Here's mine.

Testing anti-tank missiles in Nevada. I rented a Chrysler minivan and used it to carry data analysis and recording equipment. Off road. Up mountainsides and down. Fast, slow, dusty. I beat that thing to DEATH. When I turned it in after a month all four wheels were bent and the alignment was shot, and the engine was choking. And it had 4,000 miles on it.

On the same project, one group took a Buick across a dry lakebed to 'see how fast it would go'. And ran across a boulder that had rolled off the hillside the night before. Ripping out the bottom of the... radiator. Oil pan, transmission pan, and rear axle.. It ran for about 20 more feet and died with a horrible gasp and crackle. They towed it out to the state highway, put the boulder 20 feet away on the side of the road, and poured a variety of fluids on the road to make it look like they hadn't gone 'offroad' with it (against the rental agreement).

I will never buy a rental car.

Note to self: "never buy anything used from cbelt."

I have never abused a rental car. I have driven thousands of miles in rental cars and never had one mishap.
This includes Vans, SUV's and copious numbers of of Sedans all in different conditions and road types.

---

“Stay Hungry Stay Foolish"
"There are only two mantras yummm and yuk "
"There is a fine line between a rut and a groove"
"The quality of Congress is not strained. It droppeth like a fetid cow patty from a bovine cloaca." cbelt
"I got to that part and I knew there was going to be some weapons grade stupid to follow"Lux Interior
"When all the trees have been cut down, when all the animals have been hunted,
when all the waters are polluted, when all the air is unsafe to breathe, only then
will you discover you cannot eat money."
~ Cree Prophecy

Many years ago, buddy of mine flew down for a college football game, which we went to in his rental car.

In those days you were allowed to park on pretty much any bare spot on campus to tailgate, and on finding just such a spot on the lawn of the physics building, the driver pulled over the curb. Since there were four or five big dudes plus all the tailgating gear in that car, the undercarriage s-c-r-a-p-e-d across the curb as we pulled over it. People at nearby tailgates were giving us shocked and pained How-can-you-do-that-to-your-car? looks until the driver simply said, "It's a rental."

The universal reaction: "Oh, never mind then..."

Is Mavic looking for fixer-uppers ?

Beat to death program cars usually don't make it to the certified lot.

I know of some people who believe they conceived children in rental cars.

---

Please "Like" the Meiwah restaurant page because you love the place or you pity me [www.facebook.com]

neutral
rev, rev, rev
drive
bang

this is not me, btw, but "friends."

and, I should add, 20 years ago.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/01/2012 11:18AM by mrbigstuff.

Well, there was the time we rented a Subaru (Legacy station wagon) in Albuquerque, and took it up through Santa Fe and all around Colorado...

would not have wanted to buy that car afterwards.

///

In the '80s I was an in-house media producer for a very large international oil company. We were commissioned to produce a video to help instruct executives on how not to become kidnap victims while living and working abroad. Part of what we demonstrated was evasive driving techniques. The results were not pretty. Eventually the rental company and my employer settled.

Rental Car Agent: Would you like insurance?
Jerry: Yeah, you better give me the insurance. Because I'm gonna beat the hell out of this car.

---

Please "Like" the Meiwah restaurant page because you love the place or you pity me [www.facebook.com]

Quote
pRICE cUBE
I know of some people who believe they conceived children in rental cars.

Mental note... next time I rent a car, put a towel down on the seat.

---

Quote
jardster

Quote
pRICE cUBE
I know of some people who believe they conceived children in rental cars.

Mental note... next time I rent a car, put a towel down on the seat.

For driving or procreating?

---

Please "Like" the Meiwah restaurant page because you love the place or you pity me [www.facebook.com]

Quote
pRICE cUBE

Quote
jardster

Quote
pRICE cUBE
I know of some people who believe they conceived children in rental cars.

Mental note... next time I rent a car, put a towel down on the seat.

For driving or procreating?

pRICE cUBE" <~~One of very few people required to supply a DNA test before renting a car.

---

“Stay Hungry Stay Foolish"
"There are only two mantras yummm and yuk "
"There is a fine line between a rut and a groove"
"The quality of Congress is not strained. It droppeth like a fetid cow patty from a bovine cloaca." cbelt
"I got to that part and I knew there was going to be some weapons grade stupid to follow"Lux Interior
"When all the trees have been cut down, when all the animals have been hunted,
when all the waters are polluted, when all the air is unsafe to breathe, only then
will you discover you cannot eat money."
~ Cree Prophecy

Haikuman,

I don't abuse cars either be it a personal vehicle, one owned by a friend or family member or a rental. But, what the way you and I treat cars doesn't mean other people treat them in that manner. Far from, unfortunately. But, unlike you, I have had problems with rentals now and again. In each case, I returned the car for a different vehicle.

Robert

Quote
jardster

Quote
pRICE cUBE
I know of some people who believe they conceived children in rental cars.

Mental note... next time I rent a car, put a towel down on the seat.

... when you have sex in it

Quote
pRICE cUBE
I know of some people who believe they conceived children in rental cars.

sometimes §#!† happens...

I had a job interview in Holland MI. The nearest airport was in Grand Rapids. My job interview was on a Friday and return flight was Saturday. The time changed over night. I got up and went to breakfast at the hotel and was eating a leisurely breakfast when the newscaster on the TV mentioned the time change. I looked at my watch, did a little bit of mental calculations and realized that my flight was boarding in about 45 minutes rather than the 1:45 minutes that I thought. Grand Rapids is about 35 miles from Holland. It could be done, but it would be tight....somewhere on the interstate I learned that the governor shuts off the fuel at around 105 MPH until you get back to 55-60 MPH. I kept it at about 85-90 for the rest of the trip and just made my flight.

---

**************************************
Nothing to see here, move along.

While in high school and as summer jobs I cleaned and maintained rental cars at Hertz in Boise (1973-1978).
Very occasionally we would get a car back that had been abused inside and out. Some people simply are pigs! but no matter how much cleaning we would do there was still evidence of abuse. Stained upholstery, carpets, scraped plastic moulding, dented heat shields or bent wheels (BTW I agree with Rudy.....never buy a used car from cbelt3).
If your potential purchase passes close inspection (especially underneath) I don't think you will have any rental-caused problems. Abuse (other than missed/delayed maintenance) shows.

dad

I haven't abused one, never saw any fun in that, though I did return one once after it was in a hailstorm in Kansas. Had dozens of dents, probably thousands in damage. When I returned it, the whole lot was full of other cars with the same damage. I didn't say a word when I returned it, never heard from them.

We've bought 3 rental company lease returns, never had a problem. Maybe we live far enough away from cbelt. = )



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/01/2012 12:06PM by lost in space.

Sophomore year of college about 20+ years ago. Overnight fraternity scavenger hunt. We did this every year with pledges and their big brothers. We had to "out do" the year before.

We rented cars. Since we were renting cars, we should rent nice cars (i.e. Cadillac Sedan de Ville). If we are getting nice cars, we'd better get insurance. Since we were getting full coverage... you get the idea.

Driving after having the windshield wipers bent up and then egged was not fun, but we got to a gas station to clean it off. There were also extra points for a car wreck at lunch, so I made that happen. All the cars ended up with varying degrees of damage.

At the time, Avis was the only rental company who would rent to people younger than 25. Needless to say, the manager of that location at ATL did not have a good day as those cars came gradually rolling in.

Looking back, it was not one of my prouder moments, but we all do stupid stuff in college.

I was very careful with my rental cars (4wd trucks actually) because I didn't want to get stranded, but they sure endured a lot of abuse on a two year project on the 1,000 square mile army desert warfare training range at Fort Irwin in the Mojave desert, carrying all sorts of equipment over really nasty terrain. Our unexploded ordnance escort team never had any difficulty because they were usually blazing our trail in their humvees, expecting us to keep up. Every time we came to a stop we had to sort and reorganize everything in the truck that hadn't been strapped down because it had behaved as though it had been in a rock tumbler. We managed to avoid any outward damage to the vehicles other than a few brush scratches, but I'm sure we used up several lifetimes worth of shocks and suspension bushings.

---

"So be proud to be a decent American instead of just a w'anker whipping up fear!" - Michael D. Higgins, President of Ireland

FWIW, I *do* treat my personal cars better. And only beat that one up because I *had* to... the work involved offroad, and they didn't rent offroad vehicles at that point. The goal was cautionary tales.

And you won't be able to buy a used car from me anyway. I drive 'em until parts fall off. Then I get the arc welder out, weld the parts back on, and drive 'em some more. My used cars are donated to Auto Shop schools.. sort of like donating your body to medicine.

You guys are killin' me here.

---

Help MacInTouch: Buy from Amazon? use this link [amazon.com]
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Quote
M A V I C
You guys are killin' me here.

Start a thread next week about how a rental company dinged ya $500.00 for a little tiny flea fart dent and the thread will be full of taking good care of rental cars so as not to incur abuse charges posts.

i've rented lots of times and don't abuse them mechanically. i may let the garbage pile up in the backseat though.

FWIW, i've bought to rental minivans with each having a little less than 30,000 miles. they've been good buys. the companies aren't stupid. i don't think they sell the abused ones as that would jeopardize a future rental and used purchase from you and any one you talked to about your lemon.

---

"Success isn't about how much money you make. It is about the difference you make in people's lives."--Michelle Obama

a classic .... [www.heretical.com]


"How to Drive Fast on Drugs While Getting Your Wing-@#$%& Squeezed and Not Spill Your Drink"

~P. J. O'Rourke

"...You have to get a car that handles really well. This is extremely important, and there's a lot of debate on this subject – about what kind of car handles best. Some say a front-engined car; some say a rear-engined car. I say a rented car. Nothing handles better than a rented car. You can go faster, turn corners sharper, and put the transmission into reverse while going forward at a higher rate of speed in a rented car than in any other kind. You can also park without looking, and can use the trunk as an ice chest. Another thing about a rented car is that it's an all-terrain vehicle. Mud, snow, water, woods – you can take a rented car anywhere. True, you can't always get it back – but that's not your problem, is it?"

---

Quote
lafinfil
a classic .... [www.heretical.com]


"How to Drive Fast on Drugs While Getting Your Wing-@#$%& Squeezed and Not Spill Your Drink"

~P. J. O'Rourke

"...You have to get a car that handles really well. This is extremely important, and there's a lot of debate on this subject – about what kind of car handles best. Some say a front-engined car; some say a rear-engined car. I say a rented car. Nothing handles better than a rented car. You can go faster, turn corners sharper, and put the transmission into reverse while going forward at a higher rate of speed in a rented car than in any other kind. You can also park without looking, and can use the trunk as an ice chest. Another thing about a rented car is that it's an all-terrain vehicle. Mud, snow, water, woods – you can take a rented car anywhere. True, you can't always get it back – but that's not your problem, is it?"

Purrrfect ~!~!~!~

---

“Stay Hungry Stay Foolish"
"There are only two mantras yummm and yuk "
"There is a fine line between a rut and a groove"
"The quality of Congress is not strained. It droppeth like a fetid cow patty from a bovine cloaca." cbelt
"I got to that part and I knew there was going to be some weapons grade stupid to follow"Lux Interior
"When all the trees have been cut down, when all the animals have been hunted,
when all the waters are polluted, when all the air is unsafe to breathe, only then
will you discover you cannot eat money."
~ Cree Prophecy

Quote
pRICE cUBE
Rental Car Agent: Would you like insurance?
Jerry: Yeah, you better give me the insurance. Because I'm gonna beat the hell out of this car.

Sir, I know what a reservation is.

I don't think ya do!


One of my all time favorite Seinfeld moments.

I drove a rental from Atlanta to LA in '05 after Katrina, lot of dust and dirt, plus me peeing in a cup because the convoy didn't want to stop, yeah, I wouldn't buy a rental....

When we were looking at candidates to replace our last car we spoke to our Honda mechanic about rentals. He said he would never buy a rental. In addition to tales of abuse that decorate this thread, he pointed out that most cars have a specific break in routine for the first 1000-1500 miles, and those that don't, should. (This was 2006, and synthetic oils may have changed some manufacturer's recommendations.) The mechanic said rental companies just put the new cars into the fleet, and rather than being driven carefully for the break in-varying speeds, no cruise control, speed below 60- are just...driven. He said in his inspections for possible buyers, most rental cars he's seen have much greater wear than their mileage would justify, indicating hard though not necessarily abusive use. He said you could buy a rental car and get tens of thousands of good miles out of it, but a carefully driven private vehicle would go significantly farther before needing repairs or showing signs of wear. YMMV...

Quote
Catzilla
I drove a rental from Atlanta to LA in '05 after Katrina, lot of dust and dirt, plus me peeing in a cup because the convoy didn't want to stop, yeah, I wouldn't buy a rental....

I stopped peeing in a cup or bottle as a small child. I never need anyones permission to know when it is time to stop and pee. F'k the convoy *(:>*

---

“Stay Hungry Stay Foolish"
"There are only two mantras yummm and yuk "
"There is a fine line between a rut and a groove"
"The quality of Congress is not strained. It droppeth like a fetid cow patty from a bovine cloaca." cbelt
"I got to that part and I knew there was going to be some weapons grade stupid to follow"Lux Interior
"When all the trees have been cut down, when all the animals have been hunted,
when all the waters are polluted, when all the air is unsafe to breathe, only then
will you discover you cannot eat money."
~ Cree Prophecy