Car rentals

I can't figure out car rental companies. They're all essentially the
same, because they have the exact same poorly designed cars, and really
the only difference is the price at which each company will rent to you.

When we flew into lax a few trips ago, we rented from this company
called fox, because they had some different cars, including hybrid cars,
which is what we wanted to drive. Great. Except that this time we flew
into long beach and they didn't have any hybrids at that location.

So then I checked around to see if I could rent anything that might not
guzzle gas and feel like it could fall apart at any moment. No luck,
unless we wanted to rent a mazda Miata from hertz for $479 for five
days. Not since the mid-80's has the miata been so special that it
should command such a premium.

Glumly, I looked at the line of regular cars. I found that the Chevy
cobalt was listed by some companies as an economy car, by some as
compact, and by some as midsize. So I rented one of those at the
cheapest level.

Or so I thought. When we came off the tarmsc at long beach and walked
across the street to the rental offices -- really just two double-wides
stick together -- we found that indeed they didn't have our car, but
instead have is an "upgrade" to a Pontiac grand prix. As if gas were
still a dollar a gallon.

Now how can I go and reserve a car -- "reserve" in my limited knowledge
of English meaning to make arrangements to have the company set aside
one unit for my use a I'm going to the trouble of seeing to it ahead of
time -- and show up and have them tell me it's not there? Is their
database so bad that they can't track inventory?

There is in other words a temendous opportunity out there for someone
who is willing to stock offbeat cars and implement basic inventory and
customer service practices.

That being said, the car hasn't fallen apart yet, but the doors are so
heavy you could get killed by closing one on yourself.