JLewisinSyr

Too bad there isn't a smack to the head icon...GM going bankrupt will not greatly effect GM. It will allow them to renegotiate their debt and obligations. Sure they may sell off a brand or two (or discontinue one), but it ultimately won't effect GM selling cars, or seeing GM vehicles in rental fleets.

GM will exist tomorrow.

drzoidberg

I should clarify my statement. Certainly, it won't mean the sudden disappearance of GM cars overnight, but it will certainly create a reduction in fleet deals for car rental agencies. We will probably see a reduction in GM cars at National locations over the long term, should GM go bankrupt.

JLewisinSyr

I don't know about that...GM may liquidate a large portion of their existing inventory in bankruptcy to free up capital and wipe the slate as clean as possible. One of the easiest ways to do that is to sell your vehicles in fleet sales.

Tuneman1984

I've still never really been to a true EA/ES location in the US. I've just done the small Emerald Reserve locations here in Canada. But yes, I do relate and I also take my time picking out what I want to drive. I've decided if I ever go to MCO, I'll take the 'A' side and my girlfiend will take 'B', and we'll stay on cell phones to see who finds what and have one hold the car until the other shows up. She wasn't all too impressed that I wanted to use her as my own personal "hold tag".

But lemme ask you this one.....have you ever found yourself walking through a normal parking lot, seeing a row of peoples' cars parked and thought to yourself "If this were the Emerald Aisle, what would I pick?" Be honest. It happened to me at Wal-Mart yesterday. There, I admitted it, I'm an EC freak...

drzoidberg

Rentalguy has already stated that GM isn't offering much in the way of fleet deals these days, so it would be reasonable to assume that we would see similar effects should GM go Chp. 11.

Tuneman, fortunately, I'm not at that stage yet.

peteropny

Well in a Wal-Mart parking lot, it's likely that there wouldn't be ANY car that I would want to pick

JLewisinSyr

Correct they are not, most manufacturers are not offering much in fleet sales. If the company goes through bankruptcy though, things are a little different. They will most likely want or be required to liquidate a lot of their existing inventory.

drzoidberg

There there, we should start a new thread, "Executive Aisle Anonymous".

FlyerTalker93851

I always knew Tuneman was Special...

Least he didn't say K-Mart...then I would say he had totally lost his mind. That might trigger a Blue Light Special .... Attention K-Mart Shoppers we have Mush for Brains on Aisle 5 ...just look for the flashing Blue...Make that Green Light. Oh and you EC Members shopping the store...feel free to select any car in the parking lot for a free joyride.

JUST KIDDING...Long day at work. I'm punchie. Oh no...I have Mush for Brains too! But I swear I've not been to WalMart or K-Mart or anything.

geojet01

I'm just sayin' ... again ...

For yet another week, the latest "Last Minute SPECIAL" rate across much of Southern California, including BUR, LGB, ONT and PSP, remains $399/wk midsize. This deeply discounted special rate is even more incredible in Northern California, where at SFO, OAK, SJC and SMF the rock-bottom advertised special has now soared to $432/wk midsize. But, hey, if that's too rich for your blood, you can always go for the Last Minute Special economy rate -- at a mere $414/wk. These very "special" weekly rates are now approaching what would otherwise exceed the FULL MONTHLY PAYMENT on one of these vehicles financed over, say, 48 months.

Isn't that special?

Actually, I'm still scratching my head over what's going on in this marketplace that's causing rates to double or triple over the past few months.

But I'll keep watching, National, for these rates to go way, way down to their mid-1980s levels very soon, because your people keep giving us repeated assurances that rates really haven't gone up in 25 years!

FlyerTalker93851

When I became a rental agent in '98 the average per day cost was $35 per day for a mid-size car. Over the past two years I have seen rates lower than $10 per day...but repeatedly for $11 to $12 per day. People, that's less than the cost of a PIZZA! Not even a Good One!
Yes the rates go up during a location's Season...as they become tight on cars. Same thing has been happening with higher rates when rooms get scarce at hotels and seats get short on airplanes.

While the cost of a rental day has gone down, the cost of doing biz has gone UPPPP! Car prices have gone way up, insurance costs for employees, fuel, maint., everything. So I'm actually stumped as to WHY the big bosses for all the companies are putting the cars on the road that low. Yea it keeps the the rubber on the road but the cost of the wear and tear on the car surely can't be recouped at that level of rental charge per day.

So if the costs are on the rise again, maybe they've figured out in some places they can't continue to put them out for Pizza prices any longer.

If you do some checking...
You can't rent a lawnmower for even $35 a day, or any power tool for that matter. A jetski on vacation will cost you over a $100 for a few hours. A quad or sandrail will cost you way more than that...and even a boat will too. Yet a vehicle...something you really need on vacation or on a biz trip, people seem to scoff at paying $10 to $35 a day for ... when the cost of a vehicle is way more.
I get people who want to use coupons or further discounts when the rate IS $10 to $15 per day. The cookie jar is only so deep.
I'm not scolding, I'm just trying to put things in a different perspective.
So if I rent you a car, and you have a wonderful rate, and you ask me if there's a better rate...I just might ask you if you'd "like pepperoni on that?"

s3n

I have to admit that I've only been seeing the rates go down at my regular Nat'l locations in Canada. For instance, my typical 2-day weekend rental has dropped by about $10 from its lowest price one-three years ago. While I feel your pain, I'm not seeing what you're seeing, at least here in Canada.

drzoidberg

If you check the last minute specials-to-go page on national's website, they usually have decent deals at some, though not all, locations.

Auto Enthusiast

It would certainly seem that in some cases, it's actually cheaper to not rent the car. If the car depreciates more than the rental rate charged, the company loses money.

ElmhurstNick

I think National is getting "better" about stratifying business vs. leisure travellers. I've picked up some one-day weekend rentals at ORD (because it's cheaper than taking a taxi to/from the airport) for $17-$18 plus tax. No way I make that rental at $32-34/day, because then there's no savings over the taxi.

OTOH, I've noticed that most business rates have gone up - most of my work rentals are now at the $65-$77/day range plus tax. I've been using most of my 1-2-Free days on those kind of days.