'It ran out of fuel as I drove in': Man takes instructions literally and returns a rental car with no gas after being told to 'bring it back empty'

Getting things for free doesn't mean that you're not paying for it in some way. That is especially true when it comes to rental cars. They always claim that you're getting "free miles" or "comped gas" or an "upgrade at no cost", but somewhere in your contract, and somewhere on your bill, you're probably paying for it anyways. One Australian man was faced with the ultimate challenge to get every cent of value out of his rental car when he was told that he was being given pre-paid fuel, meaning he could simply return it empty.

But how empty are we talkin'?

When he went to go pick up the vehicle, he was told to "just bring it back empty", which immediately presented him with the challenge of how far he could push the limits of this tasteful Toyota Corolla. He went about his vacation as usual, driving as much as he needed and not keeping too much of a close eye on the fuel gauge, but by the end of his trip, he monitored the fuel usage, gas gauge, and petrol levels very closely.

When the fuel light came on on the last day, he was ready with his calculations. Not wanting to push the limits and risk missing his flight, he paid for the bare minimum that would get him to the rental lot– 2 liters, or half a gallon. As he was pulling up to the rental car lot near the airport, he felt the engine sputter and start to clip.

Knowing he was only a few meters from his destination, he floored it to gain a last bit of momentum.

Sure enough as he was rolling through the parking lot on his last burst of speed, the engine cut out because there was simply no gas left. So he threw the car in neutral and coasted into a parking spot right in front of Hertz. Victoriously, he waltzed into the rental office and grinned ear-to-ear, informing them that he had done exactly what they asked and brought the car back completely and totally empty.

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Posted by Jesse Kessenheimer