I got the most interesting rental car..........

"Der Käfer" (Rhy)
11/05/2013 at 07:49 • Filed to: None

The VW went in for its first service. Because I am under 25 I couldnt recieve a loaner car so they shuttled me to enterprise where they secured me a compact rental. No biggie, thought it was going to be a Nissan Versa or a Chevy Sonic, both alright cars for the job but no....... I got a fully loaded..... "Denim" blue Chevy Spark. I'm a very small guy and this car is TINY even to me. Features are nice, but the thing is beyond slow... I almost died trying to merge on to the expressway, the pedal was touching the floor and I was crawling in front of traffic doing 75-85 mph.

ALSO this car has THE WORST sound system I've ever heard in a new car, even more horrid than hondas base sound system in their entry levels (that shit is also a joke.)

Enterprise needs to put this thing in a class of its own. srsly.

What's the worst rental car you've ever had?

DISCUSSION (36)

the__man > Der Käfer
11/05/2013 at 07:59

"I almost died trying to merge on to the expressway, the pedal was touching the floor and I was crawling in front of traffic doing 75-85 mph.

ALSO this car has THE WORST sound system I've ever heard in a new car, even worst than hondas base sound system in their entry levels (that shit is also a joke.)"

This is the most accurate review of the car I have ever read. Good work, also thanks for the morning laugh (literally laughed out loud).

Der Käfer > the__man
11/05/2013 at 08:04

and they wonder why millennials don't want to buy cars... I surely dont want a 2x4 sized car that has a 0-60 time of never! Jesus, make it uber fast, uber cheap and minimal extras.

Anon > Der Käfer
11/05/2013 at 08:09

Drove base civic for 2 years, can confirm honda sound system is joke.

Der Käfer > Anon
11/05/2013 at 08:11

I drove a Honda Civic Hybrid with leather and nav and was content until I turned on the radio. I instantly made an illegal U-turn, scared the sales man and sped back to lot and left. I even asked the damn guy if it was good, and he boasted.

Leadfoot866 > Der Käfer
11/05/2013 at 08:31

Funny you mention taking your car in for service. My Ford Focus is currently in the shop because the horn stopped working (should be covered by the warranty). I'm currently on a rental as well; a "Rosso Brilliante" red 2013 FIAT 500 Pop. Not a bad car, but it is somewhat noisy and the auto gearbox is terrible. Does get up and go nicely on the lower gears, though.

Besides the Fiat, I've only ever rented two other cars myself; a 2012 Chrysler Town & Country and a 2012 Lincoln MKZ. Of these three, I have to say the Chrysler was the worst. I wouldn't say it was horrible, but it wasn't good either (sort of meh).

I wouldn't buy one.

If you include the rentals my parents have had over the years that I've had to sit in, then the worst would be the 2007 Chrysler PT Cruiser my dad got once.

JQJ213- Now With An Extra Cylinder! > Der Käfer
11/05/2013 at 08:33

"ALSO this car has THE WORST sound system I've ever heard in a new car, even worst than hondas base sound system in their entry levels (that shit is also a joke.)"
As the proud owner of a 2013 Civic LX, I can attest to the sound system sucking... is it possible that it isn't the worst?
(Sorry for the bad formatting, I'm at school and the comment box doesn't let me do anything)

Der Käfer > Leadfoot866
11/05/2013 at 08:40

I almost bought a fiat! I like them in manual form in the turbo sport trim level.

PTs are mini hearses and we had butter yellow one for a rental

The T&C?! I loved the pentastar! SO damn fun for a family hauler!

The spark is also VERY VERY noisey and un refined. vibrates your teeth with the pedal down.

Der Käfer > JQJ213- Now With An Extra Cylinder!
11/05/2013 at 08:41

It's not the worst, the spark is!

ttyymmnn > Der Käfer
11/05/2013 at 08:50

When my wife wrecked her Stratus, the body shop gave her a Chrylser 300. It drove okay, but visibility out of the thing was absolutely horrid. She's not all that tall, and the A pillars are more like the Doric columns on the Parthenon and the windows are about as big as Chicklets. Worst, though, goes to the Dodge Caliber I got once. Oceans of plastic, horrible seats, terrible visibility. I don't even remember how it drove. It's an episode of my life I've strongly suppressed.

Der Käfer > ttyymmnn
11/05/2013 at 08:53

My prayes go out to you... the cailber is a HORRIBLEEEEEEEEEEEEE vehicle. I do hope your current ride is not of that " caliber " lol made a funny.

PelicanHazard > Leadfoot866
11/05/2013 at 08:56

You and I had very different experiences with T&Cs. The one I got when my Dart was in service, I liked a lot.

PelicanHazard > Der Käfer
11/05/2013 at 08:59

Dodge Journey.

I went from my Dart to that and back again the moment my Dart was fixed. It was the single worst vehicle I have ever driven, and mind you my short driving history also includes time in both front seats of a 1999 Chevy Cavalier.

A very close second is a Dodge Avenger. Basically a Journey in car form. Dodge could just shut down the assembly lines for both of those things right now and nothing of value would be lost.

Der Käfer > PelicanHazard
11/05/2013 at 09:05

Avenger is my most hated rental. everything was plastic.... it just sucked. really sucked.

PelicanHazard > Der Käfer
11/05/2013 at 09:05

I'm also going to say, the Spark actually interests me. Not because I think it's a good car, but the styling is alright and man are they cheap . I was browsing Cars.com last night and found a top-trim Spark in manual with not even 7,000 miles on the odometer for less than $13k. Higher miles/lower trim Sparks were even cheaper. If for some reason I ever need wheels right friggin' now for not a lot of money just to get places with no frills, a lightly-used Spark looks like a better deal than other used cars with more ragged-on miles.

PelicanHazard > Der Käfer
11/05/2013 at 09:08

Now imagine a bigger Avenger with less rear visibility, more body roll, and a bowl of mashed potatoes for a brake pedal, and that's the Journey.

Der Käfer > PelicanHazard
11/05/2013 at 09:09

Mine is a 2LT Auto, the engine is very very buzzy and vibrates your teeth, revs very high but honestly.... the car is comfortable. More options than I need, butt heaters, auto head lights, leatherette, 7 inch touch screen, the only feature that needs improvement is the sound system is the worst I've ever heard.

Der Käfer > PelicanHazard
11/05/2013 at 09:11

ew. that's illegal. that is horrble.

dinobot666 > Der Käfer
11/05/2013 at 09:17

Could you describe your injuries from 'almost dying' while merging onto the interstate?

jsmizira > Der Käfer
11/05/2013 at 09:23

The gas powered ones of these are very under powered, however they do make a more powerful one that will spin the tires all day if you can turn off the traction control. that one is good fun. yup 400+ftlb electric motor ftw!

jsmizira > dinobot666
11/05/2013 at 09:26

he is in an embarrassment induced coma.

Der Käfer > dinobot666
11/05/2013 at 09:29

A semi passed me, I caught wind and floated off the expressway.

dinobot666 > Der Käfer
11/05/2013 at 09:43

I wonder how I've survived all these years driving smaller and lighter cars than the Spark, yet have not manged to be blown off the highway by semi trucks. I think you're exaggerating a bit here. ;)

Der Käfer > dinobot666
11/05/2013 at 09:51

I am, but in all seriousness, the car is very slow and doesnt like to be pushed, I was expecting to be able to merge effortlessly into traffic but that was not the case, I got various high bea, flashes and horns. It scared me.

The Transporter > Der Käfer
11/05/2013 at 11:16

Thank God you didn't have a blowout in that thing. Sparks don't come equipped with a spare tire. In the spare tire's place is a cigarette lighter-powered air pump and a bottle of off brand Fix-A-Flat.

Working as a transporter for Hertz, I've driven the entire fleet. The worst by far is the Chevy Aveo. There are still 2011 Aveos in the fleet as Hertz can't give those things away and Aveos don't age well.

The second worst would have to be the Jeep Liberty. I had to drive one of these frequently as a chase vehicle recently. For such a large vehicle, the driver's compartment makes my Miata feel spacious. The seat forces you to sit in an upright position and there is a metal bar in the seat directly underneath your hamstring muscles that cuts off circulation to your legs. And the whole reason we were using it as a chase vehicle was because it was under recall and Chrysler was dragging its ass building those replacement tow hooks. So the SUV confines you in a small space, cuts off circulation to your legs and if anyone rear-ends you (and in Wilmington it's really when, not if) immediately catches on fire. You are unable to escape the conflagration as you are trapped in a small space and have no feeling in your legs.

Third worst would have to be the Avenger/Chrysler 200. I group them together as there is no real difference between the lower tier Avenger and the 200 "luxury" car. How many brand new mid-sized cars do you know of that still have a four speed automatic transmission.

The Transporter > JQJ213- Now With An Extra Cylinder!
11/05/2013 at 11:23

I've driven both, the Spark is worse.

Leadfoot866 > PelicanHazard
11/05/2013 at 11:30

Again, it's not a bad car, but at the same time it doesn't offer much other than massive passenger space.

Problem I had is that it was noisy, the plastics were borderline and the engine, while gutsy, wasn't very well refined (noisy and rough).

If you need to haul a lot of people, sure it works well. Other than that, no...

I will give it that it's rather cheap for its size and it's not the worst vehicle in Chrysler's made over the years. The PT Cruiser was downright terrible. I haven't had the misfortune of renting a Journey or Avenger like you.

Der Käfer > The Transporter
11/05/2013 at 14:23

I recently had to gelp a co worker with a flat tire on her 2013 Malibu and it had the fix a flat tire pump combo.... didn't work and we eneded up using a spare off a Buick Lacrosse.

I HATE the avengers and 200s with a passion. Horrible gas mileage, poor visibility, sub par build quality and they're small for what you get. Last time I needed a rental that's what they gave me and the second day in, I switched it out/upgraded (for free) to a 2014 Toyota Camry with 40 miles ( I was the first renter.)

The jeeps are not my cup of tea.... actually anything american is not my cup of tea.

The Transporter > Der Käfer
11/05/2013 at 14:33

We're awash with Avengers and 200s right now. The new model years are coming out and dealers can't give them away, so Chrysler is buying them back to fulfill fleet orders. I honestly can't blame people for not buying these things. There are so many cars out there, even American cars, in the same price range that are far superior to it.

While I don't really care for the Camrys or Corollas in our fleet, at least they're reliable.

Der Käfer > The Transporter
11/05/2013 at 14:39

Why not darts? so much better!

My best rentals to date are a BMW 328i, Volkswagen Jetta SportWagen, Cadillac SRX, New Ford Explorer Limited and a fully loaded Limited trim level Town & Country with the pentastar..... Hoonable family hauler....

The Transporter > Der Käfer
11/05/2013 at 14:46

We've had a few Darts, but they don't seem to last very long. The good cars usually stick around just long enough for the rental revenue they bring in to fill the difference between the new price and what they'd get on the wholesale market.

Der Käfer > The Transporter
11/05/2013 at 15:24

Gotcha! I figured, I forgot to metion I rented a Volvo XC60 awd and it was perfect.

Triborough > Der Käfer
11/12/2013 at 22:41

Kinja'd!!!

2012 Nissan Sentra.
This thing scared me when I was driving it. It felt flimsy, had no road feel, and smelled of low quality plastic that made me feel woozy.
Stopping was an adventure.
Just had it for a day, but it was a scary one.

Der Käfer > Triborough
11/13/2013 at 07:34

ooooooo not a fan of nissans....

davidj210 > Der Käfer
11/13/2013 at 11:52

I've had a couple of 2012+ Focuses, some Grand Caravans, a Subaru Outback, a Mitsubishi Fuso moving truck, a hybrid Civic, an xB and a Chevy HHR. The HHR was the worst. It performed fine, but the visibility was terrible. And it was ugly. And it had a 4 speed transmission.

The moving truck had a 2.0L turbodiesel that made 160 horsepower, so that left something to be desired in the "going up hills" department.

The focuses were great.

Der Käfer > davidj210
11/13/2013 at 12:01

I could have had a focus over the fiat but I didn't want to put more into gas than I had too.

Der Käfer > davidj210
11/13/2013 at 12:01

HHR is also a HORRIBLE car.... chevys from that era are horrid.