hire car - san francisco

Hi Guys,

my old man (48) is going over to the states (first time) at the end of july; starting in San Fran and heading north and back over 20 days. He is wanting to hire an iconic American car while over there eg, a good mustang, corvette, dodge viper, camaro, challenger (all the current models as my mum wont put up with a an 'old car').

does anyone know which companies he should be talking to or looking at?

cheers

James

Most of the US rental agencies will have a Camaros, Mustangs and Challengers in their line up. I just checked Enterprises' line up and their "full size" category lumps the Chevy Impala, Nissan Altima and Dodge Charger. The problem is that you usually can't reserve a particular make per se. While I haven't rented from them in a while, Hertz may be different. Hertz has an "Adrenalin Collection" that is solely comprised of the types of cars your dad wants to rent. Hertz generally costs more, but they probably can set him up with what he wants. Other large US Rental agencies are: Budget, Avis, Thrifty, Dollar, National and Rent-A-Wreck.

Edit: If he wants to rent a Corvette, Viper, etc. He may have to try and exotic rental like http://www.cityrentacar.com/

Hertz.

The City of SF is no place to have a car, and there is no place to romp on it. If the 'ol man has some delusion of re-enacting the chase scene in "Bullitt", I wish him well with that ... Now, if he's heading to Marin, Monterrey, Sonoma, Napa, the Sierras - just about anywhere OTHER than SF, there is no shortage of fine roads to indulge in.

Don't know why he would want to suffer such crappy vehicles - albeit entertainingly overpowered, but with the Hertz "Adreneline Collection" you get the exact car you want. Of course, one pays a premium for these models.

In addition to the "Adreniline Collection" mentioned, Hertz has the more affordable "Fun Collection": https://www.hertz.com/rentacar/byr/inde ... ection.jsp . You can rent a more pedestrian Mustang (and 'verts), Corvettes, Jeeps, and what have you.

Enterprise also has an "Exotic Car Rental" http://exoticcars.enterprise.com/, with 'vert Camaros and 'Vettes available, as well as a slew of decent euro rides (even Bentleys and Astons ... me, I'd order up one of their 911s or Caymans ).

Good luck!

A small tip: Sign up at the newsletters at Hertz, Avis etc. They send out mails and does promote some percentages off the normal price. You can get a decent rebate!

And rent now, instead of first doing it when he arrives. You can usually save 20% by paying in advance!

I went to USA last year and I was looking at the cool cars, but decided that I wanted to keep the car price down and get something a bit economical, since the cool cars like Mustang GT and Camaro SS was above $2000 for the 16 days I needed to rent.

I still wanted an american made car. That was number one, I wasn't going from Denmark to USA and then drive around in a German or Japaneese car! American cars are pretty rare in Denmark. You usually only see the old classics like Camaros, Mustangs and various cabriolet Fords when the weather is nice...

So I ended up at Hertz website because I could pre-pay and book for a group of cars at the Hertz LAX. I could either get the Cadillac STS, (I'm 29 and I still think that car looks great! I guess most Cadillac drivers are old persons) or I could get a Lincoln Towncar. I was okay with that because both cars look like some you can drive for a long time without getting tired. It was ONLY those two cars in that group. I felt safe to get something I wanted.

When I arrived at Hertz LAX after traveling 35+ hours they tried putting me up with a Cadillac DTS. The worst kind of Cadillac. It looks dull and cheap. I showed my papers stating that I either recieved the STS or the Towncar. Not that stupid DTS. I told her I didn't want the DTS. She was really nice and we talked about Copenhagen, she had visited twice, and then she tried offering me a nice Volvo or Mercedes (which runs at the same as the American Mustang class) but I declined and told her I wanted an American car .. She ended up with offering me the Camaro SS. It would cost some more, but it was a really good offer. Under half of the normal price! I only saw the lime green one in the catalogue and I declined, and we talked further.. the Corvette wasn't really an option, it's not a comfortable car to drive 5555km in..
She then told me that the Camaro SS I would have was a brand new one, 580 miles, and in black! and she offered me an even better price, because I wasn't being a dick about the situation (that's just how I'm raised).. I accepted and payed to extra price and went out to the car.. Brand new, it even had the smell.. Fuuck a cool car!




Btw I wish your dad a great trip! I landed in LAX, drove to Las Vegas, Grand Canyon, back to Vegas, then South Lake Tahoe, San Francisco and back to LA.. 5555km, the car was just GREAT, it ran about 21mpg and the coolest part about it was the Heads Up Display. I made a video at Grand Canyon, since there wasn't anything else to do because of the snow..


I have to go back and visit again, because of the snow at Grand Canyon.. that's the excuse I'm using.. the real reason why I want to go back is probably because I've never felt to welcome in any country. I really loved being there

thanks for the help guys, he managed to get a dodge challenger srt8 through hertz (thanks for the heads up)... as for over powered his Monaro puts out just over 480rwhp so im sure he will manage. He was chasing a viper but wasnt wanting to pay 200/day.

As for driving in San Fran, he is staying there for 4 days then driving up north (read almost to seattle), so he will get a chance to use it.

yeah.. about the age thing; i was seeing if i could get a bite. being 26 now, It has been great having a young dad as he has always been able to play and teach sports with me. I see a lot of guys who havent had a chance to do that with their dads due to age.

As for the american car thing... just wanting something that we dont get over here and wouldnt normally get the chance. He has had all sorts of sports cars, euro exotics but never anything american (and he loves his V8's)

Anders, that is a sweet ride there

Nerd eluded to it, but someone should come straight out and say it: San Francisco is not a car city. Its an anti-car city in fact. Your dad can tack on about $40/day for parking in SF - if he just lets the car sit in the hotel lot. If he actually tries to drive around, that figure could easily double. It's much more convenient to take taxis or other public transport in the city. Parking in SF is a bitch.

I walked everywhere when I went to SF. I walked quick too so none of the gay majority got ideas.

AndersH you are a jinx. It was 30 degrees when I went to the Grand Canyon, you must bring your own snow with you.

haha Luke, you're probably right!
I was there in April though, because that was the only time I could get off from work for that period of time.. The lady at the toll booth at Grand Canyon told me that it was probably going to stop snowing after a short while, because snow in April wasn't that normal..

When I reached to top I couldn't see shit.. Met a family that had driven from the north rim and down to the south where I was, and their radio had told them the weather was going to be 80% chance of snow that day, and the next 3 days it would be 100% sure to snow.. So I have to go back some time, when it's not snowing

But because of the snow, I got some pictures that most people don't see that often.