TODO
Michael I had previously booked a car in the "BMW 1 Series or Golf GTI" class with Sixt, to be able to speed properly on the Autobahn again. After all, in California, you're allowed to drive at a maximum of 75 mph (120 km/h) and will be immediately arrested if a patrol car measures you going over 100 mph (160 km/h). Normally, I book rental cars for trips to Germany with American companies like Alamo/National or Dollar, but since we planned to drive all over Germany, I paid one and a half times the usual amount with Sixt to avoid ending up with the Opel Corsa, which is typically the consolation prize in the cheapest category.
When we arrived at the Sixt counter at Munich Airport, the lady at the counter seriously tried to give us an Opel Meriva, a kind of small minivan for soccer moms. Supposedly, such cars fall into the same category at Sixt as the advertised sporty cars, along with some unacceptable Peugeot vehicles or "Nissan SUVs," and can be brazenly offered to astonished U.S. customers.
After some back and forth, they found an Audi A1 that, while not sporty, was at least suitable for the highway. The two-door car, about the size of a Rover Mini, only offered enough space in the trunk for a travel bag, but it was reluctantly accepted.
When we arrived at the parking spot in the multi-story car park five minutes later, however, there was already a friendly gentleman inside, who, upon my inquiry, showed me his valid confirmation and car key and then cheerfully drove away shortly thereafter. Back at the counter, it turned out that we had been given an incorrect parking spot card. On the next attempt, a Sixt employee accompanied us to ensure that the promised car was indeed at the spot with the printed number. The car then drove very well, tempers eventually calmed down, and the resentment against the car rental company gradually faded away.