Budget - iPod connectivity, or Aux-In, or Tape, in Budget cars?

Hello everyone!

I'm planning on driving up the west coast from California to Washington for a couple of weeks and renting a car from Budget for the occasion. I'd really like the car to have an aux-in jack (or cassette deck) for listening to my iphone through the car's audio system, and I'm wondering how likely it is I'll be able to get that feature in the vehicle they stick me with.

The Budget website says the Ford Fusion has an aux-in, but that probably varies based on the year of the vehicle, and I don't know how old or homogeneous their fleet is, or if it will be available when I pick up.

Can anyone tell me what models they've seen recently that have aux-inputs or some other kind of ipod connectivity, and which haven't? If I make a specific request for this from Budget when making the reservation, will they make an attempt to fulfill it, or is this not a reasonable expectation?

Thanks so much for your help!

There are lots of vehicles with aux-in jacks, although guaranteeing availability isn't something I expect of a rental agency. There are about 500 models on sale in the U.S. in any model year so I'm not going to attempt to build a comprehensive list. Most Fords + Volvos will have a jack in the center/armrest console; most Nissans and many GM vehicles will have it on the radio faceplate. When you arrive ask if you can search the car collection for something suitable in the reserved class before being assigned a vehicle.

The majority of new vehicles do have AUX inputs, but not all. There is a sticky on the Hertz forum which has recent reports of AUX jack locations. There is some overlap with the Budget fleet.

You have about a 100% chance of not finding a tape deck in any vehicle. If you're really worried, go to Best Buy or Radio Shack and buy a $20 RF transmitter for your iPod. I keep a small one in my laptop bag just in case I can't find an AUX jack. The sound isn't as good as a direct connection, particularly in large metros, but it definitely beats listening to commercial radio.