noah

That is so far out its impossible to say. They've got a mix of old and new Impalas now but by July would expect more new. That said, I don't see too many on the aisle in SF.

IsleOfMan

I wouldn't expect a new Impala on EA at SFO or pretty much anywhere else. I wouldn't be surprised to see an "old one" (they're still making them new for fleet sales as the "Impala Limited") show up on EA, but I also wouldn't be surprised to see EA limited to 200, Jetta, etc.

seaworthy

Thanks all, I understand it would be hard to get exact details this far out but was looking for more general car advice based on time of day, time of week and the fact that it is before the 4th of July weekend etc.

Given your helpful advice I might book a full size car with ER and just cross my fingers for an Impala, Fusion or whatever there is.

Thanks again!

javabytes

Monday evening just before midnight... very empty lot.
EA: Just a few intermediate cars.
ES: choose-your-color Suburban, minivan, or convertible Mustang.

Picked up a 2015 Suburban LT with 200 miles. This year's model is nicely refreshed. It was no fun trying to park in downtown SFO, and averaged 8 miles per gallon in rush hour traffic.

10PM Friday
EA: Chrysler 200, Impala, Sonata, Jetta
ES: Plentiful Malibus, Camrys, Altimas, Sonatas, Fusions, Passats. 1x Camaro, 1x Lacrosse.
PS: Lexus IS 250 ($50/day), Cadillac ATS ($50/day), Infiniti QX 60 ($75/day)

Coastercameron

Wait, hold the phone! There are Lexus IS's in the fleet? Anyone else seen those anywhere?

dwbf11

The West coast always seems to get small numbers of oddball higher end models, so it's not surprising. One of our regulars reported getting a BMW Z4 at SEA and others have reported sightings of other Lexus and even Acura models.

IsleOfMan

I definitely got the Z4 in SEA. I'd be pumped to see an IS250 until I climbed in and it was base trim at which point I'd realize I'd be better off in an ATS. I'll report back on Wednesday with what I find at SFO, though it's a station that's not treated me particularly well in the past.

IsleOfMan

EA and ES were tough to tell apart this morning... both were MVAR-central, along with plenty of Altimas on both as well. ES had Maxima, Charger, Camaro coupe, Passat, and Fusion SE while EA had Malibu and Jetta. Sadly a reasonably-speced Kia Sedona MVAR was probably the nicest ES had to offer (probably the nicest MVAR going right now).

I was on an LCAR res and, of course, ER-LUX was not operational. On top of that there was not an LCAR or even PCAR anywhere on-base except for the Maxima listed above. They asked me what I'd like and I ran through a few shoot-for-the-moon options (Ghibli, Stingray, K900) and then some more realistic ones (Tahoe/Yukon LTZ) until I said Grand Cherokee... shortly thereafter a '13 with 21k miles showed up but, even with the high mileage, I considered it a win given my prior luck with at SFO along with the fact that they agreed to discount my rate to ICAR. Dropping the back-passenger seat also made room for my golf bag in hard-sided case and kept it from sliding around as well.

SNA_Flyer

While I thought things had improved here, arrived at my usual time yesterday to find a mostly empty ES sprinkled with a few minivans. The convertible Mustangs, Maxima, and Grand Cherokee that were there had customers taking them. Asked the attendant for a sedan and pointed me to an Audi A3 that would normally have been a $25 upgrade. Not wanting to wait, I took it. At least I got to try something new, and not a Minivan.

Hope they are not sliding back to their old issues... At least there were not 10-15 people waiting for a car... Any car... Including the dreaded minivan.

roadman3313

Opposite this past weekend. They had an over abundance of vehicles. The ES was in the return line aisle on both sides with vehicles parked at a diagonal like they were all on display. The EA took up the EA and the actual labeled ES. Manager said due to high volume they expanded their selection and available vehicles. Basically they had a little bit of everything from Standards-Full Sizes on the EA to Full-Sizes, Minivans, Sports Cars, Premiums, SUVs, and Trucks (basically anything non-elite/luxury) on the ES. Most vehicles I had ever seen there.

noah

Noon on Monday.

A first for me -- they were using a return lane for ES, the ES for combined EA -- and the EA for EA so they must have had a lot of renters.

ES and EA both were fully stocked with cars, though nothing out of the ordinary at all. EA was mid-size and a some full-size sedans with a few small SUVS mixed in. ES had the standard mix of Altima, Maxima, Camry, Sonata, Impala etc as well as cross-over SUVS like Tuscans and small Chevys. Anything better -- Avalon, Explorer, Enclave -- were taken as soon as they were driven into the ES area. I snagged a 2015 Buick Enclave which is a decent ride all things considered though a bit of a boat.

threadcrapper

long time lurker - first time poster - sorry if I hack up the acronyms too much

First rental from National and just enrolled at Emerald Club.

Renting from SFO on a PCAR reservation, arriving on a Monday around 4:30pm - so I understand I should head to the ER-PREM line and hope there is something in it that I like. Will be on vacation with the wife - going to cruise down the coast on Hwy 1 -- she's wanting luxury (Caddy/Infinity) - I'd be really happy in a convertible mustang or something sporty

Here's what I have gleamed from the boards -- there will be little to nothing in the ER-Prem if its even operating - someone would then point me to the ES or can I then try for an LCAR /Sport upgrade?

If there are PCARs in the section that I don't want (Maxima/Taurus or an SUV/crossover)
- then I'm guessing if I find an LCAR/Sport etc.. I will have to pay for it - since I can't reserve one on the website? And thats not all bad if the prices are ok

What have you guys seen in the ER-Prem lately?

Lots of great reports - thanks for all the info - I will be sure to report my findings on my visit

IsleOfMan

I wouldn't hold your breath for an operating ER-PREM section... I've NEVER seen ER-PREM or ER-LUX operating at SFO (or about 90% of stations honestly). You'll most likely be looked at in disbelief by the podium attendant when you tell them you have anything other than an Aisle reservation and pointed towards an Impala or Maxima that's sitting on ES. You can ask for something better and might get it but if you are forced to take something that is already on the aisle, be sure to tell the booth agent to adjust your rate down to ICAR if it's lower.

threadcrapper

Thanks for the input - I guess we will just have to cross the fingers and see what we find when we get there

Foxtbh

Could you keep the rate as-is and pit-stop at the next National location for a swap into something more appropriate?