I flew into LAX a couple of weeks ago and rented a Shelby GT from Hertz. It was $99.95 per day, so I figured I'd give it a try for 24 hours.
It's pretty cool looking in person. The paint scheme works well, and that's coming from someone who wouldn't own a black car if you gave it to me. The hood scoop (is that what you would call it?) was a little different, but everything else looked nice. It especially looks good from the front...
This was the first new Mustang I had ever really looked at or driven. The car felt much more solid than my '03 Cobra. It was also more comfortable. It may be heavier, but it sure didn't feel that way.
All the Hertz Shelbys have automatic transmissions, so I was expecting the car to be a slug. Other than a slight delay from the throttle (due to the drive-by wire?), the car had surprisingly good acceleration. It could probably have spun the tires...IF the traction control button wasn't disabled. What's up with that?!?! I want my money back!!! :lol1:
When you rent one of these, they don't just toss you the keys and tell you the car is in parking space #10. A manager will walk you out to the car, and then go over a big checklist (see image below) of stuff on the car, mainly verifying that things aren't missing. They even pop the hood and make sure the air filter and Shelby nameplate is in place. The strut tower brace had a wire tie attached to the engine... I guess to make sure someone wouldn't take the brace off?
After they give you a short lecture about making sure you can "handle the power" and only filling the car with premium, you will be allowed to drive off. And when you return the car, they go through the same check-list. You can't get a receipt for the rental until a manager checks off everything.
So the bottom line is, if you're in a hurry, think twice about renting one of these things. The extra scrutiny they give these cars adds 10-15 minutes to the time required at the Hertz lot. Otherwise, it was a blast. If you're going to spend $35 to rent a 4-door commuter car, you might as well pony up the extra bones and rent this thing. It's worth it. :thumbsup:
Here's the Shelby GT inspection form Hertz uses:
It's pretty cool looking in person. The paint scheme works well, and that's coming from someone who wouldn't own a black car if you gave it to me. The hood scoop (is that what you would call it?) was a little different, but everything else looked nice. It especially looks good from the front...
This was the first new Mustang I had ever really looked at or driven. The car felt much more solid than my '03 Cobra. It was also more comfortable. It may be heavier, but it sure didn't feel that way.
All the Hertz Shelbys have automatic transmissions, so I was expecting the car to be a slug. Other than a slight delay from the throttle (due to the drive-by wire?), the car had surprisingly good acceleration. It could probably have spun the tires...IF the traction control button wasn't disabled. What's up with that?!?! I want my money back!!! :lol1:
When you rent one of these, they don't just toss you the keys and tell you the car is in parking space #10. A manager will walk you out to the car, and then go over a big checklist (see image below) of stuff on the car, mainly verifying that things aren't missing. They even pop the hood and make sure the air filter and Shelby nameplate is in place. The strut tower brace had a wire tie attached to the engine... I guess to make sure someone wouldn't take the brace off?
After they give you a short lecture about making sure you can "handle the power" and only filling the car with premium, you will be allowed to drive off. And when you return the car, they go through the same check-list. You can't get a receipt for the rental until a manager checks off everything.
So the bottom line is, if you're in a hurry, think twice about renting one of these things. The extra scrutiny they give these cars adds 10-15 minutes to the time required at the Hertz lot. Otherwise, it was a blast. If you're going to spend $35 to rent a 4-door commuter car, you might as well pony up the extra bones and rent this thing. It's worth it. :thumbsup:
Here's the Shelby GT inspection form Hertz uses:
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