Company (rental) car break down

[corncobs]

Yesterday I had a first time experience after driving for over 17 years.

 

The car my company gave me is/was an almost 10 year old Renault Espace which left us stranded on the road with a most likely broken alternator.

Car was still running but while it was raining the wipers stopped working first sporadicly later completely. Shortly after that the electronic speedometer failed together with all other electrical components. It started to be kinda dangerous once the windshield started fogging up from the inside due to the lack of ventilation.

 

We managed to stop safely called the roadside assistance which showed up about 1.5 hrs later with a new rental car.

 

Hopefully they decide tomorrow it's not worth repairing a 10 years 140000 mile car (or should I say piece of junk) and I can get something nicer like the VW Gold Variant (Sport Wagon) I have now.

[GrySql]

What an inconvenience, ship you over there with all the hassle of moving and then give you a beat up rental car.

With your family and all with you at least the rental ought to be a proper size and dependable.

Hope you can keep the decent car you have now.

 

On a side note, there are not too many rental fleets in the USA with 10 year old cars with 140k miles, that is really stretching things I think.

[hybridbear]

It's surprising that a rental car is that old and has that many miles! Hope you are well taken care of by the rental car company!

[corncobs]

Sorry guys I wasn't clear on the car situation.

The car I had is a company car it's owned by my company and must be one of the last once that is still in the fleet actually owned.

 

There is actually funny side story. When the roadside assistance guy showed up I gave him my Illinois driver license and he didn't really believe me it's real and valid.

I was able to convince him showed him the license # and the next thing he struggled with was the DOB which he obviously read the wrong way. It was actually really funny with the guy.

[djminfll]

Sorry guys I wasn't clear on the car situation.

The car I had is a company car it's owned by my company and must be one of the last once that is still in the fleet actually owned.

 

There is actually funny side story. When the roadside assistance guy showed up I gave him my Illinois driver license and he didn't really believe me it's real and valid.

I was able to convince him showed him the license # and the next thing he struggled with was the DOB which he obviously read the wrong way. It was actually really funny with the guy.

He probably had trouble with the date of birth because European dates are reversed from how we print them. For example, if your birthdate is June 29, 1970, we write is 6/29/70, and they write is 29/6/70

[Eddie Sessum]

We had a rental a year ago that had 4 bald tires, 130k miles. and with the ac on it was making all kinds of horrible grinding noises. Not to mention a clunking shock because the mount bushing was smashed out.

 

 

Dont rent enterprise. There cheapo for a reason.

[acdii]

I rented a prius once, once, only because they didnt have a TCH(which is what I had at home at the time). That poor car was so abused it barely got 35 MPG. I got better than that in the TCH, and this was down in SF California during the summer.

[corncobs]

I got the old junk back after they replaced the alternator. Now the radio doesn't work anymore since the battery was disconnected and I can't find that stupid radio code.

 

Luckily just 3 more days then I get rid of this damn thing. It will be replaced by a VW Golf Sport Wagon ( like the Jetta).

[djminfll]

In 2012 we went to Las Vegas and rented a car while we were there. We got a regular Camry, liked it for the roominess and big trunk. We did a day trip and drove across the desert to Los Angeles. Halfway through the desert, the Check Engine light went on! I just gritted my teeth and hoped for the best. When we got to LA, we brought the car in to a rental office there and exchanged the car for a Fusion. I so preferred the Fusion, and that was the prior model. That was when I decided I wanted a Fusion for my next car, even before I saw the new one.

[acdii]

If more people who are locked into a Camry would just spend some time in a Fusion, there would be many more converts, but so many people are so Toyota is the best, that they ignore all others. Its too bad for them.

 

I briefly toyed with the idea of replacing that other car with a Camry, but I just could not bring myself to go backwards. Would lose too many features that are on the Fusion.

[djminfll]

We took a day trip to the gulf coast of FL yesterday, we went with some friends who drive a 2008 Camry. We decided to take their car b/c they don't like being "passengers". The Camry has a HUGE back seat, but it is not comfortable to sit on during a 3-hour road trip. There was also a lot of prominent road noise. Once again, I am more convinced than ever that getting the Fusion was the right decision!

 

BTW, I filled up the Fusion today - I drove 532 miles since the last fill-up, and achieved 47.1mpg overall for the tankful. My average since the software update is now 44.2.

:love_shower: :bliss:

[acdii]

Is the 2008 bigger than the 2009 and 2012? With 2 car seats my wife didnt fit in the camry, but she fits fine in the Fusion. She didn't fit well in the 2010 either.