it's a real car charlie brown

Mike and I rented a car for the holiday weekend, and I just went to pick it up at Dollar. Normally, we rent the cheapest category of car, which tends to be some teeny little toy car with almost no functioning systems, aside from the engine. Cars where you have to put the actual KEY into the actual LOCK to open the door. The kind of car where you have to use all your upper body strength to crank the windows up and down, and reach around on the floor of a car used by all kinds of people with unknown personal hygiene habits to move the seat back and forth. And several times, the cars have been filthy.

Once, when picking up a car, I told the girl at the counter that the previous rental had not been cleaned. She asked me when I rented it, and apologized and said some other employee had been in charge, but she checked the cars this time and I would find it clean. Believe me when I tell you, it was NOT. Some sort of film covered the entire interior, there was dust and fuzz and hair in places, and it smelled faintly of wet dog.

This time, we couldn't book at a daily rate; they were only booking weekly rates. However, this worked out fine, since we were able to rent a car from Tuesday - Tuesday at the same it would normally have cost for a 5-day Wednesday - Sunday rental. Bonus - I have wind ensemble tonight, so I can drive myself instead of taking the train there and calling a cab to get home.

We got their "lock low and go" rate, where they give you whatever car they have left on the lot that's at least an intermediate level car. So you could end up with anything from your average 4-door sedan to a minivan or some monster of a gas-guzzling SUV.

I couldn't be happier to report that I just picked up a Dodge Avenger, a real live car with functioning parts AND it's perfectly clean inside! While I am not a fan of American cars to own, since they tend not to last very well or hold their value, I am more than happy to rent this car. It's a nice car to drive, and it has a clicky door-locker thing, and electric windows and seats. And it's comfortable. And did I mention clean?