Would you buy a former rental car?

[Homerr]

Re: Would you buy a former rental car?

I bought a Nissan Van, and it was a former rental car.<br /><br />It's been the best used car I've ever owned. It was very well taken care of and full maintenance records were all there.<br /><br />H.

 

[Johnshan1]

Re: Would you buy a former rental car?

Awesome guys thanks for all the thoughts, the vehicle is sitting in my driveway at the moment <br /><br />Someone said wheel bearings (hub assembley) and they were correct, once I got it up to near highway speeds it was humming pretty good, passanger side. I thought it was the agressive tires at first but the hum went away when i cranked the wheel to one side. <br /><br />No biggie otherwise man it rides and drives like a dream... (knock on wood!!)<br /><br />-John

 

[Johnshan1]

Re: Would you buy a former rental car?

Well I took the wheel off and the wheel bearing was so bad i could barley move that wheel when the car was jacked up!<br /><br />The vehicle has new brakes, new ball joints, new shocks all around, water pump and all new hoses, someone dumped some money into this thing thats for sure!<br /><br />I think the wheel bearing going bad was the final problem for the previous owner and she said screw it, and bought a new vehicle.<br /><br />Maybe im wrong but it sure seems that way to me!!<br /><br />-John

 

[wajajaja]

Re: Would you buy a former rental car?

99 80k would be about 6500 in nj at a non franchise dealer. its too old to be covered by the lemon law, bu t the milage is good, the rental part wouldnt bother me, nj has relatively good roads, i just bought a 94 gk with 168k for 4200, dealer check said its was great ,6months no problem., bought 98 gk 115k 5200, same time, new front axel hub. and new uni on the drive shaft. runs nice. <br /> DONT BUY AFTER MARKET WARANTEE FROM PENN WARRANTEE, SHAM POLICY

 

[swade28]

Re: Would you buy a former rental car?

LOL. I am actually an Area Manager for one of these "major rental companies", and yes you typically get a practically new car at a little above wholesale price if you buy direct from us. Secondhand is a totally different story. As far as buying a rental the somewhat higher end models full size car and above are absolutely worth the money. Bottom line everyone can afford to rent a TURD and tend to get a lot more abuse than the more expensive vehicles that cost more to rent. Relatively speaking if your willing to pay the extra money for something nice your less likely to trash it. Not always the case but more than not. Just my 2 cents. Good Day!!

 

[SoulWinner]

Re: Would you buy a former rental car?

Never buy a used rental car that I rented! I wouldn't touch one.

 

[Tinkerer]

Re: Would you buy a former rental car?

It's luck of the draw.<br /><br />I bought an ex-police car - station car not pursuit car - when it was sold by police in usual turnover after about 2 years from new. <br /><br />Reliable car with no problems apart from usual service items in the 14 years or so years I owned it, except for one stupid problem that took years to sort out because some stupid mechanic left out a grommet when removing a radio lead that let water get into the computer under severe conditions and kill the car until it dried out. Other privately owned cars had the same problem.<br /><br />Cost me $13,000 when the same model was $18,000 if privately owned beforehand.<br /><br />When it came time to sell it a few years ago I found that the gap between fleet cars and privately owned had narrowed to the point that there wasn't much difference any more. A tribute to the reliability of modern cars and, unfortunately for me, lots of other buyers waking up to the fact that your chances of a lemon are about the same whatever you buy, but most of them are pretty good nowadays. Here, anyway.

 

[62_Kiwi]

Re: Would you buy a former rental car?

I bought an ex-rental once - never had any problems with it. I figure that at least you know it's been properly serviced at the correct intervals. Most of the rental companies are good at that sort of thing.

 

[NathanY]

Re: Would you buy a former rental car?

Well I took advantage of the free service that SBN was providing, and found out that I bought 2. 99 GMC Jimmy and a 99 Venture. Both have been very reliable, no problems at all out of either on. Have had the Jimmy for one year now, and the Venture for 8 months now.

 

[biloxiriver]

Re: Would you buy a former rental car?

As a frequent user of rental cars in my business travels I know that I, and I believe most users, do not drive any differently than I drive my own vehicles. Most of us do not want to be broke down on the road because we are abusing our rental. I am also fairly convinced that most, at least the larger, rental companies do regular maintenance and upkeep in order to help control their operating costs; after all if they break they have to fix them. I am also not afraid of high mileage as long as it is less than 100K. I have put 250K on a pickup that I would still drive anywhere in this country. And I recently traded in a 1999 Yukon with over 150K on it. The bottom line is have your mechanic check it out and then if you want it, buy it.

 

[newbie_owner]

Re: Would you buy a former rental car?

I work for a major rental car company in Canada, and I would buy a previous rental car for a few reasons:

-Car is maintained very well, regular oil changes and maintenance.
-Car is cleaned regularly (important if you live in colder areas that use a lot of salt on the roads in the winter)
-You know that any damage that the car had was fix properly.
-At least in our case, we do not allow towing with our vehicles.

As for the low KMs on the trailblazer, GM has a buyback program for rental companies. They basically sell us the car and sing an agreement with us that they will buy the car back from us as long as the car is not older than 12 months, and not over 42,000KM. Therefore, most of our cars are de-fleeted before 42,000km. Also, the car has to pass the inspection of a GM rep, which is really strict. If it doesn't pass we have to fix it and re-submit it. If it is a major reason for not passing, like structural damage, it is branded as a permanent reject and will never be accepted back.

 

[thefairlaneman]

Re: Would you buy a former rental car?

If it checks out, go for it. The last two Taurus we have owned were ex-rental cars. They were extremely clean, low miles and plenty of factory warranty left.

I second that endorsement of the taurus, Never owned an ex rental but the last 2 were company cars. The newest is an 04 with 80k I got for the wife 6 months ago ,,cost 6 k. The other was a 97 that had 100k for 39 hundred .Drove it till last year and put 40 k on it before engine trouble and sold it for 400 bucks. Alot of ride for the money.

 

[jay_merrill]

Re: Would you buy a former rental car?

For me, the answer to that question is maybe yes, maybe no. It reallly depends on the car rental company involved and the brand/model of the car.

My current car, a Chevy Astro, was once a rental car. Although most major rental companies don't allow towing, strangely enough, mine has the towing package. It had two other owners, neither of whom installed a hitch, and it was in great condition when I bought it. When I purchased the van, I had a Class III hitch and a brake controller installed. Since the car already had all of the trailer wiring (including brake wiring) factory installed, and had the tow mode in the transmission and a cooling package, I was ready to "go" once the hitch and controller were installed.

I bought my Astro with 62,000 miles on it and the odometer now reads about 150,000 miles. It has been a very reliable vehicle and the maintainance, including tire and brake replacement, has been under $3,000 during those 88,000 miles. I need to replace all of the shocks now but they aren't totally shot and, given that they have lasted something over the 88,000 miles, I really can't complain. Even if I were to do the shocks tomorrow and say that my total maintenance cost for the 88,000 miles has been $3,200, that still puts me at under 28 cents per mile. Considering that I don't do any of the work on the car myself, and most of those 3,200 bucks would be hourly shop rates, I think that is impressive.

I used to buy a lot of new cars but just got sick of spending a fortune on them. By purchasing used vehicles that have low to moderately low mileage, and have been well maintained, I have saved a bundle. To me purchasing the right brand and model, from the right rental company and/or franchisee, can make sense. I do think some common sense has to play into the decision, though. The Astro makes sense because older people and families tend to rent them. They usually aren't "dogged" and, if they came from a rental agency with a decent maintenance program, they are usually in good to excellent condition.

 

[SS MAYFLOAT]

Re: Would you buy a former rental car?

Hmmmm, usually it is ole Mutley digging up old posts?

If and possible, I always try to get used cars from an estate sale. They are usually owned by little ole ladies that only drive a quarter mile to the store. Low mileage and never run hard. Most of the time the factory tires are still on them (even though they maybe dry rotted).

I know I wouldn't get any military or government owned vehicles. I was in the service and I can remember how some of those trucks/cars got used. That's with a maintenance program.

I remember the original poster. He had a great post in the non boating tech section about hauling a camper home. It was amusing to say the least

 

[Vlad D Impeller]

Re: Would you buy a former rental car?

Hmmmm, usually it is ole Mutley digging up old posts?

Prolly a member of his pack.

 

[kenmyfam]

Re: Would you buy a former rental car?

I work for a major rental car company in Canada, and I would buy a previous rental car for a few reasons:

-Car is maintained very well, regular oil changes and maintenance.
-Car is cleaned regularly (important if you live in colder areas that use a lot of salt on the roads in the winter)
-You know that any damage that the car had was fix properly.
-At least in our case, we do not allow towing with our vehicles.

As for the low KMs on the trailblazer, GM has a buyback program for rental companies. They basically sell us the car and sing an agreement with us that they will buy the car back from us as long as the car is not older than 12 months, and not over 42,000KM. Therefore, most of our cars are de-fleeted before 42,000km. Also, the car has to pass the inspection of a GM rep, which is really strict. If it doesn't pass we have to fix it and re-submit it. If it is a major reason for not passing, like structural damage, it is branded as a permanent reject and will never be accepted back.

Our Grand Prix was such a vehicle. 8 months old, 25,000km, immaculate condition, balance of the 3 year warranty included, all the bells and whistles options fitted and a full service history included and purchased form a G.M. dealership. That was 2 years ago and the car is now at 80,000 km and no problems at all. Best deal we have ever had !!!! and under half the price of a new one.
I would do it again but only with the same kind of deal.

 

[Bigprairie1]

Re: Would you buy a former rental car?

Without a doubt, yes I would buy a former rental vehicle. I base that on the way I drive a rental which is the way I drive my own vehicles...responsibly (why not?). Most rentals I see are not being rented or driven by teenagers or yokels.
As for the sale cycle of them they are not kept that long by the rental companies around here....2 years tops, then sold. This is when they are at their highest resale value which is important to the rental companies. The rental companies actually have their own certified lots rather than submitting the cars to auction. That way you know what you are dealing with and again...why not?
So long as the vehicle is fully checked out. They are cleaned and maintained on a more regular basis than the family car/truckster I would think.
My two bits.
BP

 

[Limited-Time]

Re: Would you buy a former rental car?

I looked at a 3 1/2 year old post earlier and was wondering what I needed to do before I tried to start it up again?? Any special procedures or areas of consern I should look at??

 

[SS MAYFLOAT]

Re: Would you buy a former rental car?

I looked at a 3 1/2 year old post earlier and was wondering what I needed to do before I tried to start it up again?? Any special procedures or areas of consern I should look at??

LT, are you missing the Post Reply Box? Its as easy at that,,,,,,BTW,,,,I like your signature

 

[rolmops]

Re: Would you buy a former rental car?

Just remember that the best all terrain vehicle is a rented vehicle