Hire car for USA - tiny or huge???

pippa0_2

Hello

We will be doing approx 2000m around California. I have a quote for a Chevrolet Aveo of £260 - this does 51 mpg according to the hire car website (DOLLAR)

But my husband wants to rent a Dodge Charger (!) for £320 which although isn't much more money for such a comfortable car, I am concerned as it only does 24 mpg, again according to the website.

Which do you think I should go for?! :money:

Inactive

I wouldn't worry about the cost of petrol in the US, it is only about 4 pence a bucketful..

Flearoy

Get the charger. US gallons are a bit smaller than UK ones, so it's not quite as bad as it sounds. And when else will you ever get to drive something like that? At UK prices, I couldn't afford to reverse a Charger off my drive...

Limey

Charger!

Nuts to the petrol costs, you only live once and when else will you get the chance to pose about in an American muscle car (albeit a modern one).

pippa0_2

having done a quick goole of the mpg, the charger comes up as 20 and the aveo as 35???????, which is not quite as big a difference. I think I may go a bit mad and have the all american cool car! :cool:

Anyone know which mpg is likely to be correct?

Thanks!

boyse7en

Go for the Charger, although you'll be lucky to get it. If you read the small print, all the hire companies say something like "Dodge Charger (or similar)

We hired a Mustang for our Las Vegas/San Fransisco/Highway One/Los Angeles trip a few years ago. When we went to collect it, they hadn't got a Mustang, so we were 'upgraded' to a Pontiac Grand Am, which was the worst car I have had the displeasure of driving.
On the plus side, the scenery and experiences soon made us forget about the car we were in and we had a brilliant time.
I wouldn't go for a small car - there is no real advantage. Roads are big and mostly empty. Parking spaces are generally huge. Fuel is ludicrously cheap compared to here.

iolanthe07

Petrol in California is around $3.50 a US gallon (20% smaller than our gallon), so it works out at about half our price. I have hired a car in California every year for the last 12 years and I always go for a big one. The differences in fuel cost difference is trifling compared with the overall cost of a holiday,and the big yank cars are just so relaxing for long distances.

Flying-High_2

Would'nt be bothering with a Noddy car in the States as fuels Cheap and you only live once....... No replacement for Displacement:D

jase1

Well the Aveo is available over here as well!

It's a Daewoo Kalos. A tiny little Fiesta-sized thing that'll be dwarfed on US roads.

It's not a bad little car but I wouldn't want to be going around in one over the pond.

Get the Charger, you know you want to.

blackshirtuk

California is the home of the convertible!!

Don't get too hung up on a particular model, You actually book a category of vehicle, of which they show you an example not the actual car you are booking.

My sister booked a Sebring Convertible last easter in Orlando and got a Brand new mustang convertible. She was over the moon.

Have a look at this site for an idea of types of car in each category and some pretty thorough reviews. http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/national/823694-index-ride-reports-car-classifications.html

davetrousers

pippa0 wrote: »

But my husband wants to rent a Dodge Charger (!)

We had a Dodge Charger in Florida, I noticed there was a sticker under the bonnet that said "Not for sale in States with California emission standards"

Are you sure that a Dodge Charger is an option?