The Rental Car Bait and Switch: Why You Booked a Mustang and Got a Corolla (And How to Stop It)
- miamiconvertibles
- 3 hours ago
- 7 min read
The rental car bait and switch is the rental industry's worst-kept secret. Here's how it works, why it keeps happening in Miami, and the one question that protects your vacation from ever starting with a sedan.
You picked the convertible months ago. You showed your partner the photo. You imagined the top down, the palm trees, the wind, Ocean Drive at golden hour. You paid the deposit. You packed for the weather. You got on the plane.
Then you landed in Miami, walked up to the rental counter, and heard the line every excited tourist dreads: "Sorry, your Mustang isn't available… but how about this Corolla?"
If this has happened to you, you've experienced what travelers and consumer advocates call the rental car bait and switch — and you should know it wasn't an accident. It wasn't bad luck. It was, in many cases, the system working exactly the way it was designed to work.
Let's talk about why.
What is the rental car bait and switch, exactly?
It works like this: you book a specific vehicle on a rental company's website — let's say a Ford Mustang convertible — and pay a deposit. The photo shows that exact car. The booking confirms that exact car. Then you arrive at the counter and the agent informs you that "your vehicle isn't available" and offers a substitute. Usually a worse one. Sometimes much worse.
The legal cover for this practice is hiding in two little words you probably skipped past when you booked: "or similar." Open almost any major rental car booking page — Hertz, Enterprise, SIXT, Avis, you name it — and look closely at the vehicle listing. Under the photo of that beautiful Mustang convertible, you'll usually find a small line of text that says something like:
"Ford Mustang Convertible or similar."
Those two words — "or similar" — are the entire problem.
They are how the rental industry quietly tells you, before you've even paid, that the car in the photo isn't the car you're guaranteed to drive. You're not booking a Mustang convertible. You're booking a class of vehicle, and the company reserves the right to hand you anything they decide is "similar" when you arrive.
A Camaro. A Challenger. A sedan with a sunroof. A four-door SUV. We've seen all of them handed to customers who thought they were getting a Mustang convertible. The Federal Trade Commission's guidance on advertising practices makes the standard clear, but enforcement in the rental space is loose — and "or similar" is doing a lot of work in that sentence.
You're not booking a Mustang. You're booking a category. The car in the photo is marketing. The car you get is whatever's left on the lot at 11 p.m.
How rental fleets actually enable the bait and switch
To understand why this keeps happening, you have to understand how the big rental companies operate. Their business runs on volume, not specialty. The Mustang convertible you see on the website might exist on the lot — or it might be one of three the airport branch keeps, and all three are already out on rental until next Tuesday.
When you book three weeks out, the system shows it as available. When you actually land, the agent looks at the lot, sees zero convertibles, and reaches for the closest thing they can offer with a straight face. That's where "or similar" earns its paycheck.
There are a few reasons the convertible inventory specifically tends to be thin:
• Convertibles are seasonal — but the airport fleet is built for year-round corporate volume. Sedans and SUVs win the inventory war.
• Convertibles get more wear — tops, premium interiors, more frequent detailing. They're more expensive to maintain, so the big companies carry fewer of them.
• Convertibles are the upsell target — when someone like you books one, you're already in the "willing to pay more" group. There's no incentive to over-supply when the demand floor is guaranteed.
• The math favors the swap — if they give you a Corolla and refund the difference, they keep your booking and free up a convertible for someone else willing to pay even more. You're the variable they adjust.
None of this is illegal. The practice is literally written into the fine print of your booking — a topic Consumer Reports has covered extensively. But almost nobody reads that line, because almost nobody flies to Miami imagining the Corolla.
The midnight-pickup math problem
If you want to see this practice at its most efficient, fly into Miami International on a Friday night. Walk to the rental car center around 11 p.m. Watch the line.
Most of those travelers have been awake for 16 hours. Some flew in from Europe. They're tired, they're hungry, and the only thing standing between them and Ocean Drive is the agent at the counter. That agent has a screen full of remaining inventory, a long line behind you, and a script that includes phrases like "we can offer you an upgrade" and "this is actually a really nice vehicle."
In that moment, almost everybody says yes. Not because the car is what they wanted — but because saying no means starting over. Going back to the website. Calling another company. Taking a Lyft to a hotel. Losing two hours of vacation they'll never get back.
The system isn't broken. The system is winning.
The one question that stops the rental car bait and switch
Before you book any rental car — anywhere, from anyone — ask one question. It's the question every honest rental company can answer instantly and every dishonest one will dance around:
"Is the exact car shown on this booking guaranteed, or is it 'or similar'?"
That's it. That's the whole defense.
If the answer involves any version of "we'll do our best," "subject to availability," "the category is guaranteed," or "you may be eligible for an upgrade," you're booking a category, not a car. You might still get lucky. You might get the Mustang. But you're not guaranteed it, and the company is not legally on the hook to deliver it.
If the answer is "yes, the exact car is guaranteed" — get it in writing. A booking confirmation that names the specific model, with a guarantee clause, is the only thing that protects you when you land at midnight and the fleet is gone.
Why Miami Convertibles built the whole company around fixing this
Our founder Leo used to work the counter at one of those massive corporate rental companies. He's the guy who had to deliver the line. Hundreds of times. To honeymooners. To families. To Europeans who'd been planning the trip for a year. To a couple celebrating an anniversary who flew in expecting a red Mustang and got handed the keys to a beige sedan. (Read more about Leo's story and how Miami Convertibles started.)
He watched it happen so many times that in 2012 he quit, took one convertible and a phone, and started Miami Convertibles. The whole company exists for one reason: to make sure the car you booked is the car you drive.
That means a few things in practice:
• No "or similar." When you book a Mustang convertible, a Mustang convertible is waiting. When you book a Jeep Wrangler, you get a Jeep Wrangler. The exact model. Often the exact color.
• No counter line. Paperwork is done before you arrive. Pickup takes minutes, not the hour you'd lose at the airport.
• No surprise fees. The price you see online is the price you pay. No mandatory add-ons, no insurance ambush at the counter.
• Real humans on call. WhatsApp, phone, email. If something comes up mid-trip, you're talking to someone who knows your name, not a call center in another time zone.
Twelve years later, we're the top-rated convertible rental company in Miami, with the largest Mustang convertible fleet in Florida and more than 700 five-star Google reviews. Hotels recommend us. Concierges recommend us. The big rental brands quietly call us when they run out of convertibles and need to make a customer whole. We are, in a real sense, the agency the agencies use.
Don't let a rental car bait and switch cost you the trip you planned
You've already done the hard part. You picked the destination, the dates, the hotel. You imagined the drive. You earned the vacation. The car shouldn't be the part that goes wrong.
If you're flying into Miami and you want the Mustang convertible — or the Jeep Wrangler, doorless Sahara, or Corvette C8 — book it directly with the people who specialize in it. Skip the counter. Skip the line. Skip the line of small print that ends in "or similar."
Because life's too short to fly to Miami and end up in a sedan.
Book the convertible you actually want.
Browse the largest Mustang convertible fleet in Florida. Guaranteed vehicle. No counter. No surprises. Reserve your car →
MiamiConvertibles.com · (305) 799-7892 · Family-owned since 2012
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the rental car bait and switch?
It's when a rental company advertises and confirms a specific vehicle in your booking, then substitutes a different (usually less desirable) vehicle when you arrive at the counter. The practice is legally protected by the phrase "or similar" in standard rental contracts, which gives companies the right to swap in any vehicle they consider equivalent. It's most common with specialty inventory like convertibles, where major rental brands carry thin stock.
Is the rental car bait and switch legal?
Technically yes. Substituting a vehicle isn't bait-and-switch under most state consumer protection laws if the booking terms include "or similar" language — which nearly every major rental contract does. That's why the practice is so widespread. The defense isn't legal action after the fact; it's choosing a rental company that contractually guarantees the specific vehicle from the start, in writing.
What does "or similar" mean on a rental car booking?
"Or similar" means you've reserved a vehicle category, not a specific model. The car in the booking photo is an example of what you might receive. The rental company can legally hand you any vehicle they consider comparable — a Camaro instead of a Mustang, a sedan with a sunroof instead of a convertible, or a different brand entirely. The exact car is never guaranteed under standard rental terms.
How can I avoid a rental car bait and switch in Miami?
Ask one question before you book: "Is the exact car shown guaranteed, or is it 'or similar'?" If the company can't guarantee the specific model in writing, your booking is for a category, not a car. At Miami Convertibles, the exact vehicle you reserve — make, model, and usually color — is the vehicle that's waiting for you. No substitutions, no "or similar," no surprises at pickup.
Where can I rent a Mustang convertible in Miami that's actually guaranteed?
Miami Convertibles operates the largest Mustang convertible fleet in Florida and guarantees the exact vehicle you book at the time of reservation. The company has been family-owned and operating in Miami Beach since 2012, with pickup options at Miami International Airport, Fort Lauderdale Airport, downtown Miami, and Miami Beach. Browse the convertible fleet here.
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