Clever names are common for car rental businesses. Enterprise brings to mind hard work, while Budget Auto Rental and Alamo Auto Rental bring good value to mind. But no name is better than that of Thrifty car rental. Thrifty means wisdom with cash. So when people are looking for cars to rent, there’s no better decision than to save money, spend it wisely and only when necessary. Thrifty is the way to be.

Thrifty Auto Rental was born in 1958. In the 1980’s it went public, then was purchased by Chrysler in 1989. It was later combined with Dollar, another car rental company. With one of the best known brands in the world, Thrifty continues to be tops in the car rental industry. As one would expect the bulk of its fleet is Chrysler, with some Dodge and Jeep cars in there as well.

Thrifty does some other things outside car renting. As many other rental companies, Thrifty sells its rental cars after their time of service as rentals is complete. The first impression of such cars is they would be in bad shape, long abused by people who only drive them for a short time. Most of the cars are treated well, however. They receive all the scheduled maintenance, unlike many used cars at dealerships that come from private customers who are lax on such care. Renters pay penalties for damages, too, so they tend to be careful. Thus, cars sold by rental companies tend to be in better overall condition than used cars from private owners.

Thrifty also owns long term airport parking lots. Travelers who drive to the airport often need a safe place to keep their car while they’re out of town. Long term parking offers this facility at a reasonable price. Thrifty lots are somewhere near almost every airport in the world.

Here’s some more Thrifty history. When Volkswagen Beetles first came to America they made a deal with Thrifty to rent them to help introduce them to the public. It was $6 daily for a Beetle. Miss Thrifty was introduced in attempt to attract single males. She was a young, good looking woman who would shuttle customers to Thrifty’s facilities near the airport. Even better, she wore Scottish plaid.

It’s not joke, is Thrifty car rental. But as with many companies it has its quirky side too. They may give you a discount if you wear a plaid tie.