Sample s firm, which has worked with royals, famous singers and casino whales, will deliver a $900-p

CBS2 / KCAL9 CBS2/KCAL9 is part of CBS Television Stations, small luxury cruises a division of CBS Corp. and one of the largest network-owned station groups in the country. CBS Studio City Broadcast Center 4200 Radford Avenue Studio City, CA [ ] KNX 1070 NEWSRADIO KNX 1070 NEWSRADIO is Southern California’s only all-news radio station and the most credible local source for news coverage. KNX 1070 is one of the most respected and honored stations in the nation and has [ ]
In the past few years, some of the biggest car rental companies have added the finest cars money can buy to their fleets. Alongside the practical Toyotas and Fords are Ferraris, Lamborghinis, small luxury cruises Bentleys, Aston Martins and Teslas, to name a few.
We try to sell a lifestyle, not just an exotic vehicle, said Vince Sample, location manager for Beverly Hills Rent A Car in Las Vegas. And it s one that wows: People stop and stare. They ask, Can I take a picture? They want to see if it s someone famous.
Sample s firm, which has worked with royals, famous singers and casino whales, will deliver a $900-per-day candy apple red Ferrari California or a $2,200-per-day Rolls-Royce Wraith directly to the customer. There s no license small luxury cruises plate frame to mark it as a rental. He will even take off the dealership small luxury cruises s keychain so customers feel it s totally theirs.
As the recession fades to a memory, independent rental companies in flashy cities such as Los Angeles, Las Vegas and Miami Beach aren t the only ones offering the high-end rides. The big firms are doing it, too, and in places less known for glamour.
Last summer, Hertz launched its Dream Cars line in 35 locations, including Pittsburgh and Milwaukee. Enterprise s Exotic Collection, which launched in Southern California, operates in 13 locations and is planning to open West Hollywood and Atlanta branches later this spring. Budget offers a range of BMWs and American sports cars in its Street Fleet and Avis has similar selection in its Signature Series, although small luxury cruises the finest vehicles are found in the Avis Prestige collection in Europe.
Sharon Faulkner, executive director small luxury cruises of the American Car Rental Association, said the growth in the upscale rental market differs from years past because it s no longer limited to beach and tourist towns.
Enterprise s move into the exotics market in 2006 came as customers started asking for more rarified vehicles ones beyond the realm of the company s existing luxury collection of Lincolns and Cadillacs. Last year, the number of rental days within the exotic collection small luxury cruises jumped 50 percent, according to Steve Short, Enterprise s vice president of leisure business development.
When Hertz was scoping out the market for its Dream Cars, it analyzed registration data to determine which cars consumers were driving in different parts of the country, according to spokeswoman Paula Rivera.
The company stocked stores to reflect regional tastes: California small luxury cruises customers are more likely to pick showy convertibles, whereas patrons in the heartland prefer more subtle indulgences. Hertz launched the program during a shaky recovery, calculating that demand among the wealthy would remain steady no matter the economic tide.
The day-to-day consumer will mirror what s going on in the economy, Rivera said. When you look at the really high-end luxury travel markets, small luxury cruises it s always tended to be fairly resilient, and that s been one of the deciding factors.
Customers for the high-end automobiles include Douglas Weil, a Southern California businessman who rents from Enterprise s Exotic Collection about once a month and tends to choose Mercedes, Audis and BMWs.
Manufacturers have been supportive of the exotic rentals, Short said, because they re a chance to introduce small luxury cruises new models to well-heeled potential buyers. Some customers view a high-end rental as an extended test drive a small investment to make before sinking hundreds of thousands of dollars into a car.
When you get into a test drive, it s short, you re excited, small luxury cruises it smells good, you re not thinking of everything you need to be thinking about it, Faulkner said. If you can spend a weekend small luxury cruises with it, you get a much better small luxury cruises idea of if it s the car for me.
For rental companies, the exotics sector requires small luxury cruises an extra level of care. Businesses do more extensive detailing on the vehicles, drop them off at the customer small luxury cruises s doorstep at odd hours and require large deposits or an insurance plan fit to replace a car the price of a house.