# National "choose any car" rental is garbage, right? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [December 5, 2009, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/national-choose-any-car-rental-is-garbage-right/520115 "2009-12-05T18:54:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 4\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Tom\_Tildrum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e95f7d/32.png) [@Tom\_Tildrum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Tildrum)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2009, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/national-choose-any-car-rental-is-garbage-right/520115/21 "2009-12-06T17:07:04Z")
> [@MsWhatsit](#): > > U-Haul is bad about this, too. Or at least, they were as of 10 years ago, which is the last time I gave them any of my business. We reserved a 10-foot truck, more than sufficient to carry all my possessions halfway across the country. We were “upgraded” to a 14-foot truck, which had a big overhang that made visibility and navigation more difficult. And there was too much space in the back, so it was a lot harder to secure my stuff so it wouldn’t slide around all over the place. Also, the gas mileage was worse. But we had no alternative, because my apartment lease was up that day and we had to take what they gave us. I guess I should just feel lucky they had a damn truck for us at all. I once reserved a 14-foot and got upgraded to a 22-foot. :eek: I avoid large rental trucks on the road, under the assumption that the drivers are as inexperienced as I was. ---
**Author:** ![iamthewalrus\_3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/258eb7/32.png) [@iamthewalrus\_3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iamthewalrus_3)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2009, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/national-choose-any-car-rental-is-garbage-right/520115/22 "2009-12-07T21:41:54Z")
> [@Neptunian\_Slug](#): > > Neither option is great. With the first you reserve two cars and someone gets screwed out of some business. That would only be true if car rental places stopped taking reservations when they ran out of cars. I’ve not seen evidence of that. It sounds like the only extra hardship you’ve caused is someone entering some data into a computer somewhere. And, of course, it’s their own damned fault. If any car rental place would actually _reserve_ cars, then we wouldn’t have to do this song and dance. ---
**Author:** ![dalej42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2009, 4:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/national-choose-any-car-rental-is-garbage-right/520115/23 "2009-12-08T04:31:36Z")
> [@Zsofia](#): > > Why do you want a local plate? I hate having a local plate - I want to be obviously foreign so people are more patient when I don’t know where the hell I’m going. Especially in Pittsburgh. I always think cops are more likely to ticket an out of state car. You don’t vote and you’re not going to fight the ticket. Also, they’ll pull you over for not having a front plate or something stupid like that. Texas doesn’t put the registration sticker on the plate, it is on the windshield. Cops in Texas know that, cops in Ohio don’t. ---
**Author:** ![Patch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a183cd/32.png) [@Patch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Patch)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2009, 4:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/national-choose-any-car-rental-is-garbage-right/520115/24 "2009-12-08T04:45:28Z")
> [@Tom\_Tildrum](#): > > I once reserved a 14-foot and got upgraded to a 22-foot. :eek: > > I avoid large rental trucks on the road, under the assumption that the drivers are as inexperienced as I was. Jake Johannsen quote when he rented a U-haul and they gave him a 22-ft truck. “Do you want the insurance?” “Yes, because when I pull out of here I’m going to hit one of those other trucks.” [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/national-choose-any-car-rental-is-garbage-right/520115.md?page=1)