Around 4:00 we arrived in San Luis Obispo, referred to as SLO by the locals. At the rental car office the National rental agent proudly announced that he had upgraded us from the intermediate size car that we had reserved to a luxurious GMC Suburban. I declined his generous offer. I wasn’t interested in a vehicle that big with gas prices in the $4+ range. This car is too big! Betty explained to the agent that we would driving along Highway 1 and that we did not want to try to maneuver an oversized vehicle that barely fit in its own lane as we twisted and turned through Big Sur.
He was unyielding. He told us that despite our reservation the Suburban was the only one-way rental that he had available. I was, as the saying goes, “NOT amused.” Two feet away the Enterprise rental agent (who was sitting in her ‘office’) had been listening to the entire exchange. So I turned to her and asked if she had a better option for us. She had a Toyota Corolla available. I asked if she had something a bit bigger – explaining that contact between the car and my head or the car and my knees while I was driving was not a sensation that I was interested in exploring. This car is too small! She assured me that Corollas were roomy. And then, with a meaningful nod toward the National agent, she added, “And the Corolla is the only car that I have available for a one-way rental.” – We took the Corolla.
It turned out to be just right.