That Hertz

[jon-nyc]

It is interesting that congress chose to save the airlines shareholders and not the rental car companies shareholders.

[Axtremus]

Doubt this is going to stop at Hertz.
Rental car companies going out of business
==> loss of big chunk of demand for new cars
==> rental car fleets flooding retail car market
==> car business get hurt even more, even longer

[jon-nyc]

Hertz won’t go out of business, they’ll wipe out Icahn and the debt holders will proceed as the new owners.

But yeah, I can imagine they’ll be liquidating parts of their fleet.

[George K]

[Mik]

I looked. Thinking about a 2019 Camaro convertible in Louisville. Great price.

[Rainman]

@Mik
I rented a Mustang convertible when we were last in Hawaii.
Frankly, when I could, I drove the hell out of it.
Much as I tried, it would not launch like I expected when power-braked, and it was unsteady on rough road curves. But, I expected it to handle worse since it was a convertible.
Not sure I would want to buy a rental from Hertz or Enterprise, although I've looked at their offerings as they have sales lots nearby. Some people drive their rentals pretty hard, even when engine is cold.

[jon-nyc]

I meant to post about this months ago.

In February I was in Florida with the boy and we ended up renting two different convertible muscle cars (Long story, itself thread-worthy). Mustang 5l gt and Camaro SS. I greatly preferred the Mustang for comfort. It sounded more badass and I think accelerated better, though the comparisons weren’t close enough in time and place for me to know for sure.

Didn’t get a chance to test handling so much.

[jon-nyc]

Decent price on a 2020 CX-5. I’ve been seriously considering one.

Only problem is I want the turbo with 250 horses. This was is the regular with 187.

But it’s like 22k for a 2020 with 7k miles.

[George K]

We have bought cars from Hertz on two occasions.

One was a Ford Escort, I think it was a 1998, that got totaled in 2002. We had no trouble with it until that time.

Then, we had a Ford Focus, we had it for about 5 years until it gave up the ghost. It gave little trouble as well.

They were both "kids' cars".

[kluurs]

When I worked for the American Bar Association, I negotiated the Hertz deal for the Society. We were their largest customer after the Federal Government. Still, even when times were good, one had the sense that they were operating on slim margins and were one step away from oblivion.

[Mik]

I’ve rented cars on a weekly basis probably 150 or more times since 1985. Very few of them have I driven hard at all. Mostly the Maximas when I would take the Blue Ridge Parkway to the client. With no traffic at all I threw them around pretty good. Fun. But most renters are business folks and just drive them normally. I would not hesitate to buy one.

[Loki]

@Mik said in That Hertz:

I’ve rented cars on a weekly basis probably 150 or more times since 1985. Very few of them have I driven hard at all. Mostly the Maximas when I would take the Blue Ridge Parkway to the client. With no traffic at all I threw them around pretty good. Fun. But most renters are business folks and just drive them normally. I would not hesitate to buy one.

Agreed, especially considering they are yakking on the phone most of the time while driving. No one feels sporty in a rent-a-car.

[Aqua Letifer]

@Loki said in That Hertz:

No one feels sporty in a rent-a-car.

Okay yeah that's funny.

[jon-nyc]

Yeah but...

The special sporty ones you pay extra for and reserve specially are different.

Nobody pays extra for the mustang 5l gt and doesn’t gun it at every intersection

[Mik]

Well, you have the amateurs who might run the piss out of a vehicle for a day or two, but the vast majority are the business folks who just want to get where they’re going.

[jon-nyc]

Yes but again it depends on the car.

Business guy doesn’t request the convertible. He orders the midsize or whatever and they give him the car and he drives it as you describe.

But the people going out of their way to order and pay extra for the convertible are usually going to enjoy it.

[Rainman]

One of my son's friends worked for Enterprise. His favorite car was the Chrysler 200 or 300, as it had a lot of horsepower. He would talk about how they would take certain cars out and see how much rubber they could burn.
No, I would not buy a rental car. They can be stripped down models or might have been built specifically for the rental market at a special price. That's what I heard, not sure it's any more factual than some of the other posts on this topic.
Although. . . I do recall looking many years ago at a rental, and was surprised that they still made cars with roll-up windows!

[Mik]

Most of the rentals I have driven have been upscale models of the car.

[Larry]

When I rent a car I get the midrange in size. Go too cheap and you get some little crackerbox, go too big and I feel like I'm buying the thing. I once had reserved a Ford Taurus, but when I got there the only cars they had left were Jaguars, so they gave me a Jaguar to drive. That was an amazing car. The last time I rented a car when I got there the only thing they had left were Chevy Sonics. I was pissed. I thought "ok, I'm going to be wedded up in a little crackerbox car that rides rough, with no power, handles like crap..." - I opened the door to get in and it was roomy. It handled fine. Plenty of power. Quiet. An hour later I loved the car.

[jon-nyc]

I usually prefer compacts when I'm alone because they're easier to park, and parking is hard enough in a car/city that you're not used to.

If I'm with the family I get a mid sized.

If it's just me and the boy, like every February, I get the coolest thing they have on offer even though it's double or more the regular price.