Overthinking

I went to Enterprise a few weeks ago to rent an electric car, a Ford Explorer. I couldn’t drive it myself because I’m under 25, so my uncle had to drive instead. It was honestly a great experience, the car was really nice and it’s something I’ve wanted to do for a long time. I’ll definitely do it again in the future and when I turn 25 I’m probably going to rent a car myself. It can be expensive but it’s still nowhere near as costly as owning the car. Plus it’s a good way to try out different cars without spending thousands to actually own them, while still having my own car too.

I know there’s always the option for a free test drive but that’s more for when you’re serious about buying a car and I wouldn’t want to waste a salesman’s time if I wasn’t planning to buy. Renting just feels more practical for trying out cars and I really like Enterprise as a brand. They even have a pick-up service where they’ll come and get you to take you to their branch for your rental which is pretty handy.

We had a great weekend with it. We even took it to a charging station and my friend joined us for a spin so we just chilled there while it was charging. Really cool experience overall. The only thing that stuck in my head a bit was during the handover, the guy who took payment and did the demo mainly spoke to my uncle and didn’t really talk to me much. When we went outside to get the car I just got in the back seat, then the guy went inside to get a key pouch. I decided to move to the front while he was gone and when he came back he didn’t say anything, but I still overthought it a bit like wondering if he found it odd or something. Realistically it was probably nothing because I wasn’t the one driving, but I tend to overthink things like this in general.

I do this a lot in general, like if someone doesn’t reply to me on messages or if I feel like someone’s being a bit off, I start overthinking it and wondering if I’ve done something wrong or if they don’t like me. But really, most of the time people just don’t have anything to say or they’re busy and it’s not that deep. I know that but my mind still tends to jump to the worst sometimes. It was probably the same with the guy at Enterprise, he was most likely just focusing on my uncle since he was the one driving, but I couldn’t help but overthink it a bit. The guy actually seemed like a really nice person anyway, maybe just a bit shy. It's just one of those little things I overthought even though it’s been a few weeks now.

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Katie

I've been wondering a lot recently about what renting a car is like in the UK @TheNightmare so weird timing! I haven't looked into it or done it myself before but I was actually talking to my friend the other day about how different it probably is from when you go abroad on holiday (like when I've been on holiday in Spain and my family have rented a car usually it's a quick process but I feel like it's probably more strict here?).

I hear you that it might be easier to test cars out by renting them rather than going to showrooms for a free test drive. However, in terms of wasting the salesperson's time, a part of their job is letting customers go for test-drives. And they're free! I do think it's a much more cost effective way to trial cars before you decide on one but I can also understand how maybe it could feel a little awkward if you know you're not buying. However, I've never done a free test drive so I can't be much help here

And in terms of overthinking a little about the guy who did the demo I agree with you here:

It was probably the same with the guy at Enterprise, he was most likely just focusing on my uncle since he was the one driving, but I couldn’t help but overthink it a bit.

It does sound likely to me that maybe because he knew your uncle was the one driving and renting the car that's why he was talking to him. I've experienced overthinking quite a bit, especially in my teens, but I've gotten a lot better since I've gotten older. I think what helps me is I think of factual information, without trying to put any emotions to it. Like with this situation the facts are you went with your uncle to rent a car and the man doing the demo addressed and helped your uncle. For me, if I'm able to separate the factual information from my feelings around it, sometimes it help me look at the bigger picture instead of being stuck in a loop of overthinking.

I then try ask myself questions to determine where my feelings are coming from. For example, if you feel comfortable sharing, I wonder what is it you're overthinking about exactly? Is it what the man doing the demo thinks of you? Or like you mentioned, if you did something wrong? Or if he likes you? It might help considering where your overthinking is stemming from. You could ask yourself questions like "Why do I care if this man likes me?" or "We had a great weekend with the car, so why am I thinking I've done something wrong?"

I don't know if this will be helpful for you and this is just based on my own experiences of overthinking, but let me know your thoughts

Redemption

Katie wrote: »

I've been wondering a lot recently about what renting a car is like in the UK @TheNightmare so weird timing! I haven't looked into it or done it myself before but I was actually talking to my friend the other day about how different it probably is from when you go abroad on holiday (like when I've been on holiday in Spain and my family have rented a car usually it's a quick process but I feel like it's probably more strict here?).

I hear you that it might be easier to test cars out by renting them rather than going to showrooms for a free test drive. However, in terms of wasting the salesperson's time, a part of their job is letting customers go for test-drives. And they're free! I do think it's a much more cost effective way to trial cars before you decide on one but I can also understand how maybe it could feel a little awkward if you know you're not buying. However, I've never done a free test drive so I can't be much help here

And in terms of overthinking a little about the guy who did the demo I agree with you here:

It was probably the same with the guy at Enterprise, he was most likely just focusing on my uncle since he was the one driving, but I couldn’t help but overthink it a bit.

It does sound likely to me that maybe because he knew your uncle was the one driving and renting the car that's why he was talking to him. I've experienced overthinking quite a bit, especially in my teens, but I've gotten a lot better since I've gotten older. I think what helps me is I think of factual information, without trying to put any emotions to it. Like with this situation the facts are you went with your uncle to rent a car and the man doing the demo addressed and helped your uncle. For me, if I'm able to separate the factual information from my feelings around it, sometimes it help me look at the bigger picture instead of being stuck in a loop of overthinking.

I then try ask myself questions to determine where my feelings are coming from. For example, if you feel comfortable sharing, I wonder what is it you're overthinking about exactly? Is it what the man doing the demo thinks of you? Or like you mentioned, if you did something wrong? Or if he likes you? It might help considering where your overthinking is stemming from. You could ask yourself questions like "Why do I care if this man likes me?" or "We had a great weekend with the car, so why am I thinking I've done something wrong?"

I don't know if this will be helpful for you and this is just based on my own experiences of overthinking, but let me know your thoughts

@Katie great to see you around often and so much for your thoughtful message I really appreciate you taking the time to break things down for me. It helped me see that I was overthinking a lot of things, wondering if I did something wrong, if my body language or looks were off, or if it was strange that I was there with my uncle renting a car when it was his hire car. I realized I just wanted to be treated with the standard respect as a customer, especially because I genuinely like Enterprise as a company.

I still feel like it's better to hire a car rather than just doing a test drive. I'm not entirely sure, but test driving a car without the intention to buy doesn't sit right with me. I once did a test drive to try out an electric car, and while it was interesting, hiring a car lets you have it for a chosen amount of time even long term if you want. Test drives are often just a short spin, sometimes with a salesperson who then drives you back to the showroom to discuss buying the car, all while knowing 100% that you're not going to make a purchase. For me, hiring feels like a more genuine way to really experience a car without that pressure.

Thanks again for your message it helped me put things into perspective. Also, if you want to know any information about hiring cars in the UK, ask me and I'll try to help you with that.

shannon_164

hey @TheNightmare 🙂

that sounds like such a cool experience! renting a car, especially an electric one, seems like a great way to try out different models without committing to buying. i totally get what you mean about test drives feeling more for serious buyers, renting sounds way more practical for just getting a feel for different cars.

i get the overthinking thing as well. it makes sense that the guy at enterprise focused more on your uncle since he was the one driving, but i know how easy it is to overanalyse small interactions like that. it’s frustrating when your brain latches onto those little moments even when you know, logically, that they probably meant nothing. but honestly, it sounds like he was just doing his job and wasn’t thinking much about it at all. i doubt he found it odd that you moved to the front, if anything, he probably didn’t even notice!

with messages and people being a bit off, i relate to that too. it’s hard not to read into things sometimes, even when you know it’s likely nothing. but you’re really self-aware about it, which is a good thing. it’s just one of those habits that takes time to unlearn. either way, im glad you had a great weekend with the car - it sounds like such a fun experience! do you have any other models in mind that you’d want to try out in the future?

you’ve got this

Redemption

shannon_164 wrote: »

hey @TheNightmare 🙂

that sounds like such a cool experience! renting a car, especially an electric one, seems like a great way to try out different models without committing to buying. i totally get what you mean about test drives feeling more for serious buyers, renting sounds way more practical for just getting a feel for different cars.

i get the overthinking thing as well. it makes sense that the guy at enterprise focused more on your uncle since he was the one driving, but i know how easy it is to overanalyse small interactions like that. it’s frustrating when your brain latches onto those little moments even when you know, logically, that they probably meant nothing. but honestly, it sounds like he was just doing his job and wasn’t thinking much about it at all. i doubt he found it odd that you moved to the front, if anything, he probably didn’t even notice!

with messages and people being a bit off, i relate to that too. it’s hard not to read into things sometimes, even when you know it’s likely nothing. but you’re really self-aware about it, which is a good thing. it’s just one of those habits that takes time to unlearn. either way, im glad you had a great weekend with the car - it sounds like such a fun experience! do you have any other models in mind that you’d want to try out in the future?

you’ve got this

@shannon_164 Thanks for your thoughtful reply, I always really appreciate it. It was very cool to try that car, and renting does feel better for me too, even though it comes with a cost. It gives you more freedom and time to really get a feel for the car without the pressure of a test drive. I totally relate to overthinking things, especially when it comes to messages and small interactions. I think it’s normal, and like you said, @katie has mentioned she does it too. It’s something I’m trying to be more aware of, though, as it’s easy to think the worst, especially after having negative experiences. But I’m glad we can both recognize it, and hopefully it gets easier over time. And yes, I’ve got so many cars I want to try too the Ford Mustang Mach-E, a Tesla, the MG4, some BMWs, Mercedes, and even performance and hybrid cars. Too many options, haha. Thanks again for another amazing reply, what can I really say you're incredible.