Got the car

I picked up my rental car today. It's a Saturn Vue, which is a mid-sized SUV. We're renting from Budget.

Here's the story:

Cross-country rentals are super-expensive; some have drop off fees as high as $2000 (plus the rental fee). We found the best price on Budget, where the mid-size regular car carried a drop-off fee of only $300. (The total cost is about $1,500.) Budget graciously agreed to upgrade us for free.

My original car was a Jeep Liberty. I stopped to do an errand on the way home and noticed a couple of problems. The key clicker didn't work, and the Service Needed light came on. I called Budget, which immediately put me in a different car. So all's well that ended well. (And let this be a reminder: When you rent and there's a problem, be sure to tell them when you turn the car back in.)

A few people have asked why the newspaper shows a Hyundai. I had gotten one as a rental car last fall and really liked it, so I called Potamkin Hyundai in Miami. They arranged for us to borrow a Santa Fe for our video shoot for Travel on Demand, and they tried to get us one to take on the trip, but it didn't work out.