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Detroit's troubled twosome have revived their sales thanks to cut-rate rental cars and other fleet vehicles rather than retail customers. That didn't keep Chrysler from hinting it will raise its earnings targets soon after losing $172 million last quarter. [AutoNews] More »
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The Porsche Panamera is now available for a 567-Euro weekend rental through Avis in Germany if you want to haul four asses plus luggage. Oh, well, we can still rent muscle cars. Press release after the jump. More »
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Europcar, one of the largest rental companies in Europe, has heard some crazy excuses for why their rental vehicles came back late or damaged. The eight most hilarious excuses below. More »
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In yet another reason to visit Italy, Hertz announced yesterday a partnership with Lotus Cars to provide the Lotus Elise and Exige for rental. We are British Racing Green with envy. More »
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This crunched Bumblebee-yellow Avis-rental Chevy Camaro was supposedly spotted by Jalopnik reader Nicholas outside the Avis at DFW airport. It only had 1,100 miles on the odometer. What a sad, early end to a 300 HP V6-engined muscle car. More »
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Our old compatriots at Consumerist talk rental car reach-arounds with a professional from a major rental company. Hint: you're not going to be able to rent a ZHZ without a credit card. [Consumerist] More »
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We spotted this Avis Chevy Camaro rental car yesterday in midtown Manhattan on our way to the train station. Want to rent it for a weekend? It'll cost more than a monthly lease. More »
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Enterprise Rent-A-Car delivered a Saturn Outlook to the dealership shop after the check-engine light appeared and the engine quit running. The problem? Enterprise records showed zero oil changes after 30,000 miles. Brutal results below. More »
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Borrowing a Shelby Mustang or even a Corvette is great entertainment for the long weekend (or even a high school reunion). But for some, it won't cut it. Enter the exotic car luxury rental. More »
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Avis car rental is planing to offer a three-minute guarantee for its "Avis Preferred" members at all European locations. Within three minutes of entering the premises, these premium customers will be guaranteed to be done with the rental transaction; if the elapsed time is over the limit, the customer will be getting a €30 or £20 voucher in the mail. The company plans to continue its three-hour, 33-minute guarantee at all U.S. locations for the foreseeable future. [NewsPress] More »
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If you don't intend to try and hoon your rental Taurus, you might wonder if you're covered in the case of unintentional damage. We've heard many versions of how rental car coverage works, including a belief that you do not need car insurance when you're in your home state, when you've got a good driving record and if you're first name is Ted. The truth lies nowhere in between. More »
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Last night, we dreamt we were square-dancing in the water-skiing secton of a sporting-goods store with Udo Dirkschneider. Scotto was there, too. For some reason it seemed entirely logical. Even more logical than that, and not nearly as fantastic, is the fact that human smugglers have gotten hip to using rental cars, rather than their own vehicles, to take their charges across the border into the United States. Thus, if the vehicle is impounded, it's up to the rental company to retrieve the vehicle. Apparently, Dodge and Jeep vehicles are the favored choice, as their suspensions tend to sag less under a heavy load. Which brings to mind the question, "How Many Udos could one fit in a Grand Cherokee?" – Davey G. Johnson More »
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A merger may be in the works between the cleverly named Dollar Thrifty Automotive Group and Vanguard Rental, which operates the Alamo and National brands. The deal could be worth as much as $3 billion and push the combined company into the No. 3 slot in the rental game, behind Hertz and Enterprise. The car rental business isn't what it used to be thanks to problems with the airline industry, which provides demand, and the auto industry, which used to provide cheap cars. Hard to believe an industry dependent on domestic airlines and automakers is having trouble...– Matt Hardigree More »
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The people who try harder are adding one more way to chew up your daily rental car allowance: for eleven smacks a day, our circuit-geek brothers at Gizmodo report, you'll soon be able to add a WiFi hotspot to your car. The service works via cell towers and offers up speeds somewhere between dialup and DSL. While our Gizbros' thoughts immediately went to in-car smut, we think it'd be a handy tool for getting directions, especially if the car's lacking GPS. Then again, what's a map cost? Two bucks? – Davey G. Johnson More »
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Our consumer-friendly friends clued us in on an article in the LA Times last week on the right way to make sure your rental car experience doesn't include a random credit card bill for any "excess wear and tear" to your rental ride. It seems a number of rental companies, especially in Europe, and including biggies like National and Alamo are now paying bonuses to employess who can tag you with the dings and scratches of normal wear and tear. So what's the LA Times think you should do? More »
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Approaching the rental lot at the Manchester, NH airport, I was struck by the sheer abundance of Chevy Impalas. Seems the erstwhile Ford Taurus has finally met its match — so much for GM kicking its rental habit. With keys in hand, I set off to sample Chevy's latest full-size offering, a silver LS model with a mere 70 miles of abuse on the odo. More »
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Why rent a Cobalt when you can upgrade to an Equinox, or a Taurus when you can get a Jeep Grand Cherokee — for a cheaper rate? It's the kind of question that once would have gotten a knee-jerk response, but according to the Wall Street Journal, people aren't so quick to take the perk any more. It's about gas prices, naturally, and rental agencies are starting to follow the more-suck-less-buck rule. For example, at the Los Angeles Airport's Enterprise location, a Chevrolet Trailblazer cost $37.24 midweek, while a Pontiac G6 cost $41, while Dollar Rent A Car dropped its average daily rate for SUVs from $64 to $49. If this persists, we'd imagine it'll start reflecting in fleet sales. Of course, the big question is, Can't anyone pad their expense accounts anymore? More »
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While Ford has decided to bask in the glory of the GT-350H as a way to add even more retro-cred to its latest Mustang, there was one other Shelby-prepared car that went to rental fleets: The Dodge '88 CSX-T, a non-intercooled version of Ol' Shel's Shadow that was available only through Thrifty. For only $34.95 a day in 1988 dollars! [Thanks to the mph kids. RIP and whatnot.] More »
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Jaguar North America, in an attempt to resurrect its flagging brand image, is hoping to avoid the ignominy of having to resell a plethora of off-lease vehicles, as well as cutting itself out of rent-a-car pools. Last year they were charged with reselling 27,000 vehicles turned in by lessees; this year they're shooting for 21k. They've also pulled out of Enterprise, and their deal with Hertz (no longer owned by Jag's parent, Ford) expires later this year. If only the front of their new XK didn't look like the mother of all rentals, the Taurus, they might actually do okay. More »
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