Ford Mustang..'or similar'
Discussion
Like all hires (other than the 'special' ranges) it's the luck of the draw once you get there. If you get some horrible piece of s*** (I booked a Dodge Charger once and got a Gran Marquis - hateful piece of poo that was), best bet is to take it back as soon as you can (most just want to get to condo/hotel after the trauma of travelling there) and get them to replace it.
I recommend Carhire3000 for US car hire. All the insurance waivers are included - not so when booking direct. They're cheaper than direct too and the car will come from one of the major players anyway!
I recommend Carhire3000 for US car hire. All the insurance waivers are included - not so when booking direct. They're cheaper than direct too and the car will come from one of the major players anyway!
The likelihood of you getting a Mustang depends on the location and company. Try asking what the chances are on FlyerTalk (http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/hertz-423/). They seem very up on this kind of thing.
If you are set on a Mustang then book that car and dont take the risk of 'or similar'. Hertz (for example), will let you book specific cars for a small amount extra.
When i was in California a few weeks ago, i'm not sure they have cars other than Mustangs to hire. They were EVERYWHERE, even 3 in a row at one point!
If you are set on a Mustang then book that car and dont take the risk of 'or similar'. Hertz (for example), will let you book specific cars for a small amount extra.
When i was in California a few weeks ago, i'm not sure they have cars other than Mustangs to hire. They were EVERYWHERE, even 3 in a row at one point!
Elroy Blue said:
Currently about to book a Mustang for a US trip. The booking has the usual condition 'or similar'. Do the hire companies class the dire Chysler Sebring as 'similar' to the Mustang. I'd be gutted to end up with one of those horrors.
Am amused. I've just done *exactly* the same thing not two hours ago. From National Car Rental at Miami International. £100 Sat night to Tues afternoon.As it so happens I picked up a Camaro today from Hertz in Dallas - they have 3 cars in that category, the Mustang, the Challenger and the Camaro. All of these are standard, I think 6 cylinders.
There is also the adrenalin range with the Challenger Hemi, Camaro SS and whatever the Mustang model is which are all V8s and add about $100 a day to your bill.
Was also told today that they have discontinued the Corvette, mainly due to the new range above.

There is also the adrenalin range with the Challenger Hemi, Camaro SS and whatever the Mustang model is which are all V8s and add about $100 a day to your bill.
Was also told today that they have discontinued the Corvette, mainly due to the new range above.
Edited by thehawk on Thursday 13th October 07:11
thehawk said:
Was also told today that they have discontinued the Corvette, mainly due to the new range above.
That could be true in that location, but Hertz do rent the Corvette still. They are slowly introducing red standard convertibles rather than the old (2008) ZHZ yellow and black.I think the Sebring has been retired from rental fleets...
I just returned from 3 weeks in Colorado / South Dakota and Wyoming, and managed to get a Mustang as a hire car.
This was through Thrifty. They only had Mustangs in their fleet. Calling the specific location you want to rent from, rather than the central helpline, might do the trick.
I had a Sebring last year, it was fine, but the large boot was dramatically reduced with the roof down. The Mustang has a smaller boot, but the roof folds onto the parcel shelf, so with the roof down there is a lot more space than the Sebring (enough for 2 large soft bags and a couple of rucksacks).
Engine (3.7 litre, 305 bhp) is a lot more powerful than the Sebring, and the 6 speed auto works ok...
I booked direct with Thrifty, all worked well, included all insurance apart from extra $ for breakdown.
2808 miles in 17 days

I just returned from 3 weeks in Colorado / South Dakota and Wyoming, and managed to get a Mustang as a hire car.
This was through Thrifty. They only had Mustangs in their fleet. Calling the specific location you want to rent from, rather than the central helpline, might do the trick.
I had a Sebring last year, it was fine, but the large boot was dramatically reduced with the roof down. The Mustang has a smaller boot, but the roof folds onto the parcel shelf, so with the roof down there is a lot more space than the Sebring (enough for 2 large soft bags and a couple of rucksacks).
Engine (3.7 litre, 305 bhp) is a lot more powerful than the Sebring, and the 6 speed auto works ok...
I booked direct with Thrifty, all worked well, included all insurance apart from extra $ for breakdown.
2808 miles in 17 days


Having said Thrifty were good, 10 days after dropping the car off, wtf is that £186 on my credit card?
Expected ~ £60 for some extra cover I took out, but this is a lot more.
After a call to the support centre, I am waiting for a detailed invoice of the costs. Would have been nice if they had let me know before trying to charge me.
Expected ~ £60 for some extra cover I took out, but this is a lot more.
After a call to the support centre, I am waiting for a detailed invoice of the costs. Would have been nice if they had let me know before trying to charge me.
Elroy Blue said:
Thanks, I'll have a look (it's Atlanta by the way)
Having got back from Atlanta earlier this month where I'd rented through Thrifty, I can confirm that the system that they've got in place is that there's a row or two of cars and you can choose the particular one that you want, rather than being assigned one at random by the rental desk.I rented a "Full Size" which was listed as a Dodge Charger (or similar), but the reality was that most of what they had in were Crown Vics, Gran Marquis or one other one that I didn't recognise - there was one Charger which I took figuring that it was probably the best of the bunch, although frankly it was still a bit rubbish. There were no Mustang tin tops there that I saw at the time - didn't notice the soft-top section I'm afraid so can't comment on what was there.
Fuel is around $3.30/gallon out there at the moment btw

Bluebarge said:
Indeed. I once booked a Mustang through Hertz and was offered a Volvo c70 as an "upgrade".
You too huh? We had that 2 years again Florida, booked a Sebring for a road trip and got it changed to a lovely white convertible ovlov. Just got back from our California road trip where we got an upgrade to a Charger. Not quite a mustang alas....CO2000 said:
How would 2 kids (9 & 5) get on in the back of a Mustang ? (regarding space & seeing out rather than not fighting!)
It'll be a squeeze, and you won't have much room for luggage.My review of 550 miles in one this past few days here: http://community.evo.co.uk/forums/thread.cfm?threa...
timskipper said:
It'll be a squeeze, and you won't have much room for luggage.
My review of 550 miles in one this past few days here: http://community.evo.co.uk/forums/thread.cfm?threa...
I would agree with your view - decent car apart from the gearbox (and some poor interior trim). It really likes to keep the revs low, and whenever you pull out for an overtake, you have to wait while it swaps many ratios before finally going.My review of 550 miles in one this past few days here: http://community.evo.co.uk/forums/thread.cfm?threa...
As for 2 adults and 2 kids - They will fit in the back ok if you aren't too tall. We gave 2 walkers a lift down a mountain, and it worked. Would be a pain not having 4 doors.
You will need to be good at packing light. 2 holdalls (about 17kg each fully packed) and 2 or 3 rucksacks (day packs for walking) filled the boot.
If I were you I'd sack off the 'Stang and get a Camaro or Challenger. I've driven a V8 Mustang and a V6 Camaro, (about 3k miles in the 'Stang and 1.5k in the Camaro) and I preferred the latter. Besides, a lot of the rental Mustangs are V6, but some places (Avis and Hertz perhaps?) Will rent you a Camaro SS, which is the V8. I always used Hertz - they've not been without hiccups, but they've always put things right, and have consistently come up as best value with the biggest selection of interesting metal. I've been renting in California and Nevada - fleets vary between depots.
If I had the opportunity to go back next year, I'd be trying for a Camaro SS.
If I had the opportunity to go back next year, I'd be trying for a Camaro SS.
Edited by JulianHJ on Thursday 20th October 20:18
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