[Vanwall]

Got Brooksie in the body shop this week, finally, and now I'm afflicted with the rental supplied by the other guy's insurance. I'm not knocking the rental agency, I've used 'em B4 and, frankly, they're all the same. If you wanna pay for it you can have a nice ride, but since it's not outta my pocket, I figured I hadda dicker with the insurance company a little. They were surprisingly nice, and the girl on the phone was no dummy - "I realize that since you drive a MINI, you're obviously not against driving a compact, BUT, I won't put you in a Geo Metro type car. We'll up the daily a little and put you in a larger car, which will at least be a little nicer."

There were so few cars available ( it was a Monday, the worst day for car rentals ) so I ended up with a bone stock Impala, with 900 miles on it, the only car left on the lot. AAAAAAHHHHHH!!!!! What a reality check! It drives like a bowl of jello, accelerates like a '60 VW Microvan with the drop gears still in the hubs - unless you mash the gas pedal to the floor, has no ride sensitivity AT ALL- WAAAAAYYY too soft floater or spine jarring over the smallest bumps, heels over in turns like a four-stacker tin can on u-boat zig-zags, smells like super-carcinogenic plastic inside, no CD player, and generally has NO redeeming features. This was the kind of car I hated riding in when growing up, much less driving, and makes it awfully obvious why the domestic manufacturers have such a big problem. I remember driving the old man's '63 Lincoln Connie, and 40 years ago IT had a better ride and performance. I know it's not apples and oranges, but je**s to je**s and eight hands around, WHAT HAPPENED TO ORDINARY AMERICAN CARS? I guess I've been outta the loop too long, but I expected better. Sheesh. I'm swapping it out a the earliest opportunity! I WANT MY MINI!

BCNU,
Rob in Dago

[AtomicKiwi]

Well, I think rental cars in general are not very good because people don't treat them well at all. What might have been an OK car new becomes a BAD car once you get a few drivers in it who really don't care about it because it isn't theirs.

We also rented an Impala a few weeks ago in Texas, and the first one we tried had no power steering and over 200,000 on the clock. Then we got one that was a little better and only had a few thousand miles. It also felt very cheap and not well made. I must say, I'm happy to be a MINI driver!

[BruceK]

I've had the rental car blues too during my time as MINI owner. The longest consecutive period was over a month!

But, the absolute best thing will happen when you get your MINI back: You will get to experience the fun of driving it all over again. I'm not kidding. When I finally got behind the wheel of my MINI again, I found myself giggling at how much fun the car was...how tight the steering felt after the rental car, how well it cornered, how stiff the suspension was, how connected to the road it felt.

You'll have to report back to this thread on how you feel once you are driving your MINI again.

[Vanwall]

Quote: Originally Posted by BruceK

You'll have to report back to this thread on how you feel once you are driving your MINI again.

You betcha! I never realized how attuned to my MINI I had become. I'll give you the lowdown when I'm back in the saddle.

BCNU,
Rob in Dago

[NEMINI]

A. you are comparing apples to oranges.
B. Chevy must be doing something right with the Impala it was the 8th highest selling car in the US (over 600,000 in 03 if I recall correctly)
C. Again apples and oranges, the MINI is a niche car, the Impala is made for quantity, the average joe-six pack car buyer in america doesn't want feedback and feel, they want cushy nothingness, they don't want to feel like they are driving, they want to feel like they are sitting in comfort as the world goes by. There is nothing wrong with it, its just different strokes for different folks.

I love my MINI, it suits me. My Mum has an Impala, for her its a great car.