When Your Car Rental Goes Awry: Embracing the Pickup Truck Experience in Florida

I was relaxing and enjoying the spring weather in Clearwater Beach, Florida, when I learned of a health emergency in my family about 100 miles away. My first decision: drive my mother-in-law's car or rent a car? After my brief inspection, her tires were too old, not worth the risk. She told me her tires were only 3 years old, though at first glance they looked much older. The dates on all sides of the tires indicated they were about 7 years old. I did the "Penny Trick" with these tires, and legend has it that good tires don't show Lincoln's head once you place the tire between the traction. If you see any of Lincoln's head, the tires are quite worn. If you see the top of Lincoln's hair, as I did, don't drive that car. Even to a tire replacement shop. (Just a joke, that's your first priority.)

My go-to move was to go to Costco online. There, I compared price, but more so, convenience, and I opted for Enterprise Car Rental in Clearwater. With no large airport nearby, my options were indeed squeezed. I found a mid-size SUV, and learned the rental business was about 15 minutes away. My tenuous ride was supported by those old tires. Thankfully, it wasn't far away. At least by reserving, I was getting somewhere.

I arrived at Enterprise, and my first surprise was the size of the agency. It was a very small piece of property on a busy Clearwater street. I looked at the parking lot designed for 14, if not 12, vehicles, and didn't know where to park. It's so tiny, you see a GMC Yukon Denali and Chevy Silverado for rent, but when navigating that petite parking lot, you go back and forth between drive and reverse. In other words, maneuvering in this parking lot should be part of the driver's license exam. If you can handle getting out of very tight spaces in a big truck with limited visibility, you pass. How many fender benders do they see? They even squeezed in a car wash. Nice touch, but way too late, it's like putting lipstick on a pig, it ain't going to ultimately make a difference.

I wait 5 minutes before being served. She had some bad news, even though I reserved an SUV for Noon on Friday, none were available. She claimed she called and left a message, but I then immediately checked my call log, and it wasn't recorded. At this point, no cars are available, but if I wait a few minutes, a larger vehicle should be ready to rent. Eventually, a Chevy Silverado became available. Yippee! I get to drive a large truck -- something that I had not driven in 25 years. This ought to be interesting. She then gave me some bad news: it would cost an extra $8 per day for 3 days. Yippee! Apparently, corporate rules state that if you reserve a car on the same day when it’s needed, you’re not guaranteed that vehicle, and the additional charge would apply.

Because this situation was urgent and I was dropped off at Enterprise, I had very limited options, besides involving a ride-share company, to transport me to another rental car agency. I'd stay put. After that news, she mumbled something as she walked away and exited the building. About 10 minutes later, I could see a big truck dripping wet leaving the car wash. There's my baby! As we were completing the paperwork, she told me there were only 89 miles left in the tank. I looked perplexed as I had never heard of such a thing. She said, “Just bring it back with roughly the same number of miles left on the tank.” I just shrugged my shoulders and said, “Whatever.” Away I went.

The total price for the rental truck was about $350 for 3 days. I may sound old, but a year or so before COVID, I could rent a car (from the airport) for $30 to $40 per day. I know prices spiked during 2020-21due to supply chain issues, but it doesn't appear that prices have come down significantly over the last few years, even though there aren't issues with the supply chain in 2026. Sorry, I digressed.

Let's say you are desperate to get a vehicle, in a hurry, and only have a few minutes to spare. What would you prefer: for the rental car to be washed or for the gas tank to be filled? A clean truck was the last worry I had; I was at least happy that the interior was clean as well.

Getting back to my mileage dilemma, I said, “How do you handle the gas situation when it's returned?” Just try to hit that mark before the rental is returned. Ok, let’s peel the onion. My destination was about 100 miles away. I rented for three days, and each day I was going to drive roughly 20 miles. With some miscellaneous travel, it was about 300 miles. The other key scenario was what kind of mileage did this truck get on the highway versus local travel? How can I plan effectively for a vehicle that I have never rented before? I had asked her about the mileage on a Silverado, but she didn't know that number.

As I was close to reaching my destination, the “low fuel” warning had appeared, so I decided to refuel. Next question, how much fuel to add? If I fill up the large tank, I would be providing the rental agency with free gasoline. However, if I only added five or six gallons, I may have to refuel again. I decided on about 12 gallons, guessing this vehicle was not as fuel-efficient as my hybrid vehicle back home. I came back with about 150 miles left on the tank, which would not have won me any mileage guessing contests. I emphatically mentioned this on my return, and they kindly reduced my charge by $15.

It wasn't the smoothest process that I had imagined, but I went with the flow. Besides, with so many pickup trucks on Florida highways, I sort of blended in. I also realized that some motorists, with smaller vehicles, "get out of the way" when you're approaching, good to know. In fact, I was regularly teased about my truck. Some comments from friends and family were, "Can you deliver me some mulch?" or "I need my boat towed, can you help out?" All in good fun.

One more item between a digital and an analog gas gauge

How do rental agencies know when the tank is full? Because it’s not digital, it’s not an exact science. There are times when you fill up a tank and can drive 30 or more miles without the gas gauge showing any change. Some people fill up the tank a few miles from the airport to avoid an additional fee. From my experience, you could fill up the tank and still drive around for more than a few miles without an additional fee. Many people have no clue about that hack. Without a digital tank gauge, an analog gauge is nowhere near as accurate.

Title: When Your Car Rental Goes Awry: Embracing the Pickup Truck Experience in Florida