Woman Selects ‘Surprise Vehicle’ When Booking Car Rental. Then She Sees What The Company Gave Her: 'This Was 100% Intentional'

A woman decided to roll the dice and select the “surprise vehicle” when she rented a car. Never in a million years did she imagine herself driving the vehicle she ended up with.

In a TikTok with over 1.5 million views as of this writing, Maria Magdalena (@mydearmaria) cannot stop laughing as she reveals the surprise vehicle she got from Payless Car Rental.

Amid the rows of SUVs and sedans, Magdalena locates the Payless surprise: a cargo van.

Magdalena and her friend cackle with laughter as they confirm that, yes, they are indeed going to be rolling around in what one commenter dubbed a “Mormon Mover.”

“I’m going to [expletive] pee myself,” Magdalena says.

“Beware when selecting the ‘surprise vehicle’ with rental car companies LMAO because they WILL surprise you! We thought we were getting the pearly white one (at least) but we got BIG BERTHA. Count your days Payless!” she adds in the caption.

Magdalena told Motor1 that the van was not on the list of possibilities she’d considered when she chose “surprise.”

“We did not expect the van. It was about $300. It was so hard to drive it to the beach and it also had no windshield wiper fluid,” she said.

Her post has been viewed 1.9 million times as of this writing.

“As An Ex Avis/Budget Employee, This Was 100% Intentional”

Perhaps unsurprisingly, the comment section quickly filled with jokes. Many accused Payless employees of intentionally putting her behind the wheel of a vehicle with space for an entire little league team—though they didn’t think it came from a place of ill will.

“They said ‘Big Bertha hasn't been driven in a while,’” one wrote.

Another said, “As an ex Avis/Budget employee, this was 100% intentional.”

Quips about kidnapper vans were quite popular among the nearly 2,400 comments.

“Can’t be kidnapped if you're the kidnapper,” one joked.

“Not the kidnapper 3000,” another added.

“Now you need free candy on the side and y’all good,” a third jested

Some folks came to the comments with their thumb out.

“Y’all take scheduled kidnappings? I work in the morning, hurry up,” one said.

Another laughed, “Dang, come pick me up.... and my 16 brothers and sisters.”

Some people saw one upside to the enormous van, as commenter Clydie pointed out, “Honestly cancel your hotel LMAOO WITH THAT MUCH SPACE.”

What Is A “Mystery Car” Rental?

Selecting a "mystery car” from your rental company simply means that you don’t get to choose your vehicle and will find out what it is when you arrive. Rental car companies use terms like “surprise vehicles,” “mystery vehicle,” and “manager’s special” to entice customers to take the risk.

That risk can pay off or burn you big time. As Motor1 previously reported, one woman ended up paying $900 for a Nissan Altima when doing a mystery vehicle; another woman ended up getting a Genesis. One person who commented on Magdalena’s post said they ended up with a Ford Mustang Mach-E.

One of the perks is that it’s typically cheaper to choose the mystery option, Frommers reports.

It also often means you end up with whatever inventory is left after previous customers choose their vehicles. Typically that means you end up with the cheapest vehicle the rental company has, often a compact.

Selecting a “mystery car” can certainly add some zest to your travels. Just be prepared for the unexpected.

Motor1 has contacted Payless Car Rental owner Avis Budget by email. This post will be updated if it replies.