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Around the Internet => Antimustachian Wall of Shame and Comedy => Topic started by: Blackeagle on May 22, 2017, 08:03:23 PM

Title: Getting stuck with an antimustachian rental car
Post by: Blackeagle on May 22, 2017, 08:03:23 PM
My parents are a single-car household (very mustachian).  Last week they were planning on a long road trip (1000+ miles) to a conference.  Due to another family member's medical issue my Mom decided to stay home at the last minute, and she would need the car. 

So my Dad makes a reservation for a rental car for the trip.  He reserves a Fiat 500 (small and fuel efficient for the long road trip).  When he gets to the rental car place on the day of his departure, they don't have any Fiat 500s.  All they've got to rent him is a full size, four-door Ram pickup.  They'll give it to him for the same price as the Fiat, but he ended up spending twice as much on gas (long drive and not enough time to call around to other rental car places for something more sensible).

Anyone else got stories of reserving something reasonable and getting stuck with something ludicrous?
Title: Re: Getting stuck with an antimustachian rental car
Post by: Sarah Saverdink on May 22, 2017, 08:08:48 PM
A similar thing happened to us a few years ago on a vacation. We had reserved a small, fuel efficient vehicle at the destination airport, but they didn't have any available when we arrived to pick it up. We ended up with an SUV-type vehicle. I wrote to the car rental company after the fact, citing the increased gas costs, and they sent me a refund for the difference. I was pretty impressed.
Title: Re: Getting stuck with an antimustachian rental car
Post by: Dollar Slice on May 22, 2017, 10:31:35 PM
It was a long time ago, but yes... I rented a car for a 3-week road trip, 8500 miles of driving... and they gave us a mini-SUV type of vehicle that got terrible mileage. Luckily it was at a time when gas was well under $2/gallon, but we still wasted hundreds of dollars on gas.
Title: Re: Getting stuck with an antimustachian rental car
Post by: Freedomin5 on May 23, 2017, 07:38:38 AM
Yes, rented an economy car, they gave us a Mustang GT. I know nothing about cars...but apparently that is supposed to be a pretty nice car. It went very fast. Hubby had fun driving it through the mountains.

Title: Re: Getting stuck with an antimustachian rental car
Post by: ketchup on May 23, 2017, 08:14:46 AM
Reserved a "Nissan Versa or similar", got a giant monster truck of an SUV (Ford, I think).  Scary as hell to drive, way up the in the air.  My GF was afraid to drive it.  Averaged 17MPG over 300 miles of driving.  Thanks for the free "upgrade." T_T  I don't care if "it normally costs $200/day" and we got it for $35.  It was a bad deal.

That was Enterprise.  I've never had that happen with Hertz.  Worst there was probably "ask for a Toyota Yaris, get a Ford Focus hatchback" which is much less outrageous.  I don't think Hertz has the giant vehicles available usually, so they're a safer bet on that front.
Title: Re: Getting stuck with an antimustachian rental car
Post by: NoVa on May 23, 2017, 09:39:24 AM
Visited relatives in Wisconsin. Flew in, went to the rental counter, had ordered a subcompact. Got a Toyota Land Cruiser, no other choice. We were mocked when we drove up in that monstrosity.
Title: Re: Getting stuck with an antimustachian rental car
Post by: patchyfacialhair on May 23, 2017, 09:50:15 AM
Funny...on more than one occasion I've gotten a Prius as an "upgrade" because they didn't have a basic economy car. Only once was I given a Nissan Rogue, and it averaged 30mpg so I was more than fine with that.
Title: Re: Getting stuck with an antimustachian rental car
Post by: markbike528CBX on May 23, 2017, 11:03:26 AM
Our team went to France for a 1-2month job.   
We normally rent intermediate cars in the states (we carpool with our shift colleagues). 
Somehow, our Avis preferences implied automatic transmission, only available in Europe in luxury/high end cars.

My self and a teammate got at Citroen C6, the sort of car you see the President of France being driven around in.

Great review from http://jalopnik.com/we-drove-a-citroen-c6-and-it-was-better-than-our-wildes-1703876075

I promptly passed out from the sheer comfort (and the 11 hour flight to CDG), fortunately my teammate was driving.

The back seat was huge, kinda like the Great Plains in the back of the car.

We all got in trouble for accepting the cars, I mean, how were we supposed to know the differences?   
Mercedes tiny cars are handed out like candy, so we figured _any_ Citroen is even more acceptable.

Anti-mustachian , yep, worth it (for me, free) yep.

Edit: I think ~6000Euros/month at $USD1.40/1Euro.
Title: Re: Getting stuck with an antimustachian rental car
Post by: dougules on May 23, 2017, 11:10:17 AM
The rental car companies have no idea that they're not wowwing you with the upgrade.
Title: Re: Getting stuck with an antimustachian rental car
Post by: NoVa on May 23, 2017, 01:53:03 PM
This is definitely one time where the word "reservation" doesn't mean the same thing to us consumers as it does to the rental company.
Title: Re: Getting stuck with an antimustachian rental car
Post by: Chris22 on May 23, 2017, 02:25:27 PM
This is definitely one time where the word "reservation" doesn't mean the same thing to us consumers as it does to the rental company.

MOST people are happy when they get an upgrade in size, so they don't feel badly about doing it.  I get it if you're going on a thousand mile trip (sorta, who wants to do that in some little shitbox?) and the gas price difference is significant, but generally speaking the gas price difference on a couple hundred miles is going to be less than $20, not worth getting spun up over IMO. 
Title: Re: Getting stuck with an antimustachian rental car
Post by: dougules on May 23, 2017, 04:05:41 PM
This is definitely one time where the word "reservation" doesn't mean the same thing to us consumers as it does to the rental company.

MOST people are happy when they get an upgrade in size, so they don't feel badly about doing it.  I get it if you're going on a thousand mile trip (sorta, who wants to do that in some little shitbox?) and the gas price difference is significant, but generally speaking the gas price difference on a couple hundred miles is going to be less than $20, not worth getting spun up over IMO.

Bigger IS always better, right?
Title: Re: Getting stuck with an antimustachian rental car
Post by: Chris22 on May 23, 2017, 04:21:31 PM
This is definitely one time where the word "reservation" doesn't mean the same thing to us consumers as it does to the rental company.

MOST people are happy when they get an upgrade in size, so they don't feel badly about doing it.  I get it if you're going on a thousand mile trip (sorta, who wants to do that in some little shitbox?) and the gas price difference is significant, but generally speaking the gas price difference on a couple hundred miles is going to be less than $20, not worth getting spun up over IMO.

Bigger IS always better, right?

When talking about rental cars, generally yes to a point. Small rental cars are the bottom of the barrel, domestic subcompacts that don't sell, are short on power and refinement and have high NVH. So yes I'd definitely have, say, a Ford Fusion than a Ford Fiesta. Premium small cars are generally not available for rent. But then this forum thinks the ultimate in motoring is a used Fit, sooo....  :P
Title: Re: Getting stuck with an antimustachian rental car
Post by: Goldielocks on May 23, 2017, 06:00:31 PM
LOL.

Ford Mustang in -30' weather in Winnipeg Manitoba.  No, I do NOT want rear-wheel drive muscle car on ice with snow patches, no matter how pretty or how much of an upgrade it is.
Title: Re: Getting stuck with an antimustachian rental car
Post by: Dicey on May 23, 2017, 11:52:20 PM
Lol! This reminds me of a trip to Puerto Rico. Hertz tried to foist off a high mileage Taurus with nearly bald tires on what they thought were two dumb women. I was Hertz Gold Five-Star at the time. I flat-out refused the car. I said "I'm just going to go sit on that bench and call Hertz Corporate and let them figure it out", fully intending to do just that. Like magic, someone "found" a nearly new, perfectly suitable car. The funny part of this is that my cell phone provider had no service in Puerto Rico. Luckily, they didn't know that.

Commenting to say: Don't be wusses, people! Stand up for yourselves! Knaak nailed it!

Note to Chris22: Earlier this month, we rented a Ford Focus for a long weekend SoCal road trip and it was great. It was well equipped, had plenty of zip over the Grapevine, and the improved gas mileage more than covered the cost of the rental. We only needed it for five days, but the weekly price was $106.00, so we picked it up a day early and returned it the day after we got back. Easy-peasy.
Title: Re: Getting stuck with an antimustachian rental car
Post by: Blonde Lawyer on May 24, 2017, 07:36:47 AM
Funny...on more than one occasion I've gotten a Prius as an "upgrade" because they didn't have a basic economy car. Only once was I given a Nissan Rogue, and it averaged 30mpg so I was more than fine with that.

The Rogue is my every day car and gets AWESOME gas mileage.  My "high score" was an across the state trip for work where my travel was all on higher speed back roads (50 MPH speed limit).  I got 38 MPG!
Title: Re: Getting stuck with an antimustachian rental car
Post by: I'm a red panda on May 24, 2017, 08:01:33 AM
The rental car companies have no idea that they're not wowwing you with the upgrade.

They don't care whether they are or not.  Somehow they can get away with just giving you whatever the hell they want.

Multiple times I've reserved cars in the "Elantra or similar" category and gotten nothing of the sort.
Almost always end up with something BS like a Mustang that uses a ton of gas. 

It pisses me off.  Give me what I reserved. What's the point of the reservation.

I hate car rental companies.
Title: Re: Getting stuck with an antimustachian rental car
Post by: Chris22 on May 24, 2017, 08:21:38 AM
Note to Chris22: Earlier this month, we rented a Ford Focus for a long weekend SoCal road trip and it was great. It was well equipped, had plenty of zip over the Grapevine, and the improved gas mileage more than covered the cost of the rental. We only needed it for five days, but the weekly price was $106.00, so we picked it up a day early and returned it the day after we got back. Easy-peasy.

Sure, but even the Focus is a size up from some of the crap boxes people desire.  IMO, things like the Focus, Cruze, Civic, Corolla, etc are where "real cars" start, and (most) cars under those are basically unmitigated shitboxes. 
Title: Re: Getting stuck with an antimustachian rental car
Post by: jinga nation on May 24, 2017, 08:50:53 AM
... But then this forum thinks the ultimate in motoring is a used Fit, sooo....  :P
Hit the nail there.
And at Bogleheads the ultimate is a Toyota Corolla.
FatWallet Finance have it right, a Crown Vic. Bonus for P71 package.
Title: Re: Getting stuck with an antimustachian rental car
Post by: ketchup on May 24, 2017, 09:15:17 AM
Note to Chris22: Earlier this month, we rented a Ford Focus for a long weekend SoCal road trip and it was great. It was well equipped, had plenty of zip over the Grapevine, and the improved gas mileage more than covered the cost of the rental. We only needed it for five days, but the weekly price was $106.00, so we picked it up a day early and returned it the day after we got back. Easy-peasy.

Sure, but even the Focus is a size up from some of the crap boxes people desire.  IMO, things like the Focus, Cruze, Civic, Corolla, etc are where "real cars" start, and (most) cars under those are basically unmitigated shitboxes.
I've very happy to have a different perspective.  I drove a '99 Metro for long enough that my 2017 Hyundai Accent rental I just returned this morning felt like luxury.  I personally find only the smallest (ideally hatchback) and largest (non-SUV) cars to be particularly useful, with the middleish cars being mostly a waste.  Tiny car for single or double person transportation, big car for moving big stuff, or traveling with multiple dogs or with a bunch of shit.

I of course acknowledge that I'm the weirdo here, and even beyond that there are other factors. A 6'6" guy might actually require an Accord-sized car or larger, a family with a bunch of kids will need a minivan or seven-seater SUV to transport the whole tribe, people with disabilities will require specific features, someone that lives in a swamp might actually need that ground clearance, etc.
Title: Re: Getting stuck with an antimustachian rental car
Post by: wkumtrider on May 24, 2017, 10:40:36 AM
Reserved a compact at an airport in WI in January, got a Camaro.  Of course the roads were covered  in snow (Camaro is rear wheel drive) and it was -10 F when I picked it up.  Had to be easy on the gas or I would have fish-tailed all over the place.
Title: Re: Getting stuck with an antimustachian rental car
Post by: The Money Monk on May 28, 2017, 12:32:55 AM
They tried to do that to me one time, giving me a big truck instead of a little shitbox, and they acted like it was an amazing free bonus (like getting bumped up to first class). The guy was flabberghasted when I flat out refused it, I want the economy class like I reserved. Eventually they found one luckily.

The gas was certainly one reason (it would have cost probably an extra $50 to $100 for gas for this trip). But another reason is that I actually read my credit card's fine print at some point, and the 'free rental car insurance" that they offer does not apply to cars whose MSRP is over $50k, or for pickup trucks, for whatever reason.
Title: Re: Getting stuck with an antimustachian rental car
Post by: Syonyk on May 29, 2017, 05:53:11 PM
Work pays for the gas on most of my rentals, so I usually enjoy it if I get an upgrade - and I try to get an interesting vehicle to drive, since it's what amounts to an extended test drive of a car (or truck) I wouldn't buy.

I've learned that the SkyActiv Mazda 3s have the only automatic transmission that doesn't drive me up the wall (it behaves like a computer shifted manual most of the time), the Ram 1500s are godawful trucks that I can't understand why anyone would actually buy, and the new EcoBoost F150s are hysterically fun, and radically faster than any truck has any right to be up curving mountain roads.

For most of my trips, the difference in gas cost is minimal anyway.  I suppose I might be a bit more annoyed for a long road trip.

But... this is quite far down my list of "things to get worked up over."
Title: Re: Getting stuck with an antimustachian rental car
Post by: russianswinga on May 30, 2017, 04:36:07 PM
]I've very happy to have a different perspective.  I drove a '99 Metro for long enough that my 2017 Hyundai Accent rental I just returned this morning felt like luxury.

Please don't drive that car anymore. In an accident, you will die.

Here is an example of a 90's corolla vs a modern corolla. A Metro is literally a tin can.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xidhx_f-ouU

There are plenty of safe, affordable, fuel efficient vehicles you can replace your Metro with. A mid-2000's german or japanese or korean car can be had for under $2K, and will pack 6 or 8 airbags, active seatbelt tensioners, abs, traction control, and tire pressure monitoring
Title: Re: Getting stuck with an antimustachian rental car
Post by: JLee on May 30, 2017, 05:25:18 PM
Visited relatives in Wisconsin. Flew in, went to the rental counter, had ordered a subcompact. Got a Toyota Land Cruiser, no other choice. We were mocked when we drove up in that monstrosity.

I didn't know any rental agencies had Landcruisers. Utterly spectacular vehicles...and also very thirsty.
Title: Re: Getting stuck with an antimustachian rental car
Post by: Ocinfo on May 30, 2017, 05:39:59 PM
Rented a Ford Escape for a 1,000 mile round trip to my wedding (needed to haul wedding supplies there and gifts back). They tried to give me a suburban that would have cost me at least double in gas. Ended up getting a Ford Edge so still not what I ordered but better than the Suburban.

Also, did get a Mustang GT for a week but work was paying and I was in a warm location so happily accepted.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Title: Re: Getting stuck with an antimustachian rental car
Post by: SnackDog on May 30, 2017, 06:07:49 PM
I was in Houston on expense account years ago (before some of you kids were born, I reckon) and I suppose could have rented whatever I needed.  I had a colleague who always rented Lincolns and once even managed to crash one.  Anyhow, I figured I would ease the burden on our corporate shareholders and reserved something economical. Avis put me in a totally clapped-out, mis-aligned Hyundai Getz.  It was pretty scary on the interstates - noisy, vibrated wildly, and helplessly buffeted by the passing of anything larger than a VW.  When I got back home I told the boys in the office about it and they nearly split their trousers laughing at me.  These days I just use Uber for work travel - cheaper than renting, no parking hassles and no worries getting home after a non-frugal "work" dinner and drinks.
Title: Re: Getting stuck with an antimustachian rental car
Post by: jinga nation on May 31, 2017, 06:37:04 AM
I was in Houston on expense account years ago (before some of you kids were born, I reckon) and I suppose could have rented whatever I needed.  I had a colleague who always rented Lincolns and once even managed to crash one.  Anyhow, I figured I would ease the burden on our corporate shareholders and reserved something economical. Avis put me in a totally clapped-out, mis-aligned Hyundai Getz.  It was pretty scary on the interstates - noisy, vibrated wildly, and helplessly buffeted by the passing of anything larger than a VW.  When I got back home I told the boys in the office about it and they nearly split their trousers laughing at me.  These days I just use Uber for work travel - cheaper than renting, no parking hassles and no worries getting home after a non-frugal "work" dinner and drinks.
I'm familiar with the Getz, my SIL in the UK drives one. Unsafe at any speed over 30 mph. Drove it on the London Orbital (M25), was a ripper.
However, I think the Getz was not sold in the US and Canada. The smallest vehicle in their USA/Canada portfolio was & is the Accent.
I don't believe in easing burden for shareholders when the leadership drinks Fiji Water and expenses every single little item on their boondoggles.
Title: Re: Getting stuck with an antimustachian rental car
Post by: SnackDog on May 31, 2017, 07:39:24 AM
You are correct!  It was a Daewoo Lanos, a vehicle so execrable that the manufacturer went completely tits-up the very next year.  I had forgotten they ever existed.  Compared to the Lanos, the Getz was a luxo-barge.
Title: Re: Getting stuck with an antimustachian rental car
Post by: ketchup on May 31, 2017, 07:56:16 AM
]I've very happy to have a different perspective.  I drove a '99 Metro for long enough that my 2017 Hyundai Accent rental I just returned this morning felt like luxury.

Please don't drive that car anymore. In an accident, you will die.

Here is an example of a 90's corolla vs a modern corolla. A Metro is literally a tin can.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xidhx_f-ouU

There are plenty of safe, affordable, fuel efficient vehicles you can replace your Metro with. A mid-2000's german or japanese or korean car can be had for under $2K, and will pack 6 or 8 airbags, active seatbelt tensioners, abs, traction control, and tire pressure monitoring
Drove, past tense.  Current car has all the bells and whistles you just described except tire pressure monitoring and was $1800.
Title: Re: Getting stuck with an antimustachian rental car
Post by: Paul der Krake on May 31, 2017, 08:01:17 AM
Another perk of econoboxes: ease of parking in congested cities. A Yaris is a full 35 inches shorter than a Camry, and much easier to maneuver because you don't have to guess the space taken by the trunk when parallel parking.
Title: Re: Getting stuck with an antimustachian rental car
Post by: jinga nation on May 31, 2017, 08:17:15 AM
You are correct!  It was a Daewoo Lanos, a vehicle so execrable that the manufacturer went completely tits-up the very next year.  I had forgotten they ever existed.  Compared to the Lanos, the Getz was a luxo-barge.
You can still drive a brand new model in Ukraine and Egypt (as the Chevy Lanos).
Daewoo's were so bad in East Africa that within a few years the local importer quit on them. I know this first hand as he was a good friend of my father and ran a very large successful car repair facility. This was his first (and last) venture to import cars direct from manufacturer.

I'm going to the UK in July and have a Vauxhall Astra hatchback booked for a rental. Let's see if Avis do the good 'ol switcheroo on me.
Title: Re: Getting stuck with an antimustachian rental car
Post by: NoVa on May 31, 2017, 09:39:46 AM
Another perk of econoboxes: ease of parking in congested cities. A Yaris is a full 35 inches shorter than a Camry, and much easier to maneuver because you don't have to guess the space taken by the trunk when parallel parking.

I had a 2002 Toyota Echo, the previous model to the Yaris. Bought new for $12k, drove over 200k miles, sold to a buddy. I loved that car, spacious interior, nice headroom, good gas mileage, ridiculously tight turning radius.
Title: Re: Getting stuck with an antimustachian rental car
Post by: Goldielocks on May 31, 2017, 09:48:20 AM
]I've very happy to have a different perspective.  I drove a '99 Metro for long enough that my 2017 Hyundai Accent rental I just returned this morning felt like luxury.

Please don't drive that car anymore. In an accident, you will die.

Here is an example of a 90's corolla vs a modern corolla. A Metro is literally a tin can.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xidhx_f-ouU

There are plenty of safe, affordable, fuel efficient vehicles you can replace your Metro with. A mid-2000's german or japanese or korean car can be had for under $2K, and will pack 6 or 8 airbags, active seatbelt tensioners, abs, traction control, and tire pressure monitoring

I think you meant this one...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yw5wtWAj3Mc (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yw5wtWAj3Mc)

Neat link.  I checked it out because I used to drive a 1994 metro (equivalent).
Title: Re: Getting stuck with an antimustachian rental car
Post by: exterous on June 01, 2017, 07:31:47 AM
I think between the people who want a 'nicer' car they they want to pay for and the business traveler who generally doesn't care about MPG most places are trying to be nice when they offer that. So I can appreciate the spirit in which it was offered and generally my asking for a different car with better MPG is well received although there was one case where we pulled up to the location at 11:45pm at the start of Memorial Day weekend and there was all of one SUV in the rental lot. Of course we had a lot of driving to do but the cost of the rental was so low ($31 for 3 days) that I couldn't complain too much

But car choice is one of the reasons I so like my National Exec status as I have better control over what car I get. Longer road trips I grab a more fuel efficient car. Minimal distance? I might just go grab that bright orange nissan 370z over there
Title: Re: Getting stuck with an antimustachian rental car
Post by: clarkfan1979 on June 24, 2017, 10:35:22 AM
Based on my experience, Alamo gives you the most choice when selecting a vehicle. If you are renting a car and plan to drive it more than 1,000 miles, I will typically spend a little more on an Alamo reservation.
Title: Re: Getting stuck with an antimustachian rental car
Post by: redbird on June 24, 2017, 01:57:43 PM
They tried to do that to me one time, giving me a big truck instead of a little shitbox, and they acted like it was an amazing free bonus (like getting bumped up to first class). The guy was flabberghasted when I flat out refused it, I want the economy class like I reserved. Eventually they found one luckily.

I should've tried that. Usually when they're out of economy I just get a full size car. It is larger and worse MPG, but doesn't feel so bad. One time though they gave me a Jeep Grand Cherokee. Thing felt MASSIVE to me since I normally only drive compacts. I hadn't drove anything anywhere that size since I was a teenager and had to learn to drive with my parents' full size van. I hated it the whole time. The huge size made me extremely nervous. And, oh, I also had to drive in LA traffic with this, so the terrible MPG annoyed me. Luckily, work paid for it since it was a work trip. But still.
Title: Re: Getting stuck with an antimustachian rental car
Post by: Tris Prior on June 24, 2017, 06:27:51 PM
I had this pulled on me too. I reserved a compact, was given a huge-ass SUV. I don't own a car, almost never drive, and when I did drive, I drove tiny cars (Geo Metro and similar). There was absolutely no way I felt comfortable driving that thing, especially not in a city. I refused to take it and demanded, if not the compact I received, at least something full-size or smaller. Miracle of miracles, a compact suddenly "became available." I have no idea what that was about.
Title: Re: Getting stuck with an antimustachian rental car
Post by: paddedhat on June 25, 2017, 07:37:53 AM
LOL.

Ford Mustang in -30' weather in Winnipeg Manitoba.  No, I do NOT want rear-wheel drive muscle car on ice with snow patches, no matter how pretty or how much of an upgrade it is.

I know the feeling. I reserved a  "Full sized, four wheel drive Jeep Grand Cherokee, or equal" and pulled out of the airport, dead of winter, in a mountain area full of ski resorts, with what appeared to be a suitable car. A few miles from the airport, it started to snow, and the thing was handling like it was on black ice with bald tires. I couldn't see any indication inside that it was 4WD, so I stopped and looked under the front end. Nope, 2wd with half tread on summer tires. This thing need to be in Florida, not up in the mountains in winter.  I returned to the airport to find a snarky clerk who wanted to argue. I pulled my contract out and asked him to read the description. He then tried to claim that an undrivable 2wd fake SUV was an acceptable vehicle in this situation. I asked him to skip the BS and find me a safe vehicle.  Round two, I left with an actual 4wd, Grand Cherokee.  The liability of giving a renter a RWD muscle car, or  SUV in situations like this is simply amazing. WTH are rental companies thinking?
Title: Re: Getting stuck with an antimustachian rental car
Post by: Goldielocks on June 29, 2017, 10:38:31 PM
I think I rented that Jeep, too.  I had no idea that Jeeps even came in 2WD models fore that (I owned a Cherokee previously).

Except I was in Portland, for "snowmagedden"  during the ice storm, etc. last January, and I did not pre-reserve a car, but choose the Jeep in the line up thinking it would be better in the ice / snow storm that was predicted than other cars.

Wrong. Wrong. Wrong.   Over inflated plastic feeling tires, no snow brush, and terror all around.   Oh, yeah, they had put WATER in the windshield washer fluid -- ask me how I found that one out, yikes.

In hindsight, the California plates should have been a clue.
Title: Re: Getting stuck with an antimustachian rental car
Post by: rob in cal on July 09, 2017, 10:03:31 AM
  Got upgraded to a Pathfinder (we had wanted a basic full sized sedan for five people), and I confess I liked it, I liked it a lot.