OT: short term, high end car rental

[Zoodles]

Curious to see what types of solutions others in the same boat have found.

We are content as a one car family but I find I need a fairly nice car a couple times a month for client meetings, generally nothing more than half a day.

Nothing to high end but better than the family wagon all rolled up with a kids seat, crumbs on the seats and roof racks.

Cheers!

[djg21]

Heard this advertised on Howard Stern of all places:

https://www.silvercar.com/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_term=silvercar&utm_campaign=Branded&gclid=CPPHhqGvxsoCFQooaQodbTwCHw#/

[Ken Robb]

Heard this advertised on Howard Stern of all places:

https://www.silvercar.com/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_term=silvercar&utm_campaign=Branded&gclid=CPPHhqGvxsoCFQooaQodbTwCHw#/

That's really interesting and seems to be reasonable for a person who wants a nice car rather than basic transportation. Of course Hertz Neighborhood locations, Enterprise and others will pick you up/drop you off at home which would probably be a good thing for the OP here.

[AngryScientist]

interesting conundrum.

initially, i'm thinking that if you really need a car a few times a month, that might justify just financing a pre-owned decent car. the payments+ insurance might be close to rental fees.

that aside - i'm sure you're aware, cars like the A4 are really not too good for back seat passengers. my in laws have one, and we are generally speaking - short people. i find the back seats to be unacceptable for taller adults.

otherwise - i rent cars ALL the time now, and it's pretty cheap and easy to use enterprise or avis or whoever to get a full size car. they arent high end autos, but generally with less than 10k miles on them and nice enough. that might be your best bet.

[christian]

Hertz Prestige Collection will rent you a Mercedes E class for a decent rate. I've only rented one at YYZ, but if that's convenient, that's an easy way to go.

[Dead Man]

I'm actually faced with the same situation... about to grab my broker's license, but suddenly, humorously, realize..... I drive pieces of crap. But really have no desire to have a $1000 car payment, for a side-job that may or may not do anything for me for a while.

I have some friends with "nice" cars that I can possibly work a borrow/rental deal with. My closest friend's Audi is sufficiently "nice," if not exactly a Benzo. And he needs a place to park it - so I'm thinking about trading him driveway space for use. Know anybody you could work a deal out with?

[Louis]

Plenty of head room in either the front or back here (and your clients won't ever forget you)

https://36.media.tumblr.com/2160d6f494c4efa267c57b56ef6cc364/tumblr_mk11cwu6uU1qemxfbo1_500.jpg

[Mr. Pink]

Ha. I found the ultimate. Just took a two week trip to Italy. The girlfriend insisted on visiting Maranello, home of the Dancing Horse, to drive Ferraris. Yes, for a substantial fee, like 100 euro for twenty minutes, you can drive a Ferrari on the streets of Maranello. It was cool. I suggest going for the 400 euro option that gives you more time to get up in the hills and stretch it out. Or, the 800 euro track experience.

The sound, the sound. It is dangerously addictive.

[velotrack]

Ha. I found the ultimate. Just took a two week trip to Italy. The girlfriend insisted on visiting Maranello, home of the Dancing Horse, to drive Ferraris. Yes, for a substantial fee, like 100 euro for twenty minutes, you can drive a Ferrari on the streets of Maranello. It was cool. I suggest going for the 400 euro option that gives you more time to get up in the hills and stretch it out. Or, the 800 euro track experience.

The sound, the sound. It is dangerously addictive.

He can't take that Ferrari back to the states for his clients :p

How many is "a couple" times a month? A couple times a month could mean very very many times a year. And do you really want to go through the hassle of possibly picking up a car and dropping it off again, etc. etc?

If you can make it work, used luxury. Depreciation is huge, even for cars with relatively low miles.

Alternatively, if the car you have now isn't too bad, you could always clean it out, give the car a nice interior/exterior wash, and take out the car seat when necessary.

[Louis]

Toronto Craigslist:

2008 BMW 528i Excellent condition - REDUCED PRICE! - $13500 (Newmarket)

Now all you need is a good BMW guru guy to do the maintenance for you.

https://toronto.craigslist.ca/tor/cto/5370581723.html

http://images.craigslist.org/00P0P_eb20ubL3Qht_600x450.jpg

[dalava]

Not sure if SIXT is in Canada or not, they are a German company, I believe. They rent nice cars, e.g. MB, Volvo, BMW, etc, for a very reasonable price. I used them a lot in the US as well as in Europe.

[Zoodles]

sixt and the A4 rental look interesting, maybe they'll come here soon. Looking through the traditional options seems a 300s, although not my preference, is pretty common.

A second car isn't an option as we don't use the one we have much at all during the week. A new car could be an option but between the lack of payments and not worrying about piling in bikes or camping this one fits the bill 9/10th the time.

My friends are all in the same boat lol, our car enthusiast days are long gone.

[Ken Robb]

I'm actually faced with the same situation... about to grab my broker's license, but suddenly, humorously, realize..... I drive pieces of crap. But really have no desire to have a $1000 car payment, for a side-job that may or may not do anything for me for a while.

I have some friends with "nice" cars that I can possibly work a borrow/rental deal with. My closest friend's Audi is sufficiently "nice," if not exactly a Benzo. And he needs a place to park it - so I'm thinking about trading him driveway space for use. Know anybody you could work a deal out with?

I was a real estate broker for 36 years. I hired/trained hundreds of agents. If you treat it as "a side job" it will be very unlikely to "do anything for you" ever. Clients want to be represented by a qualified agent who is committed to serving his clients when they need him not when he can fit them into his schedule where his regular job allows.

I advised would-be independent Realtors that they should have the resources to last at least 6 months before getting paid. Lacking that $$ you may be able to get hired as an assistant by a busy successful agent who would pay you a salary and maybe a small % of each of their deals that you worked on for them. I have seen this system allow new people to learn the ropes while earning enough to live on while they ease into working on their own deals.

[Dead Man]

I was a real estate broker for 36 years. I hired/trained hundreds of agents. If you treat it as "a side job" it will be very unlikely to "do anything for you" ever. Clients want to be represented by a qualified agent who is committed to serving his clients when they need him not when he can fit them into his schedule where his regular job allows.

I advised would-be independent Realtors that they should have the resources to last at least 6 months before getting paid. Lacking that $$ you may be able to get hired as an assistant by a busy successful agent who would pay you a salary and maybe a small % of each of their deals that you worked on for them. I have seen this system allow new people to learn the ropes while earning enough to live on while they ease into working on theor own deals.

I have ZERO interest in making a career out of it. I understand that offends some people. :)

[p nut]

Do you really need to roll up in a $100k euro sedan? Simply rent a Tahoe or Suburban from Budget/Hertz/etc. and call it good.

[EDS]

Curious to see what types of solutions others in the same boat have found.

We are content as a one car family but I find I need a fairly nice car a couple times a month for client meetings, generally nothing more than half a day.

Nothing to high end but better than the family wagon all rolled up with a kids seat, crumbs on the seats and roof racks.

Cheers!

Do they have zipcar or an equivalent in Canada?

[Ralph]

I was a real estate broker for 36 years. I hired/trained hundreds of agents. If you treat it as "a side job" it will be very unlikely to "do anything for you" ever. Clients want to be represented by a qualified agent who is committed to serving his clients when they need him not when he can fit them into his schedule where his regular job allows.

I advised would-be independent Realtors that they should have the resources to last at least 6 months before getting paid. Lacking that $$ you may be able to get hired as an assistant by a busy successful agent who would pay you a salary and maybe a small % of each of their deals that you worked on for them. I have seen this system allow new people to learn the ropes while earning enough to live on while they ease into working on theor own deals.

Good advice.

BTW.....My wife and I own 3 fairly new cars....and I still rent large vehicles for trips, etc, when I need something I don't want to own, maintain, clean, insure, etc. I think it's cheaper than me owning something for occasional use.

BTW.....You won't be judged on the type of car you drive as long as it is suitable for your business needs. Whenever I see a young person with an expensive car, I assume (whether true or not) it's a sign of debt, not success. I tend to doubt their good judgement. The kind of people you want to impress are only interested in what kind of job you do for them, not what you drive. Nothing wrong with being a beginner in a profession.....you might find people want to help you grow your career as your client if you don't pretend to be something you are not. Just rent cheap big cars when you need one, then go buy a used Chevy Impalla, mini van, or something to haul clients...when business permits. Look for special promotions, and get to be someone's regular leasing client. Shucks....I see advertisements from repair garages around for $35/day. Maybe a tad more for big cars.

[rugbysecondrow]

Good advice.

BTW.....My wife and I own 3 fairly new cars....and I still rent large vehicles for trips, etc, when I need something I don't want to own, maintain, clean, insure, etc. I think it's cheaper than me owning something for occasional use.

BTW.....You won't be judged on the type of car you drive as long as it is suitable for your business needs. Whenever I see a young person with an expensive car, I assume (whether true or not) it's a sign of debt, not success. I tend to doubt their good judgement. The kind of people you want to impress are only interested in what kind of job you do for them, not what you drive. Nothing wrong with being a beginner in a profession.....you might find people want to help you grow your career as your client if you don't pretend to be something you are not. Just rent cheap big cars when you need one, then go buy a used Chevy Impalla, mini van, or something to haul clients.

Yep

[PeregrineA1]

I have a buddy, who in his earlier days, thought he needed "the car" to impress clients. He was a middle/upper manager in the Silicon Valley pre-boom.

He picks me up at the San Jose Airport in his ~6-7 year old BMW 7 series. Pops the trunk so I can put the luggage in....and there is a case of oil.

I get in and as we drive away I notice that every time he puts on the brakes the "BRAKE" warning light comes on. The rattles from the suspension as we drive to Ben Lomond are amazing.

Later that evening I ask him what's up with the car. "I need it for my image" was the response. I considered asking what that image was, but I left it alone. He had the car, but the projection was not likely the expectation.

He drives a Toyota now and I think his clients are happy...and safe.

[tumbler]

I've rented a few cars with Hertz Prestige, but they weren't cheap enough to rely on them regularly (usually close to $100/day) and aren't always available. Not to mention the hassle of pickup, dropoff, fill up the tank, etc. every time you would need it. If it's just 1-2 times a month, it's probably cheapest to rent. If you need it 3-4+ times a month, it may make sense to look for a decent preowned car (my vote goes to Lexus) or a low mileage lease on whatever brand you want.

[p nut]

BTW.....You won't be judged on the type of car you drive as long as it is suitable for your business needs. Whenever I see a young person with an expensive car, I assume (whether true or not) it's a sign of debt, not success. I tend to doubt their good judgement. The kind of people you want to impress are only interested in what kind of job you do for them, not what you drive.

A colleague of mine missed out on a $3MM business deal, because the potential (conservative) partner noticed he was wearing a Rolex watch (which was a gift to him by his wife a few years ago). He stated that a man with that kind of spending habits presents too much liability, and walked on the deal. He took off that watch and never wore it again from that day on (but never sold it, because....it was a gift from his wife).

[Bradford]

A colleague of mine missed out on a $3MM business deal, because the potential (conservative) partner noticed he was wearing a Rolex watch (which was a gift to him by his wife a few years ago). He stated that a man with that kind of spending habits presents too much liability, and walked on the deal. He took off that watch and never wore it again from that day on (but never sold it, because....it was a gift from his wife).

My first boss in consulting told me to always dress in the 50th percentile, your clients should never notice the way you are dressed, either because you are dressed too well or too poorly.

25 years later, I still follow that advice.

[druptight]

My first boss in consulting told me to always dress in the 50th percentile, your clients should never notice the way you are dressed, either because you are dressed too well or too poorly.

25 years later, I still follow that advice.

Lead partner in the office of my public accounting firm, our client relationship guy, always bought used Audis because he didn't want the clients giving him a hard time on fees based on the fact that he was driving around some $100K car. He said as soon as he rolled up in one they'd start in on how they're paying too much for his services.

[summilux]

Lease rates on entry-level European luxury cars, say a BMW 320i or X1, are pretty good now and would likely compare favorably with renting a similar vehicle once a week. Plus you would never have to deal with the hassle of getting to the rental agency.

[jmoore]

First thing that popped into my head was a used Lexus LS400 or some such. I bet you could grab a mid-2000's model in good shape at a good price. Keep it cleaned and polished and in good mechanical condition and it would run for a long time.

[ajhapps]

These guys aren't in your city yet, but they're expanding all the time. I've rented some nice cars for weekend trips. I've seen a few Porsches and M3s on their available list too!

https://www.getaround.com/

Maybe shoot them and e-mail and lobby for a north of the border expansion?

[oldpotatoe]

Curious to see what types of solutions others in the same boat have found.

We are content as a one car family but I find I need a fairly nice car a couple times a month for client meetings, generally nothing more than half a day.

Nothing to high end but better than the family wagon all rolled up with a kids seat, crumbs on the seats and roof racks.

Cheers!

What's you budget? Do you or your company pay for it? Rent a Limo...

[Zoodles]

Limo might be overkill :)

I'm fine with the car, a 2011 golf. It gets used rarely as We are downtown and everything is close, however, when it is used its for hiking/biking/camping and the interior takes a beating (2 kids under 8). It's less about impressing or putting up an image and more akin to not showing up with mustard on your tie.

As a family we are committed to one car; even a cheap car is an unwanted expense and hassle (downtown). Taking velotracks advice I cleared out the skates and spare wheels today, will tackle the hiking mud tomorrow and ban snacks from the car from now on.

Thanks for the great suggestions.

[OtayBW]

A colleague of mine missed out on a $3MM business deal, because the potential (conservative) partner noticed he was wearing a Rolex watch (which was a gift to him by his wife a few years ago). He stated that a man with that kind of spending habits presents too much liability, and walked on the deal. He took off that watch and never wore it again from that day on (but never sold it, because....it was a gift from his wife).

My first boss in consulting told me to always dress in the 50th percentile, your clients should never notice the way you are dressed, either because you are dressed too well or too poorly.

25 years later, I still follow that advice.

Lead partner in the office of my public accounting firm, our client relationship guy, always bought used Audis because he didn't want the clients giving him a hard time on fees based on the fact that he was driving around some $100K car. He said as soon as he rolled up in one they'd start in on how they're paying too much for his services.
Points well taken. However, I would claim an exemption to the principal for when you're trying to pick up women! ;)

[christian]

Points well taken. However, I would claim an exemption to the principle for when you're trying to pick up women! ;)I have had the fortunate experience of getting to drive some pretty nice cars. My experience, from driving everything from a Bentley 4 1/2 to a vintage 911 to a 458 to an R8 to a bright orange Gallardo, is that the only people who regulary take notice of fancy cars are 9 year-old boys and balding middle-aged men.

[mgm777]

I have had the fortunate experience of getting to drive some pretty nice cars. My experience, from driving everything from a Bentley 4 1/2 to a vintage 911 to a 458 to an R8 to a bright orange Gallardo, is that the only people who regulary take notice of fancy cars are 9 year-old boys and balding middle-aged men.

^Truth! I'm not balding, but I am interested in hearing about that 911. My all-time dream car, since I was nine years old.;)

[Louis]

the only people who regulary take notice of fancy cars are 9 year-old boys and balding middle-aged men.

Um, Christian, you've just described 90% of the forum. Only problem is that from here I can't tell who's who.

[christian]

Um, Christian, you've just described 90% of the forum. Only problem is that from here I can't tell who's who.

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/f/f8/Internet_dog.jpg

[Louis]

Woof. Woof woof.

[AngryScientist]

what are the ages that bookend "middle aged"?

[jmoore]

Points well taken. However, I would claim an exemption to the principal for when you're trying to pick up women! ;)

LOL. Reminds me of this scene from Swingers.

https://youtu.be/6upp3wJV9UU

[christian]

what are the ages that bookend "middle aged"?

The ages that "bookend" middle age would be 39 and 61, I guess. Liberal use of quotation marks here.

[mhespenheide]

I've made use of RelayRides, now renamed "Turo (https://turo.com/)". It's a peer-to-peer car rental agency. Like AirBNB for your car. It doesn't look like it's in Canada, but at least in the US you get to pick the exact car you're renting. Search for something you like, high end or not.

I can't comment on the factor of appearances. I've always loved Subaru wagons and driven them. A long time ago (while I was in my twenties...), a friend asked if I wasn't worried about the image that portrayed. I replied, "Outdoorsy, adventurous, and capable? I like that image." I guess we had different ideas about station wagons.

[OtayBW]

I have had the fortunate experience of getting to drive some pretty nice cars. My experience, from driving everything from a Bentley 4 1/2 to a vintage 911 to a 458 to an R8 to a bright orange Gallardo, is that the only people who regulary take notice of fancy cars are 9 year-old boys and balding middle-aged men.
Shame. With that kind of shiny bling, I believe I would've found me another fishing hole! :D

[christian]

Well, to be fair, when Michelle Dockery arched her eyebrows and described it as a "snappy chariot" in the Season 5 finale, I did think I should probably run out immediately and buy a 1926 Bentley 3 liter! Still think I should.

[Ralph]

Some of these are real nice cars, some affordable, etc. But not suitable for real estate use.

He mentioned using it in the real estate business. Hauling Mom, Dad, and sometimes the kids around to look at houses. He might pick up a family in middle day, and haul them around from house to house all afternoon. A3's don't cut it.

Occasionally it might be a Dad who is getting a transfer to a new city, and he flew in just to see some houses, neighborhoods, check out the schools, make a quick decision, and make an offer on one. But that's not the norm.

Usually....it's hauling the families around looking at houses. The more decision makers you can haul and keep together, the less back and forth, (gotta tell the wife about this one, etc) you get, and the sooner you can get a decision to make an offer. He needs a simple big vehicle. American is probably best. If me....I would use a Dodge or Chrysler minivan for this business. Buy or lease. I have some friends in this business....and this is what they use. Easy for families to get in and out of.

If sitting in an open house.....profiling folks....you might still need to transport someone to look at one of your close by listings. When he gets successful....he can buy a handling fun car for non business use.

[ceolwulf]

It's kind of too bad that luxury vans are not a thing in North America.

Toyota Alphard -

http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160127/729a540bcbe8d1e9869f470fc770c897.jpg