List your upgrades!
Oct 23, 2013, 9:53 am
#2176
Join Date: Aug 2013
Location: MCI
Programs: Avis First, Hertz 5*, Hilton Gold, SW A-List
Posts: 55
Oct 23, 2013, 12:54 pm
#2177
Join Date: Oct 2011
Location: ORD
Programs: UA Gold, Avis President's Club, IHG Platinum
Posts: 286
Location: BOS
Level: Presidents
Reserved: Intermediate
Received: Kia Cadenza
Level: Presidents
Reserved: Intermediate
Received: Kia Cadenza
Oct 23, 2013, 1:03 pm
#2178
Join Date: Aug 2013
Location: MCI
Programs: Avis First, Hertz 5*, Hilton Gold, SW A-List
Posts: 55
Oct 24, 2013, 8:26 am
#2179
Join Date: May 2013
Location: TX
Posts: 240
If you're that adamant about an upgrade you can always do a couple of things:
1. Simply ask to speak with a manager. Usually they are more capable and willing to do upgrades.
2. Take the car, leave and come back and ask for something different. I did this in Dallas recently. I booked full size car and received a Suburban. I took it and came back because I needed the toll tag. I got the Challenger RT I wanted after talking to the manager who was helping me, even though just 20 mins prior the sales person said it was booked. He offered it to me and I said "your associate said it was booked" and he said no one had booked it all week, and was embarrassed she gave me that bs when I originally requested it.
3. Take it from the airport and exchange it at one of the neighborhood locations. I'm not sure if it's true, but one of the associates in FL at the neighborhood location told me once you swap it out there, that revenue becomes the locations revenue and not the airport. So they are more willing to swap it out and upgrade. (In FL I traded in a Focus for a Ford Flex)
4. Just pay for the car you want. Sometimes you have to. I have only paid for an upgrade once in my life. And it was $4 a day to go from a Fiat 500 to a 4-door Jeep Wrangler Sahara. It was worth it to me.
1. Simply ask to speak with a manager. Usually they are more capable and willing to do upgrades.
2. Take the car, leave and come back and ask for something different. I did this in Dallas recently. I booked full size car and received a Suburban. I took it and came back because I needed the toll tag. I got the Challenger RT I wanted after talking to the manager who was helping me, even though just 20 mins prior the sales person said it was booked. He offered it to me and I said "your associate said it was booked" and he said no one had booked it all week, and was embarrassed she gave me that bs when I originally requested it.
3. Take it from the airport and exchange it at one of the neighborhood locations. I'm not sure if it's true, but one of the associates in FL at the neighborhood location told me once you swap it out there, that revenue becomes the locations revenue and not the airport. So they are more willing to swap it out and upgrade. (In FL I traded in a Focus for a Ford Flex)
4. Just pay for the car you want. Sometimes you have to. I have only paid for an upgrade once in my life. And it was $4 a day to go from a Fiat 500 to a 4-door Jeep Wrangler Sahara. It was worth it to me.
Oct 24, 2013, 11:22 am
#2180
Join Date: May 2013
Location: TX
Posts: 240
Airport: IAH
Status: First
Rented: Standard
Assigned: Kia Optima (it didn't even have leather--completely bare bones.)
Requested: Infiniti/BMW (i knew it was a stretch...her words: "Nahhhh I caint do dat.")
Received: Ford Taurus Limited, 4 months old, 11000 miles
I got offered every Standard/Full vehicle they had...Passat, Fusion, Camry--you name it. I was hoping she would finally give in and meet me half way with something like a Lincoln or 300, but she was tough. Not very pleasant, either. Finally when she got to the Taurus, I figured that was as good as it was going to get for me. It was a nice car. I never really got used to driving it, though. I was never able to get a feel for where the passenger side of the car and front corners actually were, which resulted in a couple of parking jobs 2' off the curb when i thought i was right on it. haha
Status: First
Rented: Standard
Assigned: Kia Optima (it didn't even have leather--completely bare bones.)
Requested: Infiniti/BMW (i knew it was a stretch...her words: "Nahhhh I caint do dat.")
Received: Ford Taurus Limited, 4 months old, 11000 miles
I got offered every Standard/Full vehicle they had...Passat, Fusion, Camry--you name it. I was hoping she would finally give in and meet me half way with something like a Lincoln or 300, but she was tough. Not very pleasant, either. Finally when she got to the Taurus, I figured that was as good as it was going to get for me. It was a nice car. I never really got used to driving it, though. I was never able to get a feel for where the passenger side of the car and front corners actually were, which resulted in a couple of parking jobs 2' off the curb when i thought i was right on it. haha
Oct 24, 2013, 11:42 am
#2181
Join Date: Jan 2003
Location: STL
Programs: AA EXP, Delta Gold, Mariott Gold, Hilton Diamond, Avis Presidents Club
Posts: 307
Location: RDU
Level: Presidents
Reserved: Standard
Received: Navigator
Asked for a car when I was there because I was driving to Greensboro (about 150 miles RT) and wanted the better gas mileage, and was told the only thing available was the navigator....
Level: Presidents
Reserved: Standard
Received: Navigator
Asked for a car when I was there because I was driving to Greensboro (about 150 miles RT) and wanted the better gas mileage, and was told the only thing available was the navigator....
Oct 25, 2013, 11:54 am
#2182
Join Date: Oct 2011
Location: ORD
Programs: UA Gold, Avis President's Club, IHG Platinum
Posts: 286
Exterior styling seemed to be a mashup of Inifinti and BMW, with maybe a touch of Saab. Interior styling was pretty good overall, with more bling than I prefer. Outside mirrors that folded up and in automatically was cute the first couple of times and silly thereafter.
Starting the car resulted in hearing an engine that I swore sounded like some mirco-hathcback sub-1.5L diesels that I've spent time in while in Europe. Overall, he engine was always quite eager and pulled well. Paddle-shifting was sometimes laggy. Once or twice, it slammed into gear if I quickly paddle-shifted up two gears.
Nav system said it was "powered by Samsung Galaxy" but it used Siri's voice! Overall, nav worked well, but I never figured out how to a) set a QWERTY keyboard or b) orient the screen so that up was the direction I was traveling.
I've seen full-page Cadenza ads in the Wall Street Journal over the last couple of weeks comparing it to the BMW 5-series and Mercedes E-class. I don't really buy the comparison. I drive an older 530 and the Cadenza might be equivalent to it with a somewhat better suspension. It's a capable car but I doubt it's at the same level as current 5s or Es.
I did notice a few times when people were giving it a long look, as if they were trying to figure out what car it was.
Oct 26, 2013, 1:05 am
#2183
Used to be bulldoggolfer05
Join Date: May 2007
Location: São Paulo, BR/Miami Beach, FL/NYC/DXB
Programs: HGP DMD, HHonors DMD, SPG PLT, MR PLT
Posts: 2,295
It was a pretty nice car (turned it in last night). This model had nav, XM, backup camera, and about 9,000 miles on it. Chassis is quite tight, which meant handling was very good. Transmission was a 6-speed automatic with shifter paddles.
Exterior styling seemed to be a mashup of Inifinti and BMW, with maybe a touch of Saab. Interior styling was pretty good overall, with more bling than I prefer. Outside mirrors that folded up and in automatically was cute the first couple of times and silly thereafter.
Starting the car resulted in hearing an engine that I swore sounded like some mirco-hathcback sub-1.5L diesels that I've spent time in while in Europe. Overall, he engine was always quite eager and pulled well. Paddle-shifting was sometimes laggy. Once or twice, it slammed into gear if I quickly paddle-shifted up two gears.
Nav system said it was "powered by Samsung Galaxy" but it used Siri's voice! Overall, nav worked well, but I never figured out how to a) set a QWERTY keyboard or b) orient the screen so that up was the direction I was traveling.
I've seen full-page Cadenza ads in the Wall Street Journal over the last couple of weeks comparing it to the BMW 5-series and Mercedes E-class. I don't really buy the comparison. I drive an older 530 and the Cadenza might be equivalent to it with a somewhat better suspension. It's a capable car but I doubt it's at the same level as current 5s or Es.
I did notice a few times when people were giving it a long look, as if they were trying to figure out what car it was.
Exterior styling seemed to be a mashup of Inifinti and BMW, with maybe a touch of Saab. Interior styling was pretty good overall, with more bling than I prefer. Outside mirrors that folded up and in automatically was cute the first couple of times and silly thereafter.
Starting the car resulted in hearing an engine that I swore sounded like some mirco-hathcback sub-1.5L diesels that I've spent time in while in Europe. Overall, he engine was always quite eager and pulled well. Paddle-shifting was sometimes laggy. Once or twice, it slammed into gear if I quickly paddle-shifted up two gears.
Nav system said it was "powered by Samsung Galaxy" but it used Siri's voice! Overall, nav worked well, but I never figured out how to a) set a QWERTY keyboard or b) orient the screen so that up was the direction I was traveling.
I've seen full-page Cadenza ads in the Wall Street Journal over the last couple of weeks comparing it to the BMW 5-series and Mercedes E-class. I don't really buy the comparison. I drive an older 530 and the Cadenza might be equivalent to it with a somewhat better suspension. It's a capable car but I doubt it's at the same level as current 5s or Es.
I did notice a few times when people were giving it a long look, as if they were trying to figure out what car it was.
Great info! I hope this is allowed, but here is a very well written review with pictures from the National Forum.
Oct 26, 2013, 6:03 pm
#2184
Join Date: May 2008
Posts: 4,396
Great info! I hope this is allowed, but here is a very well written review with pictures from the National Forum.
How are the Avis Cadenzas optioned? Base trim only?
Oct 28, 2013, 2:44 pm
#2185
Join Date: Oct 2011
Location: ORD
Programs: UA Gold, Avis President's Club, IHG Platinum
Posts: 286
I also noticed that the car I rented had three blanks for switches on the dashboard. There was a five-switch array to the left of the steering wheel; two were for dash brightness and to disable DSC, the other three were unused.
Oct 28, 2013, 10:48 pm
#2186
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: SYR
Programs: US/AA-Platinum, Hilton-Diamond, Marriott-Gold, AVIS-Presidents Club, National-Executive Elite
Posts: 2,755
Oct 29, 2013, 7:56 am
#2187
Join Date: Aug 2013
Location: MCI
Programs: Avis First, Hertz 5*, Hilton Gold, SW A-List
Posts: 55
Oct 29, 2013, 8:17 am
#2188
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: SRQ - Sarasota, Florida
Programs: United 1k | Hyatt Diamond?, Marriott Platinum (Lifetime) | IHG Platinum | Avis Chairman
Posts: 307
Past 45 Days Rent/Receive
Location: SRQ
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Reserved: Intermediate
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Location: IAH
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Location: OGG
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Oct 29, 2013, 9:01 am
#2189
Join Date: Aug 2013
Location: MCI
Programs: Avis First, Hertz 5*, Hilton Gold, SW A-List
Posts: 55
Location: SRQ
Level: Chairman
Reserved: Intermediate
Received: Avalon
Location: LAS
Level: Chairman
Reserved: Intermediate
Received: BMW Z4 Convert
Location: ATL
Level: Chairman
Reserved: Intermediate
Received: Navigator
Location: TPA
Level: Chairman
Reserved: Intermediate
Received: Infiniti QX
Location: LAX
Level: Chairman
Reserved: Intermediate
Received: BMW 528i
Location: IND
Level: Chairman
Reserved: Intermediate
Received: Tahoe
Location: HNL
Level: Chairman
Reserved: Intermediate
Received: Tahoe XL
Location: LIH
Level: Chairman
Reserved: Intermediate
Received: Escalade
Location: LAX
Level: Chairman
Reserved: Intermediate
Received: Some kind of ugly Buick with a horrid control cluster
Location: IAH
Level: Chairman
Reserved: Intermediate
Received: Suburban
Location: OGG
Level: Chairman
Reserved: Intermediate
Received: BMW 750
Location: SRQ
Level: Chairman
Reserved: Intermediate
Received: Genesis
Level: Chairman
Reserved: Intermediate
Received: Avalon
Location: LAS
Level: Chairman
Reserved: Intermediate
Received: BMW Z4 Convert
Location: ATL
Level: Chairman
Reserved: Intermediate
Received: Navigator
Location: TPA
Level: Chairman
Reserved: Intermediate
Received: Infiniti QX
Location: LAX
Level: Chairman
Reserved: Intermediate
Received: BMW 528i
Location: IND
Level: Chairman
Reserved: Intermediate
Received: Tahoe
Location: HNL
Level: Chairman
Reserved: Intermediate
Received: Tahoe XL
Location: LIH
Level: Chairman
Reserved: Intermediate
Received: Escalade
Location: LAX
Level: Chairman
Reserved: Intermediate
Received: Some kind of ugly Buick with a horrid control cluster
Location: IAH
Level: Chairman
Reserved: Intermediate
Received: Suburban
Location: OGG
Level: Chairman
Reserved: Intermediate
Received: BMW 750
Location: SRQ
Level: Chairman
Reserved: Intermediate
Received: Genesis
Oct 29, 2013, 9:50 am
#2190
Join Date: Sep 2008
Location: Scottsdale, AZ
Programs: AA Exec Plat, Marriott Plat, Priority Club Plat, HHonors Diamond, Avis CC
Posts: 673