Everybody dreams about owning a supercar like a Ferrari, Porsche or Lamborghini, and there is nothing wrong with this. The problems start when people actually get to buy one. Many of these proud owners are astonished when they find out how expensive and complicated is to maintain these supercars: a single set of tires can cost thousands, and a Lamborghini Aventador isn’t about good gas mileage, either.
The bill for a single racetrack day can easily put large holes in the finances of a not-so-rich family. If the car breaks down, the repair costs are usually beyond the reasonable levels, and these supercars do break down from time to time.
Not to mention the fact that second hand prices are nowhere compared to the original price tag.
Let’s face it: owning a supercar is overly expensive for the majority of us; however, renting one can be relatively cheap, while the driving fun remains exactly the same. This is what Hertz is experimenting with its Dream Service, a program that allows ordinary people to rent cars like a Ferrari F430 Spider, Aston Martin V8 Vantage Coupe, Lamborghini Gallardo, Nissan GT-R, Audi R8, SRT Viper, Bentley Continental GT, or Porsche 911.
The price tag for a really exclusive car like the Gallardo is expected to be around $1500 a day. A more common Vantage or R8 will cost $1000, and „low-end” models such as a Porsche Boxster will cost less than $400. 75 miles are included in this price, additional miles costing from 49 cents to $3. However, the price doesn’t include insurance, and it seems that Hertz doesn’t allow the cars to be taken to the racetrack.
It is woth noting that the idea is not new: during the ’60s, Hertz had a deal with Carroll Shelby. The legendary constructor provided a whole fleet of Ford Mustang Shelby GT350s for rent. The program proved to be a huge success, and today, these cars are sought after collector’s pieces.
