Car rental companies have some interesting names. Names like Budget and Dollar give renters the impression of low cost, a great deal, while names like Enterprise engender smart business. But no name is better than that of Thrifty car rental. Thrifty, as a word, is the ultimate in wise money decisions. So when people are looking for cars to rent, there’s no better decision than to save money, spend it wisely and only when necessary. In other words, to be thrifty.
Thrifty began in the car rental business way back in 1958. It offered stock in the 1980′s before being purchased by Chrysler in 1989. It was later combined with Dollar, another car rental company. Thrifty operates today as one of the largest car rental companies and one of the best known brand names in the world. The majority of its fleet is, as expected, Chrysler cars including both Dodge and Jeep.
Thrifty operates some other car related businesses. As many other rental companies, Thrifty sells its rental cars after their time of service as rentals is complete. The first impression of such cars is they would be in bad shape, long abused by people who only drive them for a short time. While some cars are abused, the majority of the vehicles from a rental fleet like Thrifty’s are well cared for. They receive all the scheduled maintenance, unlike many used cars at dealerships that come from private customers who are lax on such care. Furthermore, penalties for damage encourage rental car drivers to take extra special care of the car while in their charge. Thus, cars sold by rental companies tend to be in better overall condition than used cars from private owners.
Another business Thrifty operates is long term airport parking. Travelers who drive to the airport often need a safe place to keep their car while they’re out of town. Long term parking offers this facility at a reasonable price. Thrifty operates these facilities at airports all around the world.
Back to the history of Thrifty, there are some pretty interesting aspects. Thrifty originally rented Volkswagen Beetles at a time when they weren’t too common in the United States. The rental cost for a Beetle was $6. In the wild and wacky 60′s Thrifty took advantage of the general playboy mentality with Miss Thrifty. This was a lady, usually young and pretty, who would drive customers to Thrifty’s off airport facilities. Perhaps most interesting of all was Miss Thrifty wore Scottish plaid.
Thrifty car rental is a serious subject. But as with many companies it has its quirky side too. Maybe wear a little plaid next time you rent from Thrifty. Maybe they’ll offer a rental discount.
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