Did you pick up your car at Avis or Budget? I picked up my car at Avis on the Big Island on the 29th and the woman at the Preferred Desk (which is in a separate building on the Avis lot) said they had only been open for a few weeks and while they were ramping things up they were closing at 5 pm or so every day. I was told that after 5 pm all transactions were processed at the Budget lot. If you picked up a car at Budget, I wonder if that impacted your experience and car selection.

I do agree there was a sea of cars - at least one giant field filled up with cars that looked ready to rent.