Drive that dream machine
Searching for a gift to indulge your favorite car connoisseur this holiday? Here’s one that would knock the socks off of any gear head.
For $2,800 a day, you could rent an exotic Lamborghini Diablo for your special car fanatic. Or $1,800 a day could put her behind the wheel of a Ferrari.
Driving a rare sports car is a fantasy for many. To fulfill those dreams, a handful of rental agencies in Southern California specialize in stocking fleets of high-end exotic and luxury vehicles.
Among them is Beverly Hills Rent-a-Car, a chain with more than 300 exotic cars for rent at its offices at Los Angeles International Airport, Santa Monica, Newport Beach and Palm Springs. Budget Rental Car of Beverly Hills, which has six locations, also is a big player with 1,200 to 1,400 vehicles in its fleet.
Rental fees for these cars start at about $100. A Mini Cooper, BMW’s updated version of the classic British car, rents for $99.99 a day at Budget, while a 2002 Mercedes C240, a four-door sedan, costs about $125. And $599 will get you one day behind the wheel of a Porsche 996 CVT. At Beverly Hills Rent-a-Car, a Bentley Azure Convertible rents for $2,800 a day, or $19,000 a week.
“We’re in the business of offering the public the chance to rent the hottest cars available,” said Ken Kerzner, president of Budget Rental Car of Beverly Hills.
Given that the purchase price of some of these cars can match the cost of a new home, not only is renting one of these cars expensive, but there also are restrictions.
For example, some dealers won’t rent exotic cars to anyone under the age of 25, and clients must have their own insurance coverage for some of the higher-end vehicles. Rental agencies generally will require a credit card with a large line of credit and will independently verify insurance information before handing over the keys. Some car rental firms will prohibit renters from driving out of state or from taking vehicles off-road -- even those SUVs specifically designed for rugged driving.
At Beverly Hills Rent-a-Car, customers must have their own insurance coverage. To rent a 2002 Ferrari 360 Modena, they’re required to have a minimum $10,000 line of credit on a credit card, according to Marilyn Hemenway , claims manager.
Insurance and credit card information is verified by the firm. But there are clients who try to falsify information on their rental contracts. They often are parents trying to fulfill their teenagers’ dreams of piloting a fast and flashy car.
“We cringe around prom time,” Hemenway said. “The saddest thing I see happen is when parents rent these vehicles under their own name, and then turn around and hand their teenagers the keys.”
She recalled the time a father rented an Audi TT sports car from the firm and allowed his son to drive the vehicle in violation of the contract. The teenager totaled the Audi while racing another car at high speeds along a Southland freeway, Hemenway said.
And then there is the issue of whether you can really handle a true sports car. A Ferrari 360 Modena can go from zero to 60 mph in about four seconds.
“If we’ve never done business with you,” Kerzner said, “we have to be secure that you know how to drive a Ferrari and you will be safe in it. A Ferrari is a very powerful machine, and if we both agree you don’t feel safe in the car, we aren’t going to rent it to you.”
Rod Gruendyke, general manager of the Sunset Marquis Hotel & Villas in West Hollywood, said most of his guests are in the entertainment industry or are wealthy tourists, and many of them want exotic vehicles at their disposal. When Aerosmith band members checked in at the hotel recently, he said, they rented Corvettes and Mercedes at Budget’s West Hollywood location.
Gruendyke said he once rented a Ferrari and was uncomfortable with the reaction he got on the road.
“Ferraris are like a magnet. Heads turn and you get lots of stares from people trying to figure out who you might be,” he said. “It embarrassed me.”
Granted, the demand for elite vehicles is small compared with that for a Ford Taurus or a Pontiac Grand Am.
Nevertheless, the car culture in America is seductive, and the lure of driving a flashy and expensive vehicle -- even for one day -- is powerful enough to entice celebrities, chief executives and even middle-class car fanciers.
Beverly Hills Rent-a-Car’s clients range from movie stars and rappers to royalty. Actor Tom Hanks rented a Lamborghini for a few days for his wife Rita Wilson’s birthday, said Gordon L. Downing, vice president of sales.
Downing said he also sees the occasional less affluent customer who rents a Cadillac Escalade sport utility vehicle for $249 a day for a wedding or a moderately priced Mercedes Benz for $125 a day to impress a date.
Even some mainstream car rental firms offer luxury cars. At some Enterprise Rent-a-Car offices, customers can rent BMWs, Corvettes, Porsche Boxsters, Hummers and high-end SUVs for $110 to $300 a day.
“Our customers tell us they want the thrill of driving something out of the ordinary,” said Brett Bittel, senior vice president of Enterprise Rent-a-Car of Southern California.
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Write to Your Wheels, Los Angeles Times, 202 W. 1st St., Los Angeles, CA 90012. E-mail: jeanrite@aol.com
