Cost-cutting trickles down to rental cars

From the Wall Street Journal:

Michael Klatt misses the days when rental cars were shiny and new.

In June, he rented a Ford Taurus in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., that had loose steering and stained seats. "I was literally touching it to see if it was wet," he says. The car, which had 20,000 miles on it, also had brakes that were a little wonky -- he had to push down hard on the pedal to make them work.

"Before you didn't get a car with 20,000 to 25,000 miles," the New Hill, N.C., resident and longtime Hertz customer says. "You can tell: They ride rough; they have a shimmy going down the road; the seats have stains on them. It's like rent-a-wreck."

Paula Rivera, a Hertz spokeswoman, says the company's fleet age -- typically eight to 12 months and 16,000 to 20,000 miles -- hasn't changed, and that its cars are maintained in accordance with manufacturer guidelines.