This week, I’m going to be able to escape the plunging temperatures of my Illinois home for somewhere much warmer and — definitely presently — richer in car culture. That’s right, I’m headed back to Los Angeles, California! I’ll need some way to get around when I’m there, and I’ve decided to give Turo a try. But I’m overwhelmed with all of the available cars, and need your help. What’s the silliest, yet most fun car that I should rent?
I’m actually sort of amazed that I’ve never used Turo before. In fact, I can count on one hand how many times I’ve even rented a car, period. U-Hauls? Oh yeah, I’ve lost track of how many old GMC C6500 trucks I’ve driven. But the last rental car that I’ve paid my own money for was a base model Toyota Corolla so I could drive into Johnson Valley to rip across the desert in a Can-Am Maverick. And that was almost a year ago!
What originally spurred this trip wasn’t something fun; I am to accompany my wife for some serious business. However, her business won’t take up the entire time that we will be there. So we are using this time as a sort of impromptu honeymoon. We’ve apparently been so busy that we’ve forgotten that whole part of marriage! That means that I’ll have some time to show her around Los Angeles and maybe some surrounding areas. Sheryl has never been to Los Angeles before, so I’m excited to explore with her. Honestly, I’m just excited to be away from Illinois, where the weather forecast has been calling for snow or negative temperatures. Hard pass. And to go exploring, we should get some sort of vehicle. Here’s my chance to pilot something that I haven’t driven before.
If you haven’t used Turo before, I’ll explain. Turo is a platform that works like Airbnb where regular people can rent vehicles to other regular people. It seems that the upshot of renting from Turo is not having to deal with boring airport rental cars or the boring airport rental process. Instead, there’s a whole library of exciting vehicles at your fingertips. Some of you are already priming your keyboards to type “rent a motorcycle!” As our resident winter-riding, scooter-off-roading daredevil motorcycle weirdo I have considered that. There’s even a sort of motorcycle “Turo” called Riders Share and the bikes appear to be dirt-cheap! But we think we want at least three wheels this time around. My goal for next year is to get my wife on two wheels so she can join me on her own machine. But that’s fine because that leaves us a whole world of wonderful vehicles to propel us around the state where you never find a dancefloor empty.
Before we continue I should give you some basic requirements and some context. It looks like we’ll be experiencing some warm 70-degree temperatures by day and high 40s at night. To my corn-fed hardened Midwestern body, that’s summer! So I have this idea to get something with a drop-top, or perhaps no roof at all. Sheryl also likes the idea of a drop-top, but she gets cold far sooner than I do, so we’re not sure. The other factor to consider is price. I don’t want to spend more than $125 a day. Alright, let’s have some fun and rent someone else’s car!
What should we rent? To give you an idea of where our heads are at, here’s what we’ve been considering:
Polaris Slingshot – $53-$125/Day
This is something that I’ve always wanted to drive. The Polaris Slingshot is neither a car nor is it a motorcycle. And it’s not like the ElectraMeccanica in being a three-wheeled vehicle that tries to be a car. Instead, it’s a wild plaything that I’ve seen people having lots of fun in. And I’ve seen others decked out in underglow, huge wheels, massive speakers, and custom artwork. It seems that a Slingshot is an experience. In this $53 a day Slingshot SL, there’s a 2.0-liter four making 178 HP and driving the rear wheel through an automatic, though there are also manual versions that are on Turo. Paying more seems to bump you up to the Slingshot R, which gets you to 203 HP. The Slingshot sounds like my kind of silly!
Smart Fortwo – $28-$32/Day
As a cheapskate, I have to admit that being able to rent a second-generation Smart Fortwo for just $28 a day or a third-generation for just $32 a day is alluring. Sure, I know these cars inside and out, so I won’t be trying anything new. I’ve even driven a Smart in Los Angeles, so it won’t even be driving a familiar car in a new place. But those prices are so cheap! And I could even find one in convertible form for $36 a day.
Tesla Model S – $49-$125/Day
I’ve always wanted to try a Tesla, and here’s a chance to do it! The list of Teslas on Turo is vast, and it seems that I could try anything from an early Model S to one built this year and still be within my price range. Looking at the various Model S on Turo, features range from getting one with a yoke, dual motors, or a custom wrap. Heck, there’s someone renting one out and advertising Full Self Driving Beta. And all of those are in my price range. There’s also a Model S 100D for $92 a day with a 335-mile range from a 100 kWh battery and a 4.1-second acceleration time to 60 mph. These Teslas seem to offer a lot of bang for the buck! Though, we will miss out on that drop-top experience.
Vanderhall Venice – $72-$117/Day
This is a similar idea to the Slingshot, but with a different drive and different body. I’ve always seen these as a sort of retro-futuristic take on the Morgan 3 Wheeler formula. Vanderhalls have a vintage-style cockpit, but bodies that look like they come from the future. Once again, we’re dealing with a vehicle without a ton of weather protection, but maybe maximum fun? The one above is just $87 a day.
Matt Hardigree says that in a TV show where a truck pulling a BBQ pit was getting raced, a Vanderhall turned out to be the most dangerous vehicle. That’s only threatening me with a good time. Unlike the Polaris Slingshot, Vanderhalls drive their front wheels instead of the single rear. Power comes from a GM Ecotec LFV 1.5-liter turbo four making 194 HP transmitted through an auto. This is one that readers have recommended that I take a spin around in and it’s another that I’ve been wanting to play with for a while.
Chevrolet Corvette – $50-$127/Day
One of my all-time bucket list cars is a Corvette. Heck, I’ll take a number of Corvettes! Turo seemingly delivers nearly as many Corvettes as it does Teslas and that’s exciting. In my price range, I can get everything from a base model C7 all of the way up to the C8, and yes, even convertibles. For just $89 a day I could get a C7 convertible. That one has a 6.2-liter V8 making 455 HP and of course, no roof to get in the way of that soundtrack.
Then, check this out, you could get a C8 for as low as $113 a day! There are a ton of Corvettes available for honestly really affordable money. I’ve never even driven a ‘Vette so these are in serious consideration.
And then there’s a whole list of other cars that I’ve wanted to try like the current-generation Mazda Miata, Fiat 500 Abarth, or heck, there are even a few BMW i8s in my price range.
You’ll notice that there aren’t any Sheryl picks here, and there’s a good explanation for that. Her bucket list is full of cars from the 1990s and unpopular cars from the mid-2000s. Unsurprisingly, I haven’t found a single Subaru B9 Tribeca in this area on Turo, and I certainly haven’t found an Oldsmobile LSS or Pontiac Bonneville SSEI, either. She’s also interested in playing around with a Nissan Z car, and sadly there are none of those currently on the site, either. Disappointed, I asked Sheryl for even more picks, and her choices were a bunch of 2000s Pontiacs, a Ford Excursion, a first-generation Dodge Dakota, a Chevy HHR SS, and a first-generation Lexus LS 400. Well, none of those are present, either, and neither was the Mazdaspeed3 that she asked for.
Though just one of her bucket list cars has made an appearance, and it’s a Dodge Challenger Scat Pack! This one sounds nice for $85 a day, with its 485 HP 6.4-liter V8 and its gorgeous paint.
[Sheryl’s Note: What can I say? I have a thing for absurd vehicles, especially late ’90s front-wheel-drive H-body sedans and coupes with the supercharged Buick 3800 (best engine ever made) V6. But give me a first-generation Lexus LS 400 and I will daily that thing until the end of time. Oh, and when I was a little girl, the sixth-generation Nissan Maxima and the 350Z were my dream cars. They still are, really. I’m a sucker for a great V6, and next to the 3800 the VQ35 is the best ever made. So there. Also, I said Shelby Dakota!]
Right now, the vehicles tugging on our hearts the most are the Vanderhalls, the Corvettes, and that Challenger Scat Pack. But here is where I leave it to you, dear readers. What fun cars are we missing? And, are roofless cars even a good idea when low temperatures are under 50 degrees. I’m excited to see what you suggest!
(All Photos: Turo Hosts)
If you have a chance, I suggest you check out South OC Cars & Coffee in San Clemente. It’ll be a hike from LA, but I think it’s worth it.
Advice on Turo: I rented a mustang GT in Socal on a trip and it was great. When I returned it, I was hit with a $75 cleaning fee right away for a dusting of sand left in the trunk. Way less than any rational person would worry about. After that a dispute was opened on a couple scratches left on the side of the car. They absolutely did not happen on my watch. Anyway, I was found liable but jeez I felt like the Turo experience was like 10x worse than any car rental scenario. Obviously I was using someones baby, which I get! But boy did they make life horrible for that.
I used turo the first time I went out to LA in 2018, and rented a model 3, which was really new at the time.
It was my first experience driving a Tesla, and it was awesome. If you haven’t tried one yet, LA is the place to dive in, superchargers are plentiful and the instant torque makes dealing with the traffic a ‘cheat mode’.
Rent the Slingshot and tell me why I would ever want one over a Miata. That is all I can think about when I see those things – “It’s not a motorcycle. It may as well just have 4 wheels. Just get a Miata, people!”.
No to the Challenger merely based on the fact that the owner didn’t remove all of the packaging. F* splitter guards.
Avoid the Slingshot or Vanderhall if you are going to be doing anything other than just a cruise around. While they are fun, they are impractical. They rent them a lot on the Gulf Coast and you see people out cruising in them during the summer. Not sure I would want on in LA. As mentioned, it is a stinky town and the weather is going to be cool at night. It is more of a summer thing, unless y’all are bringing your riding leathers.
I would say that the C8 would be a good option if you want to drop the top on occasion, It is a Targa with automatic deployment, so it would button up nicely for those slow in town cruises and/or chilly nights, but could be easily stowed for a drive up the PCH or other nice cruises outside of the city.
I can’t speak for the experience of renting a Slingshot in LA, but I used Turo to rent one in New Hampshire, and had a blast. We had a newer one, manual, and took it all over the state in a weekend. You will likely want a tight hat (if not a helmet) and a sweatshirt if you’ll be on a highway, and maybe some glasses. But my wife loved it too, and we just smiled the whole time. I’d imagine driving along the ocean in California would be fun.
I will call out that there are only two small behind-seat “Trunks,” which have a chintzy lock, and that is pretty much it for storage space. So you have to pack lightly, and in a soft-bag.
But it was so a fun time, and the lack of a roof was a blast.
I think that BMW i8 looks like a ton of fun, but I also agree with Patrick that a nice Mercedes would be a very comfortable place in which to sit in traffic. There’s a nice S-class in the LA listings for just $101 per day. But if you haven’t driven one yet, and if you don’t have any long trips planned, try out a Fiat 500e for <$50 a day!
BTW, I use Turo a lot and I love it. It's a great way to try out different cars that you might be interested in buying one day and it's virtually hassle-free. It's WAY better than any traditional rental company (although that's a very low bar).
I have lived in LA my entire life and the most fun I have had driving was my FIAT 500 Abarth. Its great cause its quick and small enough to sneak in openings in traffic, its also a fucking blast in the canyons, and you can get a drop top if you want!
How much to rent a Nash Metropolitan in LA? That’s the cat’s pajamas right there.
You will hate the vanderhall. Or at least I did. I went to a demo day at the local dealer strongly considering a purchase, and hated every minute. Torque steer like you wouldn’t believe, terrible steering because for some dumb reason they left the same power steering system on it as is on the engine in the spark, so with half the weight it’s just terrible, and the transmission acts like an angsty teenager every time you expect it to shift. It looks at you, rolls it’s eyes, then about 3 days later finally shifts. Manual mode just made it more obvious.
Of those on your list, I would be most interested in hearing your thoughts about the i8.
I daily drive a Fiat 124 in L.A. and it is the most fun I’ve ever had driving a car. It’s basically a turbo Miata in an Italian suit. If there is one available, I would recommend.
Before I saw the price constraints I was going to suggest an R8. I am 98.5% sure I would enjoy reading your review of a supercar given how you write about the vehicles you own. I don’t think you’d be so impressed by power that you would pull any punches telling us what it’s like to live with one for a few days.
Mercedes shame shame shame!
1. Your cars have a suspiciously wide price range. Convenient. Lies.
2. You didnt provide the itinerary of your trip. Lies lies!
3. Sheryl puts up with your car fetish, is okay with you buying way to many vehicles. Okay with you buying crappy vehicles. You should honor her Challenger Scat Pack because its a better car than any car you suggested and she puts up with your car fetish. Get the Scat Pack and tell her you love her. Also it is the best car
I’m surprised you couldn’t either get a press car or Beau to hook you up (even if the latter would just mean a lease-return Ecosport). And there’s always David’s Met…But I guess renting from Turo means driving something interesting and getting an article from it, which makes it a business expense.
Depending on how frictionless the rental experience is, why not horses for courses? A Slingshot for the PCH and the canyon roads, a Smart for DTLA and Hollywood visits where you may need to park on the street, a Tesla for cruising the SoCal sprawl…
“Horses for courses” sounds like a GREAT idea. With two drivers, they can rent a cheap vanilla car for the whole week and save delivery fees by using it to pick up a grip of one-day fun toys!
I rented a Slingshot once. Driving it reminded me a lot of an AP2 S2000 except built by a high school shop class. They are incredibly overrated.
Plus, in either the Slingshot or the Vanderhall, the low side entry sills and lack of weather protection will severely limit your parking options in downtown L.A., (unless you’re ok with finding someone taking their afternoon heroin nap in your driver’s seat.)
I’m thinking go with a C6 or C7 convert with a manual to maximize your fun.
I mentioned this in Autopian Slack, but to me, the ultimate LA car is the R107 Mercedes SL.
Not fast and not a handler, but you won’t need any of that on LA’s clogged freeways. You will, however, look far more stylish than anybody else on the road. Put the top down and enjoy that sunny, warm December weather! I wish I could here in NY…
Seconded (I have one). And the 5.6L V8 will still pass and merge more quickly than 80%+ of all the cars on the road if you ask nicely.
Most beautiful car ever made and that’s not even close.
Also 11mpg on a good day, and a 22-gal tank of premium means fillups are frequent and expensive. Worth it.
I love those old sleds. They just ooze class.
I’d say a good droptop Corvette makes the most sense out of that list. You won’t want to be exposed to the elements all the time in LA, and I don’t just mean cold nights and potential rainstorms. It’s a stinky town; you’ll spend a lot of time breathing in everyone else’s exhaust fumes if you have no roof to put up. If you want to get a Slingshot for a day just to see what it’s like, then go for it, but for actually exploring around, you’ll want something more substantial, and capable of creating its own interior climate. Put the top down for cruising PCH, put it up when you’re stuck in traffic on the 405.
Yeah, that C7 seems like the pick to click. Handsome, safe and practical, with the engine in front where it should be (jk jk).