Awesome hire cars and hire car adventures

[HoTWire]

As a bit of balance to the other thread, how about times that you've hired something awesome or fun for holidays or to get you to the airport? Classic or Modern. Also happy with hire car adventures (did you take yours drag racing?).


Our transport for our first visit to Vegas was this Mustang



Not the V8 sadly as they didn't have one around, but it was a fun drive, even if the autobox got a bit confused by what I wanted it to do when I put my foot on the floor


The following year this was our transport for SEMA


SEMA 2014 by Retro Rides, on Flickr

It was brilliant in every way, comfortable for the drive from Vegas to LA, looked great, sounded great, went well. It was a brilliant thing to cruise along empty desert roads in. I dread to think how impractical it would be in the UK (particularly in the little villages near where I live), but I really want one.

Oh talking of wanting one here but being a bit impractical, the previous year we also had this for driving around the desert (loooooong trip to Grand Canyon)



It was also wonderful.

[VIP]

I've had allsorts on rental when in the States, from the sublime to the terrible.

Last trip to Florida was in this red SS Camaro (stock image).



Also had a Chrysler 300C, Dodge Magnum, Dodge Avenger R/T, Mercury Grand Marquis.

A lot of 'beige' middle of the road stuff like Mazda 3, a Kia Forte, Chrysler Sebring convertible and a Toyota Camry.

The worst of the bunch is probably the Chevrolet HHR and the Chrysler P/T Cruiser convertible that I has forced upon my when my 300s autobox went into limp mode halfway from LA to Vegas and I had to complete 150 miles at 40mph.

[MiataMark]

I used to go to Norther California a lot and always used to hang back at the Hertz desk so that all the sub-compacts had been given out and they had to give me something else, or pay $3/day for something more interesting that never seemed to get picked on expenses (even when I pulled up alongside the manager who signed my expenses in a Mustang convertible in San Francisco and he was in a Escort). Lots of nice drives in Miata's down Highway 1, 17 mile drive to Pebble Beach (not when there was a concours), Mustangs (not current or V6), Thunderbird.



Not very exotic but I had a day to kill near Limerick so charged round the country pretending it was the Irish Rally in a hire Sierra, think the rear suspension was a bit gone after that.

Also turning up at Dublin airport to collect a compact whatever and being asked if I smoked, No, OK you can have that as the lighter doesn't work, that being a 7 series BMW.

My first trip to the US, New Hampshire in January, ended up with a Trans-Am...



That ended with a 180deg spin down an ice covered interstate (no damage luckily).

[caprijake]

I'm going to Texas early next year and deciding what to rent. Either a Mustang or a massive F350 or similar truck.

[joem83]

Best hire car has to be a Ford Falcon XR6 in Brisbaine in 2008. Loved it, shame we didn't get them. Pics later.

Convertible Jimny was good fun in Zante though.

Also really liked the Peugeot RCZ GT 200bhp petrol in 2011.

[DarrenW]

Spent two weeks driving this around New England whilst visiting my Sister (who lived there at the time) in 2007. Big lardy cruiser, V8, managed a couple of fairly stout burnouts. Great fun

Mercury-Grand-Marquis by Retro-Motoring and WoertherseePics.com, on Flickr

[HoTWire]

My tip for getting 'silly' hire cars is a) have an understanding wife who also likes silly cars b) take out the full insurance. I've found if we book bog standard compact cars fill full insurance and then turn up and ask if they have anything more interesting we get them at the same rate. If you are in Vegas head to Avis at The Bellagio or whoever is at the Wynn or the Venetian, the top hotels tend to have more chance of having interesting cars there already. May even be worth heading over a day before your collection to see if they have something coming in they can hold for you.

[tdk]

Those who enjoyed my book "confessions from quality control" might be pleased to know that my next book is provisionally titled "Nothing handles like a rental car". 26 chapters, each detailing roadtrips with roughly the same format - budget airline flight, rental car collected, insurance excess waiver paid, iconic mountain pass/racetrack attacked, back in time for last orders. I have done this all over the world and had great fun.

The book will have routes, costs, pictures and tips on what to say to Hertz when they come to collect the broken car they gave you to replace the previous car they gave you that mysteriously ended up on it's roof in an Italian ravine. Or how to deal with American Policemen who used a helicopter to catch you. Or what not to say to the Polizei at the Nurburgring.

The book is nearing completion and I hope it entertains, informs and amuses readers in equal measures.

[chunkybond]

So me and 2 mates *just* got back from Las Vegas.

We all won on the tables ($$$$ from $$ bets) so we decided to spend a little on some cars:



I had a Gallardo, the others were an R8 spyder and a Z08 'Vette.

Smiling ear to ear hooning through the desert for a day.

[joem83]

I keep trying to hire nice car's but Mrs keeps getting funny about it lol

[steveo3002]

some of my favs from over the years..all v8 flavor cept for the v10 viper

[Dez]

utterly abusing a suzuki jimny through the unpaved mountain roads in halkidiki,greece was pretty fun. youd be blatting along at 50mph over hardpacked limestone then there would be a 2ft deep water rut caused by storm runoff. all you could do was keep it pinned, hold on tight and hope you cleared it...

[Dorset_Clive]

No pics as it was late 1980's, but turned up at hire car place to collect a car for a work trip. Had ordered Sierra sized estate. Did paper work and chap pointed to a Ford Orion. Hmmm, that's no good for four of us and loads of kit. Err, no sir, your car is the new Range Rover behind the Orion. Next morning found me enjoying the joys of 15mpg, 3.9 Vogue RR rumbling down the M3 on our way to Plymouth.

Did I have a big smile? I think I did.

Unfortunately, karma more than made up for it with a whole bunch of hire car sh!t!!!

[HoTWire]

If one thing hiring cars in europe has taught me it is a respect for the Daewoo Matiz. We had them in Ibiza a few times, we'd always hire quiet, secluded villas on the North of the island. The roads up there quickly turn into dirt tracks, which where we were hiring our places usually turned into unmade off road tracks. We probably should have hired a jeep or something each time... the Matiz coped when driven correctly (maybe not carefully, but correctly).

[rmad]

If I'm in Europe, I get the basic and see if there's a Berlingo/Partner type thing available to swap to. I had a Lancia Ypsilon once though...I was quite excited at first but it was truly horrid in reality.

When I was in the states in 2007, this was our hire car:



The window got smashed (and my camera stolen) so they replaced it with a Jeep - which I crashed on the same day, so it was replaced with a knackered Chrysler Voyager until they found us another Econoline...which is probably rotten as a pear by now as it *might* have spent a bit of time on the salt at Bonneville.

[Stu]

Good thread. I've had loads of fun in basic hire cars in Europe (nothing will keep up with a local in Italy in a Panda!) but more recently hired some decent stuff in the US as I like silly cars.

1. California 2015 - V6 Mustang coupe




2. New England 2015 - this was a 3.5L twin turbo and about the size of a house!




3. Pacific North West 2016 - 'Got yourself a Hemi, eh son...?' (Yes, got stopped by a state trooper in this one)

[tdk]

Idential Fiat 500s raced up Stelvio;

[Sammo]

The ex and I had a trip to Florida a couple of years ago to go to all the theme parks. I decided we needed something interesting to drive so hired this!



Lovely car to cruise around in for 10 days and nowhere near as bad on fuel as I thought it would be!

[morciii]

Never been to the states yet, so only hired wibblepoo cars in Europe. Kia Picantos, Hyundia i10's etc. Even in Romania the most interesting thing I could find was a Dacia Logan.
I did hire a 4WD Suzuki Jimny convertible when we were in Albania though. What a laugh that was, every panel was dented when we got it, but they're great wee machines. Especially on the mountain passes that were supposed to be main roads! Absolutely amazed that car had made it to 160,000km