Quickie review of Advantage

[Jenny3]

Good morning from Orlando!

Had a great experience with Advantage car rental last night...counter was right next to Hertz with no line whatsoever; we did not have a pushy agent - just politely declined the extra options with no arguments; we got our car and went. We booked a compact and they upgraded us for free to a standard. We got a silver Toyota Corolla, looks like a newer model, nice spoiler, pretty much in mint condition other than two tiny scratches which we noted on the form.

Thought I'd share if anyone was on the fence about Advantage!

 

[NJRRK]

A Corrolla is a standard!?!

What do they rent as subcompact, a "Little Tykes" car?

 

[Jenny3]

A Corrolla is a standard!?!

What do they rent as subcompact, a "Little Tykes" car?

Maybe it's an Economy? Whatever the next level up from Compact, lol We were expecting a Yaris

 

[WeLuvTink!]

Thanks for the report. Did they assign you a specific car, or were you able to pick from a row of a particular size/type?

 

[Horace Horsecollar]

Car rental companies in the United States normally classify the Toyota Corolla as an intermediate (or midsize).

Currently, Hertz owns and operates the Advantage brand, but Hertz is selling it (to buy Dollar Thrifty Automotive Group Inc.).

 

[Jenny3]

Thanks for the report. Did they assign you a specific car, or were you able to pick from a row of a particular size/type?

They assigned us a car

 

[WeLuvTink!]

They assigned us a car

Thanks for the reply!

 

[Jenny3]

Just to finish this up - the rate was the exact same as when I booked it ($81 total); not a penny more when we returned the car

FYI - they did put a $200 hold, plus the $81 plus $41 in gas when we rented the car. We filled up a station for $18 near the airport so the $241 was removed from my credit card. I'm guessing this is pretty typical of rental cars?

Very pleased with them!

 

[Senator Tressel]

They put an extra $40 on my card too in case I did not fill up. The counter agent told me I needed to keep my receipt and show that I had filled up within five miles of the airport. Well, I was not going to fill up within five miles of the airport. That seems silly. I filled up at the Hess by the Boardwalk. When the pump clicked off, I squeezed about another 1/4 gallon in there. The car return guy did not want my receipt, he just turned the car on to check that it was on full.

So you don't really have to do it within five miles of the airport.

 

[Jenny3]

They didn't check my receipt either; just looked at the tank.

We also had missed notating a tiny dent on the driver door when we picked up the car (saw it the next morning in the light). The woman did a quick look over when we returned it; didn't say a word. So they didn't check that very thoroughly either (which was good in our case as I was prepared to fight over that ding!)

 

[Mennisdiller]

Hi Jenny,

Thank you for your report. Are the cars now on-site? Or do you have to be shuttled to your car?

Thank you so much in advance.

-G

 

[hsmamato2]

thanks for the review!!! I know a lot of us here have been waiting for some reviews of the new and improved advantage....I got a great rate too,and can't wait to try it out!

 

[OrangeCountyCommuter]

A Corrolla is a standard!?!

What do they rent as subcompact, a "Little Tykes" car?

Yes,

and it's a standard at National/Alamo/Hertz etc...

rental car sizes are not necessarily what you might think!

 

[Horace Horsecollar]

Alamo and National consider a Toyota Corolla (or similar) to be a Midsize (not a Standard). A Standard would be a Ford Fusion (or similar). A Fullsize would be a Chevrolet Impala (or similar).

Hertz uses the term Intermediate instead of Midsize. Hertz considers a Toyota Corolla (or similar) to be an Intermediate

 

[NJRRK]

Alamo and National consider a Toyota Corolla (or similar) to be a Midsize (not a Standard). A Standard would be a Ford Fusion (or similar). A Fullsize would be a Chevrolet Impala (or similar).

Hertz uses the term Intermediate instead of Midsize. Hertz considers a Toyota Corolla (or similar) to be an Intermediate

Even this is stretching it, but more reasonable.

 

[WeLuvTink!]

Are the Advantage rental cars in the garage AT MCO or does it require a shuttle bus ride to an off-site location. The DIS says it's onsite, but the Orlando Airport official website says Advantage is a shuttle-ride away. http://www.orlandoairports.net/transport/rental_cars.htm

I'm confused. Thanks for some first-hand information.

 

[nilseks]

Adding my 2 cents, since I've used Advantage in Orlando twice in the past 6 weeks...

Rented a car from them Thurs 11/1 to Sun 11/4. Check in was quick and easy, agent was a bit pushy about the gas thing but nothing I couldn't handle, gave us a larger car than we asked for, returning the car was super fast and easy.

Rented again 12/1 to 12/8. Huge line when we walked up--their computers were down. People were saying they had been standing in line for 2 hours but I guess they had called in more agents and when we got there, the line was moving. We waited about a half hour. Got the size car we requested--intermediate that was a Chevy Cruze. It only had 5,000 miles on it and had Sirius Radio (which was nice for me because I have it at home and love it). They ended up putting 2 large holds on my credit card totaling about $700--I chalked it up to their computers being down and just watched it, knowing my CC company would deal with it if necessary. When we returned the car, there was a huge line and it took longer than expected to check back in. Perhaps this is he way it always is on Saturday morning; I probably should have anticipated it.

To answer a PP question--the cars are on site, in the rental garage. You walk across the street and go up to the 2nd level. Less than a 5 minute walk. You do not pick your car. They assign you a car and tell you what spot to go to.

Both cars we rented were pretty scratched up (even though one of them only had 5,000 miles on it!) but we just noted it on the form when we checked the cars out, and there were no issues upon return. Both cars were mechanically perfect; no issues there. And both times we were charged the amount of our online reservation--no more, no less.

Would I rent from the again? Absolutely, with no hesitation. I have used Enterprise and Budget in the past, and I would rate the service at Advantage to be the same or better.

 

[WeLuvTink!]

Thanks for the great info nilseks.