Thrifty Car Rental

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. Thrifty may have the best name of all. People who manage money well are thrifty. 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 . Later it was paired with another auto rental business called Dollar. With one of the best known brands in the world, Thrifty continues to be tops in the car rental industry. Chrysler, Dodge and Jeep cars make up its fleet.

Thrifty does some other things outside car renting. Thrifty sells cars that outlive their rental use. People use these cars for short stints, so many think they’re abused. Most of the cars are treated well, however. 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. Long term parking offers low cost, safe lots for people who need to park their vehicles while traveling. Thrifty lots are somewhere near almost every airport in the world.

Here’s some more Thrifty history. When Volkswagen Beetles first came to America they made a deal with Thrifty to rent them to help introduce them to the public. The Beetle cost $6 a day to rent. In the wild and wacky 60’s Thrifty took advantage of the general playboy mentality with Miss Thrifty. She was a young, good looking woman who would shuttle customers to Thrifty’s facilities near the airport. Perhaps most interesting of all was Miss Thrifty wore Scottish plaid.

It’s not joke, is Thrifty car rental. But it has a weird and wild side also. Maybe they’ll offer a free upgrade if you don a kilt.