This morning I dropped my car off at the body shop to have the bumper fixed. So for the next few days I'm stuck with a rented PT Cruiser. I hate this car. With a full gas tank, the display said I could go 270 miles until it reached empty. After driving four miles to get to work, it said 261 miles to empty. So to review, 270-4=261. Sigh. Geico originally approved a rental of a Chevy Cobalt, and I had to argue with them and get a supervisor's approval to rent the next level up, which is still nowhere near the equivalent of my car. And renting a hybrid wasn't even an option, so I'm stuck paying out of pocket for gas that I wouldn't have to use if some idiot hadn't run a red light and damaged my car. I considered calling Geico last night and telling them they should reimburse me for the gas costs, but I figured that would just be an exercise in futility. So I watched Mary Poppins on tv instead. It helped, but was only a temporary fix. I want my car back!
OK. So did you end up laughing hard enough to float up to the ceiling? Oh -- Sorry about the car. I never did like driving the PT Cruiser.
You have my sympathy! I had to leave my Prius in the shop for a week for a bumper repair and drove some yucky nonentity of a car (I don't remember the make or model, so it clearly didn't interest me very much). I really was glad to get the Prius back. Now all I need is my replacement HOV stickers (it's been a LONG wait for those!) and I'm really in business. BTW: I returned the rental with more gas than it had when I took it, and talked the Enterprise guy into issuing me a credit for the extra gas against my next rental. It's not a lot, but it's nice that Enterprise will do that. Maybe I shouldn't get too excited about it until I see if it's honored, though.
Sorry to hear about your misfortune. I rented a Chevy Cobalt once, and although I'd never buy one, as a rental car it was entirely satisfactory. I'd have refused a PT Cruiser. The Cobalt was comfortable and handled well. I've never heard of an insurance company reimbursing an accident victim for the cost of the additional gas burned due to the lower FE of the rental car. You could probably make a good case if you took the opposing driver's company to small-claims court, arguing that they should either provide you with a Prius rental or pay for the gas difference. But it would probably not be worth your while in time and expense, not to mention that they have a stable of lawyers on salary and would bump the case up to Superior Court.
I just went through the same thing, but didn't complain to Geico about the Cobalt - talk about a no-frills car, basically a box with wheels, a steering wheel and a radio - wonder if the darn radio was optional. Man, oh, man did I ever want my Prius back - took them a whole week to fix it. The guy who hit me made a dent on either side of the wheel well.
I think it's a little funny that a PT Cruiser hate thread pops up here at least a few times a year. It's too bad because the idea of the car is great...a roomy, relatively economical car. In practice it's a sloppy, fuel-sucking bucket of bolts. No wonder so many of them end up in rental fleets! Oh, well. At least you get to appreciate your Prius that much more.
Many of us have posted on this board about how astonishingly roomy the Prius is (particularly compared to its apparent size from the outside). In that sense, I think of the PT Cruiser as the "anti-Prius." I don't understand how it's possible for a car that looks that big on the outside to be that small on the inside. The few times I've rented Cobalts, I've found them completely satisfactory.
My condolences, I hope I'm not ever stuck in your situation. I see people driving all those PT Cruisers, Cobalts, Pontiac Crapmobiles, etc etc and think... they had a choice. Why in the world would they buy one of those? Consumer Reports says they're the worst car in the world (well they don't rate those Chinese ones) and 5% of people that bought one would buy one again for some reason. On the other hand, something like 95% of Prius buyers would buy one again. Go figure.
it's normal DTE readings on trip computers are pretty darned inaccurate w/a full tank and a short drive esp. given how much gas mileage info it got in those 4 miles. Big fluctuations are totally normal given the above and not out of the ordinary in my 350Z nor my former 02 Nissan Maxima.
Sorry for you but glad I'm reading this thread. I considered a partial defection to the PT Cruiser for my wife but I don't think so now. I really like the look of the PT but Chrysler hasn't been known here for economy or reliability however Chrysler closed down here 25 years ago (The factory now belongs to Mitsubishi) when they made mostly big tubs of crap, I thought they may have improved, looks like I thought wrong.
Hope you get your car back very soon. Man, I just couldn't imagine not having my Prius now... I dont know what I'd do without it, well, ok yeah I do know, I'd buy another!!
I believe I can say with certainty that I know exactly how you feel. I once had to drive a base model 2005 Nissan Sentra while waiting for my Prius. It was a step up when I borrowed my sister's '91 Civic Sedan.
Thanks everyone for your sympathy. And a big thanks to Koons Auto Collision in Alexandria, VA for getting my car back to me in only one day!!! Yippee!!!
Wow! Back in one day? Thats awesome! Just wondering how it turned out, I will be going through this towards the end of the week. Some idiot back his trailer into my 2008 magnetic gray prius last Friday, scratching up the bumper and side panel pretty bad. I haven't had much experience with collision repair...does anyone know if they will repair it (sand/bondo)or replace the panel completely? I really hate to think of either option, I've only had this car for 2 months and I don't even want to think of the money I'll waste while they have it over the holidays.
Any Chevy is a bucket on wheels - a nearby rental place contracts a plumber to service their Chevys -
Good for you. You can't imagine how unhappy you would have been with the PT. I bought a PT in 06 and my Prius in April 07 and lost a bundle on the deal but it was well worth it. I like the design of the PT and maybe if we could put the body on a Prius frame and running gear you might end up with a slick little car.
Heh heh... I had a 2001 PT as a rental a few years back when my pre-Prius car was in the shop because of another moron who was unable to successfully drive out of a parking space without taking my bumper along with her, but I digress... I did note at that time how much of a fuel hog that vehicle was, given especially since it had a 4-cylinder engine, granted it was a thirsty 2.5L. I do agree with others around here that the concept was good (I kinda liked the look/functionality of it), but the execution was terrible (no power AND a thirsty engine (usually one is a trade-off of the other?), cramped passenger space, etc..). I can just imagine the FE of the 'Turbo' model. Typical Dodge/Chrysler... On a related note to this topic, a woman gave my car a serious door ding on the weekend while I was sitting in it. She tried to brush it off as "sorry, the wind took my door, it wasn't my fault. These things happen. Look, my (10-year old POS) van has dents all over it." Yeah, right. To make a long story short, I spoke with her husband and he "doesn't like dealing cash" and wants me to go through the insurance (!). Uhhh... if you REALLY want an at-fault accident on your record for a ding - and make your insurance increase much more than what this repair would cost - I could do that, but that just confirms you're an idiot. As for the damage, it's a fairly deep ding, the deformation is about 2" vertically, and there is a small scratch as well. I'm torn between getting the paintless dent repair to fix the deformation and touch up the scratch vs repainting the entire door (which is what this idiot thinks will be necessary, though he hasn't seen the damage in person yet). I just hate to break the original paint for a trivial repair.... Anyway, sorry for the rant and if I am going a bit OT...
