Luxury cars with Hertz

[fuzzystone]

Hi,

We've booked a luxury car with Hertz (MCO) for June, and wondered if anyone could give me examples of the types of car they provide. On Hertz's own site, they list the Lincoln Towncar and the Cadillac DTS. Are these the only two cars they offer, or are there others that might be available?

TIA

 

[fuzzystone]

Anyone?

 

[toywaltz]

It's hard to say what is what in the Luxury class. They have a Prestige class that's above Luxury so I'm not sure where the various cars fall. I've seen Volvo S80's at MCO and a few other cars I would imagine are above the Luxury class. If you want something specific, Prestige is the way to go. Although the last Prestige car I rented from Hertz in Boston was a banged up Volvo with a bad door-seal. I've pretty much stopped using Hertz because they constantly piss me off and seem more than happy to continue doing so. The others aren't any better but at least I'll be in a cheaper vehicle when they mess with me. The last straw was a couple months ago in Boston again....I booked a mid-size (Mazda 6 or Pontiac G6 typical) and the Kiosk kicked me out a Corolla. Line was out the door so I decided to just live with the cracker-box and after fighting my way through an hour of Boston traffic and hitting the open road I discovered the hunk-o-junk didn't even have cruise control! So I drove 8 hours RT across MA and ME without cruise.

 

[fuzzystone]

Thanks Toywaltz. We made this booking because we got a great deal through Expedia - 18 days Luxury hire with all insurances (for UK drivers) for $385. We usually just go for intermediate or standard level, but at these rates decided we could splash out a bit!

 

[toywaltz]

Well if you enjoy boating....the Caddy or Lincoln are two good choices

That's insanely cheap if it's right. Are you sure that's not a weekly price?

Either way, if you booked a luxury class once you head to the counter you could ask them to switch you into something else if the Lincoln/Caddy doesn't tickle your fancy. They should be able to "down-grade" to something more interesting. They used to have Pontiac G8's there and they drive nice for such a large car. They have far more cache than the "geezer" twins you've booked.

 

[fuzzystone]

No, the price is correct, and was an amazing deal that offered the same price whether you booked the car for 7 nights or 27 nights! And I love your boating analogy, but we'll be quite happy to 'steer' such a large car - it'll be a real novelty for us. At home we have a Mazda 3 and a Mazda MX5 (Miata), so while the Lincoln and the Caddy may not have much credibility, their sheer size will keep us laughing much of our trip! I hadn't considered the possibility of downgrading, but will consider it if the cars offered are just too silly!

 

[pr surfer]

I've ended up with an Audi S4 before through Hertz... IME, Enterprise has a better luxury selection with most brands available. I've had Mercedes, Infiniti, BMW, Audi, Volvo, and Lexus with them before.

 

[jlewisinsyr]

The two most common in the standard Luxury collection is the Cadillac DTS and the Lincoln Towncar, the Cadillac is the better of the two IMO (although I think Fords are better then GMs in most cases).

I rent a quite a bit from Hertz, particularly their Prestige class. For a basic Luxury rental, don't look to get into a Prestige class as they are usually even more expensive then the Luxury rental.

 

[jlewisinsyr]

I've ended up with an Audi S4 before through Hertz... IME, Enterprise has a better luxury selection with most brands available. I've had Mercedes, Infiniti, BMW, Audi, Volvo, and Lexus with them before.

Enterprise in the Luxury department definately has a lot more variety typically, but their luxury fleet is much, much smaller then the other carriers, as in typically it represents less then 5% of their fleet in a given market, so if something goes wrong with the car or if you don't like what they give you, you'll probably be stuck. Plus I find Enterprise's methods of inspection and insurance pressure to be annoying (not that I actually give in, but it is very annoying).

 

[Syndrome]

Hi, We have rented from Hertz in Orlando a few times, and have always rented their luxury class. Usually it was an upgrade coupon from a full size.
I always request the Cadillac over the Lincoln. You cant really compare the DTS to the Towncar. IMO, the DTS is more like a performance Luxury car while the Town car is more like a land yacht. The DTS has some serious performance under the hood, and handling to match. Even the guys at the Hertz counter have said a few times that everyone asks for the DTS over the Towncar. You will not be sorry with a DTS, and, you will NOT feel like you are driving a "geezer" car. Once we even were luckey enough to get a BRAND NEW DTS. Loaded with every option even AC Seats.
Also, if you decide on the DTS, Dont ask for the GPS option. Most of the DTS has it built into the dash already. Funny story......on one of our DTS rentals, they gave us the Hertz GPS option for free, we also had our own GPS we brought on vaca. and the car also had one built into the dash. Yes that is 3 GPS's for 1 car.......we never got lost that trip!
HTH........Syndrome

 

[toywaltz]

Not looking to pick a fight...but you have to keep it in perspective. These guys are coming from UK and own two much smaller and decent performing cars. The DTS will feel like a barge. Yes it has a V8 and will feel fast off the line (it's a 7-second 0-60 car...so slightly above average) and handles about like any Camry out there. I agree the Town Car is horrible and I would avoid that one at all cost. My father has one but he generally has bad taste.

I wouldn't have trouble driving a DTS but the selection of vehicles in my garage range from a Pathfinder, 1-ton Dodge Diesel, Honda Odyssey, and BMW 330xi so I'm used to jumping in/out of very different vehicles. I had a DTS rental a couple years ago and I'm betting they will find it very amusing I would downgrade to a G8 though and I think they'd find that very nice to drive and get a kick out of the size too.