Thrifty - "Wild car" in San Francisco airport

Hello,

I found a "wild car" group as I tried to reserve a car at SFO this summer.
It's supposed to be mid-size or larger.
What kind of car should I expect for this group? Mostly mid-size?
Has anyone have experience?

Thank you for any input.

I have rented several times from Thrifty at SFO and have never seen a car smaller than a midsize there (they have a small operation there with limited spaces). Therefore, you will probably get a Chrysler Sebring/Dodge Avenger or larger (maybe a Charger or 300).

Thank you for reply.

So I would expect a Chrysler Sebring/Dodge Avenger or larger.
Do you know how big a Chrysler Sebring/Dodge Avenger is?
Can I put two large hardcases and two small carry-on bags in the trunk?

So I would expect a Chrysler Sebring/Dodge Avenger or larger.
Do you know how big a Chrysler Sebring/Dodge Avenger is?
Can I put two large hardcases and two small carry-on bags in the trunk?
It's always hard to describe car sizes to people unfamiliar with the cars. How large is large? Two might be OK. The trunks are fairly high, so you might be able to stack the cases on top if they don't fit side-by-side or any other way.
Sounds like you aren't familiar with Dodge/Chrysler products (the Sebring and Avenger are basically the same car with different styling cues and different nameplates), but be aware that the 2007 Sebring/2008 Avenger trunks are slightly smaller than the 2006 Sebring/2006 Stratus trunks.
The midsize is generally comfortable for two people, though, so I wouldn't foresee a problem. And of course with the wild card/wild car (whatever it is) reservation, you could very possibly end up with something with enough trunk space to hide several bodies in.

If you don't, I'm not sure what the upgrade policy is in the wild car class--can you even upgrade if you don't fit in what they reserve? That's a new concept to me...

Side question: do many other Thrifty locations people have rented from carry the new 2007 Sebrings/2008 Avengers? I know we're early adopters because of our short fleet cycle, but I wasn't sure about other locations.

Well they had 3 wild looking chargers at PHX. Dont know if this is what a Wild Car from Thrifty would be, but I would say they are close!

Sublime Green Charger R/T's. Daytona Editions.

Here is a pic of one... (http://www.justhummer.com/~rosedaledodge/7H723952-3sm.jpg)

Well they had 3 wild looking chargers at PHX. Dont know if this is what a Wild Car from Thrifty would be, but I would say they are close!

Sublime Green Charger R/T's. Daytona Editions.

Here is a pic of one... (http://www.justhummer.com/~rosedaledodge/7H723952-3sm.jpg)
Ooh, they actually carry the Daytona Chargers for rent?! Nice! (Actually, what I'd really like to try is the 300 SRT8 or the Charger SRT8 (with the 6.1L V8 Hemi with 425 horses). I'd be blown away if any rental agency carried those...

I think the wild car is more like a wild card--it's probably an easy way to get whatever they have the most of out on the road without promising a specific vehicle. In other words, if they have tons of midsizes that day, you'd get a midsize; if they have tons of minivans, you'd get a van; and if they have tons of pick-up trucks, you'd get a truck. In some respects, booking a small car is sort of like booking the wild car, since when they run out of small cars, you get a free upgrade (whether you like it or not--see my other tread in the Thrifty forum on this topic) to bigger cars, but this way, they don't have to promise you a pick-up and then explain to you why they sold out of them and have to give you a minivan instead...or listen to people complain about getting a free upgrade to a bigger vehicle that uses more gas (again, see my other post...). Rather a good idea, I think.

Slumber, please report on what the wild car experience entails. I'm quite curious now!

Edit: Went to Thrifty.com and checked SFO. I clicked "Detail" below the "Wild Car" and found the following:

Wild Car (Mid-size or larger)
# Rates lower than a Mid-size
# Mid-Size or larger vehicle, guaranteed
# Location determines vehicle type at time of rental
# Vehicle will have at least 5 seat belts
# Room for 2 pieces of luggage or more
# Low-mileage, new-model vehicle

Looks like my assumptions above are pretty close. So far, SFO is the only location I've seen this offered at; I don't know if it's going to be rolled out to other locations or not.

Also at SFO: if you click the "Hot Deals" button, you see a compact, a mid, a full and a van at rates lower than the regular compact, mid, full and van rates. As far as I can tell, there are no special restrictions on the hot deals rates--they don't take your credit card, so there's no possibility of them being non-refundable or having a penalty for cancellations/no-shows, they do have unlimited mileage and there don't seem to be any notes in the terms and conditions.

I did notice after clicking one of the Hot Deals that the top of the summary column indicated that promotional code PC434 was applied and that in that summary, a 10% discount had applied. I then backed up to the car class screen and noticed that indeed it was a simple 10% discount off of the regular rate, so the Hot Deals appears to be a way to allow people to apply the discount without knowing the promotional code. Not entirely sure why they separate it--perhaps there are dumb people who wouldn't think to click the Hot Deals button and will therefore book the cars without the discount.

Now, I could understand offering low internet-only rates like some hotels do where the rental is prepaid and there are no refunds or changes allowed; this would allow rental agencies to smooth out their planning a little bit as they would be able to control the no-show rate a bit better. It'd be a win-win for both the customer and the agency.

I just booked a "wild car" rental at San Jose, and was wondering what I should expect. My wife and I are going to be doing a LOT of driving around California (Yosemite & Sequoia, the central coast, and the Bay Area). Given the price of gas and the high number of miles we'll be driving, we don't want to be given a "generous" upgrade to a Dodge Durango (which has happened to me several times with Thrifty).

-Dave

Ah! I forgot to post here. Actually, I think I did mention this in another thread but obviously not in this one.

I reserved a Wild Car in CLT in August. I walked into the Thrifty office not quite knowing what to expect.

Agent: "You do know that our Wild Car today is a minivan, right?

Me: "Uh...ok. How does the Wild Car work, anyway?"

(Actually, I'd be happy with the van--Grand Caravans are nice and comfortable and offer plenty of cheap sleeping room...)

Agent: "Well, it's whatever the manager says it is. Mostly, the manager sets it for whatever we have the most of." (Digs through drawer) "Actually, we have a lot of convertibles. You want a Mustang convertible?"

Who am I to refuse such a generous offer?

It very well could be a Durango, so if you're ultra-concerned about fuel efficiency, don't do the Wild Car. I never understand people who complain about the gas mileage of the car, though--if it's a free upgrade, the few extra bucks you'd spend on gas (over 1,000 miles, a free upgrade from a fullsize to a Durango would make you spend all of an extra $50 on gas) would more than be made up for by the more comfortable experience. (We discussed that on another thread here, too, and it was unanimous that free upgrades are a good thing.) I know it's not a perfect analogy, but to me, it's tantamount to turning down a free upgrade to F...

Ah! I forgot to post here. Actually, I think I did mention this in another thread but obviously not in this one.

I reserved a Wild Car in CLT in August. I walked into the Thrifty office not quite knowing what to expect.

Agent: "You do know that our Wild Car today is a minivan, right?

Me: "Uh...ok. How does the Wild Car work, anyway?"

(Actually, I'd be happy with the van--Grand Caravans are nice and comfortable and offer plenty of cheap sleeping room...)

Agent: "Well, it's whatever the manager says it is. Mostly, the manager sets it for whatever we have the most of." (Digs through drawer) "Actually, we have a lot of convertibles. You want a Mustang convertible?"

Who am I to refuse such a generous offer?

It very well could be a Durango, so if you're ultra-concerned about fuel efficiency, don't do the Wild Car. I never understand people who complain about the gas mileage of the car, though--if it's a free upgrade, the few extra bucks you'd spend on gas (over 1,000 miles, a free upgrade from a fullsize to a Durango would make you spend all of an extra $50 on gas) would more than be made up for by the more comfortable experience. (We discussed that on another thread here, too, and it was unanimous that free upgrades are a good thing.) I know it's not a perfect analogy, but to me, it's tantamount to turning down a free upgrade to F...

wild car in RDU this week was an underpowered chrysler sebring convertable... i'd rather have had a caliber.

wild car in RDU this week was an underpowered chrysler sebring convertable... i'd rather have had a caliber.
I dunno...the Calibers, even the R/T models with the 2.4L 4-cylinder engine (same as is in the underpowered Sebring) are pretty gutless, thanks to the wonderfully fuel efficient continuously-variable transmission. (If you're gonna get a Sebring, get a regular one with the limited trim and the 3.5L, 235-hp V6. Those things move...

The Calibers do, however, have 110V AC plugs and the ultra-cool beverage cooler in the glove box (the R/T models also have the portable flashlight/dome light in the rear, and some even have the flip-down rear tailgate speakers)...

I dunno...the Calibers, even the R/T models with the 2.4L 4-cylinder engine (same as is in the underpowered Sebring) are pretty gutless, thanks to the wonderfully fuel efficient continuously-variable transmission. (If you're gonna get a Sebring, get a regular one with the limited trim and the 3.5L, 235-hp V6. Those things move...

The Calibers do, however, have 110V AC plugs and the ultra-cool beverage cooler in the glove box (the R/T models also have the portable flashlight/dome light in the rear, and some even have the flip-down rear tailgate speakers)...

the sebring weighs about 600-700 lbs more than the caliber so even though its the same engine its got a whole lot more to haul about, the CVT would've been welcome in the sebring since it liked to short shift which resulted in flooring it to merge into traffic without getting killed, at least the car would've stayed near its power band instead of sounding like a cuisinart. (and felt about as powerful)

Don't forget that it's worth dickering a little if you don't like the first car they offer. I've been successful with that a few times, getting them to switch me from a minivan to a crossover wagon or midsize SUV instead. The answer's always "no" if you don't ask!

How does the wild car actually work in locations where you pick your own car from a certain group of cars - like at LAX?
Is it then a certain group or a specific model?

How does the wild car actually work in locations where you pick your own car from a certain group of cars - like at LAX?
Is it then a certain group or a specific model?

last rental i had at LAX was "your car is in stall 18, thank you" and then i found my car. I think Hertz or Avis lets you pick your car, but Thrifty has always had it assigned

last rental i had at LAX was "your car is in stall 18, thank you" and then i found my car. I think Hertz or Avis lets you pick your car, but Thrifty has always had it assigned

You sure you were at Thrifty? I was just there last month, and they told me to pick whatever was parked in row XXX... I think there were five Sebrings and a Civic parked in that row (I went for the Civic). In fact, looking around the lot I didn't see ANY marked stalls at all... except perhaps the indoor ones where the Corvettes and Hummers are parked.

You sure you were at Thrifty? I was just there last month, and they told me to pick whatever was parked in row XXX... I think there were five Sebrings and a Civic parked in that row (I went for the Civic). In fact, looking around the lot I didn't see ANY marked stalls at all... except perhaps the indoor ones where the Corvettes and Hummers are parked.
It's been about three or so years since I've rented at Thrifty LAX, but when I did, I walked to the BlueChip counter out in the back garage, and she handed me keys to a Magnum parked midway down the garage. (That was the only time I did Thrifty in LAX.)

Of course, things might have changed in the last few years...

LAX changed about half a year back to: "Here are the Keys. Your car is in Stall XXX" to "Pick any car in Row X". Seems that several other Thrifty station also have this system now, San Jose, CA and Orlando comes to my memory.

I got "wild car" in HOU about month ago. It was Ford GT. Cool car for a price of compact car:-)

Went for the Wild Car in SEA and got a Dodge Nitro (Jeep Liberty esque small SUV with 4wd). Actually came in kinda handy as I ended up with having to haul quite a bit of stuff around during the weekend. Good enough for me.

Wrong thread.

I just booked a Thrifty Wild Car at SNA for Dec 30 - Jan 2.

I'm a bit confused by the language though...it says the car will seat 5 people, but sometimes they designate the convertibles as the Wild Car? I've had that Sebring convertible before - it seats 2 people, maybe 3 if somebody wants to lay down in the back seat. That'd be a sweet upgrade...except that there are four of us this time.

Am I better off with the Wild Car, hoping that I'll get the minivans or SUV's that are undesirable to most renters, or am I better off booking a full-size car knowing that I probalby won't get any upgrades from there, given that I have no status with Thrifty beyond basic "True Blue" (or whatever they call it) membership?

I'm used to Emerald Aisle, where there's always a mix of midsize cars and bigger stuff. With fuel at $3+ per gallon, there always seems to be bigger cars on the Aisle... The catch at SNA is that Wild Cars are $23/day whereas my usual Hertz/National are running $70/day. To save that much money, I'm willing to deal with Thrifty one time...just want to know how to best play their game.

Thanks!

I don't know how flexible they are (other than my story re: my CLT experience I posted upthread), but if they give you a convertible, you might be able to sweet-talk them into giving you a car that really seats five people (the convertibles have five seatbelts, though, don't they? Are you just saying the back seat is really small?). I think it's a gamble you're going to have to take. (If you come in with a good attitude, most rental agents would probably be happy to figure out a way to help you.)

BTW, I got a 300 Touring in SEA on a Wild Car reservation over Thanksgiving.

As far as status/True Blue--I think the True Blue program is old and outdated. Thrifty's only program now is Blue Chip, which is an express program (pre-fills in all of your information) that allows you to collect credits towards free rental days but doesn't offer anything in the way of status. Rumor has it a status component maybe forthcoming in the future, but for now, there are no specific benefits for frequent renters other than earning coupons for free days.

I actually input a number that I had from an old email from Thrifty, and it works for Blue Chip, so I guess I am a member of that.

In general, it sounds like getting a car that's too small is less of a risk - people generally get cars that are larger than they want. SUV's, vans, etc. We wouldn't complain about any of those. The only thing we'd complain about would be a two-seater. I don't know if they put five seat belts in a Sebring or not - maybe legally, Chrysler is required to. I just know that once we threw a buddy into the back of one and there was no way for him to use *any* seatbelt. There's no room to sit upright at all.

Blue Chip numbers are six alphanumeric characters starting with B, so if that's what you've got, then yeah, it's a Blue Chip number. (If not, maybe they grandfathered in pre-Blue Chip accounts. BTW, I think True Blue is the travel agent incentive plan, but they change names of these programs so often that I can't keep them all straight.)

If the convertible only has two seat belts, then you shouldn't be given it as a Wild Car (or at least forced to take it). The Mustang convertible I rented in CLT, though, did have a full back seat with five seat belts. Sebrings may be different (I don't know--I've only looked inside one briefly).

I think you'll be safe if you book the Wild Car.

Another idea: book two reservations--one as a Wild Car and one as a fullsize (if you want to be discreet, book the fullsize in one of your traveling companions' names). That way, if they do give you any problems with the wild car being too small, you can fall back on the fullsize reservation (the agent will be able to still make you the renter even though the name on the reservation is different). Thrifty does not charge for cancellations or no-shows, so booking multiple reservations--while not very nice to the agency, as it throws their availability count off--is a good insurance policy.

deleted and new thread created

BTW, I got a 300 Touring in SEA on a Wild Car reservation over Thanksgiving.

That's good to know. This is the first I've ever heard of this Thrifty "Wild Car" thing. The SEA Thrifty location has really peed me off a couple of times, thus I've gone elsewhere with my business for a couple of years. But it's hard to ignore this "Wild Car" thing and the rate.

I am renting in mid-January over a weekend at SEA. I was ready to scour for Avis discount codes when I gave Thrifty a look-see for comparison sake. With SAMS, I got a Wild Car rate of $12.15 per day, for three days. Are ya kidding me?!

The taxes jack up the total another 60%.

We'll see what they give me.

Thrifty Wild Car at SNA on Dec 30 was a convertible. Fortunately, I had a backup Emerald Aisle reservation and got an Impala. But I guess there were probably some happy convertible lovers at SNA that day...

Friday at SEA, my Wild Car was a Subaru Outback.