It Wasn't Me...Honest!

I was not responsible for this headline:

Shooting at California Car Rental Kills 2

But I could have been.

We're leaving for Northern California in the morning - I think this is my 24th trip since my daughter first went to college up there - and as I often do I picked up a rental car this morning for the trip. Rates are pretty cheap and I'd rather put the 1,200 miles on their car then mine.

I had reserved a full size car but they didn't have any at the time, so they gave me a brand new Dodge Journey crossover instead. It had only 476 miles on it.

I had to go up to Santa Ana on an errand, and when I started the car up in Santa Ana I heard a funny ticking sound. I didn't think much of it until a mile or so later the check engine light came on. After one more quick stop I started the car again and a roaring sound started up under the hood that sounded like the engine was trying to tear itself apart. I spent the next hour or so waiting for a tow truck to pick up the car and take me to another office of the same rental company.

There they gave me the only car they had - a Ford Focus. What a piece of junk. Definitely a low budget car. I drove that back to the rental office in Mission Viejo and asked them to give me something else. Now I have a Kia Sportage and I think this one will work.

I didn't mention the rental company in all of this because frankly, they did the very best for me they could under the circumstances and I don't want to imply that they're an inferior brand. They just had a couple of problem cars.