Avis Europe's new service offering posh wheels to well-heeled
visitors (see story) is a natural evolution of the
if-you've-got-it-rub-people's-noses-in-it brand of travel. I mean,
in an age where people gas up the private jet just to go mail a
letter, why should anyone have to forego four-wheeled fabulousness.
And while I can see the attraction of tooling around London in a
Porsche Boxster as hordes of footsore tourists ogle my flashy
contours, the Avis Prestige service just doesn't have enough, well,
prestige for someone of my social standing. Luckily, I've
stumbled upon (I do that) a tonier transport option.
It seems that when celebrities, I mean real celebs like
Madonna and Tom Arnold, want to strut their stuff in a sedan, they
go to Rent a Wreck. Michael Jackson's been spotted renting a
dinged-out pickup, Steve Martin occasionally gets around in a beat
up Honda Accord. It's a form of car snobbery that stands hood and
bumpers above every Beemer, BMW and Jag that's ever been valet
parked at Le Dome.
So while you may be tempted to just throw money at the problem
of how to develop your on-the-road automotive classiness, don't
settle for soft leather and great speakers. Who knows? There may be
an AMC Pacer out there with your name on it. Believe me, people
will stare.