some leeway when you go to pick up the car - if it's a midsize, for example, you'll be able to pick from whatever they have in currently (a Mazda 6 vs a Malibu vs a something else). You can also rent muscle cars (Camaros, Mustangs, Challengers), a lot of it depends on what the place has in stock.

FWIW most big American cruisers are not RWD (and neither were the Bonneville nor the Grand Am unless you drove them 20-30 years ago). I had a quite enjoyable experience with a Cadillac ATS that I rented in Austin, that's RWD and has a nice V6, maybe look for one of those.

Apologies, one in Richmond, Virginia, one in Atlanta, Georgia.....rushing posting during lunch... Bonneville was an '86 and definitely old school American and red. Grand Am 1995, as you say was fwd.

Edited by aarondbs on Monday 6th January 21:48

[croyde]

I first visited the States back in '92. A 4 week road trip with 4 mates around California and Nevada. Epic.

We had an Oldmobile Cutlass Ciera, a 3+ litre V6 FWD. I liked the bench seat in the front so it could seat 6, in fact it did at one point. We spent some time in LA where I hired a '71/72 Mustang 'vert 5.0L V8 just for just a day.

Loved the fact that for a very short while I was in California 'owning' a modern Yank and a classic

The next morning I had to fill the tank of the Mustang before returning it and went to find an already becoming rare gas station that served 4 star petrol. I found one in Santa Monica and then spent ages looking for the filler. I was dumbfounded as there didn't appear to be one until a guy in a 60s Stingray pulled up and shouted "Hey Buddy! It's behind the licence plate".

Sure enough the plate folded up and there was the filler

A brilliant holiday.