In an earlier post, I described buying a car from Hertz Car Sales after searching for a vehicle with “plush back seats for the kids’ booster seats or parental intercourse (and) high safety ratings because angry white men in large pickup trucks aggressively ride my bumper.” I ended up buying a 2016 Volkswagen Passat, which, 18 months later, has yet to give me a single problem and still looks new on those rare occasions that I actually wash it.

I returned to Hertz Car Sales (Cincinnati) last week to help my dad find a car. He was looking for something roomy and comfortable with low miles. Of course, being that old school brothas like to show out, he also wanted something with a bit of luxury and style. Inexpensive, somewhere around $10,000, was also ideal.

Here’s the issue: Most of the cars that Hertz sales are standard rental cars with few frills. They do have some luxury rides—Mercedes, Cadillac, Infiniti, and even the occasional Range Rover—but they’re newer models and still cost a premium (though typically $2,000 less than the Kelley Blue Book price). 

Fortunately, we lucked out on a 2013 Volkswagen CC. Yeah, I had never heard of it either. According to my mechanic friend, “It’s an Audi A6 without the nameplate.” It had heated leather seats (power), Bluetooth, a 7-inch touchscreen, HID headlights, a one-year warranty, and looked like it should be used to chauffeur a diplomat. Most importantly, it only had 31,000 miles and was listed at just $11,390, minus an additional $350 because we used their online promo code: HCSLOYAL.

The buying process was simple. Unlike most car dealerships, all the vehicles at Hertz are priced as listed and there’s “no haggle.” There’s no salesman in ill-fitting khakis trying to upsell you warranties and other stuff you don’t need. I was in and out of there in about an hour. 

Anyhow, if you’re frugal like me and demand value when purchasing an depreciating asset, Hertz is your place. So far. If not I’m sure my dad will be right back down there returning the car.

-Dewan Gibson