Rental Car thread

[Laconian]

75 seems like a ridiculously low age limit.

Perhaps it's a license recertification issue? The EU has ample reason to not implicitly trust US driver licensing for seniors.

[veeman]

By googling it seems it's very country specific.  In Ireland, the last place they were at, its age 75.

[veeman]

In San Diego for a conference.  Did my usual thing and Pricelined a compact and then at the counter see what kind of deals they can get me for a better car.  Usually I try to get a sporty coupe. They offered me an Avalon for an extra $15 a day, a convertible Mustang for an extra $20 a day, and a Chrysler 300 for an extra $25 a day.  My Priceline rate was a compact for $22 a day.  I picked the 300 and got them to go down to an extra $20 a day.  Not a great deal but OK.  I rented a 300 before and really liked it.

V6, black, leather interior.  20 thousand miles on the odometer.  Dang.  This car is so nice.  Quiet, soft ride, nice interior, looks really good.  Although a big car, it's easy to park, and most newish cars have a backup camera. 

I think this car is kinda overlooked in the automotive press.  Maybe because it's an FCA product or because it hasn't been redesigned in a while.  I didn't expect these to be so quiet and cush on the road.

[2o6]

I have a Versa Note as a rental in SF.


I don't understand how the Versa Note is so much nicer to drive than the Versa Sedan. Like, if I could have my exact rental, (SV with cruise and PL,PW and other goodies) I prolly would have bought one over my Sonic.

[veeman]

I have a Versa Note as a rental in SF.


I don't understand how the Versa Note is so much nicer to drive than the Versa Sedan. Like, if I could have my exact rental, (SV with cruise and PL,PW and other goodies) I prolly would have bought one over my Sonic.

That's interesting because Car and Driver and Edmunds both kind of slammed it.  They called it slow either with a sloppy 5 speed or lifeless CVT and just overall not a very good car compared with it's competition.

[ifcar]

My guess is that if you drive it really hard, especially in track testing, its weak points stand out even more. But I found it quite pleasant to drive on normal streets. I'd still call it a great car for the money — tons of space, excellent mileage, crazy cheap.

[2o6]

My guess is that if you drive it really hard, especially in track testing, its weak points stand out even more. But I found it quite pleasant to drive on normal streets. I'd still call it a great car for the money — tons of space, excellent mileage, crazy cheap.

Actually, when I got home and went for a drive in my Sonic, I realized how razor-sharp by comparison the Sonic is.


The Versa note wasn't bad, though. I can see why so many people buy them. My fuel economy was pretty good, the 1.6L and CVT auto combo aren't really the most responsive things out there, but for the price and economy it was fine. The car felt mostly fine on the freeway. The car was totally acceptable.

[Morris Minor]

By googling it seems it's very country specific.  In Ireland, the last place they were at, its age 75.

There's a big bump-up in crash rates that starts at around age 80. At 85 the plot on the graph goes up like a ski-jump.

[Laconian]

Hmm, a positive correlation between wraparound sunglasses and car crashes. Maybe they should prescribe more stylish sunglasses?

Just a thought.

[12,000 RPM]

I don't know what age the woman who damn near ran me off the road was a day ago, but after I brought my blood pressure down I saw how terrified she was. Sorry Raza, self driving cars can't come soon enough. This woman is going to kill someone along with herself

[Laconian]

Visiting the Bay Area in a couple weeks. Arriving at 5PM on a Monday. I'm going to get the dregs of the Emerald Aisle, I just know it. Nissan NV200?

[68_427]

Visiting the Bay Area in a couple weeks. Arriving at 5PM on a Monday. I'm going to get the dregs of the Emerald Aisle, I just know it. Nissan NV200?

#The fullsize Nissan vans can drift though you'll probably have decent stuff.  Grab a Yukon or fullsize truck if you can they usually are pretty highly optioned in my experience.

[Laconian]

Drifting in a tippy van sounds like a bad idea.

[2o6]

#The fullsize Nissan vans can drift though you'll probably have decent stuff.  Grab a Yukon or fullsize truck if you can they usually are pretty highly optioned in my experience.

NV200's are FWD.


You're thinking of the NV2500

[68_427]

NV200's are FWD.


You're thinking of the NV2500

Yeah I know but those are more likely to be in the emerald isle imo

[Laconian]

Malibu LT. I must be a pretty low ranking Executive.

[68_427]

Malibu LT. I must be a pretty low ranking Executive.

2017?

[Laconian]

Yeah

[MX793]

I have an Elantra for the night (I hope that's all).  I took the VW in for its annual NYS inspection and they found that it needed brakes and apparently both rear springs were broken (POS, only has 73K miles, wtf?).  I can't wait to get rid of this heap... (the VW, not the Elantra).

[12,000 RPM]

Damn thats crazy. Only ~6K miles/year as well, damn that's nuts.

[MX793]

Damn thats crazy. Only ~6K miles/year as well, damn that's nuts.

I've only put 6500 miles on the car since I bought 3 years ago.  The thing is a POS.  Multiple electrical Gremlins.  Headliner is falling down.  All of the enamel on the buttons had blistered and flaked off before I bought it.  Now broken springs.  Issues aside, it's mediocre at best as a car.  Doesn't handle especially well.  Steering is completely numb yet also high effort.  Brakes are spongy.  It gets V6 fuel economy paired with 4 cylinder performance.  Apparently, none of this is unique to my car (the issues or the driving experience).  I don't get the love for these cars. 

[veeman]

The 4th (1999-2006) and 5th (2005-2011) generation Jettas looked good and the 5th generation Jetta had a real nice interior.  The 5th generation Jetta looked and felt like a more expensive car than the Civic, Corolla, and Focus.  Reliability wise they mostly sucked though. 

Then VW really messed up the Jetta with the current 6th generation.  They made it a fat pig, decontented everything, and cheapened the price.  Sold a lot but whatever charm the 5th generation had as a premium small car disappeared. 

[veeman]

Hit and run driver smashed into the back of my Crosstrek a week ago.  I was at a stoplight and hit the guy stopped in front of me. It was night and pouring rain.  I was checking on my kids in the backseat and the guy/gal who hit me in a white SUV or pickup takes off.  I was bummed I didn't have the wherewithal to quickly snap a pic of the car's license plate although I would have had to exit the car and walk back there within 30 seconds of being hit to have been able to do that since it was night and raining.  Anyways, got a police report and insurance made it a "no fault" but I still have to pay deductible.  Initial estimate is around $4000 repair bill. 

Got a Chevy Cruze.  Nice car.  My parents have the exact same model but my parent's car looks a lot better as it has black sporty treatment on the windowsills, grill, bowtie emblem, and wheels and they have larger wheels.  Anyways what I notice now is how really loud my Crosstrek is at highway speed.  The new generation Crosstrek is said to have much better insulation but mine sucks.  That with the low gearing of the manual transmission causes it to be real noisy.  The tire/road noise doesn't bother me.  It's the engine whine.  When I get the Crosstrek back, I think I might get some aftermarket sound insulation done in the engine bay.

[MX793]

The 4th (1999-2006) and 5th (2005-2011) generation Jettas looked good and the 5th generation Jetta had a real nice interior.  The 5th generation Jetta looked and felt like a more expensive car than the Civic, Corolla, and Focus.  Reliability wise they mostly sucked though. 

Then VW really messed up the Jetta with the current 6th generation.  They made it a fat pig, decontented everything, and cheapened the price.  Sold a lot but whatever charm the 5th generation had as a premium small car disappeared. 

I have a 5th gen.  The interior may have looked higher end when new, but 10 years on, it looks worse than my Mazda did at the same age.  And it's not from hard use (I'm not talking about scratches or stains).  People who love these things either don't keep them more than 3 years and/or have never actually owned a good car.

Just got a call from the shop.  Needs 2 rear calipers as well.  This is going to be like a $1500 bill when all is said and done... 

[veeman]

I have a 5th gen.  The interior may have looked higher end when new, but 10 years on, it looks worse than my Mazda did at the same age.  And it's not from hard use (I'm not talking about scratches or stains).  People who love these things either don't keep them more than 3 years and/or have never actually owned a good car.

Just got a call from the shop.  Needs 2 rear calipers as well.  This is going to be like a $1500 bill when all is said and done... 

Dump it.  I think Kevin said he would never flip another Jetta.  Garbage car.  Is it your winter beater?

[2o6]

Jetta IV's are garbage.


I'd touch a Jetta V.

[AutobahnSHO]

Hit and run driver smashed into the back of my Crosstrek a week ago.

Bummer d00d

[veeman]

Bummer d00d

Yeah thanks man. 

[MX793]

Anyway, my impressions of the Elantra for the limited time I had it (all of like 25 miles).

I liked the transmission.  Clicked off shifts quickly, yet smoothly, with little of the "slushy" feeling that my VW has.  As with most autos, it could get a little befuddled if you lift off the throttle and then re-apply to accelerate (like if you're approaching a red light that turns green before you stop), but no worse than any other auto I've driven.  Didn't try the manual mode.  Engine was smooth and quiet, at least when warm.  Some DI clatter when cold.  Power seemed adequate for commuter duty.  Probably wouldn't be executing any overtakes in a short passing window on a 2-lane, but it would keep up with traffic pretty easily without having to floor it.

Steering was laughably over-boosted at low speed.  Backed out of a parked space and when to turn the wheel from hard left to hard right and it felt like if I just have it a good twirl, it would free spin until it hit the stop.  Weight was better on the road at speed, but still quite light.  Seemed accurate.

Brake pedal was acceptably tight and easy to modulate.  If anything, it was a little springy as opposed to spongy feeling.

Ride quality was towards the comfort end of the spectrum.  Given that'd we'd gotten hit with half a foot of snow the day I had it, I wasn't chucking it into any corners anyway.

Sight lines were good.  Interestingly, despite being a 2017 model, there wasn't a backup camera.  I thought all cars in this segment came with them as standard these days.  The Kia Forte rental I had earlier this year had one.  Not that I felt I needed one, just surprised it didn't have one (or backup sensors).

This car had about 50K miles on it and everything seemed pretty tight and in good shape.  Didn't notice any rattles.  No obvious wear points in the interior that I noticed.  Materials weren't extravagant, but OK for an econo-car.

[12,000 RPM]

Had to go pick up a freezer so I got a Uhaul truck. Newish GMC Sierra RCLB.

I kinda liked it. Had decent.... pickup. Exhaust note was awesome even stock. Interior materials were better than I thought they would be. Steering was decent. View out was nice. With the 6.2 it would be a guilty pleasure for sure.