I've got two big complaints about the American rental car industry. First, they rent cars that I would almost never buy. Of the dozen or so vehicles I've rented in the last few years, only one has been something I've owned in the past—and even then, I didn't actually buy...
The first generation Ford Focus (and specifically, the ZX3 hatchback) is one of the best domestic small cars ever made. It's interesting and lively, and all of the inevitable foibles of a small economy car are drowned out by the hum of drama eminating from the soul of the car....
Full rental report forthcoming. Until then, more Focus snippets. This is the shifter. It's only got one low setting, "L." Usually I expect at least a "2" or, ideally, separate controls for overdrive and the lower gears. But the thing is that "L" actually does exactly what you (or I?)...
This is the dashboard of my Ford Focus rental car. Three things to note:These gauges are unreadable. Seriously, this whole white-with-grey-rim nonsense and the gear motif makes it incredibly difficult to tell what speed you're actually traveling1. I also just realized that I'm old. The radio rings are non-OCD-compatible. The...
I opened the hood of the Jeep rental mobile and found ... well, this. It's a good engine, but it's just so V6ish. Eww. The JK model (serious) is equipped with a Chrysler V6, not an evolution of the venerable (but admittedly ancient) AMC 242. Damn. I like straight sixes....
This is the third of a three-part report. Also see the first and second parts. It wouldn't be a rental car report if I didn't complain about something.The soft top is too cumbersome to work well in most places. It's fine on Hawai'i (and probably most parts of the southwest...
This is the second of a three-part report. Also see the first and third parts. When all you own is a hammer, the saying goes, all the world looks like a nail. The corollary to this is that when all you drive is a Jeep, everything looks like something to...
I've never seen as many Chrysler Sebrings (especially the new model—but even including the older style) than I've seen here on Kauai. The Sebring, Jeep Wrangler, and convertible Mustang alone account for a sizeable proportion of the rental (and even non-rental) cars here. I'm really glad we got the Jeep....
This is the first of a three-part report. Also see the second and third parts. The American automobile industry deals frequently in iconography. Cars like the Corvette, Charger, and the F-150 stand as tributes to the history of domestic iron. Similarly, the Pacer and the interior of any recent American...
While in San Francisco, I rented a Hyundai Tucson. It's a crossover SUV based on the Hyundai Elantra, and mine was a base model equipped with the 2.0L four-cylinder and a four-speed automatic transmission. This car reminded me an awful lot of the Chevrolet Equinox I rented a while back...except...
Buick LaCrosse? I don't think so. And then they tried to pawn a Grand Am or other piece of crap on me. I had to ask three times for something unAmerican before they gave me the pictured Toyota Camry1. Somewhat unfortunately, the new Camry is only modestly evolutionary from older...
This is exactly the sort of thing you can expect to find when you rent a minivan. Now thankfully, the local Avis had nine (!) reservations for minivans this weekend, and had called in some backups to supplant their fleet of Chevrolet Uplanders (yeuch) and Pontiac Montanas (yeuch). So instead,...
Continuing the fine tradition of moaning about horrible domestic rental cars, here's the latest installment: it involves the Mercury Grand Marquis, or also The Car With The Worst Switchgear Ever. I admit, I'm something of a switch snob. I've got a thing for well-made, sturdy, and quiet knobs and dials...
Earlier today I dropped off the RAV4 at the local Toyota dealership to get some scratches buffed that were on the car when we bought it. Because we're such wonderful customers, they gave us a loaner car for the day: a completely nondescript 2005 Toyota Corolla, complete with 6-disc changer...that...
Because the 3 broke so unexpectedly last week and because Layla and I needed to get around, we decided to rent a car for the weekend. Even though I made a reservation for a compact, Avis didn't have any available, and so they gave me the Chevy Equinox like the...
This post was written during the trip. The Renault Twingo Open Roof is a remarkably odd vehicle even by European standards. Sure, it has the thin sheetmetal stampings and toyish looks that we have all come to expect from the continent responsible for the Isetta and the Fiat 500, but...
In New Mexico, I rented a Buick LeSabre. Some of you may be thinking that this is a total old-man car built by General Motors, the worst of the worst car makers this side of Seoul. And I'll tell you, despite its shortcomings, this car really isn't all that bad....
My first GM rental car—that Pontiac from January—had a V6 in it. Because the thing torque-steered worse than a pissed-off bull, it was downright scary to drive. So, when I mashed the gas on my now-returned Chevrolet Classic and it tried to pull the steering wheel completely out of my...
I posted earlier about the worst car I've ever driven. Just so we don't forget what an abomination this thing is, here's another picture. Oh that's bad. Something occured to me while I was driving around today, though: the Pontiac Grand Am that I rented when I was out in...
The reason my rental car is called the "Chevrolet Classic" is because General Motors was too lazy to pull the fucker off the lines after they had introduced its replacement. That's right—this is last year's Chevy Malibu still sold to rental car companies. And it is, without doubt, the worst...
