Car Hire in the USA - Anything interesting on offer?
Discussion
Hey folks,
Mrs200 and I are looking to do a fly-drive 'vacation' in the States later this year. We were aiming to spend a few weeks making our way from Denver to SanFran (via Yellowstone and Vegas among other things), and wanted to hire something interesting to drive in.
Alamo are offering us a convertible Mustang, which ticks plenty of boxes for us - however, I was wondering if other PHers had done similar types of trips, and whether they had found something a bit more interesting on offer.
Cheers in advance!
Mrs200 and I are looking to do a fly-drive 'vacation' in the States later this year. We were aiming to spend a few weeks making our way from Denver to SanFran (via Yellowstone and Vegas among other things), and wanted to hire something interesting to drive in.
Alamo are offering us a convertible Mustang, which ticks plenty of boxes for us - however, I was wondering if other PHers had done similar types of trips, and whether they had found something a bit more interesting on offer.
Cheers in advance!
I had a Mustang last year, was a hard top though, fine for two people but not much legroom in the back, boot space is not great but enough for two. Most are the V6 2.5L? Was pleasantly surprised by the performance and MPG. You can get the GT V8 if you want more grunt. I booked mine through AVIS via the BA website, that way all the insurance is included etc. Make sure you join the Avis Preferred scheme for added benefits
When are you going? Remember if you're doing a lot of desert driving in the summer you'll be more interested in a hardtop with decent air con than a convertible!
I had a V6 Charger when I was there. Wasn't the best performance or handling wise but it was very comfortable and easy to drive for several hours straight. Brakes weren't the best and did have to stop regularly during enthusiastic canyon driving to let them cool down!
Had to have an American car for a US road trip though!
I had a V6 Charger when I was there. Wasn't the best performance or handling wise but it was very comfortable and easy to drive for several hours straight. Brakes weren't the best and did have to stop regularly during enthusiastic canyon driving to let them cool down!
Had to have an American car for a US road trip though!
I did a big national parks trip last year (Yellowstone, Grand Teton, Bryce, Zion, Death Valley, Yosemite, etc...) and would suggest something you can off road with if you plan on parks (well, nothing major, but dirt roads). As another poster stated though, when are you going?
I had two cars that trip, with the fun one being a Challenger R/T from Hertz.
Fun car wise, i'd say anything from the Hertz Adrenaline collection would be good
Just don't be boring and get a V6 Mustang. They are EVERYWHERE (they seem to be seen every few cars in touristy parts of California!).
I had two cars that trip, with the fun one being a Challenger R/T from Hertz.
Fun car wise, i'd say anything from the Hertz Adrenaline collection would be good
Just don't be boring and get a V6 Mustang. They are EVERYWHERE (they seem to be seen every few cars in touristy parts of California!).Thanks for all the good feedback, folks. However, I'm at a bit of a loss with some of the recommendations - they just don't seem to be appearing on the relevant hire companies' websites. Does anyone have any direct links to these?
We're likely to be going around the end of August/start of September, so one would imagine it will still be reasonably warm. That said, I couldn't deal with not having a convertible, for the odd occasions that cruising along with the roof off is absolutely de rigeur...
We're likely to be going around the end of August/start of September, so one would imagine it will still be reasonably warm. That said, I couldn't deal with not having a convertible, for the odd occasions that cruising along with the roof off is absolutely de rigeur...
Here's the Hertz Adrenaline site http://www.hertz.co.uk/rentacar/productservice/ind...
You may find they don't offer that from your destination airport. I flew into SF and they didn't do that range there, they were trying to flog everyone Prius'! They were most surprised when I asked for a big engined american car, they are very eco minded in SF though!
You may find they don't offer that from your destination airport. I flew into SF and they didn't do that range there, they were trying to flog everyone Prius'! They were most surprised when I asked for a big engined american car, they are very eco minded in SF though!
Big E 118 said:
Here's the Hertz Adrenaline site http://www.hertz.co.uk/rentacar/productservice/ind...
You may find they don't offer that from your destination airport. I flew into SF and they didn't do that range there, they were trying to flog everyone Prius'! They were most surprised when I asked for a big engined american car, they are very eco minded in SF though!
I got my Challenger R/T from SFO. In fact, SFO seems to be one of the places with a lot of the Adrenaline range cars...You may find they don't offer that from your destination airport. I flew into SF and they didn't do that range there, they were trying to flog everyone Prius'! They were most surprised when I asked for a big engined american car, they are very eco minded in SF though!
Dave200 said:
That said, I couldn't deal with not having a convertible, for the odd occasions that cruising along with the roof off is absolutely de rigeur...
Avoid places like Death Valley and you'll be ok in Convertible. Death Valley in August is ~45c.If you want a decent convertible you're only real options are the Corvette (Hertz, Avis), Camaro SS (Hertz ,Avis), and Mustang V6 (everywhere). If you go to any national parks, then not having a car that can do dirt tracks is a little annoying though.
Matt.. said:
I got my Challenger R/T from SFO. In fact, SFO seems to be one of the places with a lot of the Adrenaline range cars...
We spent a few days in SF before picking up the car and none of the city centre hire places had anything interesting. Will keep in mind that SFO have them for my next trip!We had a Chevy Impala in Canadia last year. Whilst it wasn't the last word in dynamic, it had a 3.5l V6, big armchairs, and cruise control. Which was a perfect combination.
When I go later in the year, there will be 5 full sized adults. I'm renting a Chevy Suburban. Which is massive.
What you want is a big, low stress engine, long wheelbase, comfy chairs and cruise control. You'll be doing a lot of miles...
When I go later in the year, there will be 5 full sized adults. I'm renting a Chevy Suburban. Which is massive.
What you want is a big, low stress engine, long wheelbase, comfy chairs and cruise control. You'll be doing a lot of miles...
louiebaby said:
We had a Chevy Impala in Canadia last year. Whilst it wasn't the last word in dynamic, it had a 3.5l V6, big armchairs, and cruise control. Which was a perfect combination.
When I go later in the year, there will be 5 full sized adults. I'm renting a Chevy Suburban. Which is massive.
What you want is a big, low stress engine, long wheelbase, comfy chairs and cruise control. You'll be doing a lot of miles...
we had the the impala to, a free upgrade from a tiny hatchback! (hyundai getz i think!) (they tried to sell me an upgrade but I took PH advice and declined - got it anyway!).When I go later in the year, there will be 5 full sized adults. I'm renting a Chevy Suburban. Which is massive.
What you want is a big, low stress engine, long wheelbase, comfy chairs and cruise control. You'll be doing a lot of miles...
it was a great car for big mileage, only trouble is i overheated the brakes coming down a mountain and then did the same to the transmission (put it 1st...) once the brakes had gone.
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