One way rental from a HLE.

Old Jun 8, 2016, 10:49 pm
  #1  
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Join Date: Dec 2015
Location: ORD
Programs: BAEC Bronze
Posts: 24
One way rental from a HLE.

So managed to book a PCAR at ~319(rebooked after a price drop from 333 to 319) all inclusive from 6/30 to 7/7 from a HLE in SF to LA. Unlimited miles.

I badly want a 2016 Maxima(I won't mind an impala or buick too, I just dont want an older Maxima, hate that car)It would be a cool 7 day test drive because I am thinking to buy one.

I have a fear that because it's a one way rental they will hand me over a POS car that they dont want on their lot. Will I have any choice in this or will it be take it or leave it?

Can I just take it to the airport and swap the car with something better in case I get a bad car by using the good old "vibrations over 60" excuse?



I have had all of 5 (lol) rentals with Hertz after signed up for gold online if that makes any difference.


EDIT : I also wanted to know about the no-show policy on "pay later" reservations. I wanted to make a second reservation for another class as well. Just incase these guys dont have the one I want and then cancel one of them at the location. Will that work?

Last edited by krysler; Jun 8, 2016 at 11:04 pm
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Old Jun 9, 2016, 2:29 am
  #2  
cur
 
Join Date: Mar 2005
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i can't speak specifically for lot to lot and what vehicle you'll get, but one way within state prob won't lead you to get a pos, but it is possible.

just ask the clerk nicely what cars they got and say you want a maxima to test drive.

i no show about 2/5 of my rental bookings...you just don't show and nothing happens
you can double book the classes and they'll say "which one do you want to take?"

yeah you could do that swap at airport, say a headlight burned out or bad vibrations above 60. that's pretty lame though.
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Old Jun 9, 2016, 3:33 am
  #3  
cur
 
Join Date: Mar 2005
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oh and ps don't buy a maxima. nissan used to be the leader in reliability now their cars are complete pos. had a 05 maxima crunk out completely after 6 years. crunk as in, doa, no electrical, changed the battery, turned the key, no power to the car. doa. the nissan mechanics said rats were chewing our wires which was bs, we lived in a frozen s---hole . i asked to see these bite marks and i was told i wasn't allowed in the mechanics bay due to insurance or some bs. i also owned a 04 sentra for 7 years and the paint peeled and gasket blew at 81 000 miles. moisture was leaking into the cylinders so cold starts on hot muggy mornings was a disaster and just made the problem worse, it took several thousand dollars of repairs by a proficient mechanic for this problem to be discovered.

decent enough cars to rent though...the same way i like renting volkswagens only
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Old Jun 9, 2016, 4:58 pm
  #4  
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Join Date: Dec 2015
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Programs: BAEC Bronze
Posts: 24
Originally Posted by cur
i can't speak specifically for lot to lot and what vehicle you'll get, but one way within state prob won't lead you to get a pos, but it is possible.

just ask the clerk nicely what cars they got and say you want a maxima to test drive.

i no show about 2/5 of my rental bookings...you just don't show and nothing happens
you can double book the classes and they'll say "which one do you want to take?"

yeah you could do that swap at airport, say a headlight burned out or bad vibrations above 60. that's pretty lame though.
I am going to go ahead and book a full size too along with PCAR.



Originally Posted by cur
oh and ps don't buy a maxima. nissan used to be the leader in reliability now their cars are complete pos. had a 05 maxima crunk out completely after 6 years. crunk as in, doa, no electrical, changed the battery, turned the key, no power to the car. doa. the nissan mechanics said rats were chewing our wires which was bs, we lived in a frozen s---hole . i asked to see these bite marks and i was told i wasn't allowed in the mechanics bay due to insurance or some bs. i also owned a 04 sentra for 7 years and the paint peeled and gasket blew at 81 000 miles. moisture was leaking into the cylinders so cold starts on hot muggy mornings was a disaster and just made the problem worse, it took several thousand dollars of repairs by a proficient mechanic for this problem to be discovered.

decent enough cars to rent though...the same way i like renting volkswagens only

I was thinking of leasing it.If I am buying for long term it's always a Honda or a Toyota or a Lexus.I dont trust anything else for long term ownership. Leasing on the other hand with inflated residual on luxury cars(60%+ on a BMW,...)and those multiple security deposit makes more sense than outright buying them.

I have never kept a car that costs >30k for more than 3 years. I usually buy them CPO low mileage <5-7k or just lease them. Buying a luxury car outright for long term ownership is a waste when the warranty is up.
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Old Jun 10, 2016, 11:04 pm
  #5  
 
Join Date: Aug 2011
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Not sure if Hertz has the new Maxima... but my experience with HLE is that they have leftover cars and hand me downs. Very seldom, if you are lucky will you get a car that is new.... and that is because someone did an Airport -> HLE one way.

You can call the local Hertz and find out what their Premium Car is... usually the cars do not change much.
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Old Jun 12, 2016, 12:50 am
  #6  
 
Join Date: May 2012
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It all depends. I use the HLE in Berkeley sometimes and the Airport locations at OAK and SFO. I can say I get decent (not always nice) cars at SFO. There is just more of a pool for them to assign cars from. Some of the staff at OAK know me so it usually is fine. The selection is more limited and often times they can not swap cars (or won't) from HLE locations. At Berkeley the manager knows me so he usually tries to avoid the higher mileage cars, however often times that's all that they have. Cars with higher mileage cost less in depreciation for the HLE than a car with low miles as the airports are very hesitant sometimes to give those up. With that being said I was given a 2016 Dodge Charger SXT AWD with California plates and 18 miles on the ODO to drive one-way to an HLE in Portland, OR. He was very sad to say in the least to see the car go but he didn't want to give me an older "clunker" for the long drive too. OAK tends to feed the local HLE's the cars depending on the reserved needs for the day. OAK would rather keep the nicer cars but they are rotated as well.

All and all you can always call to ask the HLE or develop a relationship with them. That tends to go a long way and they can better prepare for your reservation and needs. Some might not care but others my try to go the extra mile for you. A lot of the old PCAR's I have seen phased out of the local area. I've mostly seen 2015 or 2016 Chrysler 300's as the PCAR at local HLE's, at least in the East Bay. Haven't seen an older Maxima in a long while.
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