After reading a few posts about rental cars in the USA, I thought it would be fun to post the best rental car you have had in the UK.
Lets keep it to renting from normal companies and not exotic rental companies.
So here's mine
Guy Salmon (Marble Arch pre-Eurodollar/Alamo/National takeovers)
Year: 1991
Ford Sierra Cosworth, Toyota MR2, Ford Fiesta XR2
Budget:
Year 1993
Ford Mondeo 24v
Hertz
Year: Various
Ford Scorpio 24v
Alamo
Year: 1990s
Vauxhall Senator 24v
Hertz
Year: 2008
VW Eos 2.0 TSi
Avis:
Year: Early 1990s
Vauxhall Calibra 2.0 Turbo
I'll add more as they come to mind.
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In the UK, this year I booked a Citroen Picasso 1.6 and ended up with a Mondeo Estate 2.0TDCi. Same price and to be honest was left with the impression of a very good car, maybe not one I'd go and buy but a very good and honest car nonetheless.
In the USA my company booked a standard compact but I first got a Dodge Charger 2.7v6, then a Pontiac G6, a Grand Cherokee 3.7v6 and a Dodge Avenger. The Charger was cool, the Jeep was better. The Pontiac and Avenger were rubbish.
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Remember booking a Rover Metro for a long weekend around Cambridge in the early 90s and came away with a brand new Peugeot 405 estate - very good car indeed. Wife visiting her mum in Farnham always rents cheapest but once got a new XR3i instead of her booked 957cc Fiesta. Worst car ever hired? Seat Leon 1.4 in Portugal. Best great big Chysler V8 in New England mid 90s.
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Upgraded to a Saab 93 Aero automatic with leather seats etc after complaining about not being able to fit in an Astra(I'm very tall).(I could fit but miffed that they gave me an Astra so complained and they upgraded me to the Saab for no extra!.It pays to kick up a fuss!)
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We never seem to get an upgrade to anything exotic, but I'd nominate the one we hired last month in South Africa. National Alamo we find the best value, but they seem to have merged with Europcar, and instead of the usual Nissan or Toyota we had a VW Polo Classic 1.6.
Nothing spectacular - but just very good at its job. Much livelier than a Japanese 1.6, and the saloon boot fitted our suitcases (two large, two hand luggage) perfectly. It had done 25,000 km but did another 2500 km with us without missing a beat.
Why on earth don't VW sell the Polo 1.6 over here? Not much demand for the saloon but the hatch would surely sell well.
Edited by Avant on 17/11/2009 at 22:42
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My best in the UK - Mercedes CLK180
Worst (ever) - Hyundai Matrix... awful in so many ways
Worst (overseas) - 2004 Oldsmobile Alero - epitomised everything that's bad about US cars in terms of nasty, cost-cutting crud.
Best (overseas) - A dead heat between
1- 2004 Buick Century - also epitomises a lot that's bad about US cars, sloppy engineering, gutless 3.1L V6 engine (175hp). But enormous, comfortable seats and very softly sprung - so a proper American car in some ways and something that needed to be experienced once. And a great view outside of British Columbia.
2- 2002 Ford Transit 280 135 camper van. Once everything inside was battened down, and you'd dumped the wastewater to reduce weight, it was a lot of fun on the tight bends of the Queen Charlotte Drive between Picton & Nelson, and the longer, sweeping bends between Te Anau & Milford Sound in New Zealand. Again scored extra for the view outside the windows, but lost points for a very low speed top gear - 3000rpm at 60; any faster and you thought it was going to explode.
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Went through loads in the early 90s - company said I needed a car but HR would not authorise company car. Sometimes had two in a day!
Used to hire 1.6 Sierra/Cavalier/Mondeo and usually got a 1.8.
One day they turned up with a 2.0 Carlton Diplomat auto. At 1.6 Mondeo rate!
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