# [August Thread] Here's a strange story!



## Holly in South Jersey (Aug 22, 2008)

Daughter Manda and her BF Ben are vacationing in San Fransisco. Rented a car, went to hotel. No parking at the hotel, you sign up for a valet service, who parks the car blocks away in a lot and brings it when you want it. Cost of $35 per day. 

First morning they pick it up, seats are moved a little, and there is 60 miles on the trip computer more than there should be!

Notify valet co and hotel mgr, incident report written. Valet mgr wants to know which employee picked up car- Manda tells him that since he doesn't have his employees wear badges, she has no idea. Hotel mgr is so upset that he makes valet company not charge them for the 4 nights of parking. 

Police called, advise that they can write report if desired, not that they should. After consulting with both sets of parents, they decide to leave that part up to Hertz. 

How strange a story is that?

Holly


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## Steve (Aug 22, 2008)

It's an interesting story...but not super strange if you remember the '80s movie "Ferris Bueller's Day Off".  

Steve


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## vacationhopeful (Aug 22, 2008)

Sure the car was blocks away - at someone else apartment.  Get the police report as there could be parking tickets and/or red light camera tickets.

A little surprise in mail next month or Hertz charge to their credit card would be more than a little upsetting.


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## DaveNV (Aug 22, 2008)

Was it a fancy rental car?  The kind someone would like to go joyriding in?  Any damage to it?

What gives me pause, is that would be a great setup if someone wanted to commit a crime - use somebody's rental car, so anything on surveillance cameras is of someone else's car.  Sneaky...   

Dave


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## Holly in South Jersey (Aug 23, 2008)

It was a Mazda 5- described to me as a mini-mini van. Nothing exciting.


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## x3 skier (Aug 23, 2008)

I would have documented the incident in writing with signatures of the Hotel and  Valet manager in case tickets show up. Rental companies have been known to go to extreme lengths to recover speeding or other tickets. Don't ask me how I know :annoyed: . I would not have filed a police report unless it was easy to do.

Cheers


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## riverdees05 (Aug 23, 2008)

Some insurance doesn't cover Valet Drivers since they are not listed on the rental car drivers and/or insurance.


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## DebBrown (Aug 23, 2008)

riverdees05 said:


> Some insurance doesn't cover Valet Drivers since they are not listed on the rental car drivers and/or insurance.



Good point!  I remember reading this before.  Perhaps that is why the company was upset.  It does seem like a bigger reaction than I would have expected.

Yes... I too immediately thought of Ferris Bueller's Day Off. 

Deb


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## AwayWeGo (Aug 23, 2008)

*Exciting Is In The Eye Of The Beholder.*




Holly in South Jersey said:


> It was a Mazda 5- described to me as a mini-mini van. Nothing exciting.






-- hotlinked --​
I'm agitating for 1 of those as replacement for our semi-aging PT Cruiser -- will need to work on The Chief Of Staff a bit more, because she's not ready to bid farewell to the little Chrysler. 

-- Alan Cole, McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.​


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## x3 skier (Aug 23, 2008)

AwayWeGo said:


> -- hotlinked --​
> I'm agitating for 1 of those as replacement for our semi-aging PT Cruiser -- will need to work on The Chief Of Staff a bit more, because she's not ready to bid farewell to the little Chrysler.
> 
> -- Alan Cole, McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.​



Looks like a toaster on wheels to me. 

Cheers


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## Steamboat Bill (Aug 23, 2008)

x3 skier said:


> Looks like a toaster on wheels to me.
> 
> Cheers



now that is funny...with the price of real estate in San Fran, maybe they used the vehicle as a sleeping or (you know what) location.


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## grest (Aug 23, 2008)

Someone had a joyride...I hope there are no repercussions for the young couple.
Connie


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## Holly in South Jersey (Aug 23, 2008)

They have a copy of the incident report with valet co and hotel mgr signatures. Before letting the valet drive off with the car, Manda checked with Hertz, and valets are covered under the rental.

It's cute- thanks for posting the pic!

An episode of the Closer had a shooting done from a car left with a valet at a resturant!

They're back in Houston now, she called me when they landed at 7 a.m. this morning. They went from 70's in SF to 95 in Houston!

Holly


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## Blues (Aug 23, 2008)

Holly in South Jersey said:


> They're back in Houston now, she called me when they landed at 7 a.m. this morning. They went from 70's in SF to 95 in Houston!



Heh, I guess you're not used to west coast weather.  I can go from 60s to 90s by driving 20 miles.


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## LLW (Aug 23, 2008)

Blues said:


> Heh, I guess you're not used to west coast weather.  I can go from 60s to 90s by driving 20 miles.




Or just waiting a few hours.


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## AwayWeGo (Aug 23, 2008)

*I Got Your Toaster On Wheels Right Here.*



x3 skier said:


> Looks like a toaster on wheels to me.






-- hotlinked --​
Not only that, we used to drive around in a car that looks like a _DustBuster_ on wheels . . . 





-- hotlinked --​
-- Alan Cole, McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.​​​


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## Dori (Aug 23, 2008)

Alan, that is a Scion, is it not?  I love those cars, but buying them in Canada is very difficult.  No one seems to seel them here!

Dori


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## AwayWeGo (Aug 23, 2008)

*Scion xB*




Dori said:


> Alan, that is a Scion, is it not?


Scion xB, original model. 

The 2nd iteration (current model) is slightly less squared off, but still very much of a toaster on wheels -- not that there's anything wrong with that. 

The DustBuster on wheels is a Chevrolet Lumina APV. 

-- Alan Cole, McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.​


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## Dori (Aug 23, 2008)

Our dear friends and neighbours still drive their 1992 Lumina "DustBuster" and love it.

Dori


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## Holly in South Jersey (Aug 23, 2008)

When that type of minivan was popular, my kids (teens at the time) referred to them as "nose cars"

Holly


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## ownsherown (Aug 24, 2008)

AwayWeGo said:


> -- hotlinked --​
> I'm agitating for 1 of those as replacement for our semi-aging PT Cruiser -- will need to work on The Chief Of Staff a bit more, because she's not ready to bid farewell to the little Chrysler.
> 
> -- Alan Cole, McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.​



I totally understand her position. I listed my 2001 PT today with only 58K miles on it.. Hate giving up my baby but I have too many darn vehicles.


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## sfwilshire (Aug 26, 2008)

Dori said:


> Alan, that is a Scion, is it not?  I love those cars, but buying them in Canada is very difficult.  No one seems to seel them here!
> 
> Dori



The Scion. The only car uglier than my Element.

When the kids ask what we're driving and the response is "the ugly car" they always get in the right one.   

Sheila


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## Talent312 (Aug 26, 2008)

ownsherown said:


> I totally understand her position. I listed my 2001 PT today with only 58K miles on it.. Hate giving up my baby but I have too many darn vehicles.



"PT Cruiser?  More like PT Barnum." -- Car & Driver (not me).


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## AwayWeGo (Aug 27, 2008)

*Ugggggg-Leeeeeee !*




sfwilshire said:


> The Scion. The only car uglier than my Element.


I got your _Ugly Car_ right here. 





-- hotlinked -- ​
-- Alan Cole, McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.​


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## Steamboat Bill (Aug 27, 2008)

AwayWeGo said:


> I got your _Ugly Car_ right here.
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Shux, that is pretty ugly, but it looks like a classic and probably is now worth $100k


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## x3 skier (Aug 27, 2008)

Steamboat Bill said:


> Shux, that is pretty ugly, but it looks like a classic and probably is now worth $100k



If that Renault is worth $100000, then a Nash Metropolitan would go for at least $500k.  

Cheers


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## AwayWeGo (Aug 27, 2008)

*2-cv*




x3 skier said:


> If that Renault is worth $100000, then a Nash Metropolitan would go for at least $500k.


It's a Citroen. 

-- Alan Cole, McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.​


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## x3 skier (Aug 27, 2008)

Obviously I have no knowledge of "Classic" Cars.


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## AwayWeGo (Aug 27, 2008)

*Renault, Citroen, Peugeot, Mox Nix.*




x3 skier said:


> Obviously I have no knowledge of "Classic" Cars.


The real problem is that it's a _French_ car. 

And as Click & Clack The Tappet Bros. always say regarding French cars, "_The French Copy Nobody & Nobody Copies The French_." 

-- Alan Cole, McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.​


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## AwayWeGo (Aug 27, 2008)

*Another Odd Looking Citroen (Different Model).*

. . . not that there's anything wrong with that. 





-- hotlinked -- ​
-- Alan Cole, McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA. ​


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## gorevs9 (Aug 27, 2008)

AwayWeGo said:


> . . . not that there's anything wrong with that.
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Ranks right up there with the Gremlin and the Pacer


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## AwayWeGo (Sep 24, 2008)

*Toyota Hybrid Minivan Gets 40 M. P. G.*



AwayWeGo said:


> -- hotlinked --​






-- hotlinked --​
Is it just me, or does that silver Toyota Estima 40-mpg hybrid minivan have a strong resemblance to the greenish Mazda5 in the top picture ? 

Too bad the Toyota hybrid minivan isn't available on the USA market.  I'd buy 1. 

As it is, I may have to settle for Mazda5. 

-- Alan Cole, McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.​


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## applegirl (Sep 24, 2008)

sfwilshire said:


> When the kids ask what we're driving and the response is "the ugly car" they always get in the right one.
> 
> Sheila



:hysterical: That is funny Sheila!!! :hysterical: 

Alan, you also crack me up as usual.  I agree though that the Scion box is a super ugly car. Can't imagine what the draw is for people to buy that one.  Brings back bad memories of the Ford Pinto.

Janna


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## tuc (Sep 24, 2008)

*Chrysler EV*



AwayWeGo said:


> Toyota Hybrid Minivan Gets 40 M. P. G.
> 
> Too bad the Toyota hybrid minivan isn't available on the USA market.  I'd buy 1.
> 
> As it is, I may have to settle for Mazda5.



How about a hybrid Chrysler Town & Country?

It supposedly gets 45 mpg and is targeted for 2010 production.


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## wackymother (Sep 24, 2008)

I thought the Element was cute until I rode in one. 

The back passenger doors won't open unless the front door is open. So if you stop somewhere and one of the kids needs to get out, you have to put the car in park, take off your seat belt, open your door, and only then can the kid open her door and get out. And of course then everything has to stay open till the kid comes back, because she needs to get in first, close her door, and only then can you close your door and put your seat belt back on. 

Plus there are only two seats in the second row, only two seat belts, so for this biggish car, you can only have four passengers. No taking the neighbor's kid to school with yours. 

It's really the most appallingly designed car. And I always thought Hondas were good!


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## Gerie (Sep 24, 2008)

I loooooove my 2005 Scion xB!!!!!!!


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## x3 skier (Sep 24, 2008)

applegirl said:


> Brings back bad memories of the Ford Pinto.
> 
> Janna




I had two Pintos, a Coupe and Wagon and loved them both. Finally expired around 90-100K miles.

Cheers


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## AwayWeGo (Sep 24, 2008)

*I Got Your Ford Pinto Right Here.*




applegirl said:


> Brings back bad memories of the Ford Pinto.


Pinto was ugly all right, but back then people didn't notice so much, I guess. 





-- hotlinked --​
BTW, the web site from which that Pinto picture is hotlinked has a whole photo gallery dedicated to various Ugly Cars. 

Ugly Shmugly, I say.  Still beats walking. 

-- Alan Cole, McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.​


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## sfwilshire (Sep 24, 2008)

wackymother said:


> I thought the Element was cute until I rode in one.
> 
> The back passenger doors won't open unless the front door is open. So if you stop somewhere and one of the kids needs to get out, you have to put the car in park, take off your seat belt, open your door, and only then can the kid open her door and get out. And of course then everything has to stay open till the kid comes back, because she needs to get in first, close her door, and only then can you close your door and put your seat belt back on.
> 
> ...



I suspect that's why the original owner traded this one. They bought it in July and traded it in January. It had 7000 miles on it. It was not only really ugly, and a Honda for sale at a Toyota dealer, but it had a manual transmission. I won't drive anything else on a daily basis, but I'm definitely in the minority.

When it first appeared on the lot I drove by every day, I inquired about it. They wanted a new car price for it. I left town for a couple of weeks not long after that and it was still there when I got back. I inquired again. Still a very high price. I made an offer and the salesman was insulted. He didn't even want to take down my phone number. I sort of insisted and he reluctantly agreed. Before I made it home (7 miles) he had already left a message for me. His counter offer was higher than mine by a bit, but still a real deal for such a new vehicle. The ugly color is starting to grow on me.

We use this for weekend running around and I drive it to work once or twice a month. Not a problem with kids jumping in and out. My only complaint is that the seats don't seem to be real comfy on long trips. I have a bad back, but I'm thinking of taking it to Orlando in a couple of weeks just to see how it goes. DH is opposed to it, so if we are uncomfortable, I'll never hear the end of it. Our minivan needs new tires though, and I'm thinking of trading it, so I hate to put on new ones. It's at 99,000 and is a Chrysler. We might get another 30,000 miles out of it, but that's about it I think.

By the way, my kids LOVE the stadium seats in the back. If there are more than four of us (rare these days since the two oldest moved away) we just drive something else.

You can lay the back seats flat, then fold them up against the windows. It's amazing how much stuff you can put in the back if you only need two seats. I find the seats block my view a bit, but it's fine for moving furniture.

A Honda salesman (who I had worked with in another job years ago) told me that Honda designed these for the young adults. A cheap basic vehicle. They were very surprised to find us old folks snapping them up.

Sheila


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## sandcastles (Sep 24, 2008)

x3 skier said:


> If that Renault is worth $100000, then a Nash Metropolitan would go for at least $500k.
> 
> Cheers



I had a 1955 Nash Met when I was in high school.  It would lock in gear every time I would stop at a stop light.  We all had to jump out, shake the car up and down, and jump back in.  Got a lot of strange looks.


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## stmartinfan (Sep 25, 2008)

AwayWeGo said:


> . . . not that there's anything wrong with that.
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Whoa, this brings back memories!  When we were stationed overseas, we had a French friend with a top-of-the line Citroen similar to this.  It had air shocks - you'd get in, start the engine and then wait for the shocks to get pumped up and lift the body up.  It was a smooth ride, as we roamed around the back roads to his favorite restaurants.


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## wackymother (Sep 25, 2008)

sfwilshire said:


> The ugly color is starting to grow on me.



What color is it? I do love that new coppery color they're using on cars.


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## sfwilshire (Sep 25, 2008)

wackymother said:


> What color is it? I do love that new coppery color they're using on cars.



Mine is the burnt orange. I really like the silver and the blue is pretty nice.

Sheila


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## wackymother (Sep 25, 2008)

I looooove that color! You think it's ugly? I think it's so beautiful. But I find all the silver cars in the world so boooring. I love color. We always buy used cars, but we were thinking about buying a Sienna and I told DH it was a good thing that they don't come in that copper color or we would have to buy a new one. 

Did you know orange was Frank Sinatra's favorite color? (Now there's a useless bit of info.)


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## sfwilshire (Sep 26, 2008)

wackymother,

I think living near and working in Knoxville (home of the unescapable orange madness) has put me off any shade of orange forever. I must admit, however, that this car is WAY easy to find in a parking lot.  

:rofl: 

Sheila


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## DG001 (Oct 22, 2008)

tuc said:


> How about a hybrid Chrysler Town & Country?
> 
> It supposedly gets 45 mpg and is targeted for 2010 production.



Expecting our second child, we are kind of dreading the whole minivan purchase idea! For the longest time, our excuse has been that we are waiting for the Toyota hybrid ... if Chrysler comes out with one, I wonder if Toyota will also announce plans for one.


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## AwayWeGo (Oct 22, 2008)

*For Sale In The Mother Country Only.*




DG001 said:


> Expecting our second child, we are kind of dreading the whole minivan purchase idea! For the longest time, our excuse has been that we are waiting for the Toyota hybrid ... if Chrysler comes out with one, I wonder if Toyota will also announce plans for one.


Toyota's hybrid minivan is already out.  

Unfortunately Toyota doesn't offer it in the USA, only in Japan. 

So it goes. 

-- Alan Cole, McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.​


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## AwayWeGo (Oct 23, 2008)

*2010 Toyota Prius.*





-- hotlinked --​
-- Alan Cole, McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA. ​


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## AwayWeGo (Nov 22, 2008)

*Cool Cars Of The 1950s & 1960s.*

Click here for an entertaining flash video featuring those class rides from days gone by. 

-- Alan Cole, McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.​


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## ausman (Nov 22, 2008)

AwayWeGo said:


> . . .
> 
> 
> 
> ...



That must be a DS10.

Hell, I must be older than dirt to immediately recognise.

My Dad's friend had one. Liked it a lot.


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## Passepartout (Nov 23, 2008)

basham said:


> Liked it a lot.



I was thinking perhaps DS 21, but maybe this one is older. I had a high school drama teacher who had one. She was a little strange  too.  The car had like big overstuffed chairs for seats, and I remember if you had a flat tire, you could just use the air suspension to lift the affected tire off the ground.No jack needed. 

But as Click and Clack said, ' Nobody copies the French'.

Jim Ricks


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## AwayWeGo (Feb 8, 2009)

*Ugly Car Follow-Up.*



AwayWeGo said:


> -- hotlinked -- ​


Click here for some of the history of this World Class ugly car. 

-- Alan Cole, McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.​


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