Rental Car Roulette

I wish I could make this a post about how intelligent Ben and I are about prospecting for cars. We are soon to be in the market to replace Ben's 2006 Ford Ranger that is valiantly holding on. Maybe a tiny piece of us likes to rent cars so we can test drive them and that was definitely the case when we rented a Dodge Ram and a Chevrolet Camaro. But the truth is when we go to Dallas we choose to rent a car because it lessens the miles we have to put on our cars. An added perk is that we get to drive a ton of different cars. However, our adventures can also be full of folly.

As many of you know, rental car agencies don't always let you choose what car you are going to get. You more likely sign up for the class of the car and then get to see what you get the day you pick it up.

When we went to Austin one time and wanted to take our bikes, we rented a small ("crossover") SUV. It turned out to be a Dodge Journey. It was red, and plenty big to fit our bikes. Ben drove it to Austin and was slightly perturbed when he applied the brakes. It wasn't much of a problem on the flat roads between Houston and Austin. However, when I got behind the wheel on the streets of Texas Hill Country, I discovered the whole SUV shuddered as the brakes were applied. This does not inspire confidence when you are going 55 down a hill and a light turns red.

Unfortunately we were there on a weekend. Sunday morning we called Enterprise and discovered what we should have known. All corporations are in it for themselves and the money, because they made the absurd suggestion that we should, while on our mini-vacay, take the SUV into a shop ourselves to get it checked out. Um... No. This isn't our car, and it's not like we carry around one of your Corporate Visas to pay for it. I have discovered after several years of renting cars, that one thing the rental car agencies *really* hate, is to have to take in a car from a different location. I don't know why, but they always try to convince you not to exchange a car that is defective if it's from another city.

Ben had to navigate the wonders of customer service to discover that we would be able to exchange our SUV that fit our bikes perfectly for a... Chevy Cobalt. It was supposedly the only car they had. On a Sunday. In Austin, TX. The travel capital of the world.

I got to disassemble two bikes completely in order to fit them into a Chevy Cobalt. Not my idea of fun.

How do I know that rental car companies don't like to take cars from a different area? Because my mom also rents a car to come down and visit me, usually from Alamo. This past time she came down and, after a great day of hanging out, her tire went flat. Again, this was a weekend. She called Alamo, and guess what they told her?

"You can drive on a dime tire at 55 miles per hour for 3,000 miles."

What the hell are these people thinking? I'm sorry, but my mom would be killed if she tried to drive up I-45 at 55 miles per hour. Not only that, but they are trying to say that my mom caused some pre-existing damage on the car that was already there when my mom picked it up. It was on the right front passanger side of the bumper. Alamo does not do walk-arounds with you like Enterprise. Supposedly you just go in, pick a car, and drive off. Supposedly there was no damage report, but because I have seen things like this:


It makes me think that it is possible that one of their workers caused the damage. I think I'll be paying a visit to that Alamo to see if I can find any more pictures like the one above to help my mom out. The Camaro above was parked in a space at the rental car agency, Avis, at Bush Intercontinental. Anyone reading this who gets shafted by the system, can use this picture for their defense.

It's not always a bad experience with these places. We really enjoyed being able to rent a Camaro and tool around town in it. We enjoyed the Dodge Ram. We really enjoy satellite radio!

But you know how it goes-- you remember the bad aspects more than the good. Today, we went to pick up a car for our drive to Dallas. I am always excited because going to pick up the car is like opening a Christmas present. You have no idea what you're about to get or whether you will like it or not.

This week we have a Chevy HHR. Or, as I like to call it, a Chevy PT Cruiser. I will be the first to admit that I am kind of snobby when it comes to cars and I am leery of being seen in a Chevy PT Cruiser. Ben called me as soon as he could to let me know what we got, knowing I would be extremely bemused.

"The only thing worse would have been an actual PT Cruiser..." said I.

Or maybe that Dodge Calibur that caused Ben and I to burst into spontaneous laughter when we turned a corner and seen what my parents had rented.

We'll just have to see how this adventure of Rental Car Roulette goes. I am just happy to get to see my family and am thankful to get a chance to head back to Dallas.