Consolidated "Renting at PHL; What Kind of Cars to Expect?" Thread
Jun 13, 2022, 9:00 am
#46
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: LAX
Programs: UA Plat MM, CM Plat, Amex Plat, Hertz CP, Hyatt Globalist, SPG Gold, Vons Club
Posts: 6,852
Once that’s completed you should be able to go straight to PC. Sometimes you can pick something straight from the PC and they verify everything at the gate
It’s been a while for me so I’ll leave that up to others to comment
Jun 13, 2022, 4:11 pm
#47
Join Date: Jun 2022
Posts: 22
Collected a car to drive cross country with from PHL today. As previous reports, it was almost entirely Korean cars in Presidents Circle. There was one brand new Sonata with 1000 miles on it, and a selection of Altimas and Camry’s too. Then there were a few small Chevy and GMC SUVs.
We were really hoping for a Mustang or Camaro but realised it was a long shot at PHL. The lady in the Gold Counter was fairly unhelpful when I asked about whether there were likely to be any american cars giving a fairly corporate answer, but she was polite enough. One of the guys brought round a GMC Acadia SLT as I was looking around. It was high mileage (40,000) but actually surprisingly tidy and high spec (working XM Radio, Apple Car Play, Wifi, Nav, BOSE, leather). 6 hours into the drive now and getting 30 US MPG. Bit of a wobble on the wheel under load, and it’s not far off needing a service so might see if I can swap to something more fancy in Las Vegas next week if the wobble gets worse!
We were really hoping for a Mustang or Camaro but realised it was a long shot at PHL. The lady in the Gold Counter was fairly unhelpful when I asked about whether there were likely to be any american cars giving a fairly corporate answer, but she was polite enough. One of the guys brought round a GMC Acadia SLT as I was looking around. It was high mileage (40,000) but actually surprisingly tidy and high spec (working XM Radio, Apple Car Play, Wifi, Nav, BOSE, leather). 6 hours into the drive now and getting 30 US MPG. Bit of a wobble on the wheel under load, and it’s not far off needing a service so might see if I can swap to something more fancy in Las Vegas next week if the wobble gets worse!
Jul 13, 2022, 4:52 pm
#48
Join Date: Feb 2015
Programs: Top Tier Flyertalk Member
Posts: 681
Arrived 2pm Christmas day. Did not have high expectations, and Hertz didn't manage to meet my low expectations. The PC section is closed for work being done, so PC's are bumped to 5star. Selection was bland, with not one vehicle having leather seating. Few S trim Rogues, LT trim Equinox, Forrester, S trim Altima. Checked out gold and they had Escape SE and Rogue Sport SV. Went to the counter and upgraded to Explorer Limited for about $200 more for the week. Had a backup res at National since it was more expensive, and the Explorer ended up being $50 more than the Aisle at National.
Sep 4, 2022, 4:45 am
#50
Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: Greater Chicagoland Area
Programs: frontier Elite, Hertz PC
Posts: 1,455
Got a new Charger from 5* which had less than 1k miles. There was another one in PC with more miles. Bunch of the usual mid size cars and smaller SUVs. Also saw a 4x4 truck in PC.
Sep 4, 2022, 12:04 pm
#51
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: LAX
Programs: UA Plat MM, CM Plat, Amex Plat, Hertz CP, Hyatt Globalist, SPG Gold, Vons Club
Posts: 6,852
Seems to me like inventory is starting to even out and there’s more selection these days
Jun 2, 2023, 11:41 am
#52
Join Date: Jun 2021
Location: Port Saint Lucie, FL
Programs: AAdvantage / Hertz Five Star
Posts: 18
I have another trip to PHL this upcoming July 4thish weekend like I did two years prior. Like before, I will post the selection and experience along with photographs. I had zero Hertz rentals in 2022 but I have maintained my Five Star status; remains to be seen if I will get upgraded to Presidents Circle for selection again like last time.
Last year instead of PHL I took an Allegiant flight from SFB to ABE and rented with Enterprise. They gave me a Malibu with an expired Florida plate, which I greatly enjoyed being Florida Man. A local branch thankfully had a permanent Florida tag to put on the car so I could drive with it (I took it one way to Maine).
Last year instead of PHL I took an Allegiant flight from SFB to ABE and rented with Enterprise. They gave me a Malibu with an expired Florida plate, which I greatly enjoyed being Florida Man. A local branch thankfully had a permanent Florida tag to put on the car so I could drive with it (I took it one way to Maine).
Jun 16, 2023, 7:13 am
#53
Join Date: Jul 2011
Posts: 1,135
Not an observation but a heads up that rental car companies at PHL have been changing practices after a sequence of armed rental car thefts. Some are not leaving keys in the car anymore, as you would find in UC. Don’t know if Hertz is one of them.
https://www.inquirer.com/crime/phila...-20230615.html
https://www.inquirer.com/crime/phila...-20230615.html
Jun 30, 2023, 9:38 am
#54
Join Date: Jun 2021
Location: Port Saint Lucie, FL
Programs: AAdvantage / Hertz Five Star
Posts: 18
Arrived this morning at 0930 from Fort Lauderdale, on time flight. Didn't have to wait for a shuttle this time, a Hertz bus pulled right up for me as soon as I got to the shuttle zone.
Tons of fleet available; I was just surprised at the overall condition of the vehicles. Presidents Circle had mostly full size cars with a few EVs peppered in, along with a couple small SUVs and a bright red Camaro. There is no longer a designated Five Star section, it's all Gold. The Gold section had all kinds of stuff, from compact cars to small SUVs. Both sections had plenty of Chevy Bolt EVs, and the regular Gold had a few Kia EV6s.
Also their car wash seemed to be inoperable. There were dirty exteriors all over the place. Clean interiors, though. The gasoline cars available were pretty much all high miles and very beat up. The EVs were new. I'm guessing that is their future direction; I was surprised with the lack of newer model gasoline cars. I am not comfortable with taking an EV yet as I have a bit of driving to do in the area.
I chose a beautifully equipped Kia K5 with Florida plates. 51K miles. A lot of scratches and a couple of noticeable dents, but I am actually impressed with the interior (fake woodgrain, Bose sound system, cooled seats, sunroof).
No funny jokes from the gate agent this time.
Tons of fleet available; I was just surprised at the overall condition of the vehicles. Presidents Circle had mostly full size cars with a few EVs peppered in, along with a couple small SUVs and a bright red Camaro. There is no longer a designated Five Star section, it's all Gold. The Gold section had all kinds of stuff, from compact cars to small SUVs. Both sections had plenty of Chevy Bolt EVs, and the regular Gold had a few Kia EV6s.
Also their car wash seemed to be inoperable. There were dirty exteriors all over the place. Clean interiors, though. The gasoline cars available were pretty much all high miles and very beat up. The EVs were new. I'm guessing that is their future direction; I was surprised with the lack of newer model gasoline cars. I am not comfortable with taking an EV yet as I have a bit of driving to do in the area.
I chose a beautifully equipped Kia K5 with Florida plates. 51K miles. A lot of scratches and a couple of noticeable dents, but I am actually impressed with the interior (fake woodgrain, Bose sound system, cooled seats, sunroof).
No funny jokes from the gate agent this time.
Jul 20, 2023, 1:31 pm
#56
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: Los Angeles, CA; Philadelphia, PA
Programs: OZ Diamond
Posts: 6,134
Has anyone seen any 7-pax SUV in the Gold section lately at PHL? Currently have a reservation for 5-pax SUV (mid size), but would like the flexibility to take another pax on occasions. I also have a cheaper reservation at a competitor, so am trying to decide whether to pay a premium for the chance of a complimentary upgrade. TIA.
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