razorxtr

So i rented a corvette from hertz last year 2x when i was 22 without issues. Now i tried to rent one with cash in hand and was declined because of my age. They has 16 corvettes just sitting there. Anyone else things this is BS? why have a stupid policy that discriminates against my age? Even if im more likely to get in an accident why does the rental company care? as long as i have insurance they get covered (i even have premium insurance from my card company). They could check my credit score (responsibility) and insurance. Anyone else think this is BS?

If they have these stupid rules then I think they should limit renting some cars at 75. BTW don't know how i got them to rent it twice last year. Anyone else think this is ridiculous especially in this economy? I hope they all go bankrupt

Just venting.

spin-doktor

Sucks, i know, but you cant rent one here if youre under 25. Youre a victim of statistics.

Vette Suspension

I feel your pain. I can only assume it has something to do with their ins rates.

BTW. Those rental Vettes get abused like no other car by every age bracket.

C7-Beast

It is not just Corvettes. Most rental companies will not rent to anyone under 25 period. It has been that way for many years this is not something new. I recall having the same issue 20 years ago when I needed a rental and was only 21.

bterwilliger

Been there - working since I was 19 and traveling with the need for rental cars. Try explaining that to a boss that has been drinking with you, thinking you were 24-25... :-)

WAwatchnut

Sorry, but renting cars is a business, not a public service. Your age puts you into a high risk category, and I'm sure the car rental company has costs related to insurance - which are probably impacted by who they rent cars to. The insurance company that insures them probably has rules/rates based on who the rental company rents to. In this litigeous society, it wouldn't be just the driver's insurance who would pay if the driver wrecked a rental sports car - The car company could easily be sued for renting the car.

So the rental company decides it's not worth paying a premium to allow younger drivers to drive their specialty cars. This allows them to keep their insurance costs lower, and rent cars cheaper. This in turn makes them more competitive, and lets their customers pay less for cars.

I understand you want to rent a Corvette, but even more, I understand why the rental company may have the rules they do. So I don't really think it's BS.

What does suck (for everyone) is that so many younger drivers aren't responsible enough, and they get involved in more accidents, injuring people, and causing the insurance rates for young drivers to go up... and preventing even the responsible ones from renting a Vette. In a perfect world we wouldn't need to worry about this kind of stuff...

Luckyme

Most rental car companies won't rent to anyone under 25 now. I thought it's been that was for many years. How you rented a Vette at 22 is a mystery! I can't imagine any company...let alone a major player like Hertz renting a Vette to someone 22 years old. You may responsible, but lets face it....a rented Vette with a 22 year old driver....typically, that is a scary proposition.

Yesterday I ran a Carfax report on a 2008 Vette w/ 6000 miles I was really interested in buying. Good price and all. Came up that it was purchased new by a "Major Car Rental Company"...................NO THANKS. I'll pass on that car.

Look at it this way. At least you got to drive a Vette at 22 twice. That is cool.

lstorm2003

Do you work for a large company? If you do you might be able to use your status as an employee with your company to rent the car if your over 21 but under 25. They will just need to check if your company is on file with Hertz...

I had that problem with Hertz as well when I was under 25, but they have a waiver in place for employees of my company. Since Hertz has a business relationship with my company (we rent a lot of cars from them), all I have to do is show my company ID, and tell them the rental is for business purposes, and then its no problem to rent..

deecount

Has anyone looked at insurance rates for drivers under 25 on Corvettes?
When I was 25 (back in '96) my Z28 cost me close to 3k a year with a clean driving record. The insurance companies I looked at all rated the Z same as a Vette. They game me the old "your age group, single, male" routine. I can't imagine the rates being any better now. I find it hard to believe that any company would actually rent a Corvette, let alone to a 20 something. I know if I rented one it would come back with bald tires and in need of a tune up NEVER buy a rental car, I might have been driving it.

wase13

I remember paying over $100 a day for a mustang 10 years ago in hawaii because i was under 21 back then. Had i been over 21 the rate woulda been something around $40 a day.

dvilin

Some good points.

VettedCandidate

First off, CASH IN HAND? No rental company I know of takes anything but credit cards.

Secondly, I'm betting the reason you were able to rent one last year and cannot now rent one is because of the high number of wrecked and/or abused ZHZ's out there last year. I imagine Hertz's insurance company had a cow and told them to restrict the age further. I'm sure the fact that some guys took them to drag races (and even added nitrous!) might have had something to do with it also.

PCMusicGuy

I'd like to see the rental companies try that on the TX/LA gulf coast. At least these guys still rent to the younger crowd (because a lot of them take a rental to go work offshore).

Macbeth182

I'm 24 and own an 08 .. Hertz can suck it!

Smitter

I understand your frustration but at 52 years old I wish I had your problem

FloydSummerOf68

I wasnt aware you could rent a vehicle under 25.

Wayne O

"why have a stupid policy that discriminates against my age"

Probably because the rental company, after analysis of all available data, has determined that renting a Corvette to someone under 25 is an unacceptable risk (or at least one they're not willing to take).

I think you're swimming upstream on this one as there are countless circumstances where 'age' becomes a discriminatory factor...there are age restrictions for driving, drinking alcohol, voting, curfews, gambling, movie ratings, ticket prices, et cetera. You likely pay a higher automobile insurance rate if you're under 25 as well (I know what happened to my premiums as soon as my teenage children became licensed drivers). So-called "seniors" get discounts at certain businesses which I can't get.

FWIW I also think licensed drivers 75 or over should be required to take a meaningful drivers test every year or two.

Sure, there are responsible people under 25 but it's far easier (and safer) for the rental company to have a blanket policy denying those under 25 the ability to rent a Corvette. Perhaps if it were your assets being put at-risk, you wouldn't think the policy was "stupid."

mcwire

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Mr Guns

I FEEL YOUR PAIN! Every time I travel for work, my company gets charged an extra $20-$30 per day for the rental car. Also, while all of my coworkers are driving Cadillacs, I'm stuck in a Hyundai. It also kind of sucks when going on vacation because me and my wife are not allowed to stay at certain hotels because we are both under 25, and if we are allowed to stay, we often have to leave a large deposit >$500.


This is why I think it's B.S.:
If statistics were to show that people under 25 have more accidents, then they can be denied service, or be charged a higher rate. What if statistics showed the same thing based on ethnicity. For example, what if hispanic people showed a higher rate of accidents then asian people? Could they also be charged a higher rate based on those statistics? If so, the NAACP and ACLU would have a field day. So if it's not okay to "discriminate" based on ethnicity, then it shouldn't be allowed based on age, religion, or any other factor. IMO







And I agree with Macbeth182, HERTZ CAN SUCK IT, because I'm 22 and I got a Vette, too!

Drewstein

It's not the rental companies but the company that insures the rental company that's to blame. If they won't cover a driver under 25 then the rental company can't rent to someone under 25.

That said, if your personal coverage is good enough then that's how you rent a car while under 25. I was 22 and rented a car but they had to call my insurance and verify coverage because their insurance wouldn't cover me. This was with Enterprise.