I have both Hertz Gold Club and Avis preferred thru AMEX platinum.
For an upcoming trip to California I wanted to drive a Mustang, and so booked the Class W ("exact car") with Hertz. The 10-day cost was $1074.

After reading the stories about the myth of "exact car" I thought to try Avis for something similar. Their specialty class, which includes the Mustang but isn't guaranteeing anything, was $296 for the same 10-day period.

Can anyone explain such a difference?? Note both reservations are the same: pickup LAX dropoff SFO and for the same dates.

What am I missing here? I'd love to drive a mustang in Cali, but not if I'm being ripped off like that. And from what I've read the chances of actually getting that car are slim.