During my stay in Germany, my company has been gracious enough to give me a rental car. However, AVIS did not want me to keep one car for 3 months so that they could perform their nominal maintenance and change the tires, etc. This really wasn't a problem as I enjoy driving and want to try as many cars as possible. The timing to exchange cars couldn't have been better. I was going to be on a business trip to Copenhagen and had to be at the airport anyway. However, things didn't go as smoothly as I thought. Because I had picked up the Passat at the downtown office, I had to pay a fee for dropping it off at another location. I had also requested a smaller car because even though I loved the Passat, it always felt a little too big for the European roads.
I explained to them that my reservation was through December so I would be coming back on Sunday to pick up the new car. Apparently by turning in my first car, I cancelled the reservation. I had to call my office and ask them to rush and put in a new reservation for me so that I would have a way to get home from the airport. What a hassle this was turning into.
When I got to the AVIS counter at the airport. I asked tentatively about a reservation under my name, hoping that my company was able to get everything ready for me on time. The gentlemen behind the counter gave a big smile and shook my hand. He said he had been waiting for me to arrive and had the "eh" class ready. I thought to myself, did he say A or E class. I looked on the card listing all available cars and didn't see an E class. I didn't even know if they existed. I took a look at the picture of the A class and thought, "well I asked for small, but I didn't want this small." I decided that I would wait until the man brought the booklet and I could read the letter and if it was an A class, I would simply ask about what else they had available.
When the gentleman returned he handed me the booklet and warned me that the vehicle was a diesel and automatic. He asked if this was to my liking. I hadn't had a chance to check the letter and was about to tell him that I would prefer a manual to keep practicing my budding skill. When I saw that it was an E Class. I was a little speechless. Did they make a mistake? Were they really about to give me this car to drive? The man was asking me to sign and mentioned something about an additional fee for a young driver. I paused and told him that I had recently turned 25 so I shouldn't have the fee. He had read my birthday backward on my driver's license. Now I was flabbergasted. AVIS would let a young driver take out an E Class. Though I was almost certain this car was bigger than the Passat, I wasn't about to turn down the chance to drive such a beautiful car that wasn't available in the US.
When I went down to the garage and saw it. I immediately got really nervous. There wasn't a scratch on it anywhere. It had just been waxed so that the black paint gleamed in the light. It had a navigation system with displays both in the center dashboard and within the speedometer. CD changer, heated seats, proximity sensors, automatic lights and windshield wipers. The diesel engine was powerful with an automatic transmission and the option for clutch-less shifting. It even had the word Elegance written on the drive shaft. Needless to say I took my time driving that baby home, getting used to the handling and playing with all the buttons.
The next morning, all my co-workers were anxious to see what I had gotten. When I drove into the garage, the first words out of Alex's mouth was "Grandma". Yes, it was a luxury sedan, but they were just jealous. Other comments included, "your dad was awfully nice to let you borrow is car and "where's you sugar daddy". But we always took my car whenever we went somewhere so it couldn't have been too bad.
The next week my parents and grandparents flew over to spend Thanksgiving with me. When I pulled up at the airport and waved, they didn't wave back. They didn't recognize me in the car. When I stepped out they asked if I had gotten a limo service. I laughed and asked them why I would step out of the driver's seat if it was a limo service. When I told them my company had rented it for me they were amazed. They teased me a little about being responsible enough to drive it and then offered to take it off my hands. I laughed and said I've earned it so I'm not letting go.
Now I smile every time I walk to my car and cherish each day I get to drive it on the autobahn. I hope my little mustang back home doesn't get jealous because even though the E-Class is nice, there is only room enough for one car in my heart :-)
I explained to them that my reservation was through December so I would be coming back on Sunday to pick up the new car. Apparently by turning in my first car, I cancelled the reservation. I had to call my office and ask them to rush and put in a new reservation for me so that I would have a way to get home from the airport. What a hassle this was turning into.
When I got to the AVIS counter at the airport. I asked tentatively about a reservation under my name, hoping that my company was able to get everything ready for me on time. The gentlemen behind the counter gave a big smile and shook my hand. He said he had been waiting for me to arrive and had the "eh" class ready. I thought to myself, did he say A or E class. I looked on the card listing all available cars and didn't see an E class. I didn't even know if they existed. I took a look at the picture of the A class and thought, "well I asked for small, but I didn't want this small." I decided that I would wait until the man brought the booklet and I could read the letter and if it was an A class, I would simply ask about what else they had available.
When the gentleman returned he handed me the booklet and warned me that the vehicle was a diesel and automatic. He asked if this was to my liking. I hadn't had a chance to check the letter and was about to tell him that I would prefer a manual to keep practicing my budding skill. When I saw that it was an E Class. I was a little speechless. Did they make a mistake? Were they really about to give me this car to drive? The man was asking me to sign and mentioned something about an additional fee for a young driver. I paused and told him that I had recently turned 25 so I shouldn't have the fee. He had read my birthday backward on my driver's license. Now I was flabbergasted. AVIS would let a young driver take out an E Class. Though I was almost certain this car was bigger than the Passat, I wasn't about to turn down the chance to drive such a beautiful car that wasn't available in the US.
When I went down to the garage and saw it. I immediately got really nervous. There wasn't a scratch on it anywhere. It had just been waxed so that the black paint gleamed in the light. It had a navigation system with displays both in the center dashboard and within the speedometer. CD changer, heated seats, proximity sensors, automatic lights and windshield wipers. The diesel engine was powerful with an automatic transmission and the option for clutch-less shifting. It even had the word Elegance written on the drive shaft. Needless to say I took my time driving that baby home, getting used to the handling and playing with all the buttons.The next morning, all my co-workers were anxious to see what I had gotten. When I drove into the garage, the first words out of Alex's mouth was "Grandma". Yes, it was a luxury sedan, but they were just jealous. Other comments included, "your dad was awfully nice to let you borrow is car and "where's you sugar daddy". But we always took my car whenever we went somewhere so it couldn't have been too bad.
The next week my parents and grandparents flew over to spend Thanksgiving with me. When I pulled up at the airport and waved, they didn't wave back. They didn't recognize me in the car. When I stepped out they asked if I had gotten a limo service. I laughed and asked them why I would step out of the driver's seat if it was a limo service. When I told them my company had rented it for me they were amazed. They teased me a little about being responsible enough to drive it and then offered to take it off my hands. I laughed and said I've earned it so I'm not letting go.
Now I smile every time I walk to my car and cherish each day I get to drive it on the autobahn. I hope my little mustang back home doesn't get jealous because even though the E-Class is nice, there is only room enough for one car in my heart :-)
1 comment:
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