TTAC Commentator thirty-three writes:
Hi Sajeev,
Not sure if this fits into your usual line of questions, but I’m looking for suggestions on renting a car for my upcoming wedding. My problem is that here in Vancouver, BC, I can’t find anyone who rents premium vehicles like a Benz or a Jaguar.
Really expensive cars are available (e.g. Ferraris, Maseratis), but I just want a luxury sedan that will seat 5 comfortably. I only need it for one of the five days. Yes, it is an Indian wedding.
Thanks!
Sajeev answers:
Are you sure about that?
But here’s the real question: why can’t I be okay with renting a limo like every other wedding?
What makes your wedding so special?
Well for starters, it’s your wedding. And many Indian communities (especially in wealthy cities with large Indian populations) demand a big deal from their ceremonies. It’s an obligation to friends, family and the community. Special events, top drawer venues, open bars everywhere, international guests, 1000+ attendees for the reception, etc. So wanting a nice car, especially when making a show for family members that care about such things, isn’t really a big deal…right?
WRONG SON: I demand you rent a Lincoln Town Car limo.
How dare you consider true love sans riding in Panther Love?
Even more off-topic: I do not understand the cash sucking, humility negating one-upmanship present in many weddings, especially those of my people. I’m (admittedly) a horrible Indian when it comes to ceremonies, but I digress…your problem has two easy solutions:
- Buy a used “premium vehicle” and sell it in 2-3 months. That shows far more commitment to our ceremonies, too! Why, you could have one of those 2+ week ceremonies with the keys to a premium machine in your pocket!
- Embrace Panther Love and rent a Town Car Limo. Or an Escalade/Navigator limo if all else fails. Just don’t let me catch you in some abomination like an MKT: Vishnu (or whatever religion applies here) would like, totally, disapprove!
The perpetually single guy demands you rent a Limo, hopefully with white wheels. Off to you, Best and Brightest!
[Image: Shutterstock user noraismail]
Send your queries to sajeev@thetruthaboutcars.
Rent the limo, let them do the driving while you and your party party it up in the back.
For my Panther love tribute, I was able to track down a company that still ran a mint condition Fat Panther Town Car limo for my wedding when everyone else had switched to the skinnies. Swanky.
Good man!
Sajeev, I am disappointed in you my man. The reason the limo does not work is something I think the OP probably forgot to mention. Of the 30 or so Indian weddings i have attended the tradition in most is to deck out the car with a crap load of flower garlands. How many limo companies are going to let you do that? I think the best solution is to get a luxury car from the “fancy car” collections that some of the big rental companies have.
In a city like Vancouver I find it hard to believe getting a luxury car rental can be that hard. But I have never been to Canada.
“Of the 30 or so Indian weddings i have attended the tradition in most is to deck out the car with a crap load of flower garlands.”
I find it hard to believe that garlands locked by the pressure of closed hoods/doors/windows can’t accomplish this.
Obviously call the Limo company first, but even if festooning a limo with flowers poses a serious threat to the paint job, you can gladly pay their cleaning fee.
Just like you will when you return the rental car.
Funny thing is, I don’t know when’s the last time I’ve seen a car decked out with flowers at an Indian wedding.
The elephant is always humiliated with that instead.
Thank you. If I wanted a limo I would get one. I’m not driving, we have a driver. A limo would be way more expensive than a car rental.
We won’t be decorating the car at all, so that’s not an issue.
I’m also amazed at how hard it was to find a luxury rental in Vancouver. Common cars and supercars are easy to find, but I need a classy sedan that will seat 5.
Interesting. I actually thought people only did that on TV shows.
Not sure about Vancouver, but Hertz rental car has a prestige line (or something to that effect). I’ve seen Mercedes S-class and Jaguar. I checked them out because I was looking to rent a Cayman on a recent Florida trip.
I ended up getting a car from Avis after much searching. No other company would allow me to reserve a premium car.
“I can’t find anyone who rents premium vehicles like a Benz or a Jaguar.”
Are you 60 years old? Get a Quattroporte or Rapide.
1. Panthers are the herpes of cars. Literally disgusting and terrible, a pox on all automobiledom.
2. Limos and sedans suck when you’re all dressed up and need to slide 10 feet to the far reaches of the thing. Bad enough in a tux, terrible in a dress. We rented a trolly instead, which is basically just a converted bus that has benches, space for people to walk around, lots of space to stash coolers full of champagne and beer and sandwiches for the trip from the church to the reception, etc. Everyone’s far more comfy than squished into a stupid limo.
Like this:
http://www.bubblybride.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/trolley.jpg
http://cache.elizabethannedesigns.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/Wedding-Trolley-500×333.jpg
(not my pics)
Trolley/Party Bus is a great recommendation. I’ve been in a few weddings/bachelor parties with those and they are fun. Groomsmen need room to stand up and shotgun beers.
We had friends that rented what would be best described as an airport shuttle bus. My wife and I had a white stretch TownCow.
While the bus provided for ease of movement and room for shenanigans and drinking, it still looked like an airport shuttle showed up by mistake at a wedding.
The TC was indeed a bit tight but looked far more appropriate for a formal affair. There are pictures of us getting in/out of the TC whereas my friend’s photographer kept telling everyone to get away from the bus and made sure to trash any photos with an E350 nose in them. Perhaps the trolley would be more photogenic.
Conclusion: Bus for a bachelor(ette) party proper limo or sedan for the wedding day.
Hopefully the beer incident you speak of was during the former and not the latter. However, I cannot say that I was an angel on my big day, my brothers and I got into the scotch in the limo before we went in. Joke was on us, I’m guessing that stuff sat in a hot limo (August wedding) for several weeks turning into paint thinner as it was only scotch in name.
Trolley was very photogenic, has a little balconey thing on the back for pictures, etc. Cutesy, but not a non-descript shuttle bus.
We got into the beer between church and reception, we were mostly good before the church. No shotgunning though, just having a couple brews after the ceremony.
Yes, the shotgunning of the beer was at a bachelor party. I have been intoxicated before receptions before though…
For some weddings, that’s the only way to get through ’em. Drinks before, during, after and a lot of them.
I have 5 weddings to go to this year and I am in 2. My liver hurts just thinking about it.
For my wedding, we needed transport from the reception to the airport. I asked for a Lincoln limo, they sent a Lexus. It wasn’t really what I wanted but I can’t complain.
So the OP wants a ride for a wedding that is in his (and, I assume, his bride’s) eyes to be incredibly special, unique, and different.
And Sajeeve’s answer? Let’s put the loving couple, plus attendants in the same obsolete, POS ride that every indulgent parent supplies to their brat for the high school prom.
Sorry, you’d show more originality and creativity by using a stretched Yugo. And Panther’s are the most overrated non-solution you can come up with.
In that case, how about a Hummer limo? Because nothing says “I love you” like a big ass army truck.
http://www.a1limobus.com/images/gallery/blue-hummer-limo/rent-west-palm-beach-hummer.jpg
IIRC, GM doesn’t recommend Hummers be stretched.
I’m also from Vancouver BC.
IF I’m remembering correctly, Brian Jessel BMW rents out a selection of 3, 5, and 7 series cars.
I finally, someone provides helpful advice.
http://www.mrrentacar.com
This company in Van should work.
I tried them. Their price doubled each time I called them, and the last time I called they refused to reserve the car I wanted without me placing a huge deposit.
Take a look at mrrentacar.ca to see what another customer had to deal with.
Does it have to be a CURRENT premium vehicle? Because you can probably find someone who rents a vintage Rolls or Bentley. That’s what I wanted, but my wife wanted the trolley so we could ride together with the wedding party, which I suppose makes sense.
No, I would prefer a vintage car if I could find one.
Sajeev, the time of the Panther limo is done, yo.
If you demand a Lincoln limo, and want to come correct, it must be a Navi. Although the MkT limo exists, there is no need to scare the guests with that monstrosity.
Chrysler 300 limos are a wonderful thing to see.
I rarely see them. I’ve seen more MkT limos than 300 limos. Maybe Detroit livery operators are worried about their 300 limos getting jacked. I’d never own a 300 in Detroit for that reason. If I’m sitting at a light in my C-Max, the urban gentleman about town is jacking the Chrysler instead.
Oh, please. When I’ve traveled to Michigan, I’ve rented 300’s at DTW more times than I can count, and have never been worried about my safety. People don’t even give them a second look.
I was being facetious about the livery operators, but I would never own a Charger, Challenger, or 300 here. My premium would go up over $500 a year (the increase is almost all on the comp line of coverage). A V8 Mustang or Camaro, by comparision, would only raise my yearly premium about $75-$100.
How about a top of the line Land Rover? Since it’s an Indian wedding there’s a connection with Tata Motors.
60% of the time, it works every time.
In Richmond on No.3 Road there are a couple shops that do luxury rentals. Start from No.3 at Bridgeport go south towards Blundell.
mid-seventies Chrysler New Yorker – Black with curtains in the rear windows..very mysterious, sinister and semi-dictatorial.
Town car limo for the win, every time. Pantherlicious!
The Indians I see round here seem to like: Honda, BMW, and Mercedes (descending frequency seen order there).
So rent a high end Mercedes from Hertz Gold or whatever. Avoid the TC limo, that’s too standard and lame as others have pointed out above.
The Black Limo is just a little played out, so a nice extended-wheelbase car would be nice. If it’s not a huge party, how about a Bentley? I’m sure someone in Van would have a Bentley/Roller or three to rent out.
My wedding reception package in Hong Kong included a photo shoot. The vendor’s standard ride was a somewhat tired black S-class, which is beyond played out. So I had that upgraded to a 1960s Silver Cloud, complete with two-tone paint. That made for some interesting pictures, and as a bonus, the car had been retrofitted with a tropical-summer-grade A/C system. The interior was a little beat up for a classic car, but that doesn’t show on pictures.
No offense to the S-class; it has always been the best luxury car smart money can buy. But, to my ability, I want something special for such a major life event.
I adore my Panthers. They have a sort of Riding a Dinosaur kind of coolness factor to them.
Most of the limo companies in Vancouver have a couple S550s. They’re usually on executive transport, but I’m sure they would hire them to a wedding. There was a company that did vintage cars, but IIRC they went out of business.
Agree on the Town Car. However, you need to be careful. I bought my first one in 2013, and last month traded in my Volvo on–another Town Car, a 2004 Ultimate. These things are addictive.