It's odd what they consider an "upgrade." If I ask for a Camry, I don't want an SUV even if they tell me it's an upgrade. I like driving Camrys (I drive a Lexus ES300 at home) and I don't like driving big trucks.

When I worked for the Government, I used to rent from Hertz all the time. They had a contract which included full insurance, the rate was reasonable and I didn't feel like I was being extravagant, and I usually got a car that I wanted. I've never made the President's club (I don't even thing they had it then) but I'm still a Gold member. They used to automatically upgrade Gold rentals, so I could save the Gov't a nickel by renting the class I was supposed to rent and getting a car I liked to drive. No more though, you get what you asked for (or their interpretation thereof).

Now that I'm retired and just about all of my travel is on my own dime, while I'm still pretty fussy about the car I get, I look for good rates, too. Last three times I've rented in Los Angeles, I've saved $150 on a week rental by renting from Thrifty rather than Hertz. I'm perfectly happy driving a Chrysler Sebring, a car that Thrifty (at least this location) stocks in depth. And it's a "pick out your car" rental, so if I don't see a car I like in the aisle they send me to, I can ask politely and get something else from a different group as long as I'm not asking for anything outrageous.

I've had similarly good experiences with National. Avis doesn't usually make the first cut since they're usually only a couple of bucks cheaper than Hertz and in general I don't care for the cars in their fleet.

I sometimes envy people who don't care what car they drive. I'm pickier than that.