Other Car Rental Programs/Partners (ie. Alamo, Enterprise, Sixt) - Enterprise downgrades?

I've rented twice now from Enterprise due to their low underage fees (almost out of their grasp), at DSM in July 2006 and PHX this past weekend. I reserved a Standard in DSM and a Full Size in PHX. In DSM the agent offered me a number of different vehicles including the G6, a standard, which I took. In PHX, the agent walked me out to the lot and offered an array of different choices - the Sebring, Mazda something, Ford Taurus. Thinking to myself, the Sebring is probably an intermediate, and the Taurus I got was probably the Full Size.

Is this way of offering the cars common? If you didn't know, you may have paid extra for a full size but taken a smaller car which may have been a bit cheaper. Apologies if this is a rehash of an older thread, I did a search but it didn't come up with anything.

I always get UGs with Enterprise ... and you can use free upgrade coupons anyway. I always reserve the cheapest and end up with something decent. Only once did I get a downgrade. It helps if they know you at a certain branch ... most often do I get a double or triple upgrade.

I usually rent a Compact with Enterprise and receive an Intermediate or higher, except in FLL.


Last time I was in PHX, I got a Nissan Maxima because like you described I walked out there with an agent and simply asked to have that car.


At FLL, I lucked out once asking for a Ford 500 and actually getting it, the rest of the time I've gotten exactly what I requested except the cars were somewhat beat, like the Nissan Sentra or the Mitsubishi Lancer... both higher mileage cars with scuffs and dings all over.


Depending on the airport also, different locations consider different cars for different classes... like in ROC a Chrysler PT Cruiser was a Compact.

--Russ

PS. I too started using Enterprise because of their underage fee flexibility.