National - Premium car at National/Alamo

As a European with an EU drivers license I used to book my US car rentals through a broker like Autoeurope or Carhire300. Dollar was always cheapest for a full size wich was a Dodge Charger most of the times.

For my upcoming trip I'd prefer to have an European or Asian car. Brokers quote a premium car from Alamo for about 60 USD per week more than a full size from Dollar, which is about what I would be willing to spend to get a more decent car than the Charger.

Most of the threads here talk about those ES/ER isles but since I don't have any status I understand I won't be able to choose a car out of one of these isles. Is that correct?

The websites of National and Alamo specify a Avalon or Maxima as a premium car. Do I have big chance of getting one of these? Which other cars would also be possible with a voucher for a premium car? Pick up would be in SAN.

Any chance of a Volvo or Infinity?

Also, what kind of convertibles do they give out most of the times? I would pick up the convertible at RNO.

Many thanks

The websites of National and Alamo specify a Avalon or Maxima as a premium car. Do I have big chance of getting one of these? ...

Any chance of a Volvo or Infinity?



With reservations for Premium I can remember getting a:

Nissan Maxima
Volvo S60 T5 fwd
Ford Taurus Limited
Chrysler 300
Infiniti G37

(And lots of other things no longer relevant.)

There is a non-reservable elite scale of which the Chrysler and Infiniti were a part. I paid no surcharge but these vehicles were not part of the regular Premium class.

You might be offered a specialty vehicle (full size SUV like a Jeep Grand Cherokee) at no surcharge; maybe not, depending on location demand. SAN is a fairly large National facility but the size of car inventory doesn't compare with LAX.

You might be offered a specialty vehicle (full size SUV like a Jeep Grand Cherokee) at no surcharge; maybe not, depending on location demand. SAN is a fairly large National facility but the size of car inventory doesn't compare with LAX.

Would there be much difference in between Alamo and National? Are both generally speaking equal in terms of the quality of their cars at the same category? For me is Toyota equal to Nissan, but a S60 T5 or G37 are way better. I would refuse an SUV for mileage and handling reasons.

As a European with an EU drivers license I used to book my US car rentals through a broker like Autoeurope or Carhire300. Dollar was always cheapest for a full size wich was a Dodge Charger most of the times.

For my upcoming trip I'd prefer to have an European or Asian car. Brokers quote a premium car from Alamo for about 60 USD per week more than a full size from Dollar, which is about what I would be willing to spend to get a more decent car than the Charger.

Most of the threads here talk about those ES/ER isles but since I don't have any status I understand I won't be able to choose a car out of one of these isles. Is that correct? Correct

The websites of National and Alamo specify a Avalon or Maxima as a premium car. Do I have big chance of getting one of these? Very high possibility of getting one of these.

Which other cars would also be possible with a voucher for a premium car? Pick up would be in SAN. Other possible premium cars include Ford Crown Victoria/Mercury Grand Marquis, Hyundai Genesis, Chrysler 300, Ford Taurus

Any chance of a Volvo or Infinity? Not likely. Most stations keep higher end cars like that available as up-sells. Sometimes if you're lucky though you can talk your way into something nicer.

Also, what kind of convertibles do they give out most of the times? I would pick up the convertible at RNO. Expect a Chysler 200 or Mitsubishi Eclipse. You may also find a Ford Mustang or Chevrolet Camaro.

Many thanks

Getting a Volvo could be tough but an Infiniti G37 could be a possibility if in ES and at an off time from most arrivals. Other wise expect a 300, Avalon or a Maxima (slightly scaled back Infiniti)

Some Infiniti exec just jumped out a window. A Maxima is a fwd car from the shared Altima platform with a CVT trasnmission. The Infiniti G37 is a rwd car from an Infiniti/Nissan 370Z platform with a 7-spd automatic. They don't drive alike - not at all.

Would there be much difference in between Alamo and National? Are both generally speaking equal in terms of the quality of their cars at the same category? For me is Toyota equal to Nissan, but a S60 T5 or G37 are way better. I would refuse an SUV for mileage and handling reasons.

A number of airport locations have shared National/Alamo inventory, although I don't recall if that is true of SAN.

Walk the lot to check out the Premium inventory and Executive Selection inventory (some times Premium cars are placed there) before seeing an agent to be assigned a car.

Depending upon location and time of day, Premium inventory can be very thin, as in 'You can take that Grand Marquis. It's all we have in Premium.' If you're working with a prepaid voucher you don't have a lot of leverage. A smile, a request, and a willingness to see what comes on the lot in the next hour will go farther than demands and refusals.

Or perhaps a Buick LaCrosse.

Or perhaps a Buick LaCrosse.

Possible - I think the most likely candidates are Toyota Avalon, Chrysler 300, Ford Taurus, Nissan Maxima.

I've been driving Chrysler 300s for the last 3 weeks in Hawaii, I kind of like them. A big floaty car is definitely an American experience :p

I've been driving Chrysler 300s for the last 3 weeks in Hawaii, I kind of like them. A big floaty car is definitely an American experience :p

It's not that much the suspension that turns me off american cars, it's more the gearbox and the lack of torque that bothers me.

Being used to (turbo) diesel engines with a stick shift and a much harder suspension the Chargers that I've got in previous rentals from Dollar always left the memory that american cars are much more a throw away product than european or asian cars. They just feel flimsy imho. I've never actually owned an american car so I might be wrong about reliability.

On the other hand the driving experience is completely different in the US. If I drove in the US like we do in europe I'd definitely lose my license. Maybe the handling of the car is an important factor in this.

I'd love to cross the US in a turbo dieseled stick shift one day...

Officially, a premium is something like a Buick Lacrosse, VW CC, Ford Taurus, Chyrsler 300 (6- and 8-cyl), Nissan Maxima, Toyota Avalon, Hyundai Genesis.

Volvo and Infiniti are considered luxury.

Depending on station manager & location, you may be able to get a luxury with a premium res.

I'd love to cross the US in a turbo dieseled stick shift one day...

I have a feeling you might end up reconsidering that preference part-way through the trip :D American cars tend to be the way you describe largely for those long highway trips -- miles and miles at constant speed. Firm suspensions are great around corners, but after a few hours on an interstate, they just make your back hurt.

A couple things to keep in mind:



If you're used to Japanese cars in Europe, the ones here may be a shock -- the Avalon and Maxima are very much tailored to American tastes. The Avalon in particular drives like a sofa with wheels. Very comfortable, though.

The newest 300 is a definite improvement over the last one.

You might also like the Taurus -- there's some Volvo DNA lurking under there, somewhere.

Unfortunately, full-size and premium car classes are exactly where you're going to get the American cars with the most qualities you don't like. There are far more midsize cars with European dynamics than there are larger ones.

Would there be much difference in between Alamo and National?

Technically, no, especially at locations with shared fleets - a FCAR is a FCAR. But it varies - for example, at DCA before they moved one floor lower in the garage, a full-size reservation with National meant access to a nicer row of cars than a full-size reservation with Alamo.

It's not that much the suspension that turns me off american cars, it's more the gearbox and the lack of torque that bothers me.

Being used to (turbo) diesel engines with a stick shift and a much harder suspension the Chargers that I've got in previous rentals from Dollar always left the memory that american cars are much more a throw away product than european or asian cars. They just feel flimsy imho. I've never actually owned an american car so I might be wrong about reliability.

On the other hand the driving experience is completely different in the US. If I drove in the US like we do in europe I'd definitely lose my license. Maybe the handling of the car is an important factor in this.

I'd love to cross the US in a turbo dieseled stick shift one day...

Get yourself a Chrysler 300C and you'll have no issues with lack of torque. The overall feel is that of an Mercedes S550 both in acceleration and handling. I drove both back to back. The main different is in interior poshness, but when you consider you can buy three 300Cs for the price of one S550, there isn't that much difference in the interior.

I'd love to cross the US in a turbo dieseled stick shift one day...

I did it a few times in my old Jetta TDI...

The combination of a Diesel and a stick do make for a different feel. All that said I haven't owned another manual since... its the heavy urban traffic more than the endless highway segments that made that decision. Once you are in 5th or 6th on the freeway the transmission is meaningless.

Unfortunatly the US automakers fought diesel engines for decades here and only VWs were commonly available and never made it into fleets. Its getting better now, with more TD options -- but its still only avaialble in European and a few Crystler products thans to fallout from the Diamler/Crysler years. Not counting heavier (250/2500+) trucks, which are more common since they are not in the emissions restricted passenger class.

Now its more likely that the US automakers move to hybrid/electrics before they admit that they should have moved to diesels with the rest of the world...

(sorry... late soapbox warning...)

but its still only avaialble in European and a few Crystler products thans to fallout from the Diamler/Crysler years. Not counting heavier (250/2500+) trucks, which are more common since they are not in the emissions restricted passenger class.


Chrysler does not sell diesels anymore in the US after the emissions went more stringent (except for the Cummins in the RAM of course). They sold the 2.8L CRD Liberty w/ VM Diesel until 2006 and more recently the WK Grand Cherokee with the 3.0L MB sourced diesel.

Chrysler does not sell diesels anymore in the US after the emissions went more stringent (except for the Cummins in the RAM of course). They sold the 2.8L CRD Liberty w/ VM Diesel until 2006 and more recently the WK Grand Cherokee with the 3.0L MB sourced diesel.

Diesels are coming back to Chrysler (Jeep specifically) they just aren't here yet.

Now its more likely that the US automakers move to hybrid/electrics before they admit that they should have moved to diesels with the rest of the world...

(sorry... late soapbox warning...)

Western Europe - primarily due to lower taxation of Diesel fuel compared to gasoline - is the outlier. Look at the biggest car markets:

Diesel for passenger cars isn't popular in North America.

It's not popular in Japan.

It's not popular in China.

It's not popular in Korea.

Europeans should thank Americans - and the California Air Resources Board in particular - for demanding that light Diesel vehicles met substantially the same emissions standards as gasoline vehicles, lest you all be choking on particulates. (Diesel's fine particulates are recognized as a carcinogen by the World Health Organization.) CARB standards were nearly a decade ahead of Euro VI.

I did it a few times in my old Jetta TDI...

The combination of a Diesel and a stick do make for a different feel. All that said I haven't owned another manual since... its the heavy urban traffic more than the endless highway segments that made that decision. Once you are in 5th or 6th on the freeway the transmission is meaningless.

Unfortunatly the US automakers fought diesel engines for decades here and only VWs were commonly available and never made it into fleets. Its getting better now, with more TD options -- but its still only avaialble in European and a few Crystler products thans to fallout from the Diamler/Crysler years. Not counting heavier (250/2500+) trucks, which are more common since they are not in the emissions restricted passenger class.

Now its more likely that the US automakers move to hybrid/electrics before they admit that they should have moved to diesels with the rest of the world...

(sorry... late soapbox warning...)


The US Automakers didn't fight diesels, they just made terrible ones that one one wanted to buy. GM made the infamous 350 Oldsmobile diesel but they had a not as unreliable but much more dog ... slow 4.3 liter diesel as well.

Ford used diesels from BMW in a couple Lincolns, but they were low power 6-cylinders vs. 5-liter gasoline V8s. Then a about 3 Ford Tempo and Escort diesels were offered but mostly in obscure and expensive equipment combinations. Ford Tempo AWD coupe with a 60 horsepower Mazda diesel and 5-speed manual transmission anyone? anyone......?

Chrysler made an 85HP diesel Lebaron which had the potential to not be absolutely terrible seeing as the base 4-cylinder gas engine had 84 horsepower. I've never actually seen an operational example however.

Diesels will return strongly though. BMW, Benz, Audi, and Volkswagen are all making strong pushes. Chrysler with their ties to Fiat are planning numerous diesel models. And GM is planning a diesel version of their Chevy Cruze model which is supposed to be able to push over 60mpg on this highway.