trtcttcgo

Heard from the agent at National that they sold all their Polestars. With the price used EVs are going for and how they couldn’t really get a premium when renting them out, they just decided to sell the entire fleet. Hertz still have a very large fleet of Tesla but they also charge them in the rental garage vs National had them sent to an external area to clean/charge

huskyflyer

Anyone know what PCARs YYZ ussually has or is it like some Canadian locations where a PCAR almost guarantees you a GXAR because there are so little PCAR/LCARs? PCAR is only a bit more for a few days than a FCAR. I understand FCAR grants me access to the aisles. I just want a nice sedan that's a bit better than a Malibu/Camry but also want it to be fuel efficient. I had an Infiniti a while back and the gas milage was way too high compared to the BMW 330i, which gets near identical milage as a Camry/Malibu despite being more powerful

trtcttcgo

They definitely have a bunch of Chrysler 300s, which is technically their LCAR class but is usually readily available in aisles. Depending on the day but inventory wise they do have a lot of BMW/Merc and I've rarely seen Acura/Lexus/Infiniti in the last year. I've done LCAR reservations and got BMW 330i and Merc GLC300, but one time the guy wouldn't budge and wouldn't offer anything better than the 300. That was in the summer though when their inventory was a lot tighter. I'm EE, not sure if that affects anything and I've never done a PCAR reservation.

huskyflyer

Thanks! That's good to know they actually have lots of 300s (LCARs) in inventory so that would make it harder to get a GXAR from PCAR. From my experience at other places LCARs cost more than GXARs and I asked an Enterprise manager once and he said its because they rarely buy Chryslers but they buy a lot of the "true" luxury cars like BMWs. However, I think the upgrade hirearhcy is still LCAR before GXAR if you have a PCAR reservation.

Would you recommend getting a 300s of the aisle as one of the better cars they stock on the aisle or is it a less desirable one they have off the aisle? Are they fun to drive or are they just large comfortable sedans? Are there any other cars that are LCARs? I don't think I have ever seen any other car on their lots that would be LCAR.

trtcttcgo

I've never seen a 300 at a non-airport location, at least not at any GTA Enterprise locations. They mostly have GXAR and normal cars. I think the LCARs are basically only in use at airports, if you reserve an LCAR at Enterprise they'll usually give you a 330i level of car. I've actually never drove the Chrysler 300, but haven't heard good things about them and the interior looks dated. Depending on what you like, the aisle at YYZ is usually pretty well stocked. On Jan 5th there was Ford Focus, Edge, Kia Sorrento, RAV4, Sentra, Malibu, Jeep Wrangler, Chrysler 300, Dodge Chargers

huskyflyer

Thanks so much - I ended up reserving a FCAR and gamble on the aisle. I am surprised at how much cheaper FCAR is with Executive Status than without status -- like 25% cheaper. Hoping for anything more interesting than a Camry/Passat/Malibu (although I quite like the Malibu). I am tempted to take a Charger if its offered but I also get the sense it is going to be a gas guzzler

huskyflyer

Does anyone know if the Executive Aisle has been better recently in terms of finding it stocked? I have made a Sunday early afternoon reservation there for next month's long weekend but a bit nervous judging by some reviews on the internet and some posts on here (I need a car and would need it "on time") . It also seems like this branch usually doesn't have really nice cars in the aisles like GXARs, LCAR but you can usually find an intermediate SUV. Contemplating going with them at the airport for the aisle for a better car or saving some money and pick up in downtown that is cheaper if either way I am getting a FCAR

Turbo_Turtle

I find the nice thing about airport/aisle locations is that I can walk around and find a newer/lower mileage model versus just being assigned whatever is on hand. If you're gonna' end up with a Malibu, you might as well have a newer, cleaner one. (Although in your case the value proposition depends on how big of a price difference we're talking.)

You can also find the same car multiple times in the aisle with different sets of options. Or it's bad luck and it's 5 Pacificas and nothing else. (Unless that's what you wanted.) I usually do earlier in the morning on Sunday (between 7-8a when no one is there.) though at my location, but I can't speak for this one personally.

I do recommend, though, being patient if time permits. If you sit there when selection is limited, often some unicorns will be brought up to fill the spaces as other cars move out. 🤷

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trtcttcgo

The Aisle will always be stocked. Even in the most busy summer days like the August Civic holiday this year there was something. When I was there in August, they had a couple normal sedan/suv but there was a couple Pacificas and CX-9, and the giant Chevy. They'll put whatever they have in the aisle even if it's not a typical EA car. I doubt February will be anywhere near that busy, so you'll definitely have a good selection. And I agree that I seldom see anything too premium in the aisle, I think because their YYZ fleet is pretty big with National + Enterprise + Alamo probably take up half the lot. For in the city I find the National location at Bloor-Yonge to be pretty good with selection and service, but if you book FCAR they won't give you an SUV for free, especially on a long weekend. The other Enterprise locations are very hit and miss and sometimes won't have the class size you booked which sometimes can mean you get an upgrade for free

huskyflyer

The CX-9 sounds like a great car. Mazdas I have found generally have better interiors than the Toyotas. I got a Mazda 6 once and loved the interior.
For me it is a long weekend in Feb - are long weekends usually busy?

Why do larger fleets lead to less premium cars in the aisle? I have noticed at YVR it is pretty common to see a Mercedes in ES, but othertimes ES is all empty. Is there any "magic" behind how they decide what cars go to ES or is it just whatever the rental agents wants to put there at that given time? Does the National Bloor-Yonge share a fleet with Enterprise? For some reason, I can book a car for SUnday pick up at that branch via Enterprise but not National but on Google Maps it looks like its the same office/branch. I plan on moving to Toronto soon and I think I may end up being a frequent customer at Bloor Yonge if they have good cars and good service.

danwer930

Does anyone know if the Terminal 3 location will ever reopen? I am going to be dropping off a car (pickup in BUF) in early May, flying out on American. Would really love not to have to take the shuttle train from 1 to 3.

huskyflyer

I think it just reopened! I was doing a dummy booking last night to see if prices are now lower than my original reservation (still the same price sadly) and there was an alert saying T3 is now opened and for you ot proceed to T3 if applicable. I fly AC so its Terminal 1. That being said, has anyone been there recently to comment on the car selection in either terminal? Can we show up at T3 even with a T1 flight (doubt they care/check) and is there a difference in selection for ES/EA?

jizen

Just returned today, you can pick up from either T1 or T3, all rental companies reopened 3 weeks ago.

However, T3 has fewer selections these days

huskyflyer

How were the aisle selection like? Do you know if there is a Luxury Car (LCAR) aisle? I have been watching the Youtube video tours of this rental location and cant seem to see a luxury section in the videos unless it refers to Alamo's luxury section. I have a reservation coming up and I noticed LCAR is now just $10 more over a 5 day rental than FCAR that I might switch to LCAR. I just want something slightly better or more interesting than a Toyota Camry.

jizen

Very common to see some Chrysler 300s at the executive aisle. If you have a LCAR rsvn, you can try to push for something like bmw 330i/x3, Volvo s60, ford mustang etc.

National/Alamo/Enterprise share the same fleet, and they usually use most of the space on Alamo side as an overflown parking lot, so if you have a LCAR, they will normally give you something parked at the upgrade section or from enterprise lot

For my last rental at T1, there were Jeep wrangler rubicon/Sahara/gladiator, 4 runner, Dodge Durango, Chrysler 300s, VW atlas, Dodge Charger and other midsize SUVs available. Unfortunately they sold all polestar 2, which was a really fun EV to drive.