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  Sept. 2, 2010 1:13 p.m. pinchvalve SuperDork

  I asked the internet, and it told me that rental cars in the U.S. are the Fusion, Charger, Impala, and G5/G6. (and some others, but you get the idea) But when I go to the rental place, there are always more interesting cars to be had. Are there any sites that let you know what actual cars exist at a rental location? I'm not talking about the Hertz Corvettes and Mustangs here, I just want to know if there is something more exciting than an Impala sitting in Charlotte.

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  Sept. 2, 2010 1:19 p.m. mndsm Dork

  I pulled a grand prix GT out of a lot in that area once... and it was the last gen when Pontiac said screw it, and stuffed em all full of superchargers. Not terribly exciting, but a damn sight better than an Impala. I know the Mazda 6 floats around some lots too... not terribly exciting, but handle fairly ok for a mid sized sedan.

  Go fast or go broke.

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  Sept. 2, 2010 1:35 p.m. stuart in mn SuperDork

  When I try to rent a specific vehicle (or type of vehicle), more often than not they'll say ok, and when I get there it's nowhere to be found.

  Once I had to rent a pickup truck, to haul a motorcycle I'd just bought. The rental place said sure, we have one, but when I got there they tried to give me a minivan instead. The pickup I asked for was actually at another rental lot way on the other side of town.

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  Sept. 2, 2010 1:39 p.m. Joe Gearin Associate Publisher

  I'd call the rental site directly. This is one situation where the interwebs won't work as well as a good old fashioned conversation with a human.

  The guys on the ground know if they have a G6, Galant or Sonata. They may not be able to reserve an exact car for you, but they will let you know what your possible choices are.

  I just did this on a recent trip to Colorado, and got myself a nice little Impreza rental.

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  Sept. 2, 2010 2:37 p.m. bludroptop SuperDork

  I rent cars all the time. The rental car employees are under a lot of pressure to keep their fleet on the road, and not in the parking lot - percent of fleet rented. The also cannot predict with certainty when to expect cars to return. Ideally, the get a return, quickly wash it and put the next available customer in that car before it is dry. Of course there are times when they have a bunch of cars sitting, but more often these days I get whatever just came back from the last renter and sometimes I have to wait for it to be prepped.

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  Sept. 2, 2010 3:27 p.m. integraguy Dork

  The last time I rented a car, I REQUESTED a compact....thinking, in "renta-car-speak" that I would be getting something the size of a Geo Metro. When I pulled up to the rental office (I used Enterprise's pickup service) I saw a PT Cruiser and hoped I was getting that as my car, as I've never driven one, but am curious about how they are to drive. My compact was a Pontiac G6 4 door sedan. A nice enough car, except for the fact that the radio/trip computer was something new to me, and made it a bit difficult to just "jump in" and start listening to the radio. Same with the headlight controls and the wiper controls. After DECADES of Japanese cars, it was sort of a rude awakening to get into an American car and have no idea how to get the lights on or the wipers to their next to lowest speed. With the power driver's seat I had WAAAAY more legroom than any car needs to have, tho I couldn't get the legroom and still see out the rear window.

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  Sept. 2, 2010 5:03 p.m. jrw1621 SuperDork

  Bludroptop's advice is spot on.
  There are a few additional things.
  Some of the companies like National and Avis, Budget, Thrifty allow you to pick from the lot. All the mid sized are parked in one row.

  Airports have more choices and the cars tend to be newer but you may pay more tax and airport fees.
  

  Some of the inside politics of rental companies....
  Each car is assigned a daily fee to the store. It can be that a tired G6 with lots of miles can cost the store's budget less than a newer PT Cruiser. If what you are paying is low it is more benificial for the store to give you the cheaper car.
  Aside from this, as an example, the rental car companies loaded up on small SUV's like Ford Escapes because that is what consumers wanted. Then, gas went to $4. At that time an Escape (w/20 mpg) could be had for $25 per day and a Corolla was going for $55 per day because everyone wanted the 30+ mpg.

  Another trick. When you pick up and they tell you they have nothing else, take the car and either right away or soon or even days later return and tell them that the car vibrates at highway speed. If the place is busy like an airport location they will not investigate and put you into a same or better to keep you happy. When if they do investigate they will not be able to repeat the issue and no harm will come to you.

  On top of all this, - have gotten great prices through priceline by naming my own price.
  Through priceline or the regular way it is very hard to get a specific car unless you are willing to pay huge dollars like requesting a Hertz Corvette.

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  Sept. 2, 2010 5:14 p.m. pete240z Dork

  once I went 50' and went back in and said the front brakes were dragging and scraping and I was worried about the brakes failing.

  different car....

  Datsun Pete

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  Sept. 2, 2010 6:30 p.m. iceracer Dork

  Last time I rented a car , every thing was Mazda or Nissan. Of course this was a few years ago.

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  Sept. 2, 2010 6:32 p.m. John Brown SuperDork

  integraguy wrote: The last time I rented a car, I REQUESTED a compact....thinking, in "renta-car-speak" that I would be getting something the size of a Geo Metro. When I pulled up to the rental office (I used Enterprise's pickup service) I saw a PT Cruiser and hoped I was getting that as my car, as I've never driven one, but am curious about how they are to drive. My compact was a Pontiac G6 4 door sedan. A nice enough car, except for the fact that the radio/trip computer was something new to me, and made it a bit difficult to just "jump in" and start listening to the radio. Same with the headlight controls and the wiper controls. After DECADES of Japanese cars, it was sort of a rude awakening to get into an American car and have no idea how to get the lights on or the wipers to their next to lowest speed. With the power driver's seat I had WAAAAY more legroom than any car needs to have, tho I couldn't get the legroom and still see out the rear window.

  Actually, Jettas and G6s are Compact cars, what you needed to ask for was a SUBCOMPACT.

  Internationally known as The Brown Stig

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  Sept. 2, 2010 8:00 p.m. TJ SuperDork

  Careful about requesting subcompacts. I do that and have a knack for getting "upgraded" to a minivan.

  My most recent rental (last week) was a bright red Camry. First camry I've driven or ridden in since 1990 or 91. Didn't change my opinion on those cars one bit, except that I didn't know they came in red.

  "Members of Congress should be compelled to wear uniforms just like NASCAR drivers so we could identify their corporate sponsors."

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  Sept. 2, 2010 8:22 p.m. ignorant SuperDork

  pete240z wrote: once I went 50' and went back in and said the front brakes were dragging and scraping and I was worried about the brakes failing. different car....

  did the same thing when a car smelled like smoke.

  When you have to shoot, shoot, don't talk.

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  Sept. 3, 2010 10:31 a.m. EricM Dork

  When I was traveling about once a month for work a few years ago, I always ended up with an impala... ALWAYS. It was considered an "upgrade", but even when I said it wasn't necessary, I ended up with one.

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  Sept. 3, 2010 10:37 a.m. mndsm Dork

  TJ wrote: Careful about requesting subcompacts. I do that and have a knack for getting "upgraded" to a minivan. My most recent rental (last week) was a bright red Camry. First camry I've driven or ridden in since 1990 or 91. Didn't change my opinion on those cars one bit, except that I didn't know they came in red.

  They come in a really pretty DEEP forest green metallic now too.

  Go fast or go broke.

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