Ford Fusion

I want to give this experience a fair review. The pickup and dropoff of the car were both extremely easy and convenient.

The car itself had some minor issues. While most were cosmetic, it did also have a chip in the windshield, worn-out suspension, and noticeable odor inside the vehicle.

I booked the car hoping to drive out to two parks, however, the issues above made me hesitant to drive to the further-out location. When I reached out to the host about returning the car early (as I no longer felt comfortable taking it to the further-out location on the final day) he was pretty angry and gave me an ultimatum: either return the car immediately for a full refund or keep it for the full 3 days.

It was a pretty uncomfortable experience. I think it was nice that he offered me the option of a full refund, but realistically, I wasn't going to be able to find a new car rental in the middle of the night and returning it immediately wasn't an option. He also called my phone multiple times to tell me to add in writing to our Turo messages that by keeping the reservation, I was stating that I did not feel uncomfortable about any of the issues I mentioned above. Very strange that he wanted that in writing, but would only tell me that over a phone call so his request wouldn't be in writing. I think this was part of a tactic to keep bad reviews from affecting his Turo rating.

When using Turo I kind of assumed it was mostly people renting out their personal vehicles for a few extra bucks on the side, but this was definitely a larger, multi-car business operation relying on extremely thin margins where every penny was an extreme concern for the owner. I understand it's a business, and I would probably also be upset if someone tried to cancel an order last second. But as a renter it was pretty uncomfortable to go through.

In the interest of fairness, I want to add that while I did not end up going to the further-out location, the vehicle did drive perfectly fine to the closer park. I was not concerned about the vehicle breaking down or anything like that at any point during that drive, it was just a little shaky when it went over a speed bump or up a steep hill.

However, I have no idea how it has a 5 star rating given the many cosmetic issues, and the windshield chip, suspension, and smell. I think the fact that the vehicle owner pressures people who are uncomfortable with the car to immediately return it might play a role?

Either way, I think 3 stars is a fair rating for the experience as it was kind of disappointing but fine in the end. I probably won't be using Turo in the future and will pay the premium to just get a standard car rental.

Muhammad •

Car worked great. Host was very prompt and available.

Reece •

Great car, and the owner is great also

Sergio •

Great experience with the car service. The vehicle was clean, reliable, and the customer service was excellent. Fast pickup and easy return process. Highly recommended!”

Mustafa •

Hung was awesome. I will definitely rent from him again.

Jordan •