Rental Car thread

[Xer0]

Renting a Civic type R from Turo next week.  Can't believe someone is actually putting their type R up, but good for me!

[Laconian]

Whoaa

[Xer0]

Civic Type R:

Hookay, here we go!  This car has balls.  3rd gear, 4th gear, 5th gear, fuck it, even 6th gear this engine will just pull.  There is always power available literally everywhere; this thing is never out of breath and it is glorious.  There is some torque steer and a bit of turbo lag, but its not the annoying stuff, its just enough to make the car fun and exciting.  The car has three settings; R, Sport, and Comfort.  Comfort is noticeably more comfortable and absorbs the Chicago shitty roads with easy.  It rides infinitely better than my Si.  Even R, which is pretty stiff, is a better ride than the Si.  The steering is lifeless as you'd expect, but rock solid with none of that super light on center slop that some cars have.  I didn't push the handling as hard but the car stayed flat and stable through 80+ mph turning on-ramps with no under-steer or tire squeal at all.

The interior of the car is nice and comfortable, but its nothing more than normal Civic with red trim here and there.  Going into the car I assumed that that obnoxious rear wing would obstruct visibility but its honestly not in the way at all.  The rear hatch is also pretty roomy and tons of room for groceries or luggage or whatever you want to put back there.  Honestly, I really see myself trading in the Si for a Type R when you can get them at MSRP.  35K is great for this car, 60K is way too much.  There is word on a cheaper, non touring version coming out sometime in 2018 which sounds perfect.

[Laconian]

60k? They're selling for that much??

[Xer0]

60k? They're selling for that much??

35K plus "fair market adjustment".  60K is the highest I've seen, but 10-15K over MSRP is normal.  My dad bought a new Accord recently and I asked the finance guy about it.  They had sold two Type R's and both were sold for 10K over MSRP.

[12,000 RPM]

Once the hype subsides they should be more reasonable.

I imagine the FK9 or whatever the chassis code is has a *significantly* stiffer chassis than your FBx (6?), which does wonders for ride quality.

If someone made a body kit that covered up all its gaping wounds and orfices, and I could get all the red trim painted to body/interior color, I'd give this thing a strong look. There is no questioning its driver's car cred, but going from the G to that aesthetically... my god. Why did you do that Honda

[Laconian]

Returned the Jeep today. I'm looking forward to driving the Miata when I get home. It'll be a handling revelation.

I would've been happier with a more conventional CUV like an Escape or a CX5. I can see how the Jeep has potential but the steering and handling are almost nautical, what with the input delay and the body roll. On the positive side, it tracks well and has a smooth ride, probably thanks to the LWB.

[GoCougs]

Had a new(ish) Impala the last week. Great power (impressive FWD posi burnouts), looks good in/out and good ride/NVH but terrible on center handling + steering (wobbly), torque steer (esp. w/downshifts), so-so AT (responsive and smooth but terrible WOT shifts) and not-so-good space utilization (giant car, not-giant interior or trunk). Fairly disappointed. Oh, and to add to the proverbial injury, the AC was dead, and it got hot (whined a bit and got a 50% discount).

[Laconian]

Did you use that ridiculous phone cubby located behind the motorized head unit?

[GoCougs]

Nope - didn't know such a thing exists...

[68_427]

My friend had a Stelvio in Toronto from Hertz.  Coming from his Golf R he said it's actually surprisingly fun to drive and he would consider it if he hadn't just ordered a 330i m sport wagon

[12,000 RPM]

Took the G in to Nissan to get all my fluids changed for this upcoming #TrackDay at the Charlotte Speedway Roval

They gave me a Nissan Sentra

It's every bit as bad as I imagined, and further confirms that the average American must truly despise driving.

[2o6]

Took the G in to Nissan to get all my fluids changed for this upcoming #TrackDay at the Charlotte Speedway Roval

They gave me a Nissan Sentra

It's every bit as bad as I imagined, and further confirms that the average American must truly despise driving.

It's got a big back seat tho!

But yes, the rest of that car is truly insipid.

[12,000 RPM]

Interior feels about the same size as the G, but taller. Seating position feels like a crossover. Rental clerk apologized profusely. Hopefully it's just for one night.

[2o6]

Interior feels about the same size as the G, but taller. Seating position feels like a crossover. Rental clerk apologized profusely. Hopefully it's just for one night.

Sentras are the cars of registered nurses who go wayy too fast in the wrong lane. If someone's driving badly, 9/10 times it's some girl in a Sentra.

[AutobahnSHO]

A buddy who does a lot of rentals cuz work travel said the Versa is way worse than the Sentra though.

[12,000 RPM]

It has to be; I cannot imagine this thing with ~15% less power and even less tire + sound insulation. A Civic or Golf are so much more car for about the same money. Hell, a Fit is a better car than this.

[93JC]

Does a Sentra really go for as much money as a Civic or Golf in the States? Here the latter two are quite a bit more expensive (~10-20%), especially the Golf. The Canadian Nissan lineup consists mostly of cheap tin cans: Micra, Versa Note, Sentra. (Altima too, maybe...)

EDIT: Huh, Nissan makes a Sentra with a terbow now. Who knew? Great googly moogly, they want $28,244 (CAD) for a Sentra SR Turbo with a CVT. Nissan, WTF is wrong with you?

[2o6]

It has to be; I cannot imagine this thing with ~15% less power and even less tire + sound insulation. A Civic or Golf are so much more car for about the same money. Hell, a Fit is a better car than this.

Nah, the Versa is at least honest. And I think the 1.6 and CVT work better together than the 1.8 and CVT.


They're all shit, tho

[Laconian]

Funny how things worked out. Nissan has traded places with GM as Rental Cars You Must Refuse. Not as bad as Chrysler/Dodge product though.

[giant_mtb]

Don't think I've driven a Sentra before. The people that own them must be too cheap to get them detailed.

[93JC]

Funny how things worked out. Nissan has traded places with GM as Rental Cars You Must Refuse. Not as bad as Chrysler/Dodge product though.

Eh, the only Chrysler products I see at the rental stands are the Charger and 300, which I'd gladly take over something like a Chebby Malibu or whatever.

I'm starting to see lots of Hyundais—Elantras and Sonatas—used as rentals these days. Lots of compact SUVs too; Ford Escapes, Hyundai Tucsons, Kia... Sportage (is that what the small Kia SUV is still called?), Toyota RAV4.

[93JC]

Don't think I've driven a Sentra before. The people that own them must be too cheap to get them detailed.

I rarely even see new Sentras at all. Anecdotally they're not very popular here; according to goodcarbadcar.net the Sentra is about half as popular (per capita) in Canada as it is in the States. 13,883 units sold last year put it as the 9th highest selling compact, behind: Civic (69,030), Corolla (50,332), Elantra (46,112), Mazda 3 (27,862; yikes, they used to be 45,000-50,000!), Cruze (27,520), Golf (24,604), Jetta (17,483) and Forte (16,388).

[giant_mtb]

Yeah I honestly don't see many. Vast majority of Nissan sedans I see are Altimas or Maxis.

[2o6]

Eh, the only Chrysler products I see at the rental stands are the Charger and 300, which I'd gladly take over something like a Chebby Malibu or whatever.

I'm starting to see lots of Hyundais—Elantras and Sonatas—used as rentals these days. Lots of compact SUVs too; Ford Escapes, Hyundai Tucsons, Kia... Sportage (is that what the small Kia SUV is still called?), Toyota RAV4.

Nah, the Malibu is aces. The Charger and 300 are nasty by comparison.

[Laconian]

[veeman]

I love renting the Chrysler 300.  I've rented it twice and actually ask if any are available.  V6 RWD in warm weather climates.  Super quiet, excellent cush ride, decent handling, great seats, decent interior quality, good power... I like how it looks and although the styling is really old, it hasn't aged bad.   

Maybe with miles piled on it starts creaking and falling apart but for low mile rental spec, I think it's great.

[veeman]

I rarely even see new Sentras at all. Anecdotally they're not very popular here; according to goodcarbadcar.net the Sentra is about half as popular (per capita) in Canada as it is in the States. 13,883 units sold last year put it as the 9th highest selling compact, behind: Civic (69,030), Corolla (50,332), Elantra (46,112), Mazda 3 (27,862; yikes, they used to be 45,000-50,000!), Cruze (27,520), Golf (24,604), Jetta (17,483) and Forte (16,388).

Maybe Mitsubishi of Canada is the Nissan of the USA.   

[93JC]

Mitsubishi is weird. They have very little new product to offer, and anything that is newer is 'meh', but last year was actually their best ever year in Canada. (A few hundred units shy of 23,000 sales.) Granted, they didn't come to Canada until 2004...

[2o6]

Mitsubishi is weird. They have very little new product to offer, and anything that is newer is 'meh', but last year was actually their best ever year in Canada. (A few hundred units shy of 23,000 sales.) Granted, they didn't come to Canada until 2004...

Wait, Mitsubishi didn't come to Canada until 2004??



Quick search says 2002, to be exact, but it's so weird to know you guys missed out on the good DSM cars and a few other interesting oddities.

My driving education school used a 2000 Galant.