zzdcar
Home
/
Reviews
/
Buying
/
I Gambled On A Rental Car And Won
I Gambled On A Rental Car And Won-December 2024
2024-02-19 EST 22:09:24

Image for article titled I Gambled On A Rental Car And Won

There is perhaps no worse feeling in the world of automobiles than getting stuck with a shitty rental car. I flew in to Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson airport, the largest airport in the world by customer volume, and rented a car not knowing what I’d get. It was a gamble, I knew that going in, but I threw the dice on the table and came out snake eyes. This amazing silver machine was my home for a shuttle out , and back. It kicks ass.

After waiting in line for over two hours on Monday at the Avis counter where my reservation was held, I was finally rewarded by a surprisingly jovial rental desk attendant. Thanks to his help, I was able to get what I was told was literally the last available car on the lot. While I stood with him I was shuffled through a few options before they were unceremoniously swiped away by the desk worker’s compatriots. “Would you like a truck? Oh, that’s gone. How about a Corolla? Nope, they took that, too!”

When they finally secured me a van, I would have taken literally anything they had. As it turns out, getting a Sienna was absolutely serendipitous. When I entered the garage to pick up the van, I was informed that three other people at the airport were heading to the same destination I was, and there were no rental cars left for them to get where we were going. I obliged and picked up three passengers, editors and writers from other powersports-oriented publications.

Fitting four people and all the gear required for a day of trail riding would have been an absolute shit fit in a Corolla or a Tacoma or whatever. My other recent rental car was a Jeep Gladiator, and that was just an all-around shit experience, but it would have fit our stuff better than a Corolla.

In any case, I had about four or five total hours of driving the Sienna this week totally loaded down with people and stuff, and it was maybe the best rental car I’ve ever had. Not only was it comfortable and quiet, but it was equipped with Apple Car Play and radar cruise, which are an absolute must these days in my eyes. And over just shy of 200 miles round-trip, I burned just a quarter of a tank of gasoline. Amazing.

Comments
Welcome to zzdcar comments! Please keep conversations courteous and on-topic. To fosterproductive and respectful conversations, you may see comments from our Community Managers.
Sign up to post
Sort by
Show More Comments
Buying
GM Is Being Sued Over Destination Charges
GM Is Being Sued Over Destination Charges
industry wide. No one knows why. Automakers are aware of it as well. It’s why they advertise vehicle MSRP’s without them. And the charges vary between vehicles and make no sense. A basic Cadillac CT4 has a $1,195 destination charge while a CT4-V Blackwing has a $995 destination charge....
Dec 28, 2025
Mazda's Funky MX-30 EV Is High Style, High Price, Low Range
Mazda's Funky MX-30 EV Is High Style, High Price, Low Range
Everyone knows the key to a successful EV is to have USP. You know this, I know this, and Mazda knows it too which is why it’s given its first-ever EV something they call “freestyle doors” that are essentially the same sort of rear-hinged doors you got with the...
Dec 28, 2025
The Jaguar F-Type Lineup Is All V8s For 2022
The Jaguar F-Type Lineup Is All V8s For 2022
We need to be honest about something: Jaguar does seem to know what it wants to do. said the company had given up chasing the Germans. This is after spending $700 million to upgrade facilities to do just that. Now the company wants to go eco and electrify its...
Dec 28, 2025
A Mere Mortal's Guide To The 2021 Rolls-Royce Ghost
A Mere Mortal's Guide To The 2021 Rolls-Royce Ghost
I was behind the wheel of the 2021 Rolls-Royce Ghost for about fifteen minutes before I found myself on the phone with Jalopnik alum Alanis King. It was with an immense sense of shame that I had to ask, “How do you get that flying lady hood ornament to pop...
Dec 28, 2025
At $6,500, Is This 1993 Mazda Miata The Answer?
At $6,500, Is This 1993 Mazda Miata The Answer?
Today’s Miata comes in black over a biscuit interior and wears the all-weather hardtop. It’s a bit worn around the edges, but we’ll still have to decide if its price makes it something you’d like to keep around. The seller of yesterday’s gushed over the car, even to the...
Dec 28, 2025
This Hilariously Long Jeep Wrangler Seats Six And Is Probably Still Trail Rated
This Hilariously Long Jeep Wrangler Seats Six And Is Probably Still Trail Rated
I frequently scan Bring A Trailer and Cars & Bids . Some make me do a double take but few seemingly regular cars have caught my attention quite like this absurd very long Jeep Wrangler TJ. This thing seats six, has an comically-long convertible roof and is up for...
Dec 28, 2025
Copyright 2023-2025 - www.zzdcar.com All Rights Reserved