Renting cheapest car - what's the chance of free upgrade

[sware2cod]

Update: I got the rental car and got a free double upgrade. I got to the rental counter, and told them I had a reservation and gave my name. The rental agent looked up my info on the computer and said "What kind of car do you want?". I said "What are the choices?". The agent said: Toyota Corolla, Jeep Compass, VW Beetle, Chrysler Town & Country van and Dodge Caravan van." I replied...the Corolla sounds good, can I get it for the same price as what I reserved?" Agent said yes and now I have a Corolla and I'm thrilled.

I was considering asking about the Jeep Compass, but felt better with the Toyota brand over Jeep brand. The Corolla is fine for my trip. I just didn't want to get the ultra-micro Chevy Spark (smart car sized) that I reserved. I had decided ahead of time that if they were going to give me one of those that I would have attemped to upgrade at the counter given the tips by posters in this thread.

Thanks all for the feedback. It was kind of fun to wonder what kind of car I would get and whether I would get a free upgrade. Ended up saving approx. $75 by reserving the micro el-cheapo car.

[mikey2]

I rent cars about once a year on vacation and I always go with the cheapest (or nearly cheapest) car.
All reservations are done online and I picked up cars both at the Airport and off site.

I swear I can NEVER remember being given the car I rented.

It's always an upgrade and I've never paid a nickel for it.....not that I really wanted the upgrade in the first place.

Last summer I rented a sub compact from Budget in Providence and ended up with a Maxima.

Mikey

[vfrpilot]

I rent cars and trucks quite a bit. I usually reserve a compact or mid-size. I have been upgraded about 40% of the time. A few that I can remember>
In Vegas, I got up'd to an Audi A4. Great car.
In PHX, I got up'd to a Cadillac SVX suv.
In San Diego, I got up'd to a Camero convertible. 33 mpg to PHX and back.
In San Diego, I got up'd to a Pontiac Gran Prix GT and ended up buying one
In SLC, I got up'd to a Town & Country mini-van. Those new vans are nice.
I have found that 2-doors and convertibles are not as popular and can be had by request at the counter with no additional charges.

[jdhall1]

I rented three times,
1st time, locally rented. Booked intermediate, Nissan Sentra or similiar. They downgraded by an awful Nissan Versa and I made them drop the price 25%. Thank god only had to drive for a 1 hour trip to NYC, parking overnight then a 30 minute drive to airport.
2nd time, in phoenix booked fullad ll size. Got a loaded Impala that was awesome, but error message quickly so I had bring it back. Gave me Altima
3rd time, booked altima coupe locally when I didn't trust my then current car for a long time. They gave me Toyota Rav 4 with a dented front bumper that drank a lot of gas. 4 1/2 hour trip each away.

I have an upcoming reservation in South Florida. Orginally booked the second smallest car, because it's just me. I had a panic attack dream, so I cancelled it and rebooked standard for 8 dollars more then cancelled that a couple weeks later because the rate went down 30%. Kept the same size.