Do-It-Yourself Test Drive

Whether you'd like to drive a Camry or a Ferrari—rent it first

Mac Demere / autoMedia.com

Car writers have it easy. When they want to do a comparison test, they phone the car manufacturers and—POOF—a quarter million dollars worth of vehicles magically shows up. You may not realize it, but you have almost as much clout.

Put Yourself in the Driver's Seat

How would you like to compare the Audi A6 against, say, an Infiniti M35 and a Jaguar XJ8? You can. Tomorrow. Without a salesman in sight. Create your own personal face-off between the Ford F150, Nissan Titan, Dodge Ram, and Chevrolet Silverado, with just a few phone calls. Or maybe you'd like to test a Dodge Magnum, Land Rover Discovery, Jeep Liberty, Volvo S80, Cadillac Escalade, or Audi Q7. No problem.

Never driven a hybrid? You can test a Prius or Camry hybrid tomorrow. Or maybe you'd like something a bit sportier. The Nissan 350Z, Mazda Miata, Ford Shelby GTH, or Chevrolet Corvette convertible are yours for the asking.

Or perhaps you'd like to try some more mundane vehicles before making a purchase. You can test drive a Toyota Camry, Ford Fusion and Chrysler Sebring for a couple of days before you make a purchase. So long as you're at least 25 years old, have a good driving record and room on your credit card limit, that is.

All of these cars and many more can be rented from Hertz, National, Avis, Thrifty and many lesser-known rental companies.