Avis doesn't like me

"KusabiSensei - Captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs" (kusabisensei)
06/09/2015 at 09:03 • Filed to: None

It was raining yesterday at Pearson, and all the way to St. Jacobs. So of course Avis decides to give me a car built in Oshawa with a fabric roof. It’s almost as big as the Challenger next to it, and feels like driving a car the size of an old Cadillac.

It has a HUD, but the wheels and tires are too big, the brakes are too small, the C pillar is way too big, you can’t see out the back unless the top is down, and the ride is not really what you need traversing ON-8 and ON-85 going to St. Jacobs (Way too hard and the roads aren’t exactly glass smooth).

But it is practically new (I think I may be the third renter. Odometer had 1987km on the clock at check out), and practically new Avis cars are better than *better cars* with more rentals on them (because in my experience, although this may just be the places I’ve rented from Avis), since the better cars tend to be more abused.

DISCUSSION (49)

thebigbossyboss > KusabiSensei - Captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs
06/09/2015 at 09:04

Kinja'd!!!

Next car right here. In that colour scheme too.

boxrocket > KusabiSensei - Captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs
06/09/2015 at 09:06

Ugh, that blows. If they offer it, see if you can swap for a Challenger or Mustang. The Challenger is biiiiig but you can see out of it. The Mustang is smaller than both and also has good visibility.

KusabiSensei - Captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs > thebigbossyboss
06/09/2015 at 09:07

It would be preferable in terms of rearward visibility and, maybe, cabin ergonomics.

But the Camaro has a HUD, and only had 1987km on the clock when I got it.

KusabiSensei - Captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs > boxrocket
06/09/2015 at 09:12

This was already an upgrade (Our company policy is to book a Chevy Cruze class car), and I have enough rental days that when they inevitably have to give me a bigger car, I get things like this.

However, you never ask to get swapped out, because if you do, there are some Avis locations that will re-assign your booked car class to be the more expensive class, because you walked in and asked for a different car.

I limit myself to asking for a new car if and only if it is a Dodge Avenger (which was in the Cruze class). Fortunately, those have all but disappeared from the Avis fleet.

Milky > KusabiSensei - Captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs
06/09/2015 at 09:14

Wait whats wrong with a Camaro? Waayyy better than a Cruze imo.

MLGCarGuy > KusabiSensei - Captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs
06/09/2015 at 09:16

Kinja'd!!!

They couldn’t let you change to this A4? Or the C/E Class back there?

KusabiSensei - Captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs > MLGCarGuy
06/09/2015 at 09:18

That was a Jetta. Avis doesn’t rent A4s to my knowledge. They have BMW 328s for that duty.

KusabiSensei - Captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs > Milky
06/09/2015 at 09:20

Exactly. While I wouldn’t buy a Camaro with my own money (or anyone else’s money for that matter), it is a vast improvement over a Cruze in non-raining conditions.

Even in the rain, it’s still better than a base Cruze (Avis occasionally has LTZ Cruzes around. I’ve had one of those in the past)

boxrocket > KusabiSensei - Captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs
06/09/2015 at 09:22

Bleh.

One thing I liked from maaaaany Enterprise rentals an an Alamo rental in Florida is the option to choose whichever car they have in the class. For our honeymoon in Hawai’i, my wife and I got the massively preferable Mustang (V6) convertible instead of the Sebring/200 convertible in the same convertible class. In Florida, we got to pick a Chrysler T&C which had more gizmos versus a Dodge Grand Caravan SXT - same car basically, but better optioned. Being friendly and letting them know right when you get there what you prefer can help, which allowed my wife to get a Civic instead of a dreadful Cruze when her car was being fixed after a minor accident.

MLGCarGuy > KusabiSensei - Captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs
06/09/2015 at 09:23

Kinja'd!!!

Apparently that A4 snuck in then. Look at the headlight and reflector shape and then compare it to the Jetta.

Kinja'd!!!

Also VW doesn’t offer that wheel shape on the Jetta. And there’s chrome all around the windows that the Jetta doesn’t have.

Milky > KusabiSensei - Captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs
06/09/2015 at 09:26

Sorry still confused, is it bad because they gave you a convertible and of course it raining or because RWD. Because I’d take any Camaro trim over any Cruze trim. Go hoon after work is done and have fun.

KusabiSensei - Captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs > boxrocket
06/09/2015 at 09:27

Avis is a crapshoot at car assignment and upgrades, to be honest. Last time, it was a Jeep Grand Cherokee. The time before that was a Hyundai Tucson.

There are plenty of nice locations who will let you pick from the class you get upgraded to for no charge, or just say “Pick anything”. An example was at MCI, where I ended up with a nicely equipped Silverado 1500 for the price of the Cruze.

KusabiSensei - Captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs > MLGCarGuy
06/09/2015 at 09:33

And Avis has far more Jettas than they would have A4s.

Be honest, at first glance, they are very very similar. Especially in potatocam view.

KusabiSensei - Captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs > Milky
06/09/2015 at 09:34

It was raining at the time, so they give out the convertibles, because they know no one will willingly pick them.

AM > KusabiSensei - Captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs
06/09/2015 at 09:37

I challenge you to name one highway in Ontario that is glass smooth, 407 excluded.

Milky > KusabiSensei - Captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs
06/09/2015 at 09:41

But rain means its easier to do this:

Kinja'd!!!

Esp. when they’re not your tires ;)

G_Body_Man: Sponsored by the number 3 > KusabiSensei - Captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs
06/09/2015 at 09:45

What were you doing in St. Jacobs? There isn’t much there, other than a huge flea market and an awesome buffet.

KusabiSensei - Captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs > G_Body_Man: Sponsored by the number 3
06/09/2015 at 09:48

There’s also the headquarters of a well-known company.

MLGCarGuy > KusabiSensei - Captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs
06/09/2015 at 09:51

I was going to point out that they looked similar but everyone knows that.

I haven’t rented from Avis so I wouldn’t know what their car choice is like.

KusabiSensei - Captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs > AM
06/09/2015 at 09:54

If I find a sheet of plate glass that someone put on the ground, and put a highway sign next to it, does it count?

KusabiSensei - Captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs > MLGCarGuy
06/09/2015 at 09:57

I’m probably so used to seeing Jettas everywhere at every Avis lot that when someone did sneak in an A4, the immediate response is “Jetta”.

Silvercar at various airports (I first saw them at DFW) rents A4s exclusively.

KusabiSensei - Captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs > G_Body_Man: Sponsored by the number 3
06/09/2015 at 10:01

Also, where the hell is this buffet?

And is it better than The Crazy Canuck? Because it would take a lot for that to be true.

G_Body_Man: Sponsored by the number 3 > KusabiSensei - Captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs
06/09/2015 at 10:06

Sorry, I was thinking of the wrong town. If you’re willing to drive over to Elmira, there’s At the Crossroads Family Restaurant, which has the best buffet I’ve ever seen. It’s kitty-corner to the Chrysler dealer.

KusabiSensei - Captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs > Milky
06/09/2015 at 10:09

Yeah, and then you have to deal with the OPP and a “Stunt Driving” charge. No thank you.

The closest track is Toronto Motorsports Park, and that is 90 minute drive from where I am.

KusabiSensei - Captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs > G_Body_Man: Sponsored by the number 3
06/09/2015 at 10:14

Bonus: I can claim it’s for business as part of the warehouse operations are closer to Elmira than St. Jacobs.

Also it’s closer than other places.

Milky > KusabiSensei - Captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs
06/09/2015 at 10:16

You’re not down with OPP?

KusabiSensei - Captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs > Milky
06/09/2015 at 10:21

Kinja'd!!!

And here we see a wild O.P.P. in the natural habitat, just outside a Tim Hortons. See how he is scared to leave the plush vulgalour upholstery, and waiting for his companion to return with a box of Timbits and/or Maple Dip donuts. It’s also quite possble that there is coffee involved as well.

And notice how the natural prey of the O.P.P, the little Mazda is as far away as possible without going over the lines. He is likely planning an escape route that will involve waiting for the donuts to appear, and then leaving.

kanadanmajava1 > KusabiSensei - Captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs
06/09/2015 at 10:32

I think that you could have end up with something worse.

When I rented a car in the last time I got an upgrade because they didn’t have one that I had rented. I got this kind of thing:

Kinja'd!!!

AM > KusabiSensei - Captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs
06/09/2015 at 10:38

Kinja'd!!!

Milky > KusabiSensei - Captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs
06/09/2015 at 10:48

Yea but who can blame them? Timbits are really good.

KusabiSensei - Captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs > AM
06/09/2015 at 10:57

Also, does the driveway into the parkade for MPs at Parliament Hill count? Because that is pretty darn smooth when I last drove by in Ottawa...

Or was that where all that money in the Senate expense scandal went to?

BeaterGT > KusabiSensei - Captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs
06/09/2015 at 10:58

Gets to drive a brand new Camaro...complains about it being a Camaro.

KusabiSensei - Captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs > Milky
06/09/2015 at 11:01

It’s about the only benefit to a job that more or less accounts to revenue collection on the 400 series highways.

KusabiSensei - Captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs > BeaterGT
06/09/2015 at 11:05

It would be very nice on a racetrack with a V8. However, it’s a bit much for commuting, with a V6 and autobox. (Even if it had 19 inch wheels and tires instead of the 20s, it would have a much better ride)

At least the trial SiriusXM subscription is still active.

AM > KusabiSensei - Captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs
06/09/2015 at 11:14

Hmmmm I guess I can allow it. As for the senate scandal, I hear they bought a pool with not 1 but 2 big slides.

KusabiSensei - Captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs > AM
06/09/2015 at 12:16

Hey, that’s their own darn fault. Because now John Baird can scream at whoever else is going down the slides at the same time.

Kinja'd!!!

Well, at least until he resigned Parliament earlier this year.

AM > KusabiSensei - Captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs
06/09/2015 at 12:25

God I don’t like him.. Almost as much as I hate Kathleen Wynne.

KusabiSensei - Captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs > AM
06/09/2015 at 13:13

From the Premier’s webpage:

She regularly visits communities across Ontario, from Fort Severn to Windsor, talking to people about the issues they face in their everyday lives so that her government can help.

Help? Why can’t you just leave us be? Oh, and raise the speed limit on the 401, because no one, and that literally means “Not a single person in the world” would dare drive 100 on it.

AM > KusabiSensei - Captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs
06/09/2015 at 13:30

Help? By selling Hydro One? Is that her definition of help? Or how about that big scandal that she was apart of while McSquinty was in charge.

I seriously want to throw up every time I see her speaking to the public. Everything she says seems like bullshit to me. I actually voted for the NDP in the last provincial election, that says a lot about our leaders.

KusabiSensei - Captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs > AM
06/09/2015 at 13:49

Help, in all likelihood, means helping herself. Or her friends. Or if that’s not possible, make sure that the Tories who would likely get power in Queens Park don’t undo what she’s already started with the Liberal Party in power.

I mean, why not just stop screwing everyone over with “trying to help those poor, regular people out there” because it makes her have a feel-good-gasm?

AM > KusabiSensei - Captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs
06/09/2015 at 14:02

As long as Kathleen’s pockets are full nothing else matters. Mind you the Tories do give off a similar vibe to the Liberals so it’s kind of a lose/lose situation. I was hopeful for the NDP, Andrea Horwath seemed to be the least full of shit.

Wynne uses appeal to emotion to get people on her side, very obvious when she speaks because shes’s always talking about the “poor people of Ontario”

m-b-w loves his SUBAROO > MLGCarGuy
06/09/2015 at 21:01

Pretty sure it’s an Audi A3.

Kinja'd!!!

KusabiSensei - Captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs > G_Body_Man: Sponsored by the number 3
06/09/2015 at 21:01

Update: I took your advice. You get brownie points. Damn good buffet.

Also on the drive back to the hotel in K-W, the sun had started to set, so 60s on 6 on SiriusXM and top down.

MLGCarGuy > m-b-w loves his SUBAROO
06/09/2015 at 23:12

Could be. But the black car has a clear reflector type element, possibly a fog light, and the A3 doesn’t.

m-b-w loves his SUBAROO > MLGCarGuy
06/09/2015 at 23:49

I think you’re right. Looking at it again, I think it is an A4.

KusabiSensei - Captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs > AM
06/10/2015 at 11:22

Apparently it is possible to be “poor people of Ontario” and clog up the 401 near Pearson in their brand new BMWs/Porsches/Jaguars/Benzes/Audis/etc etc etc.

But why let logic get in the way of a good narrative?

AM > KusabiSensei - Captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs
06/10/2015 at 12:07

Because fuck logic? Clearly our govt motto hahah

KusabiSensei - Captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs > AM
06/10/2015 at 13:22

Clearly any government’s motto, rather.

#ItsThisWayInTheStatesToo

G_Body_Man: Sponsored by the number 3 > KusabiSensei - Captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs
06/13/2015 at 14:17

Thanks!