Renting an exotic.

[Looneybomber]

There's no place near me that does this, but I thought it might be pretty cool. Anyone done this?

Checking around, these are various prices at 100mi/day, during weekdays.
F430: 800-900/day
Gallardo: 700-1000/day
Maserati GT: 700/day
Aston martin vantage: 500-750/day

$700 for a Gallardo. That's pretty awesome!

Just dirty math, 150k loan over 5yrs at 4% is ~2,750/mo.
Insurance is 500/mo?
Maintenance average 750/mo?
So $4000/mo?

How do these companies work and stay in business? I guess they rent cars often enough. For that lambo, you'd have to rent it out 6days/mo, which doesn't sound too hard. The Ferrari, only 4 or 5 days a month. I guess it's doable? How tore up do these cars get I wonder.

[jbracy7]

The only car I want to rent is a 2014 Nismo gtr

[Bubba1]

How do those companies do it? I imagine probably the same way ordinary car rental companies do it. A few examples.

1. the 100 mile daily mile limit before charging a per mile fee is very little if you think about it. the renter starts owing the company additional money if they drive the car more than 50 miles away from where they picked up the car. I can imagine the cost per mile over the free allowance is a heck of a lot more than Hertz/Avis would charge.

2. the old insurance waiver scam. most car rental companies offer a waiver for x dollars per day to cover collision damage. Exotic car rentals probably offer the same and for much more $ per day. Thing is, many folks don't bother checking their own policies. In many cases, rental car insurance is already covered making this waiver unnecessary and pretty much pure profit for the rental company. And if you do take the waiver, gotta watch for a steep deductible, which I'll bet exceeds the deductible the rental company's own insurance policy.

3. I'm guessing those exotic rental car companies do like most other rental companies, and turn over their fleet before they hit a certain mileage/age, when the expensive maintenance/repair items start coming due, and while the cars still have relatively low miles and much of their value left. For example, a 30K mile service on a Ferrari 430 will run well into 5 figures. And replacing carbon ceramic brakes pads will cost thousands. It would be easier to dump the car while it's still fairly new and let the next sucker.. I mean owner do the expensive service items.

As far as wanting to own one of them...the expression is "caveat emptor" which means buyer beware. Although they might have been maintained well and come up for sale with low mileage, there's a pretty good chance that they were abused by some or many of it's renters. It's a risky purchase.

[themadscientist]

I rented an Aston Martin DB9 drop top once. I was terrified from the moment I pulled out into traffic till I brought it back in the next day. As soon as they said everything was ok my a** unclenched for the first time in 24 hours and I retroactively enjoyed all the time I was driving it.

[PapaSmurf2k3]

Why not just build a Supra instead?






Sidenote- that Ford Aerostar van (or whatever they're called) must be HAULING a**!

[Bubba1]

Why not just build a Supra instead?

!

They really uglified that Supra. Poor car.

Not the same. Speed alone is not why most people want to drive exotic cars.

[MinisterofDOOM]

Why not just build a Supra instead?

Sidenote- that Ford Aerostar van (or whatever they're called) must be HAULING a**!

I can't decide whether to be surprised at how tiny the Ferrari is, or how huge the Supra is.

I always just assumed that Aerostar is rocking an SVO 2.3 swap.

[Looneybomber]

I was surprised by the Gallardo too. It's smaller than a Focus ST, but it looks like it should be a fairly large car.

[float_6969]

I hate to admit this, but I just watched the F&F yesterday. That screenshot is right after the Ferrari and Supra pass those cars on the shoulder and oncoming traffic, respectively.

[alms24sebring]

lol I watched it too! The first one is the greatest

That is more than affordable imo. I would be happy to rent an exotic, preferably a DB9 as stated (you bastard). I would drive the f*** out of it..

[Bubba1]

I hate to admit this, but I just watched the F&F yesterday.

That's okay. Admitting to the problem is the first step to recovery....

[dasoupdude]

I planned a vacation down in South Beach once, decided I would rent like an 03 Gallardo or something from one of Miami's dozens of exotic rental agencies.

Turns out that I realized I could spend $600 on something more than just pretending to be 'another douche with a lambo.' I could just play Gran Turismo at my house for free. Plus, my car already attracts unwanted attention as is.

[Bubba1]

I planned a vacation down in South Beach once, decided I would rent like an 03 Gallardo or something from one of Miami's dozens of exotic rental agencies.

Turns out that I realized I could spend $600 on something more than just pretending to be 'another douche with a lambo.' I could just play Gran Turismo at my house for free. Plus, my car already attracts unwanted attention as is.

There are many that feel the same way. But I think it's difficult to deny the appeal/sensations/memories of actually driving/riding in a actual Ferrari or Lambo at least once, a common item on "car guy" bucket lists, much less put a price on it that everyone might agree is reasonable.

[Looneybomber]

I know performance wise, you can get a vette with minor mods and whoop up on almost every car on the road, but there's something about those exotics (Gallardos, F458's, etc), the combo of looks, sound, performance. I'd love to experience the whole package once. If I knew how to tune intakes and exhausts to enhance the upper harmonics and make a vette sound like a Lexus LFA or vette F430, I'd be grinning all day while driving that American muscle around.

[Bubba1]

FWIW, looks like exotic car rentals are starting to be offered by the major car rental companies....



http://www.nbcnews.com/business/autos/c ... ngs-n73861

[dasoupdude]

This is why detailing on the side sometimes has its perks.

Rich dudes at the hotel will just let you drive their cars wherever to get detailed or cleaned while they stay occupied with business meetings or whatever.

This is what me and my friend brought home today.

[float_6969]

[Bubba1]

So true. I did some detailing back when I was a lad, before it was called detailing. Though I did it during vacations working for a British Leyland/Fiat/Lancia/Saab dealer, plus under the table for some of my parents friends, business associates. It's amazing the cars you end up driving. A few examples of the under the table jobs (which involved my driving the cars to get them to where I washed 'em) included a 1933 Rolls (handled like a truck), Mercedes 300SL (vert, not gullwing), 190SL, 1971 transam 455HO (the exhaust rumble was classic). Nothin' like driving fun cars and getting paid to do it.

[Looneybomber]

So it sounds like I need to detail cars in a city with more money than Lawrence or Topeka.

[dasoupdude]

There's a regular guest who daily drives a black 99 Qx4 (not exactly the average car you see on palm beach island.) one day he came suited up driving in a white 06 f430 scud. We thought he won the lottery or something, turns out its his 3rd car, the 2nd being a g63 amg.

He said the Qx4 was one of the best cars hes ever owned and had no intention of getting rid of it, its been through about 5 cycles of his 'secondary' cars.

[Looneybomber]

Exotic cars are bad daily drivers. That g63 would also be a bad daily, but I would love to have one - 3 locking diffs, straight axles, low-range transfer case, body on ladder frame, ridiculous power...It's like an old school bronco, but better...and over $100k more expensive. That said, I gotta find me a job where I can have $250k worth of cars.