[sdaityari]

I recently drove a Dodge Challenger for 2000 miles across the Californian Coast across two weeks, visiting a variety of offbeat locations. In this post, I would like to share my experiences of planning the whole trip (I absolutely hate travel agents!), focus mostly on the car rental (obviously, duh!) and the places we visited.

Having been to the US twice before, we decided that a road trip along the picturesque west coast of the US was a great choice. Why a road trip? One, I am a petrol head and love driving in the US. Two, driving a rental car in the US is the cheapest option if you would like to visit off-beat locations and not just the usual tourist attractions in the big cities. I also preferred staying at Airbnb rather than the usual, dull hotels and loved each place (it did help that I planned this 4-5 months in advance!)

I booked the air tickets for December way back in the first week of August (Delhi to San Francisco return trip). I then proceeded to book all our stays at Airbnb within the same month. Airbnb now provides you the option of paying only 50% at the time of booking and the rest is charged to your card about a fortnight before the start of the stay. At the time of booking, this option was available only if I changed my application currency to USD and used an India-issued American Express card. I am a salaried person and it greatly helped me to divide such trip expenses over time.

Driving in the USA
Before I move on to the car (please wait some more for the pure American muscle), I would like to share my experience of driving in the USA. First question that pops in your head is - what are the requirements? In the US, every state has its own laws (too bad!) Therefore, you need to check the rules of each state that you would visit in your trip. For instance, the Georgia Department of Driver Services states that if you are a tourist, you just need the driver’s license issued by your home country, as long as it is in English and is valid. For Indians, it simply means that you do not need to go for an International Driving Permit (IDP) to drive in the US (I assume no Indian state provides a license in the local language only).

Though the foreign country's driver’s license works temporarily, you need to apply for a local license if you stay beyond a limit. In Georgia (and most other state websites that I have visited), this limit is 30 days after entry into the state. Here's a quote from the Georgia Department of Driver Services website:

If a non-US citizen establishes residency in Georgia, he or she must obtain a Georgia driver’s license within thirty (30) days. A non-US citizen would be considered a resident of Georgia if he or she meets any of the following criteria:

- If a person accepts employment or engages in trade in Georgia, and enrolls his or her children in private or public school within ten days after the commencement of employment; or
- If a person has been present in the state for 30 or more days.

The implementation of this 30-day rule remains sketchy though. During my three trips to the US (and consequently, three long term rentals), I have been pulled over by a traffic cop once. He only checked my driver’s license, but did not verify my date of entry into the US.

Why did he stop me, you ask? Let me present my story. There are many highways that pass through small towns, where the speed limits are lowered substantially. For instance, the speed limit in a single carriageway is 55 miles an hour, which is gradually decreased to 35 as it passes through a town and increased as we leave it. I was stopped for going at 45 miles an hour in a 35 zone in a Nissan Altima, but in my defence, the 55 zone was barely 100 metres in front of me. The cordial cop just let me off with a warning and I promised myself I will never be stopped by a cop for speeding. Considering the cop magnet a V8 Challenger is, I believe I have done real good for keeping good on that promise after 2000 miles in that car.

Next, I must also address how difficult it is to adjust to driving on the right side of the road. It all depends on how many times you have driven on the right. In my first trip, I waited about ten days before driving a car (It was also the first time I drove an automatic transmission). I drove a 2014 Figo in India back then, and indicators on the left were easy to work with. The first day, in particular, was a bit difficult and I took a left turn into a Walmart complex instinctively. Thankfully, the car facing me came to a stop (and I was going at a slow pace anyways). Whenever I drive in the US, I try to make sure other drivers are not put off by my actions on the road.

Here's a look at the Challenger before we go into details. When you find your evil twin, you park next to it


Let me end this opening section with some trivia. Notice that the while Challenger has a number plate in the front, but the black one doesn't. Some states in the US do not require you to display your front number plate (and you are provided only one when you register your car). For instance, California needs front plates, whereas Georgia doesn't. If I drive a Georgia car in California, cops won't stop and issue a fine. However, if I drive car from NY (a state which requires front plates) in California without front plates, I can be fined! In case you are wondering, I did not check the plates of the Black Challenger to confirm if the car conformed to the rules.

[sdaityari]

Guide to Car Rentals in the USA

In short, it's easier and cheaper than you think! However, I would like to walk you through some of the jargon and processes before you rent a car in the US. There are many rental agencies, but I have used Hertz twice, and Enterprise Rent-A-Car once. My experience here is going to be biased towards these two, but the general stuff should apply to all rental agencies.

There are many ways to rent your car in the US, the best way is to do it online and well in advance! On my first trip, I paid the most for my rental as it was decided at the last moment, and we rented from a small town. The easiest way to rent a car is through the websites of these rental agencies. Neither Hertz nor Enterprise require you to pay in advance, through Hertz needs you to add a credit card as a guarantee (you can change it during pick up or return). You can alternately check on an aggregator like Kayak.com to get good last-minute deals. In my experience, Hertz/Enterprise provides a better rate if you book 3-4 months in advance.

Car Rental Insurance
This is probably the one single thing that I have put a lot of research into. After all, I have rented cars for relatively long times (2-3 weeks at one go) and insurance is absolutely necessary. There are two types of insurance that you should know about. They may be worded differently by different agencies, but here is the gist. Do note that I am NOT a lawyer and this is not legal advice.

Loss Damage Waiver (LDW): If you are involved in an accident or your rental car is stolen, LDW ensures that you do not pay anything to the rental agency (there are clauses such as you didn't leave the car unlocked which led to it being stolen). In absence of this, if you cause any damage to your car, the rental agency will charge you for it. Theoretically, if you do not take this insurance, you are liable to pay up to the blue book value of the car (typically in the range of $20-30K for most cars). Many credit cards issued in the US cover the LDW if you book the entire rental using those cards. If you decide to purchase LDW from the rental agency, it can cost you something like $15-20/day and depends on the car you are renting.

Liability Insurance Supplement (LIS): This LIS is simply third-party insurance in the Indian parlance. Most US states mandate that the rental agency insure you for a minimum value of liability while renting the car, so please check with the state department where you would rent it. LIS is like a top up to this minimum value. I would highly recommend you take this up because of the crazy lawsuits in the US. You don't want to owe $500k for causing mental trauma to a pedestrian for accidentally honking at them. Do not confuse this with the personal liability section of your travel insurance. I have meticulously gone through the policy wordings of all travel insurance providers in Policy Bazaar and driving a motor vehicle nullifies the personal liability clause. LIS costs around $18/day and depends on the state where you rent the car, and not the car make/model!

I am skipping other services that may be called "insurance" like emergency roadside assistance and accident insurance because they are not standard across agencies.

If it's the first time renting a car in the US, I have assembled a car rental checklist for your help.
- Get a printed copy of the agreement with the rental agency. Agencies are going green these days, but you may not have a network if a cop pulls you over.
- The registration of the car (this may be skipped if you have the rental agreement)
- Check for the manual of the car for more information. For instance, I didn't know my Challenger would need 91 octane rated fuel until I checked the manual.
- Check if a spare tire is present (In the US, many models now come without one!)
- Check if the toolkit is present to change a flat tire
- Tire conditions, especially if you are renting for a long time
- Last oil change/service of the car. This is often indicated on a sticker in the door panel of the driver's side.
- Ask the rental agency employees for features of the car. Trust me, you do not want to be surprised by a jerk in the steering wheel in the middle of the highway because your lane assist is on.
- The tire pressure using the TPMS in the car (most cars have it)
- The fuel level (please do not pre-pay for fuel)
- Lastly, take photos of the exterior and interior of the car before leaving the parking lot.

Here's a screenshot of the booking. Booking dates were 19 Dec - 2 Jan, and the booking was completed on 17th of August. Note that Hertz has a lower price (~15-20%) if you book four months in advance. Also, I have noticed that the San Francisco Airport Hertz location has LDW and LIS included in its price (unlike Atlanta where I have previously rented cars).

[sdaityari]

Rentals with Turo

If you have a keen eye, you may have noticed that the screenshot above says "Dodge Challenger" but shows the image of a Ford Mustang! That's because the image in my email was a link to the Hertz website. Technically, I booked a Standard Sports Group car, comprising of the Challenger, Mustang, and Camaro. The face of that group for Hertz was the Challenger when I booked it (which the email reads), but it has now changed to the Mustang (which is reflected in the URL of the image, which is updated).

What I am trying to explain is that you can only book a "class" of vehicles from a rental agency and not an exact model. There are exceptions to this - you may find the occasional Jeep Wrangler available at select Hertz locations, or you will have to call in advance to book a special car belonging to their adrenaline collection, but we are going into big bucks territory here.

Due to this, I have explored the services of Turo, an Airbnb like application for cars! You can even rent your car through Turo (India isn't serviced yet!) and therefore, you can reserve exact models from individuals (or individuals representing small businesses like a garage). Turo has partnered up with Liberty to provide insurance and do so at compelling rates. If you book on Turo, the complete payment is required at the time of booking. Cars may be delivered to you for free, or a fee, or pickup up from a pre-decided location.

I landed in San Francisco on the 17th and decided to get a car to get around for two days. I booked a 2010 Honda CR-V with 100k miles on it for three days at about 35 USD per day, including insurance. While the car was in a working condition, I felt the brake pads were worn out and the wipers were in poor shape. I guess I can't complain, given it was the cheapest car available at such short notice (I booked it after customs!)

While I like Hertz for giving cars in top condition (Challenger had ~11000 miles on it, Wrangler had ~9500), I would probably explore Turo the next time I visit America. Not only do you get specific models, but you can also rent electric cars (the Bay area was full of Teslas.)

[sdaityari]

Short Review of the Dodge Challenger

After a lot of knowledge share, we are finally going to hit the nail on its head. It was love at first sight when I laid my eyes on the beautiful Dodge Challenger in the Hertz parking lot, once I had picked up my rental agreement from their office. I am going to candidly talk about the Dodge Challenger from the perspective of an Indian tourist who may be looking to rent a muscle car.

Muscle cars have been around since the 60s, with the idea of putting big engines on two-door coupes that let them accelerate really quickly along a straight line. The Plymouth Barracuda and Pontiac GTO were the first muscle cars before the Mustang took over. The Mustang, Camaro and Challenger are probably the only ones still in production today. The Dodge Charger may loosely be classified as a muscle car with the same engine as the Challenger, though it's a sedan. In fact, I love the 60s cars of the US so much that I got a book that documents all American cars from Bart's Books in Ojai, the largest outdoor bookstore in America. More on it when I cover the area later.

I had never driven a muscle car before, but I have always longed to drive one. Remember the Nissan Altima from the cop incident? I had booked a Dodge Charger only to be handed the worst car in that category (other cars in the category are the Toyota Camry, Ford Fusion and Chevy Malibu). I was expecting a base model SRT Dodge Challenger with a V6, but I was surprised to get the R/T (road track) version. The R/T version has a naturally aspirated big old 5.7L V8 Hemi, which produces ~370 HP (that's >3x my Honda BRV CVT). It's a bigger version of the Hemi engine, with turbochargers which creates the 707 HP for the Dodge hellcat engines.

There are a few advantages that I find in the Challenger over its primary rivals, the Mustang and the Camaro. The looks of the Challenger are the closest to the traditional muscle car. Compare it to its 1960s granddaddy and you would not find much change in the overall styling. The base model of the Challenger has a V6, whereas the Mustang and the Camaro come with V4s only. Its trunk size is also the largest among the three. The second-row seating, while still abysmal compared to other cars, is at least usable among these three. However, you don't get a muscle car for its second-row seating, you simply fold them to get more boot space!

The first thing that you notice about this car is the loud roar of the V8, especially on a cold start. Imagine waking up to it every single day for work. I took a video but that doesn't do justice to the real feeling.

Here are a few snaps of the gorgeous Challenger!







I loved the scooped hood, which doubled up as a functional air intake. Dodge provides a shaker hood too, which is practically a part of the engine popping out of the bonnet (which wasn't there in this car - but beggars can't be choosers.)


The Challenger is wide, and it is wider than any car I have driven. The Challenger is a full two inches wider than the four-door Jeep Wrangler. Its length is over 5 meters too, making it a bit difficult to maneuver in narrow lanes. Combine that to its big blind spots and low ground clearance, I found parking this monster on the street rather difficult. Consequently, the cabin space in this car is absolutely huge. You would want to not leave the car at all! Though I hate eating in the car, we found ourselves having a lot of ice creams, cinnamon rolls and other desserts over the course of our two weeks with the car.



Here is the look from the reverse camera and rearview mirrors.







ORVM folds upwards as it should in a car of its cost.



Notice how the fuel flap is externally controlled. With the expensive 91 rated fuel that the Challenger consumes happily with every rev, I wonder if someone can just walk up to it and steal some fuel from your car.

The Challenger comes with a six-speed manual or an eight-speed torque-converter. You will probably find only automatics in Hertz and my rental car was no different. The shifts aren't lightning quick, but that is what you expect your muscle car to do - rev some more. Though my rental car was RWD, the Challenger also comes with AWD. Get the AWD version with all-weather tires, and you are ready for extreme weather conditions.

The steering wheel has an insane number of buttons.



Interestingly this car has only one stalk on the left, and it does feel durable! The stalk controls the signals and wipers (note that this car has no rear wipers!)

Paddle shifters have buttons behind them to control the volume and playback.



A GIF of the instrument cluster.



The headlights are controlled by a knob. Reminds me of my Figo.



All four air vents have completely different shapes. I guess Dodge wanted this car to be unique.





The DRLs are orange, and double up as air vents too. I am told one of these is functional and the other is for looks only. I was unable to differentiate between them.



The glovebox is huge and is organized into three parts. Wow! You win my heart with every feature.



The Challenger wasn't the only exciting thing about the trip, I purchased a drone too! Here's me launching the drone from the back of the Challenger.



The Challenger is overall a great car. It feels fantastic to drive (obviously) but does feel stiff at corners. However, cornering was never the function of a muscle car and these recent models have come a long way since the 60s. I had great fun driving this on the highways. Even if you cruise at normal speeds of 5-10 mph over the speed limit on the passing lane, cars would simply change lanes to let you pass through. I guess the look of the demon in the rearview mirrors is not what everyone can handle.

I will end this short review by giving you links to two videos in case you are interested in the history of the car and its engine:

Up to speed on the Challenger:

https://youtu.be/ekrpXYXTKCw

Up to speed on the Hemi:

https://youtu.be/YEhTVtSzZ6c

Those who watch Donut media videos would notice that the usual pumped-up host, James Pumphrey, is missing in both these videos. He suffered a heart attack and is currently recovering. I wish him a speedy recovery.

[sdaityari]

Some Easter Eggs in the Challenger:

Dodge is a brand of Chrysler, which in turn is a part of the FCA group. The only car offered by FCA in India is the Jeep Compass, and its official review on Team-BHP (Jeep Compass : Official Review) lists a variety of easter eggs in the car. It seems that FCA loves putting easter eggs in its cars all over the world. I have tried to compile a list of easter eggs that I found on the Challenger.

The silhouette of the Challenger can be found on the windshield on the driver's side.



Here is an American thing on the Challenger (imagine the opening scene of Transformers with Megan Fox opening the hood of a Camaro). If you would like to pop the bonnet and have a beer (or coffee) with a friend, Dodge has you covered with two cup/beer holders!



Notice the funny thing with the logo behind the bottle/cup holder. Obviously, you won't put a cup without a lid. I guess Dodge wants you to be extra careful. I noticed this exact same thing on the Compass, perhaps it's an FCA thing.



It looks like the head of a demon on the headlights. Perhaps, someone from the forum knows what exactly this is.

[sdaityari]

Let's finally come around to the road trip!

The first three nights were scheduled at San Francisco to doze off the jet lag. We booked a VW bus city tour that gave us an overview of San Francisco. The tour happens on cute little restored VW buses from the 70s. Here's Vantigo's Insta handle to drool over these buses. A customary part of the tour is to take a photo of the bus with the Golden Gate Bridge in the background.

The Golden Gate Bridge a great landmark but pretty expensive to cross in your car. There are many other bridges across San Francisco, but none of them are apparently free to cross. Some of them allow you to pay by cash or a bill is sen to the rental agency, who in turn, pass it on to you (with administrative charges!) It may be a good idea to just avoid them.

If you are near Fisherman's Wharf or Pier 39, make sure you visit Boudin for their famous clam chowder.



After having a sumptuous meal at Boudin, make sure you visit the Palace of the Fine Arts, which consequently does not host ANY ART! Apparently, it was created for a world fair of arts, which hosted some lousy art that people hated. The architect apparently knew this would happen, and placed large urns near the gateway (visible if you zoom in).

Another interesting feature of this is the structures surrounded by the lady statues on the first floor. The architect wanted weeping willows in each of those structures. When everyone told him having large trees within a building wasn't a good idea, he surrounded them by weeping widows! What a sense of humor!



The Ghiradelli Chocolate Factory is also a must if you love chocolate! While they moved the factory a few years ago, they have a few machines for you to see how their chocolate is made. Here's a killer sundae that I ordered during my visit.



It was at Ghiradelli that I got an email saying that my drone was ready for pickup at Best Buy. I had finished the two-week waiting time for that particular model and I just had to rush and get it.

The next day, I picked up the Challenger and the epic road trip began. Here's a customary photo with the car.



Oh, a bunny likes the car. I wonder how it would have reacted had the engine been running



While in the US, I find Mexican food the closest to Indian cuisine (I do not prefer going to Indian places outside India). Fajitas, served with corn tortillas, rice & beans with cheese on top is my absolute favorite dish.



A holiday special marshmallow hot chocolate at IHOP.



We took off from San Francisco in the Challenger along the coast. The first real place of interest is the Monterey Bay, which serves as an entry into the Big Sur area. Make sure you go for the 17-mile drive, which offers some historic stops and picturesque views along the way. A $10 fee to enter the 17-mile drive is reimbursable at the restaurants in the area.



Another point of interest in Monterey is the Monterey Bay Aquarium. It's a wildlife conservation project, and you can spend countless hours in it. We loved the bird watching areas of the Aquarium.



I adore sea otters and would love to have one as a pet, so I got one that's closest to a pet.



I believe sea otters are the most adorable creatures in the sea. Don't agree? Stop reading this travelogue and watch this video right now!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=De8vZW8ws6o&t=65s

While the California Coast has a lot to offer in terms of beaches, we preferred visiting the less crowded ones. Monastery Beach, for instance, provided a wonderful opportunity for me to explore the features of my drone.

If you have been with me until now, I am going to share the best-kept secret of the California Coast with you. It's a small area called Partington Cove, which is a short hike right off the highway. There are no signs, but Google Maps is pretty reliable. Park your car off the shoulder on the highway, and walk down the small unmarked gate. Eventually, you will reach this small wooden tunnel.



On the other side of this tunnel is the most amazing views we saw on this trip. The day we visited, the sea was a bit rough. However, regular visitors to this area told us that they have spotted even dolphins on this cove. There is a small bench for you to sit and soak in the views. And of course, you have a drone, it may be time to take off depending on wind speed.

I am knowingly omitting Bixby Creek Bridge due to the number of tourists that you find there nowadays. Just about 5-10 miles north of Partington Cove is Nepenthe, a gift shop, coffee shop and restaurant. The mix of Greek-American cuisine, combined with the best views that you can ever hope to see in a restaurant made it a special meal. Ask for Eddy and he will show you a good time.

Another gem of a place that we wanted to visit was Pfeiffer Beach. It is again on an unmarked narrow road, which is at times not wide enough for two cars (very unlike America but reminded me of roads back home!) Unfortunately, it was high tide, and a part of the road was flooded. A scale showed us that the water level was around 7-8 inches, and I was not confident of taking the Challenger through that 10-15 metre stretch. The ground clearance of 5.2 inches would not have cleared it, and I wasn't sure if insurance would cover any damage, given I knew how deep the water was.

Right when I was reversing, a Jeep Wrangler crossed the stretch on full speed, much to my envy. I am going to return to this place the next time I visit the West Coast, and this time, I will be prepared.

Next, we took a detour off the coast to reach the Ojai valley. The Ojai Olive Oil farm runs tours for the public on various products that they make from their olive cultivation.



We tasted the variety of products and even raw olives from the branches! I also had the chance to fly some more in the area, though I had been warned that many people had lost drones earlier in the trees and on hitting power lines. I had seen too many YouTube videos to fall for these traps.

We went for a late lunch to Azu, a fine dining restaurant in Ojai. When I am not busy munching on Mexican or fast food, a barbeque chicken burger is what I look out for.



Ojai also has the largest outdoor bookstall in the US, Bart's Books. I look relieved in this photo because I seem to have found the book that I really wanted...



... Cars of the Sizzling '60s.



On a side note, you could even find a manual for the first-gen Mustang.

We also visited Libbey Park for some relaxation time. Eh... Who am I kidding? I wanted a place to fly the drone some more.

While you are banned from filming live sports events with drones in the US, empty stadiums are perfect for drone photography. We found a tennis court in Libbey Park and I knew I had to get a few of the shots I had been looking at for months!

We also made a day trip to Santa Barbara, among other nearby places. The visitor's center told us to go visit the Courthouse and take a stroll downtown on the bright sunny day. We decided to go to the opposite direction.

Here's how Stearn's Wharf looks on a busy day. You can even drive your car into the wooden pier (I wish I knew that before paying for 2-hour parking.)



When you are entering the pier, here's an innovative way to ask for money. No wonder which side you are on, you will probably want to pay this guy.



On Christmas eve, we visited the Santa Monica Pier, only to have the unhealthiest of meals during the whole trip!



We also briefly visited Solvang, a Danish settlement off the coast known for its bakeries.

In the final leg of the trip, we visited the Morro Rock beach, here's a look at it as we approached it. Strong winds on the day did not let me fly the drone



Here are a couple of sea otters getting friendly with a bird (perhaps, a sea gull?)



Just a 10 min drive from Morro Bay is the town of San Luis Obispo. Make sure you visit the bubblegum alley.

San Luis Obispo is also home to Boo Boo records, a place to get unique records and gifts. If you would like to grab a meal while at SLO, you could stop by the Firestone Grill for the best french fries that we had on the trip.

We enjoyed sunset on the town of Pismo Beach (our AirBnb was at Arroyo Grande, a 5 min drive from Pismo Beach.)



If you are in the are, make sure you also go to Avila Beach.

[vb-saan]

Thread moved out of Assembly Line. Thank you for sharing!

I recently did the California Highway 1 drive (around the same period as yours). Something like a Challenger or a Mustang would have been ideal, but with family and luggage, opted for a normal sedan - A 2019 Ford Fusion

[GTO]

Thanks for sharing! Your travelogue will be going to our homepage shortly .

California in American muscle is really something else! I recently did it in a Corvette!






IMHO, the Challenger is the best looking muscle car. Period. I prefer its styling even over the Mustang (another favourite of mine). Wanted to rent one off Turo, but somehow didn't end up having the time (although I had lots of fun in the Corvette, Cayman, Audi E-Tron, Teslas etc.).

[sdaityari]

Originally Posted by GTO

California in American muscle is really something else! I recently did it in a Corvette!

The Corvette is high up in my bucket list. I will probably try it out the next time I visit the US. The 2020 redesign looks absolutely wonderful IMHO - I am amazed by the driver focused interiors. All of that at a cost similar to the Shelby GT or Charger Hellcat - I would pick the Corvette if I have the money to buy it someday

[drkuldeep1998]

Nice travelogue sdaityari. Dodge Challenger is indeed a great car to drive. Last year when I was in USA, I got a chance to drive Dodge Charger SXT. Really enjoyed driving it but I am sure that driving a SRT Dodge Challenger with 370 hp under the hood must be a hell of an experience.

Also thanks for sharing the tips for renting out Cars in USA. These are really very helpful for someone like me who frequently visits USA.

[ts1506]

I did a Las Vegas to Los Angeles day trip with a Challenger V6 in July. Then, I drove a R/T Scat Pack again in Vegas.

Your trip just reminded me of the fabulous memories I have of this beast

Infact, the only picture I have of the Scat Pack is a head on in the parking lot. My phone slipped and got smashed, almost as if possessed by the Demon (pun very obviously intended)



The Challenger is by far the best looking and most daily-driver friendly muscle car out there. I did the road trip with 4 people on board, and they were very comfortable in the rear. I looked at a Mustang Ecoboost and Camaro, but they were far too cramped in the rear (especially the Camaro).

Bonus Tip about renting cars in US: Check if your company has tie-ups for personal rentals. I got the SXT for under 90$ for 1 day, with full CDW. I paid about 140$ for the R/T Scat Pack. Both of these are with National (25% off + free 9 extra drivers + free CDW zero deductible) My company has tie ups with National, Hertz and Avis.

[sdaityari]

Originally Posted by ts1506

Bonus Tip about renting cars in US: Check if your company has tie-ups for personal rentals. I got the SXT for under 90$ for 1 day, with full CDW. I paid about 140$ for the R/T Scat Pack. Both of these are with National (25% off + free 9 extra drivers + free CDW zero deductible) My company has tie ups with National, Hertz and Avis.

How can you typically check this? I did see the option of creating the booking as a business trip, but I didn't see change in any rates.

I work for American Express and I'm hopeful they have a tie up with someone.

[JBIBS]

That one is surely an all muscle gorgeous machine. I can connect to what you must have felt while driving it around in those roads.

BTW, on a secondary note, It may be found silly, but I am curious. I dont know it even after staying and owning a car in the USA Is it legal to photo shoot inside out of a rental car and share it in a social platform as if it was a test car ? Knowing how easy it is to sue in USA, could there be implications ?

[ts1506]

Originally Posted by sdaityari

I work for American Express and I'm hopeful they have a tie up with someone.

We have a page on our internal travel portal listing out all the hotel/flight/cars offers for personal travel.

Typically they will have a corporate booking code, which you can apply.

Check if you can find something similar, or asking HR to point you to anything relevant.

[sdaityari]

Originally Posted by JBIBS

Is it legal to photo shoot inside out of a rental car and share it in a social platform as if it was a test car ? Knowing how easy it is to sue in USA, could there be implications ?

I'm not sure but here's my line of arguement. All photos were taken in public locations and paparazzi gives this line of argument so I guess I should be fine