What cars have you recently rented? - Page 2

Homeslice · 12-12-2008, 05:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LeeNetworX

How did you like the blind spots on that hunk of shit?

Avis gave me one of those once and I wish I never drove off the lot in it. It was a week of driving Hell. They have a note on my account to never give me an HHR again.

Felt the same way about the Caliber. Never understood the appeal of a car with 12-inch thick pillars.

tallywacker · 12-12-2008, 06:17 PM

2008 Cobalt 4000 miles on it

Heater made grinding noises

Engine sounded like it was going to implode when passing

Cheapness in the interior everywhere that stares you in the face

dubbs · 12-12-2008, 06:52 PM

Honda pilot.. took that bitch off roading.. Did some decent hill climbs and jumps.. Spent the next day covering up all the scratches.... Left all the mud though..

Mrs. Colleen · 12-12-2008, 06:58 PM

Mark and I went to this huge Corvette get together in Kentucky a few years back...we are walking through the lot to pick up our rental and the whole time I was saying to myself "please no" "anything but that one" "it can't be" "oh no"...then we get to the parking space and sure enough...

Not only did we have to spend the week looking at vette we could not drive but we had to deal with that! If I had to describe it in one word: Cheap. Plus the fucking wing was awful! I could not see very well out of the rear view mirror because it blocked most of it.

LeeNetworX · 12-13-2008, 12:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Homeslice

Felt the same way about the Caliber. Never understood the appeal of a car with 12-inch thick pillars.

Not to mention the small and short front windshield is placed a good 3' from the driver's eyes. It felt like I was driving a house.

FT BSTRD · 12-14-2008, 02:38 PM

Rented a Ford Escape last week. It had about 31,000 miles on it.

When I ran over bumps, there was some sort of low dull rattle like 6lbs of rubber flapping around the chassis.

The transmission was awful. If you tried to accelerate, backed off, and then tried to take up the slack, it felt like you were smacking the drivetrain with a hammer.

The interior wasn't bad. The seating positon was comfortable. It was a little thirsty.

I hated the Ford Fusion that I drove.

Particle Man · 12-14-2008, 08:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LeeNetworX

Not to mention the small and short front windshield is placed a good 3' from the driver's eyes. It felt like I was driving a house.

the only car I've ever driven with worse blind spots: Toyota Avalon Convertable. Talk about blind spots on wheels.

Unfortunately, it was in the middle of February in Minneapolis so there was no putting the top down

And when I rent from National in ATL I can pick which car I want... thing is, sometimes, they just have shit left.

Quote:

Originally Posted by FT BSTRD

Rented a Ford Escape last week. It had about 31,000 miles on it.

When I ran over bumps, there was some sort of low dull rattle like 6lbs of rubber flapping around the chassis.

The transmission was awful. If you tried to accelerate, backed off, and then tried to take up the slack, it felt like you were smacking the drivetrain with a hammer.

The interior wasn't bad. The seating positon was comfortable. It was a little thirsty.

I hated the Ford Fusion that I drove.

Had a Mercury Mariner about 4 weeks ago... around 19k on it. Sounds like exactly the same experience you had with the Escape.

Cutty72 · 12-14-2008, 08:51 PM

worst car for blind spots
Dodge Magnum.

Lamnidae · 12-18-2008, 06:29 AM

Rented a Hummer H3 while in Vegas.

Unless you're completely going to take the damn thing off-roading... what a fucking waste. I personally would not buy one, I don't like the complete lack of POV around the vehicle, it's like driving a school bus with all the windows blacked out except for a tiny little strip.

Interior seemed quite cheap.

Had no get-up-n-go, but that's not why you really need this vehicle. I could see the usefulness if you took it off road, now, hopefully then that lil' 5 cyl. would have enough torque to get you up and over stuff.

Homeslice · 02-15-2009, 02:08 PM

Pontiac Grand Prix (they still make these things??). It had the 3.8 which is smooth and very torquey, in fact too torquey for a FWD car imo. It didn't have the sport suspension, so the shock valving was very soft and allowed it to float and wander too much on the highway. Poor straight-line tracking. The visibility out the driver door is very good because of the low window sill, but at the rear of the car there is a big blind spot caused by the stylish C-pillar.

The dashboard is slanted towards the driver, which is the correct design principle, however the plastic is very hard and brittle feeling. Steering wheel is too big for my taste, and the spokes were too low.

Cool information display on top of the dash. Tranny temp ranged from ambient temp up to about 208 F. Also shows compass, tire pressure, oil life, voltage, odometer, trip distance, and MPG.

When the car is started, the letters "GP" flash on the screen, which personally I thought was kind of chintzy, but I suppose it appeals to Pontiac's target market (guidos).

The ignition is poorly placed, because it allows your keys to bang against the hard plastic.
Overall this is a good car for the price considering how low you can get them, but don't bother unless you get the sport model.

12-12-2008, 06:17 PM	#2
tallywacker Virtual Machine Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: PA Moto: 2010 Ducati Hypermotard Posts: 1,698	2008 Cobalt 4000 miles on it Heater made grinding noises Engine sounded like it was going to implode when passing Cheapness in the interior everywhere that stares you in the face __________________

12-12-2008, 06:52 PM	#3
dubbs Multistrada Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Manorville, NY Posts: 652	Honda pilot.. took that bitch off roading.. Did some decent hill climbs and jumps.. Spent the next day covering up all the scratches.... Left all the mud though.. __________________ Sportbike - 2013 Ducati Multistrada S Touring - Red Luxury Car - 2013 Cadillac ATS 2.0 Turbo - Black Weekend Car - 2003 Honda S2000 - Black Daily Driver - 2011 Toyota Prius - Black Beater - 2005 Honda Civic Hybrid - Dust Colored

12-14-2008, 02:38 PM	#6
FT BSTRD Tractor Driver Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Franklin, TN Moto: Buell XB12X Ulysses Posts: 1,007	Rented a Ford Escape last week. It had about 31,000 miles on it. When I ran over bumps, there was some sort of low dull rattle like 6lbs of rubber flapping around the chassis. The transmission was awful. If you tried to accelerate, backed off, and then tried to take up the slack, it felt like you were smacking the drivetrain with a hammer. The interior wasn't bad. The seating positon was comfortable. It was a little thirsty. I hated the Ford Fusion that I drove. __________________ "I do get tired of reading,'my buddy is a racer and says the Buell will never work' I always want to say 'Who the FCK is your buddy and is he faster than Shawn Higbee?" --Erik Buell*

02-15-2009, 02:08 PM	#10
Homeslice Elitist Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: SF Bay Area Moto: Gix 750 Posts: 11,351	Pontiac Grand Prix (they still make these things??). It had the 3.8 which is smooth and very torquey, in fact too torquey for a FWD car imo. It didn't have the sport suspension, so the shock valving was very soft and allowed it to float and wander too much on the highway. Poor straight-line tracking. The visibility out the driver door is very good because of the low window sill, but at the rear of the car there is a big blind spot caused by the stylish C-pillar. The dashboard is slanted towards the driver, which is the correct design principle, however the plastic is very hard and brittle feeling. Steering wheel is too big for my taste, and the spokes were too low. Cool information display on top of the dash. Tranny temp ranged from ambient temp up to about 208 F. Also shows compass, tire pressure, oil life, voltage, odometer, trip distance, and MPG. When the car is started, the letters "GP" flash on the screen, which personally I thought was kind of chintzy, but I suppose it appeals to Pontiac's target market (guidos). The ignition is poorly placed, because it allows your keys to bang against the hard plastic. Overall this is a good car for the price considering how low you can get them, but don't bother unless you get the sport model. Last edited by Homeslice; 02-15-2009 at 02:15 PM..