General Zhukov's visit to the Valley of Death

[max225]

where to put this but.... I am going to vegas/la/death valley/joshua tree, in about a month.

I am trying to figure out my car rental sitch. This is not about but more about getting a comfortable vehicle as well as something with some ground clearance/performance off road. The last time the suburban was blah... i didn't want somethign that big but it was the only thing 4x4 that was available.

Options for this time
1. Land Rover Disco or similar (QX60) from hertz
2. Wrangler 4 door from Sixt
3. Grand cherokee from Hertz
4. Tacoma from Hertz
My concerns are that some of these may not be 4x4... or stripped out models. This matter a lot on a jeep, I had a sport with nothin in hawaii and hated that thing, and I had a loaded willys in florida and loved it...

Any pointers ? which one would you chose outside of

[Swedish Chef]

where to put this but.... I am going to vegas/la/death valley/joshua tree, in about a month.

I am trying to figure out my car rental sitch. This is not about but more about getting a comfortable vehicle as well as something with some ground clearance/performance off road. The last time the suburban was blah... i didn't want somethign that big but it was the only thing 4x4 that was available.

Options for this time
1. Land Rover Disco or similar (QX60) from hertz
2. Wrangler 4 door from Sixt
3. Grand cherokee from Hertz
4. Tacoma from Hertz
My concerns are that some of these may not be 4x4... or stripped out models. This matter a lot on a jeep, I had a sport with nothin in hawaii and hated that thing, and I had a loaded willys in florida and loved it...

Any pointers ? which one would you chose outside of

As the self-proclaimed King of Rentals, I feel like I should be able to help but I’m afraid there’s always a risk with Hertz, Avis etc. that either;

A. Their “Wrangler or equivalent” will put you in something less capable than the expected Wrangler or Tacoma.
B. The car you do get will be a stripped out model when you hope for a Rubicon.

The Wrangler I had last year was a Sport S but it was perfectly fine for driving NC>SC>GA and back, close to 1500mi in a week.

Therefore, Turo?

[ChrisoftheNorth]

I had a Sport S in Puerto Rico. Great vehicle.

I doubt there's a lot of base level vehicles in the rental fleet at this point. Could be wrong

[max225]

where to put this but.... I am going to vegas/la/death valley/joshua tree, in about a month.

I am trying to figure out my car rental sitch. This is not about but more about getting a comfortable vehicle as well as something with some ground clearance/performance off road. The last time the suburban was blah... i didn't want somethign that big but it was the only thing 4x4 that was available.

Options for this time
1. Land Rover Disco or similar (QX60) from hertz
2. Wrangler 4 door from Sixt
3. Grand cherokee from Hertz
4. Tacoma from Hertz
My concerns are that some of these may not be 4x4... or stripped out models. This matter a lot on a jeep, I had a sport with nothin in hawaii and hated that thing, and I had a loaded willys in florida and loved it...

Any pointers ? which one would you chose outside of

As the self-acclaimed King of Rentals, I feel like I should be able to help but I’m afraid there’s always a risk with Hertz, Avis etc. that either;

A. Their “Wrangler or equivalent” will put you in something less capable than the expected Wrangler or
B. The car you do get will be a stripped out model when you hope for a Rubicon

The Wrangler I had last year was a Sport S but it was perfectly fine for driving NC>SC>GA and back, close to 1500mi in a week.

Turo?

Now Hertz/Avis/Alamo are the "premium" rental places so I am expecting them to have a decent selection/vehicles. Unless you can tell me there is a better option for something like that.
I am certainly not hoping for a rubicon, but I want rear tinted windows and keyless entry if I am paying $50 a day.
Have you gone with Hertz "elite" line yet ?
Standard Elite Crossover is the one I am considering at the moment... it is the most expensive but not by much... ~$316 for this vs $280 for the jeep. I may want more comfort as I am driving 2000 miles in this thing and only around 60-80 of those will be off roads.

[max225]

I had a Sport S in Puerto Rico. Great vehicle.

I doubt there's a lot of base level vehicles in the rental fleet at this point. Could be wrong

Interesting... well in Hawaii it was a bunch of soft top 2 door sports , in florida they were willys ... completely different vehicles IMO.

[troyguitar]

As the self-acclaimed King of Rentals, I feel like I should be able to help but I’m afraid there’s always a risk with Hertz, Avis etc. that either;

A. Their “Wrangler or equivalent” will put you in something less capable than the expected Wrangler or
B. The car you do get will be a stripped out model when you hope for a Rubicon

The Wrangler I had last year was a Sport S but it was perfectly fine for driving NC>SC>GA and back, close to 1500mi in a week.

Turo?

Now Hertz/Avis/Alamo are the "premium" rental places so I am expecting them to have a decent selection/vehicles. Unless you can tell me there is a better option for something like that.
I am certainly not hoping for a rubicon, but I want rear tinted windows and keyless entry if I am paying $50 a day.
Have you gone with Hertz "elite" line yet ?
Standard Elite Crossover is the one I am considering at the moment... it is the most expensive but not by much... ~$316 for this vs $280 for the jeep. I may want more comfort as I am driving 2000 miles in this thing and only around 60-80 of those will be off roads.

Seems like #1 is the answer for this trip. Obviously you shouldn't buy one, but for a rental that's mostly highway cruising I'd get the luxotruk.

[ChrisoftheNorth]

I had a Sport S in Puerto Rico. Great vehicle.

I doubt there's a lot of base level vehicles in the rental fleet at this point. Could be wrong

Interesting... well in Hawaii it was a bunch of soft top 2 door sports , in florida they were willys ... completely different vehicles IMO.

Well, this was a JL, just a JK.

But it was a Sport S...aluminum wheels, tinted rear windows, soft top (but we could have had a hard top if we wanted), keyless entry, bluetooth, etc, etc. Base headlights and no android auto kind of sucked, but I was pretty with the spec otherwise.

[max225]

Interesting... well in Hawaii it was a bunch of soft top 2 door sports , in florida they were willys ... completely different vehicles IMO.

Well, this was a JL, just a JK.

But it was a Sport S...aluminum wheels, tinted rear windows, soft top (but we could have had a hard top if we wanted), keyless entry, bluetooth, etc, etc. Base headlights and no android auto kind of sucked, but I was pretty with the spec otherwise.

I am not expecting a JL.... unfortunately.

[ChrisoftheNorth]

Well, this was a JL, just a JK.

But it was a Sport S...aluminum wheels, tinted rear windows, soft top (but we could have had a hard top if we wanted), keyless entry, bluetooth, etc, etc. Base headlights and no android auto kind of sucked, but I was pretty with the spec otherwise.

I am not expecting a JL.... unfortunately.

Why not? That's all they had in Puerto Rico. FCA hasn't produced a JK in a while, they should be mostly flushed out of rental fleets by now.

[Desertbreh]

Now Hertz/Avis/Alamo are the "premium" rental places so I am expecting them to have a decent selection/vehicles. Unless you can tell me there is a better option for something like that.
I am certainly not hoping for a rubicon, but I want rear tinted windows and keyless entry if I am paying $50 a day.
Have you gone with Hertz "elite" line yet ?
Standard Elite Crossover is the one I am considering at the moment... it is the most expensive but not by much... ~$316 for this vs $280 for the jeep. I may want more comfort as I am driving 2000 miles in this thing and only around 60-80 of those will be off roads.

Seems like #1 is the answer for this trip. Obviously you shouldn't buy one, but for a rental that's mostly highway cruising I'd get the luxotruk.

Concur.

[max225]

I am not expecting a JL.... unfortunately.

Why not? That's all they had in Puerto Rico. FCA hasn't produced a JK in a while, they should be mostly flushed out of rental fleets by now.

jl really hit full production in march 2018. And they made the last JKs in March 2018.... so i think 50/50 chance for JL for me... seems like PR is better than the US for this...

[max225]

Seems like #1 is the answer for this trip. Obviously you shouldn't buy one, but for a rental that's mostly highway cruising I'd get the luxotruk.

Concur.

AZN wants to badge whore... My main concern is popping a $500 tire in the middle of no where and scraping a $2000 bumper cover... But most of my driving will be highway, I should be somewhat realistic. If they have JLs, at Sixt car rental.... I am certainly going that route. I NEED TO DRIVE ONE FOR A WHILE.

[max225]

For what it's worth SIXT is showing a JL on their site... not sure if it matter at all.

[ChrisoftheNorth]

Why not? That's all they had in Puerto Rico. FCA hasn't produced a JK in a while, they should be mostly flushed out of rental fleets by now.

jl really hit full production in march 2018. And they made the last JKs in March 2018.... so i think 50/50 chance for JL for me... seems like PR is better than the US for this...

I suppose. That's got to be the #1 rental vehicle in the territory. And for good reason, the roads were horrific, and often quite tight in areas. They had both 2 and 4 doors for the same price, but I took the 2 door for better maneuverability.

[ChrisoftheNorth]

In dealing with rental companies on the business end, they don't usually hold onto vehicles for very long 6-8mos at most. It's a liability on their balance sheet, so selling it when it's worth the most is key. There's usually pretty regular turn over with the larger companies, which is why I'd be surprised if there were many JK's left.

[max225]

In dealing with rental companies on the business end, they don't usually hold onto vehicles for very long 6-8mos at most. It's a liability on their balance sheet, so selling it when it's worth the most is key. There's usually pretty regular turn over with the larger companies, which is why I'd be surprised if there were many JK's left.

Good Pro Tip. Any pointers with Sixt? that's the agency I want to use... I know it's just a rental but my trip is hinged on the vehicle, and It is somewhat a highlight for me.

[max225]

FWIW I am going April 25th-28th, so.... That should be more than 1 year after JL launch....

[ChrisoftheNorth]

In dealing with rental companies on the business end, they don't usually hold onto vehicles for very long 6-8mos at most. It's a liability on their balance sheet, so selling it when it's worth the most is key. There's usually pretty regular turn over with the larger companies, which is why I'd be surprised if there were many JK's left.

Good Pro Tip. Any pointers with Sixt? that's the agency I want to use... I know it's just a rental but my trip is hinged on the vehicle, and It is somewhat a highlight for me.

I've only professionally worked with Enterprise and Hertz through our fleet department. It was really interesting learning their business...it's pretty fascinating when you think about it. They've modeled out the ideal time/mileage for a vehicle to spend in service before they've made enough on rentals and won't loose too much on resale. They do one buy a year with staggered deliveries throughout the year to meet their time forecasts. For Colorados, they're usually only in service for 6-8 mos.

[ChrisoftheNorth]

And I get the rental being a highlight of the trip. I wasn't too into Puerto Rico. Then at the rental counter, wife asked if they had anything "fun" and the guy suggested a Jeep. I perked up and asked him if it was brand new, and he said they all were brand new 2019 models. The cost increase was minimal, so we went for it. Driving that thing around for 8 days was absolutely a highlight.

Chef will be able to give more protips on the rental process I'm sure, but we always have the best luck booking the cheapest vehicle possible then negotiating when we get to the rental counter. We've had some really cool stuff just by asking when we get there. We paid $40/day for the Jeep at the end of it, when online it showed a Jeep was $70/day. Granted, you have to be flexible on what you end up with, but I've yet to be let down.

[Desertbreh]

Sixt: Hands keys to JK to Max.
Max: Hands keys to AZN, goes back to work.

[Desertbreh]

where to put this but.... I am going to vegas/la/death valley/joshua tree, in about a month.

I am trying to figure out my car rental sitch. This is not about but more about getting a comfortable vehicle as well as something with some ground clearance/performance off road. The last time the suburban was blah... i didn't want somethign that big but it was the only thing 4x4 that was available.

Options for this time
1. Land Rover Disco or similar (QX60) from hertz
2. Wrangler 4 door from Sixt
3. Grand cherokee from Hertz
4. Tacoma from Hertz
My concerns are that some of these may not be 4x4... or stripped out models. This matter a lot on a jeep, I had a sport with nothin in hawaii and hated that thing, and I had a loaded willys in florida and loved it...

Any pointers ? which one would you chose outside of

Did you check Turo?

I think he's talking about heavily exceeding most Turo mileage limits.

[Desertbreh]

And I get the rental being a highlight of the trip. I wasn't too into Puerto Rico. Then at the rental counter, wife asked if they had anything "fun" and the guy suggested a Jeep. I perked up and asked him if it was brand new, and he said they all were brand new 2019 models. The cost increase was minimal, so we went for it. Driving that thing around for 8 days was absolutely a highlight.

Chef will be able to give more protips on the rental process I'm sure, but we always have the best luck booking the cheapest vehicle possible then negotiating when we get to the rental counter. We've had some really cool stuff just by asking when we get there. We paid $40/day for the Jeep at the end of it, when online it showed a Jeep was $70/day. Granted, you have to be flexible on what you end up with, but I've yet to be let down.

It's true. The biggest disappointments at the rental counter are not getting close to what you thought you were getting, the biggest is the rando upgrade.

[max225]

where to put this but.... I am going to vegas/la/death valley/joshua tree, in about a month.

I am trying to figure out my car rental sitch. This is not about but more about getting a comfortable vehicle as well as something with some ground clearance/performance off road. The last time the suburban was blah... i didn't want somethign that big but it was the only thing 4x4 that was available.

Options for this time
1. Land Rover Disco or similar (QX60) from hertz
2. Wrangler 4 door from Sixt
3. Grand cherokee from Hertz
4. Tacoma from Hertz
My concerns are that some of these may not be 4x4... or stripped out models. This matter a lot on a jeep, I had a sport with nothin in hawaii and hated that thing, and I had a loaded willys in florida and loved it...

Any pointers ? which one would you chose outside of

Did you check Turo?

I think i'd roughly drive 2000 miles.... that flys. MOst have mileage limits that are far lower.

[Desertbreh]

I think he's talking about heavily exceeding most Turo mileage limits.

Makes sense - didn't even know they had them. I was just thinking for a cool vehicle. I haven't used them yet.

Me neither, but I've thought about it twice. But nobody is going to let you put 3K miles on their Range Rover without exacting an enormous toll.

[max225]

It's true. The biggest disappointments at the rental counter are not getting close to what you thought you were getting, the biggest is the rando upgrade.

I once rented a Moostang Convertible for a Florida trip and was given an Infiniti Q60 instead.

I am trying very hard to minimize the risk of this by not going with places like FOX, Budget/Dollar etc and going more "premium" with hertz or sixt.