Status: PPlus
Location: MCO Neighborhood Location
Booked: Full Size
Offered: Volkswagen Taos 9900 Miles
Received: Volkswagen Taos

Yeah the non-turbo engine is weaksauce: full of sound and fury, signifying nothing.

Comfy cruiser though. I drove it from north OC to Palm Springs and back this weekend. Set the radar cruise to 73mph and chill.

Status: PC
Location: LAX
Booked: fullsize sedan
App offered: 2025 Jeep Compass Limited, 2025 Subaru Outback, Chevy Malibu, a couple of other sedans
Assigned: Preferred Center :o
Asked for something black as going to a funeral. Told to wait and they'll get me something nice.
Offered: Chevy Malibu, Honda Civic, Jeep Wrangler
Received: 2023 Jeep Wrangler 4xe

It desperately needs an alignment but otherwise I am a happy camper.

https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...2824dc1043.jpg

-J.

Status: PC
Location: PHX
Booked: mystery car
Assigned: Hyundai Venue FWD, then eventually a Hyundai Sonata
App offered: nothing
Received: nothing. Canceled and went to Vegas instead :rolleyes:

-J.

Status: PPlus
Location: LIH
Booked: Intermediate
Offered: Dirty Kia Forte
Received: Dirty Kia Forte

They move very slow here, don't preassign cars either. Got to wait in line inside the office and wait for the person to process your reservation. You then have to wait 30 more minutes for them to get your car ready. No other cars offered "what you get is what you get". The PC in front of me got a k4 lol

Status: PC
Location: DFW
Booked: intermediate
Offered: Hyundai Ionic5
Received: A different Ionic5

Went to my assigned spot and saw that instead of the Ioniq, there was a big KIA... Baloneyum? Fluoride? whatever their bloaty SUV is called, and it was already occupied. The line at the kiosk was out the door in 100°F heat, but I ran into a super helpful woman in the lot who said she'd try to find me something similar. Ten minutes later, here she comes in another Ioniq. Happy. It has about 43,000mi on it and showing a little wear, but I just wanted out of there.

I like this thing. Quiet, torquey, composed. But I guess Texas isn't an EV haven as it was an eight-mile detour to the closest fast-DC station as there were no L2 chargers by the hotel where I could leave it parked overnight.

EV infrastructure isn't hard, unless some people want to make it hard.

Status: PC
Location: ATL
Booked: intermediate
Offered: via app, 2025 Subaru Forester
Received: same

Really do not like how Subies drive anymore, nor the incessant safety nags that at least can be turned off once you find where that is buried in the touchscreen UI, which has some pretty serious lag. HVAC controls should not be in a touch UI!

It's sluggish and quite thirsty; I'm down 1/4 tank after only 45 miles. The CVT transmission seems to start in too high of a ratio because taking off from a stop with a heavy foot is rewarded with not much of anything. Plus it's saddled with a weak non-turbo 183hp boxer-4.

The app's only other options after many refreshes were the same three "complimentary upgrade!" aging Nissan Altimas (some upgrade!) and paid upgrades to various crappy little SUV-lets. Really you want me to pay extra for a Chevy Trax? SUVs are no longer upgrades, come on.

But it beats an Altima/Malibu any day.

Status: PC
Location: ORD
Booked: intermediate SUV
Offered: Acadia Elevation
App offered: Grand Cherokee PHEV, A few blazers, an outlander
Received: Grand Cherokee PHEV

They had one of the rows designated with 'Presidents club' flags. I wonder if that's a new thing for PC upgrades. I was in a bit of a rush so I didn't go in to inquire about it.

Haha the last time I also got a wrangler PHEV, it also desperately needed an alignment. Getting it up to 85 on the mass turnpike was quite the thrill. Sorry for your loss my friend.

Thank you. I honestly would've taken the Civic but since there was going to be a bus parade/excursion I wanted something that would stand out on its own. It got zero attention but I was happy to be in something larger :D

There was also a Dodge Hornet that I would have loved to take, but it had no keys. They told me they would have given it to me too.

-J.

Status: PC
Location: BOS
Booked: Full size car
Offered: 2025 Ford Expedition Platinum with 1K miles on the odometer
App offered: nothing
Received: Had no time (delayed flight) and needed a larger vehicle anyway so took the Expedition and ran with it. Very pleasantly surprised, Was a great choice for our 9 day trip. 1000 miles across MA, NH and VT with zero complaints. Would never own such a large vehicle but love this as a rental.

BOS or BackBay
 

As a PC, would people suggest collection from Logan International/BOS, or from BackBay office?

I'm flying into Boston, but won't need the car until a couple of days later (on a Friday, if it matters) and getting to either location is just as easy, so I'm wondering which would be the better choice - bonus points for expanding on "why?".

Return will be to the airport

TIA

Other than a slight cost savings, it's always better to rent from the airport. The city locations, especially the one in Boston from which I've rented several times, don't have a good selection of vehicles. If you don't care about the kind of vehicle you receive, renting in city and returning to the airport is a smart move. If it's a long trip and you're picky about cars as I am, the airport is significantly better.

Thanks for that - prices currently are exactly the same, so I'll probably no back to the airport and hope for a decent upgrade.

I assume it's easy to get to the Avis desk, even though I won't be coming in on a flight?

You'll have to go to a terminal and then take a shuttle to the Rental Car Center. Since you won't be arriving on a flight, make sure the pickup time is realistic for you.

-J.