mtberman Posted November 27, 2012 Report Share Posted November 27, 2012 I was at a meeting between Denver and Boulder 2 weeks ago and spotted a black SEL. I'd sort of forgotten about the C Max since seeing it at the NAIAS in January, so seeing it "in the wild" sort of caught me off guard. I took a closer look and noticed it had rental car stickers on it. The paperwork was on the seat but I couldn't tell where they rented it. Probably Budget. I know they often build and sell early production cars for fleets, and there are already a few used rental return for sale out there. But still, it seemed a little strange to see one as a rental. Regardless of how/why the car got there, seeing it got me interested. Good marketing move on their part. I couldn't stop thinking about the car and went for several test drives over the last ten days or so. I was convinced it would be like the Priuses and Camry Hybrids that we have in our motor pool at work, but I was wrong. C Max is significantly more powerful, quieter, and better handling IMO. Ordered one last Saturday. RachelnLa and FoutsNC 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
darrelld Posted November 27, 2012 Report Share Posted November 27, 2012 I was at a meeting between Denver and Boulder 2 weeks ago and spotted a black SEL. I'd sort of forgotten about the C Max since seeing it at the NAIAS in January, so seeing it "in the wild" sort of caught me off guard. I took a closer look and noticed it had rental car stickers on it. The paperwork was on the seat but I couldn't tell where they rented it. Probably Budget. I know they often build and sell early production cars for fleets, and there are already a few used rental return for sale out there. But still, it seemed a little strange to see one as a rental. Regardless of how/why the car got there, seeing it got me interested. Good marketing move on their part. I couldn't stop thinking about the car and went for several test drives over the last ten days or so. I was convinced it would be like the Priuses and Camry Hybrids that we have in our motor pool at work, but I was wrong. C Max is significantly more powerful, quieter, and better handling IMO. Ordered one last Saturday. You keeping the Q5? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mtberman Posted November 28, 2012 Author Report Share Posted November 28, 2012 You keeping the Q5? No I'm trading it. The Q5 has great resale. We have another Audi. If I'm feeling like I need to show off, I can drive that. I owe money on the Q5, almost $12,000. This will be a tax free swap and I'll walk away owing way less than $5000. Surprisingly, I discovered that The C Max is actually about the same size as the Q5. Just a few inches shorter and a couple inches lower. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
darrelld Posted November 28, 2012 Report Share Posted November 28, 2012 No I'm trading it. The Q5 has great resale. We have another Audi. If I'm feeling like I need to show off, I can drive that. I owe money on the Q5, almost $12,000. This will be a tax free swap and I'll walk away owing way less than $5000. Surprisingly, I discovered that The C Max is actually about the same size as the Q5. Just a few inches shorter and a couple inches lower.One one of my coworkers has a 2.0 Q5 and I noticed what you said about the space. He went for a ride in my C-Max and liked it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mtberman Posted November 28, 2012 Author Report Share Posted November 28, 2012 One one of my coworkers has a 2.0 Q5 and I noticed what you said about the space. He went for a ride in my C-Max and liked it. Interesting. They seem like totally different cars, but a side-by-side comparison revealed them to be strikingly similar in size and practicality. What struck me most (and the reason I took four, yes four, test drives before making this decision) was the ride. The C Max is actually smoother and quieter IMO, and turns in about the same. The Audi surpasses it on ultimate grip, but a lot of that may be the tires. All in all, an unlikely comparison. Unfortunately, I will be giving up a pretty fine interior and a great driving experience. And of course the C Max is not exactly a status symbol. We're calling it The Potato. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laurel Posted November 28, 2012 Report Share Posted November 28, 2012 I like your car's name "The Potato". I'm calling mine TIP (short for The Ice Princess). My husband refused to drive PIckle, my Smart Car, as he felt too cramped and the vision for him was poor as he is tall. When TIP arrives, maybe next week, I am hoping he will love driving her and perhaps we can sell his Lexus GX 460 as it is huge and guzzles gas. I think TIP will have enough technology to keep him happy and I think since we are retired we can manage with one car. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
darrelld Posted November 28, 2012 Report Share Posted November 28, 2012 (edited) Interesting. They seem like totally different cars, but a side-by-side comparison revealed them to be strikingly similar in size and practicality. What struck me most (and the reason I took four, yes four, test drives before making this decision) was the ride. The C Max is actually smoother and quieter IMO, and turns in about the same. The Audi surpasses it on ultimate grip, but a lot of that may be the tires. All in all, an unlikely comparison. Unfortunately, I will be giving up a pretty fine interior and a great driving experience. And of course the C Max is not exactly a status symbol. We're calling it The Potato. Hard to beat Audi/VW handling. The only thing the wife misses about the Mark V Jetta TDI was the handling, but the C-Max is not bad. I'm sure the tires are a big factor and on our other cars I have switched the stocks for Michelin MXM4's. Best tire I have found for combining FE with skidpad tradeoffs. Edited November 28, 2012 by darrelld Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dtorres Posted November 28, 2012 Report Share Posted November 28, 2012 Because of the large front grills my family calls my C-Max "The Screaming Potato". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mtberman Posted November 30, 2012 Author Report Share Posted November 30, 2012 HA HA HA "The Screaming Potato". That's even better. Because of the large front grills my family calls my C-Max "The Screaming Potato". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bergenwoods Posted November 30, 2012 Report Share Posted November 30, 2012 Laurel, my wife and I are also retired, and we are going to become a 1-car couple soon. It's a little scary giving up a degree of mobility. It will require more planning and cooperation. It's worth it, though, since we can't justify 2 cars economically nor ecologically. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
salsaguy Posted May 4, 2013 Report Share Posted May 4, 2013 (edited) If you find out whos renting the cmax let me know. i called Every rental agency this week and NO ONE has them for rent yet. wanted to take one for 3 days on our anniversary trip down to San Diego in 2 weeks in May but no go. I even had Ford call around to all their expert contacts and nope he said no rentals. sucks since that would really help sell them even faster..we want to get an SEL hybrid but need to be sure the wife will like driving the hybrid (first for us) Edited May 4, 2013 by salsaguy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScubaDadMiami Posted May 4, 2013 Report Share Posted May 4, 2013 You can rent one; I did. Contact Budget. Call your local Budget, not the 800 number. Explain to them that you are local, and you want to rent a CMAX (not a CMAX or similar). Let them know that you are flexible with dates, and that you are not renting as would a tourist that has specific dates needed. It may take them a little time to move the car from another location. That's why you need to be flexible on dates. Now, I am not sure that this next thing I am going to say is true or not. However, if this helps, it is easy to do. So, I did this: The guy from the local Budget told me that, if you join their program (I think that it's called FastBreak) online, and you call the local Budget, you can ask to speak to the FastBreak Rapid Res representative for their local agency, and you are moved into a reservation priority category. Another Budget person denied this. However, it costs nothing to join their program, and maybe it will help. So, I joined. Anyway, I did a 24 hour test drive, which I think ended out costing around $100, or just under that. (They charge more for specialty cars.) I placed my purchase order the next day. Hope this helps. salsaguy 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
salsaguy Posted May 5, 2013 Report Share Posted May 5, 2013 (edited) I signed up for Budget today and will try and add the FastBreak option as well and see how that goes.Just hope this is not just in Miami where you are. They may only have the CMax in certain areas, like high tourist areas like Miami. Crossing fingers $100-$150 for a few days is worth it when you will own the car 5-7 yrs and want to be sure. Edited May 5, 2013 by salsaguy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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