What cars have you recently rented?

[Homeslice]

On the Focus the switch is up near the sunroof

[derf]

Originally Posted by Gas Man

If you think the rear end of the 2012 is nice... wait till you see the 2013, they look amazing!!

You see derf's #5 and my complaignt on the Challenger is the same thing. They just suck.

I kept grabbing the window to slam the door shut. I also opened and closed the door as fast as I could to try and beat the little quick slide thing that it does, I never did make it though. But if I put my arm on the window sill, the window separates from the frame and lets air blow through.

Originally Posted by Homeslice

On the Focus the switch is up near the sunroof

Like I said I touched everything that looked like it could move

[Gas Man]

Even though I had moocho problems with my HHR, they will still hold a special place for me...

And for being such a small vechicle/suv type thing...

this was a long dresser... we were able to close the rear hatch as well


a pair of storm doors for the house

[Porkchop]

My group rented an Impala while down in Miami. Had about 14,xxx on the odo. Idle seemed to be a tich high, and when you would apply throttle, the engine would bog down from the idle point with a grumble. It just didn't feel "right". Maybe it just needed some injector cleaner run through it.

Ride was smooth, steering was "grandpa car light", engine had good oomph for a v6. Interior trim level was middle of the road. Fake wood accents across the dash with nice looking black pleather. Seats were cloth. Back seat was big enough, and the trunk was massive. It felt very close to my old 02 Taurus.

[Homeslice]

Chevy HHR
This car has always confused me. I've never understood why anyone under 70 would want something that looks like a 1940's milk truck. And the funny thing is, even with its high roof, it does not offer good visibility, because the thick body pillars cause a lot of blind spots, and the windshield doesn't go high enough.




The one I rented was manufactured only 15 months ago in October 2010, and yet there were dime-sized flakes of paint that had come off the front end for no apparent reason. Maybe GM sets aside their factory defects for the rental agencies?

It rides smoothly enough on the highway. But on city streets at lower speeds, it had a trucklike ride over bumps, with a hollow clunking sound that seems to plague most GM FWD cars, and makes it sound like something is loose in the suspension.





The gauges were "ok" I guess, but the tach was too small. I guess they think that makes it look retro. But the worst thing about this car is the ACRES of hard plastic EVERYWHERE. It would take a whole BOTTLE of Armor-All to clean it every year. I guess since the car is so tall including the dash, they couldn't afford to use soft-touch materials.

[Homeslice]

My car got T-boned a few days ago, and most likely totaled, so I've been driving a rental 2012 Impala LTZ. This thing is a barge, in the classic American tradition. Bigger than it needs to be, floaty on the highway, gets blown around by the wind due to soft shocks, and flat slippery seats that don't support. Reminds me of the old Caprice from the 90's. I didn't even think these types of cars existed anymore. Even a base Taurus handles better than this car.

I had to laugh at the 18 inch wheels that come with the LTZ "package". Why even bother with that overkill, when they're shod with cheap 50-series Eagle RSA's?

On the positive side, the drivetrain has a 300hp V6 with a 6-speed auto. This thing picks up and flies above 4000 rpm. And it sounds good doing so.

You can pick up one of these for cheap, so if interior space is your main priority, it could be a good deal. But handling better not be important to you.

[LeeNetworX]

Originally Posted by Homeslice

My car got T-boned a few days ago, and most likely totaled, so I've been driving a rental 2012 Impala LTZ. This thing is a barge, in the classic American tradition. Bigger than it needs to be, floaty on the highway, gets blown around by the wind due to soft shocks, and flat slippery seats that don't support. Reminds me of the old Caprice from the 90's. I didn't even think these types of cars existed anymore. Even a base Taurus handles better than this car.

I had to laugh at the 18 inch wheels that come with the LTZ "package". Why even bother with that overkill, when they're shod with cheap 50-series Eagle RSA's?

On the positive side, the drivetrain has a 300hp V6 with a 6-speed auto. This thing picks up and flies above 4000 rpm. And it sounds good doing so.

You can pick up one of these for cheap, so if interior space is your main priority, it could be a good deal. But handling better not be important to you.

Since you made no mention of injuries should we assume you are OK?

[Homeslice]

Originally Posted by LeeNetworX

Since you made no mention of injuries should we assume you are OK?

yep, thanks for asking, car is not though, one of the control arms sheared off, so I can't see how it wouldn't be totalled.....

BTW that is her front bumper wedged into my wheel, lol

[Homeslice]

2011 Nissan Altima

I will try to keep this a fair review, as I'm sure some of you own Altimas.

I actually rented 2 of them, a four-door and a two-door. Both 2011 or 2012 (not the brand new 2013 that just came out).

The 2-door had 17" wheels instead of 16", and slightly sportier seats. Other than that, they were equipped the same.

First I'll start off by saying, I don't know why Nissan chooses to include the engine size in the model name. Like "2.5 S"........Like as if a 2.5 liter engine is impressive in a car this big.

The engine has OK torque, but it sounds thrashy and moany above 3K rpm. It's mated with a CVT tranny (there is no "traditional" automatic available). The only benefit of CVT's is that they eliminate jerky shifts........But in return, it feels like it's always slipping. You floor it from a light, and it goes up to 5K or so and just hangs there, like as if it's slipping or something.

I got about 29 mpg, but that was all highway.

Handling was average for a car of this class. There is good bodyroll control, probably via decent swaybars or springs, but the shocks allowed a little too much float for my preference. The ride quality is good and it's quiet, but bumps in the middle of a turn throw it off-course. The tires were the weakest spot......cheap Turanza all-seasons. But that's typical for rentals.

Biggest weakness of this car is the brakes.....They are WAY too touchy.

After being started in the morning, and hitting ~30 mph after pulling out, there is a strange clunk from somewhere under the hood.... Maybe some kind of flap closing.

As for the interior:
- The 2-door is a good looking car, but has a HUGE blind spot.
- Push button start is nice, but I didn't see a way to operate the accessories without the motor on.
- Don't get the manual seats, there is no way to tilt the bottom cushion, so it offers no under-thigh support.
- The wiper stalk operates the opposite of the way it should. It's down to turn them on, unlike most cars where you pull it up to activate. Also, it can be easily hit by accident when you're using the radio.
- The fuel door release can be easily hit by your foot.
- There is no seatbelt chime, which is strange.

If price is a concern, and you find one for a couple thousand less than an Accord or Camry, I suppose it'd be a good deal, but otherwise I'd go Honda anytime.

[LeeNetworX]

Originally Posted by Homeslice

2011 Nissan Altima

I will try to keep this a fair review, as I'm sure some of you own Altimas.

I actually rented 2 of them, a four-door and a two-door. Both 2011 or 2012 (not the brand new 2013 that just came out).

The 2-door had 17" wheels instead of 16", and slightly sportier seats. Other than that, they were equipped the same.

First I'll start off by saying, I don't know why Nissan chooses to include the engine size in the model name. Like "2.5 S"........Like as if a 2.5 liter engine is impressive in a car this big.

The engine has OK torque, but it sounds thrashy and moany above 3K rpm. It's mated with a CVT tranny (there is no "traditional" automatic available). The only benefit of CVT's is that they eliminate jerky shifts........But in return, it feels like it's always slipping. You floor it from a light, and it goes up to 5K or so and just hangs there, like as if it's slipping or something.

I got about 29 mpg, but that was all highway.

Handling was average for a car of this class. There is good bodyroll control, probably via decent swaybars or springs, but the shocks allowed a little too much float for my preference. The ride quality is good and it's quiet, but bumps in the middle of a turn throw it off-course. The tires were the weakest spot......cheap Turanza all-seasons. But that's typical for rentals.

Biggest weakness of this car is the brakes.....They are WAY too touchy.

After being started in the morning, and hitting ~30 mph after pulling out, there is a strange clunk from somewhere under the hood.... Maybe some kind of flap closing.

As for the interior:
- The 2-door is a good looking car, but has a HUGE blind spot.
- Push button start is nice, but I didn't see a way to operate the accessories without the motor on.
- Don't get the manual seats, there is no way to tilt the bottom cushion, so it offers no under-thigh support.
- The wiper stalk operates the opposite of the way it should. It's down to turn them on, unlike most cars where you pull it up to activate. Also, it can be easily hit by accident when you're using the radio.
- The fuel door release can be easily hit by your foot.
- There is no seatbelt chime, which is strange.

If price is a concern, and you find one for a couple thousand less than an Accord or Camry, I suppose it'd be a good deal, but otherwise I'd go Honda anytime.

Having owned our 3.5SE V6 coupe w/ 6-speed manual for over 5 years now and also having rented a couple of the 2.5s like yours, I agree that the engine/tranny on those sucks bad. Our Altima drives and feels like a different car completely. Hate the 2.5s, love ours. If you ever get the chance, you should drive a V6 (stick preferrably) version to see for yourself.