off to Texas saturday morning with SWMBO for a 2 week holiday, based with friends in Houston, but will be travelling around quite a lot .....inc South Padre Island, down near the Mexican border .
have already pre-booked a group IC car with Alamo.....but don't mind paying a bit more
does anyone have any idea of a decent make/model to ask for.....as i'm fairly cluless with Yank cars (hired a Mustang 5 years or so back and thought it was dreadful...flat as hell)
thanks in anticipation
(MTC, the 300C is a maybe)
|
If you want to be invisible Westpig, what about a nice supercharged V10 pickup with a spoiler, or something more modest - a 7-litre Ramcharger or something? ;o)
Bon voyage. Hope you and Mme Wp have a great time. I seem to remember the meat being very decent in the Panhandle at Amarillo on route 66 (the only bit of Texas I've been in).
|
|
Oh, and remember to be polite to plod if you meet him on the road. We don't want you getting shot.
|
|
Lud's right. The cops here really don't mess around. If you do get pulled over the advice is to turn on the interior light and sit very still.
|
|
|
|
You'll probably have to take whatever they have.
I hired a Pontiac Grand Prix a few months ago and liked it. Comfortable, quick, and handled nicely.
If you can get a 300C I'd go for that
|
|
|
Spending a lot of time in the States each year(18 weeks) I try out different cars.
The 300C is the most 'European' of the cars I have driven; but do you need that style of car for the sort of driving in Texas?
The advantage of Alamo is you get to choose your car from the category you have paid for. If you go for 'Luxury' you can get a Cadilac if there is one in the depot.
I would avoid the 'Full Size' category as you tend to get a biggish car with a 2.2 4 cyl heap of an engine.
I go on Sunday and am getting a Lincoln Town car - a real Yank Tank with a proper V8.
|
I ended up with a Ford Expedition from Budget for Easter week at £329. I claim to need the space for 5 adults, luggage, and 800+ miles in a week... Also if the boys sit too close together they poke each other. Wanted to rent through Hertz ('cos I've got "frequent renter") but all they could offer was a full size pickup! Well, I suppose we could have put Granny on the flatbed...
Sometimes it's worth looking at the US site of the renter to see the FULL range that they have available, but you may then need to 'phone the UK site to facilitate the booking with necessary insurance. If you're going to spend some time in the car, it's worth getting something comfy and enjoyable!
Tim{P}
|
OK, i'll confess it. When I go to America I always book a 'luxury' class car and usually its via Alamo - which means that you can self select.
The 300C with the 5.7lt Hemi would be a good hire, or if you needed a bit more carrying capacity, the Dodge Magnum (basically a 300C estate) with the big Hemi would be a good choice as well. Last year we got a Cadillac DeVille with a 4.6 V8 that was grand for wafting around in comfort (air conditioned seats, lovely) & later in the year we got a Chrysler Pacifica (4lt V6) 6 seater mpv jobby that was very fit for the purpose.
Whatever car you get, the car will be quite a lot 'softer' than what you are used to over here.
TBH, I'd be going for a 300C HEMI first, then after that, the larget engined, most luxurious car that they have.
MTC
|
....The cops here really don't mess around. ..
westpig is a uk-cop. will that not earn him some "respect" from the us-cops? ( or was i misled to believe that us-cops do really have a healthy regard for the uk-cops? )
|
|
I'm sure they do Dalglish, but their posthumous respect wouldn't do Westpig much good if they had misinterpreted a friendly wave and opened fire just to be on the safe side...
|
but their posthumous respect
which is why my reply did not quote that it was in response to your very sound advice ! :: ;-) ::
|
|
|
Jeep Grand Cherokee (it was actually a 2006 model we had)
www.honestjohn.co.uk/forum/post/index.htm?t=34991&...f
|
|
|
|
|
I had a Chrysler Concorde (I think) when I was last in the States four years ago. Big barge of a thing that didn't like going around corners. But it was great for the drive from Orland to Atlanta. Very comfortable. As for the Police, very friendly. I took my credentials with me, mentioned what I did to various ones I met on the way and the kids came home with armfuls of badges and stickers. They seem to keep a ready supply in the boot (sorry..trunk!)
My Brother-in-law married a girl who's brother is a State Trooper. I came home with a full uniform.....great for those YMCA nights! :)
|
.. I took my credentials with me, mentioned what I did to various ones ..
mlc:
thanks for confirming that i was not misled.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
National/ Alamo is the company that I normally use for car rental in the US. At some airports they offer Toyotas and I recently had a Toyota Avalon which is a large, nicely built, well handling saloon which perfectly illustrates why the US car companies are in such trouble. The last Chrysler 300C I had felt like it was built from cardboard after driving this. If you need a bit more space they also offer the Sienna people carrier which has 7 seats and the Highlander SUV which, again, is so much better than the price comparable Grand Cherokees and Trailblazers it's laughable.
|
|
|
