Buying a rental car.. Any new experience?

Questions on how we spend our money and our time - consumer goods and services, home and vehicle, leisure and recreational activities
Topic Author
BogleMelon
Posts: 3181
Joined: Mon Feb 01, 2016 10:49 am

Buying a rental car.. Any new experience?

Post by BogleMelon »

I used the search box in this forum and almost read every thread about buying a car from a rental company. I am curious to see if there are any members here who did it recently, and how was their experience.

Also, I am considering Hertz as a first option, they have 2 programs: rent2buy and Certified. In terms of warranty, is there any difference? I called the 800 number, and a lady confirmed they both have 12 mo / 12K mi warranty, but I have some doubts about her knowledge, specially that in another forum (but old thread) it was mentioned that the r2b program is only 2 mo / 2K mi. (I tried to find out the answer in their website, but it is not clear)

Another thing, do they take credit card as a payment? or it has to be a wire transfer? and what about a cashier check or a ACH transfer?

Thanks!
"One of the funny things about stock market, every time one is buying another is selling, and both think they are astute" - William Feather
bloom2708
Posts: 9855
Joined: Wed Apr 02, 2014 2:08 pm

Re: Buying a rental car.. Any new experience?

Post by bloom2708 »

Try searching for "rental car purchase" in the search box. I found several threads about purchases over the past few years. You maybe read all of them. But you might hit one you didn't read.

Here is one:

viewtopic.php?t=153408

Do you know what make/model you want or do you have a pool of cars?

Start pricing out cars that are the type that you are looking for. I have no doubt you can save "some" money buying a lightly used car from a rental company. They are turning over a lot of cars. With any used car purchase, you have some risk. In general, I think rental car companies take care of the cars and service them. You don't know how the car was driven while rented, but I wouldn't be too worried about that.

Give us an update and let us know the direction you are leaning and what type of car.
Topic Author
BogleMelon
Posts: 3181
Joined: Mon Feb 01, 2016 10:49 am

Re: Buying a rental car.. Any new experience?

Post by BogleMelon »

bloom2708 wrote:Try searching for "rental car purchase" in the search box. I found several threads about purchases over the past few years. You maybe read all of them. But you might hit one you didn't read.

Here is one:

viewtopic.php?t=153408

Do you know what make/model you want or do you have a pool of cars?

Start pricing out cars that are the type that you are looking for. I have no doubt you can save "some" money buying a lightly used car from a rental company. They are turning over a lot of cars. With any used car purchase, you have some risk. In general, I think rental car companies take care of the cars and service them. You don't know how the car was driven while rented, but I wouldn't be too worried about that.

Give us an update and let us know the direction you are leaning and what type of car.
Thinking of Hyundai Elantra
"One of the funny things about stock market, every time one is buying another is selling, and both think they are astute" - William Feather
bloom2708
Posts: 9855
Joined: Wed Apr 02, 2014 2:08 pm

Re: Buying a rental car.. Any new experience?

Post by bloom2708 »

I've had a Sonata and Elantra has a rental car a few times. I liked both of them. Compare new, used on a traditional car dealer (carmax, cars.com) to the price of the rental version.

What amount would be a significant amount to save? I would look at $1,000 compare to the traditional used car dealer. I'm not sure how the trim levels would compare. Rental cars might trend toward the cloth seats/lower trim packages. Something to be aware when comparing cars.

Just tossing out how I would approach it.
timmy
Posts: 725
Joined: Thu Jun 14, 2012 2:57 pm

Re: Buying a rental car.. Any new experience?

Post by timmy »

Hertz

Purchased in Sep-2015

Purchased 2014 economy car for $10K plus tax

38K miles

Good

No haggle, $1000 below KBB price

Super easy transaction, very little/ to no sales pressure or up selling

Warranty (1 year ... I recall)

My mechanic said the car was in good shape/ well maintained

Negative

Low trade in value. I sold my car on Craigslist then came back to buy

More small scratches on the car (for 1 to 2 YO). You can check that before you buy
Topic Author
BogleMelon
Posts: 3181
Joined: Mon Feb 01, 2016 10:49 am

Re: Buying a rental car.. Any new experience?

Post by BogleMelon »

timmy wrote:Hertz

Purchased in Sep-2015

Purchased 2014 economy car for $10K plus tax

38K miles

Good

No haggle, $1000 below KBB price

Super easy transaction, very little/ to no sales pressure or up selling

Warranty (1 year ... I recall)

My mechanic said the car was in good shape/ well maintained

Negative

Low trade in value. I sold my car on Craigslist then came back to buy

More small scratches on the car (for 1 to 2 YO). You can check that before you buy
What car did you buy?
"One of the funny things about stock market, every time one is buying another is selling, and both think they are astute" - William Feather
CorradoJr
Posts: 302
Joined: Thu Apr 26, 2012 10:03 am

Re: Buying a rental car.. Any new experience?

Post by CorradoJr »

I would never buy a rental car. Abused way beyond what should be normal for a 1-2 year old car.

More scratches, interior scuffs, smells, and sometimes mischievous use than most. I'd rather buy a higher mileage commuter car, used by one person than a rental.

Think about all the times luggage has been lifted over the trunk vs someone commuting to work with no luggage.

If you are just looking for transportation, it might be ok of none of these things bother you.
User avatar
Watty
Posts: 28813
Joined: Wed Oct 10, 2007 3:55 pm

Re: Buying a rental car.. Any new experience?

Post by Watty »

It varies by brand but most cars come with something like a five year 60K mile powertrain warranty which the rental car will still have. If the rental car company comes with some sort of extended warranty you would need to look at how that overlaps with manufacturer's powertrain warranty. There may also be separate longer warranties for things like emission systems.

One thing to watch out for when looking at the warranties is that the full Hyundai warranty might not transfer to the second owner.
Fripp
Posts: 24
Joined: Tue Jun 07, 2016 10:06 am

Re: Buying a rental car.. Any new experience?

Post by Fripp »

I have purchased three cars from Hertz and they have all been great experiences. I purchased two Camry's and one Civic.

All of them had around 30-40,000 miles when purchased. I purchased them on the rent to buy program, where you rent the car for 3 days and then either return the car, or buy it and the rental fee is dropped. I believe I saved over $2,000 on each car. While I rented the car, the first place I went was to my mechanic, who informed me the car was in good shape, etc. He asked me the price I was paying, and he said I was getting a great deal.

I asked the mechanic at Hertz if many people bought cars from Hertz and he said very few did. He said that car companies like Car Max and dealerships would come in and buy 25 cars at a time and would put them on their lots and raise the price by $2000. He said most people do not know about the cars available at rental companies, or they are worried about cars being trashed while being rented.

Anyway, I hope my comments help you with your decision.
Topic Author
BogleMelon
Posts: 3181
Joined: Mon Feb 01, 2016 10:49 am

Re: Buying a rental car.. Any new experience?

Post by BogleMelon »

Fripp wrote:I have purchased three cars from Hertz and they have all been great experiences. I purchased two Camry's and one Civic.

All of them had around 30-40,000 miles when purchased. I purchased them on the rent to buy program, where you rent the car for 3 days and then either return the car, or buy it and the rental fee is dropped. I believe I saved over $2,000 on each car. While I rented the car, the first place I went was to my mechanic, who informed me the car was in good shape, etc. He asked me the price I was paying, and he said I was getting a great deal.

I asked the mechanic at Hertz if many people bought cars from Hertz and he said very few did. He said that car companies like Car Max and dealerships would come in and buy 25 cars at a time and would put them on their lots and raise the price by $2000. He said most people do not know about the cars available at rental companies, or they are worried about cars being trashed while being rented.

Anyway, I hope my comments help you with your decision.
Thanks! had any of them have a smoking odor? That is another thing I am worried about, rental cars have a 99.999% chance for a smoker to smoke inside the car, and the smell could last forever.
"One of the funny things about stock market, every time one is buying another is selling, and both think they are astute" - William Feather
nhdean
Posts: 234
Joined: Sun Jul 04, 2010 5:07 pm
Contact:

Re: Buying a rental car.. Any new experience?

Post by nhdean »

I think you have to be careful buying previous rental cars. Most people that drive them do not care about them at all and will abuse them. That being said they usually have all their service up to date.
emoore
Posts: 676
Joined: Mon Mar 04, 2013 7:16 pm

Re: Buying a rental car.. Any new experience?

Post by emoore »

BogleMelon wrote:
Fripp wrote:I have purchased three cars from Hertz and they have all been great experiences. I purchased two Camry's and one Civic.

All of them had around 30-40,000 miles when purchased. I purchased them on the rent to buy program, where you rent the car for 3 days and then either return the car, or buy it and the rental fee is dropped. I believe I saved over $2,000 on each car. While I rented the car, the first place I went was to my mechanic, who informed me the car was in good shape, etc. He asked me the price I was paying, and he said I was getting a great deal.

I asked the mechanic at Hertz if many people bought cars from Hertz and he said very few did. He said that car companies like Car Max and dealerships would come in and buy 25 cars at a time and would put them on their lots and raise the price by $2000. He said most people do not know about the cars available at rental companies, or they are worried about cars being trashed while being rented.

Anyway, I hope my comments help you with your decision.
Thanks! had any of them have a smoking odor? That is another thing I am worried about, rental cars have a 99.999% chance for a smoker to smoke inside the car, and the smell could last forever.
I don't think that there is that high of a chance of having a smoker in a former rental car. Seems like now there are clauses that prohibit you from smoking in a rental car otherwise you will get fined.
alfaspider
Posts: 4805
Joined: Wed Sep 09, 2015 4:44 pm

Re: Buying a rental car.. Any new experience?

Post by alfaspider »

nhdean wrote:I think you have to be careful buying previous rental cars. Most people that drive them do not care about them at all and will abuse them. That being said they usually have all their service up to date.
Yes. Not everyone abuses rental cars, but many do. I'd give one a very close inspection inside and out- ideally with a mechanic and the car up on a lift.
Topic Author
BogleMelon
Posts: 3181
Joined: Mon Feb 01, 2016 10:49 am

Re: Buying a rental car.. Any new experience?

Post by BogleMelon »

emoore wrote:
BogleMelon wrote:
Fripp wrote:I have purchased three cars from Hertz and they have all been great experiences. I purchased two Camry's and one Civic.

All of them had around 30-40,000 miles when purchased. I purchased them on the rent to buy program, where you rent the car for 3 days and then either return the car, or buy it and the rental fee is dropped. I believe I saved over $2,000 on each car. While I rented the car, the first place I went was to my mechanic, who informed me the car was in good shape, etc. He asked me the price I was paying, and he said I was getting a great deal.

I asked the mechanic at Hertz if many people bought cars from Hertz and he said very few did. He said that car companies like Car Max and dealerships would come in and buy 25 cars at a time and would put them on their lots and raise the price by $2000. He said most people do not know about the cars available at rental companies, or they are worried about cars being trashed while being rented.

Anyway, I hope my comments help you with your decision.
Thanks! had any of them have a smoking odor? That is another thing I am worried about, rental cars have a 99.999% chance for a smoker to smoke inside the car, and the smell could last forever.
I don't think that there is that high of a chance of having a smoker in a former rental car. Seems like now there are clauses that prohibit you from smoking in a rental car otherwise you will get fined.
Thanks! it is good to know!
"One of the funny things about stock market, every time one is buying another is selling, and both think they are astute" - William Feather
mrtiger
Posts: 59
Joined: Sun Nov 13, 2016 8:35 pm

Re: Buying a rental car.. Any new experience?

Post by mrtiger »

Go for it. I have purchased car from Hertz few years ago and it was flawless.
Also my girlfriend just purchased 2015 Toyota Prius Two for 13.5k (cheapest that I found within 250miles where I live) and it is problem free so far. Yes there is a chance that car was abused a little, however no more than car from dealer lot. Most cars are being rented by business people that want to go from point A to B and don't abuse cars for fun.
FinanceGeek
Posts: 989
Joined: Sun Jul 01, 2007 5:27 pm

Re: Buying a rental car.. Any new experience?

Post by FinanceGeek »

I have bought several SUVs from Enterprise Car Sales over the years. They were one of the first to offer a 7 day period in which we could unwind the sale if we changed our mind. Never did that, but the option to do so was very much an influence in buying from them versus a used car generally. The vehicles I bought were in very nice shape, I did not detect prior smoking took place, and I had little to no issues with the cars as they aged - in fact I kept each vehicle about 8-10 years from the time I purchased it for a terminal mileage of around 150k.

In the last few years though (ever since "cash for clunkers", I think), I've noticed that the depreciation of 1-2 year old cars isn't as much as it used to be. Today I can typically buy a base model new vehicle from a dealer for about the price of what Enterprise is selling a more generously featured one.

I have had a very positive experience buying from Enterprise in the past. If I wanted a 1-2 year old vehicle with higher option packages, I would not hesitate to buy from them again.
Chuck
Posts: 2505
Joined: Thu May 21, 2009 12:19 pm

Re: Buying a rental car.. Any new experience?

Post by Chuck »

My family has bought 5 cars from Enterprise. All have been positive, from the buying process, the price, and quality of the car.
TheJourneyContinues
Posts: 35
Joined: Thu Apr 30, 2015 8:14 pm

Re: Buying a rental car.. Any new experience?

Post by TheJourneyContinues »

mrtiger wrote:Yes there is a chance that car was abused a little, however no more than car from dealer lot. Most cars are being rented by business people that want to go from point A to B and don't abuse cars for fun.
Agree with this. I traveled for work every week for years and rented about a billion cars with tons of different coworker drivers. I never drove with anyone who drove in a way that would intentionally damage the car. The one thing I would watch out for is cars that have both automatic and manual options - I did see a few instances where coworkers who were unfamiliar with manual drive were accidentally in the wrong gear and did some nasty sounding stuff to the engine before realizing they needed to shift over to automatic :(
2pedals
Posts: 1988
Joined: Wed Dec 31, 2014 11:31 am

Re: Buying a rental car.. Any new experience?

Post by 2pedals »

I have bought 3 cars from budget and 1 from Hertz. Bought them in 1995 (1994 model), 2001 (2000 model), 2002 (2001 model) and 2014 (2013 model) and the family still drives them. All bought with less than 30,000 miles and had various manufacturer warranties for several years after. The 1994 car had transmission problems just before the manufacturer warranty expired at about 70,000, 100% covered. Also the 2000 car also had transmission and emission control failures 100% covered. All issues occurred several years and miles after the purchase. The 2013 model has not had any problems, been driving it now for 3 years. The vehicles were not highly rated, with high reliability ratings, so were these issue more than for the model? -- I don't think so and the warranty covered the problems. Other than a few extra dings, seat stains and scratches on the car, I found the cars quite ordinary and a good bargain, less than KBB. The 2001 model was an absolute bargain, less than 20,000 miles for $4,750. :happy
User avatar
Watty
Posts: 28813
Joined: Wed Oct 10, 2007 3:55 pm

Re: Buying a rental car.. Any new experience?

Post by Watty »

TheJourneyContinues wrote:
mrtiger wrote:Yes there is a chance that car was abused a little, however no more than car from dealer lot. Most cars are being rented by business people that want to go from point A to B and don't abuse cars for fun.
Agree with this. I traveled for work every week for years and rented about a billion cars with tons of different coworker drivers. I never drove with anyone who drove in a way that would intentionally damage the car. (
+1

If anything I probably drive a rental car more carefully than my own car because I am not as familiar with it. I had good luck with a Camry that I bought from Hertz that had been a rental around Orlando so I figure it was mostly driven by families on vacation.

While there is a risk of it being driven hard but to me that is more than offset but the fact that you know that the rental car company is selling it because that is their normal schedule. If you buy a year or two old car from a private seller there is a risk that they know that there is an issue with the car so they are getting rid of it.
Topic Author
BogleMelon
Posts: 3181
Joined: Mon Feb 01, 2016 10:49 am

Re: Buying a rental car.. Any new experience?

Post by BogleMelon »

Watty wrote:
While there is a risk of it being driven hard but to me that is more than offset but the fact that you know that the rental car company is selling it because that is their normal schedule. If you buy a year or two old car from a private seller there is a risk that they know that there is an issue with the car so they are getting rid of it.
+1
I myself used to wonder (every time I see what seems like a good car in the market), why then the owner got rid of it? It must have an issue that I can not see :confused
That reason alone is enough to convince me to buy a rental.

Thank you and thanks to this forum, I wouldn't consider this idea ever unless it was mentioned at one of my posts earlier.
"One of the funny things about stock market, every time one is buying another is selling, and both think they are astute" - William Feather
sk2101
Posts: 589
Joined: Sun Jun 02, 2013 4:54 pm

Re: Buying a rental car.. Any new experience?

Post by sk2101 »

Watty wrote:
TheJourneyContinues wrote:
mrtiger wrote:Yes there is a chance that car was abused a little, however no more than car from dealer lot. Most cars are being rented by business people that want to go from point A to B and don't abuse cars for fun.
Agree with this. I traveled for work every week for years and rented about a billion cars with tons of different coworker drivers. I never drove with anyone who drove in a way that would intentionally damage the car. (
+1

If anything I probably drive a rental car more carefully than my own car because I am not as familiar with it. I had good luck with a Camry that I bought from Hertz that had been a rental around Orlando so I figure it was mostly driven by families on vacation.

While there is a risk of it being driven hard but to me that is more than offset but the fact that you know that the rental car company is selling it because that is their normal schedule. If you buy a year or two old car from a private seller there is a risk that they know that there is an issue with the car so they are getting rid of it.
Most of the used cars on dealer lots that are 1-2 year old with 20-30K miles are rentals that have been bought back at auction. Lease returns are typically older 2-3 year old with 24-36k miles.
User avatar
dm200
Posts: 23214
Joined: Mon Feb 26, 2007 1:21 pm
Location: Washington DC area

Re: Buying a rental car.. Any new experience?

Post by dm200 »

No personal experience, but I know that a credit union partnered with a community organization to provide and finance reliable used cars for low income individuals who needed a car. They picked Enterprise because they concluded that Enterprise used cars were an excellent value and were likely to be very reliable and low maintenance/repair costs.
Casper
Posts: 311
Joined: Tue Oct 15, 2013 8:32 pm

Re: Buying a rental car.. Any new experience?

Post by Casper »

nhdean wrote:I think you have to be careful buying previous rental cars. Most people that drive them do not care about them at all and will abuse them. That being said they usually have all their service up to date.
Just curious why so many people say this? Whenever I've rented a car, I've been super careful with it, because I'm spooked about getting any scratches or damage that I'm going to have to pay for. Same goes for when I've been in someone else's rental car, and my impression is that this is how a lot of people treat rentals. Why do people think rental cars are abused?

Just asking because it's a statement I see on this site all the time, but has been the opposite of my experience.
Topic Author
BogleMelon
Posts: 3181
Joined: Mon Feb 01, 2016 10:49 am

Re: Buying a rental car.. Any new experience?

Post by BogleMelon »

Casper wrote: and my impression is that this is how a lot of people treat rentals. Why do people think rental cars are abused?

.
You mean this is how a lot of adults treat rentals.
Teenagers and YOLO's may have a different story!

But In general, I can see that only people who have never tried that route, are too cautious about it. Most of those who have experience buying a rental, encourage others to go for it..
"One of the funny things about stock market, every time one is buying another is selling, and both think they are astute" - William Feather
User avatar
Dutch
Posts: 1277
Joined: Thu Jun 27, 2013 2:12 pm

Re: Buying a rental car.. Any new experience?

Post by Dutch »

I bought a 2 year old rental car in 2010 and got a good deal on it. I'm still driving it now. Zero problems and no maintenance, besides oil/filters and tires.

I will definitely consider a used rental again, next time I'm in the market for a replacement.
Quickfoot
Posts: 1166
Joined: Fri Jan 11, 2013 12:03 pm

Re: Buying a rental car.. Any new experience?

Post by Quickfoot »

I just purchased a CPO that was originally a rental car so my warranty comes from the manufacturer. Buying rental cars is a good overall strategy because the rental companies maintain their vehicles much better than most private owners do. Remember more than likely you'll have an electronics failure well before a drive train failure.
HIinvestor
Posts: 1877
Joined: Tue Apr 08, 2014 3:23 am

Re: Buying a rental car.. Any new experience?

Post by HIinvestor »

Our relatives have purchased several rental cars and been quite pleased. They've generally purchased from Hertz. One sister and her H have purchased about 4 cars over the years from Hertz--while I've known BIL, that's the only way they will purchase a vehicle. My other sister has purchased at least two cars from Hertz and my brother has purchased at least 3 or 4 from Hertz. I'm guessing they are pleased because they've done it several times and don't imagine they would keep repeating the experience if they weren't happy.
researcher
Posts: 1294
Joined: Thu Mar 12, 2015 7:05 pm

Re: Buying a rental car.. Any new experience?

Post by researcher »

Casper wrote:Just curious why so many people say this? Whenever I've rented a car, I've been super careful with it, because I'm spooked about getting any scratches or damage that I'm going to have to pay for. Why do people think rental cars are abused?

Just asking because it's a statement I see on this site all the time, but has been the opposite of my experience.
Here are some of the reasons why...
- Rentals are driven by literally dozens/hundreds of different drivers, of all ages, from all backgrounds/walks of life.
- It is guaranteed that a proportion of these renters (25%-50%?) are going to abuse the vehicle. I do it myself.
- Drivers are not going to care for the vehicle as they would their own: door dings/scratches, dragging luggage in/out of car, piles of sand inside.
- Renters are unfamiliar with the vehicles, and can inflict unintentional damage, as a previous posted mentioned (" I did see a few instances where coworkers who were unfamiliar with manual drive were accidentally in the wrong gear and did some nasty sounding stuff to the engine")
- It is likely that a proportion of renters will smoke, do drugs, or possibly other more nefarious acts in the vehicle.

Just because you are a 'Nervous Nellie' when driving a rental doesn't mean the rest of the population is.

If a vehicle has 30,000 miles, and the average renter puts on ~250 miles, then 120 different people have driven that car. It is guaranteed that some of those renters are not as careful or considerate as you.
psteinx
Posts: 5785
Joined: Tue Mar 13, 2007 2:24 pm

Re: Buying a rental car.. Any new experience?

Post by psteinx »

1) I believe most US rental car companies won't rent to those under 25. Does that mean there is never a 22 year old or a 17 year old behind the wheel of a rental car? No, but I think the scenario is not wildly common for the typical rental car.

2) I believe few US rental cars are manuals.

3) Cosmetic damage - door dings, extra dirt/sand inside the car, etc, can likely be assessed by the prospective buyer with a visual inspection. Yes, it's possible to miss something, but then, if you missed it, it's probably not that visible anyways, right?

4) Smokers would be a concern, but particularly if a company allowed a 3 day trial period, I think any serious cigarette smell would normally be reasonably detectable within 3 days.
Topic Author
BogleMelon
Posts: 3181
Joined: Mon Feb 01, 2016 10:49 am

Re: Buying a rental car.. Any new experience?

Post by BogleMelon »

researcher wrote:
Casper wrote:Just curious why so many people say this? Whenever I've rented a car, I've been super careful with it, because I'm spooked about getting any scratches or damage that I'm going to have to pay for. Why do people think rental cars are abused?

Just asking because it's a statement I see on this site all the time, but has been the opposite of my experience.
Here are some of the reasons why...
- Rentals are driven by literally dozens/hundreds of different drivers, of all ages, from all backgrounds/walks of life.
- It is guaranteed that a proportion of these renters (25%-50%?) are going to abuse the vehicle. I do it myself.
- Drivers are not going to care for the vehicle as they would their own: door dings/scratches, dragging luggage in/out of car, piles of sand inside.
- Renters are unfamiliar with the vehicles, and can inflict unintentional damage, as a previous posted mentioned (" I did see a few instances where coworkers who were unfamiliar with manual drive were accidentally in the wrong gear and did some nasty sounding stuff to the engine")
- It is likely that a proportion of renters will smoke, do drugs, or possibly other more nefarious acts in the vehicle.

Just because you are a 'Nervous Nellie' when driving a rental doesn't mean the rest of the population is.

If a vehicle has 30,000 miles, and the average renter puts on ~250 miles, then 120 different people have driven that car. It is guaranteed that some of those renters are not as careful or considerate as you.
researcher, all are good points, but my argument is:
same thing goes for a 1 owner car.
1 owner can smoke or let his friends or relative smoke or do drugs in the car. 1 owner can have a bad day (laid off from work or whatever) and he drive madly, and abuse the car (I did that enormous times to my own cars, even though I am usually a very calm driver, but sh*^ happens).
1 owner will put his feet into his car 120 times (equivalent to the number of renters), each single time with a different mood, he could be in a rush, or feel the urge to pee and really need to go home ASAP...etc

And speaking about cleaning the car, I live in NJ and rarely go for a car wash (you never know when it is raining or snowing, so why bother?)
1 owner can forget or ignore oil changes, and other important maintenance unless the car start yelling at his face, and yet he has no time to go and do it (think of a single mum with 3 kids and 2 jobs!).

Also a deal break I see (in favor of rental cars), why the 1 owner selling his car if it is a good car that he was taking care of it?
"One of the funny things about stock market, every time one is buying another is selling, and both think they are astute" - William Feather
researcher
Posts: 1294
Joined: Thu Mar 12, 2015 7:05 pm

Re: Buying a rental car.. Any new experience?

Post by researcher »

BogleMelon wrote:researcher, all are good points, but my argument is:
same thing goes for a 1 owner car...
Yes, of course all of these things could happen with a one-owner vehicle.

However, the point I'm making is that the chances of such things happening in a rental car are MUCH higher.
You have upwards of 120 different people driving a rental car.
None of these drivers own the vehicle, and therefore don't give two sh*ts about it.

Do you really think a one-owner vehicle has the same likelihood of experiencing these issues as a rental car driven by 120 different non-owners?
awval999
Posts: 1318
Joined: Fri Apr 08, 2011 10:17 pm

Re: Buying a rental car.. Any new experience?

Post by awval999 »

Oh what I did to that rental Camaro convertible in Hawaii...

I wouldn't buy a convertible, or any sort of "leisure" car.
User avatar
dm200
Posts: 23214
Joined: Mon Feb 26, 2007 1:21 pm
Location: Washington DC area

Re: Buying a rental car.. Any new experience?

Post by dm200 »

It seems to me that there would be, somewhere, an objective and unbiased review/evidence of whether (or to what degree) rental cars that are sold (on average) do or do not have more net driver abuse.

Everything I have seen alleged about such rental car driver abuse of the rental cars seems "anecdotal".
researcher
Posts: 1294
Joined: Thu Mar 12, 2015 7:05 pm

Re: Buying a rental car.. Any new experience?

Post by researcher »

dm200 wrote:It seems to me that there would be, somewhere, an objective and unbiased review/evidence of whether (or to what degree) rental cars that are sold (on average) do or do not have more net driver abuse.

Everything I have seen alleged about such rental car driver abuse of the rental cars seems "anecdotal".
It would be simple to survey a random sample of rental car users and ask them whether they treat rental cars the same as their own vehicles.
It would be more difficult to quantify the impact of said driver abuse.

If just 10% of renters abuse vehicles, that would mean an average rental car has many abusive drivers over its life.
I would be embarrassed to list all of the abuse suffered by rental cars I've driven or ridden in. I certainly wouldn't want to buy one of said rentals.

Another poster (2pedals) has purchased 4 ex-rental cars, and 50% had to have their transmissions replaced.
researcher
Posts: 1294
Joined: Thu Mar 12, 2015 7:05 pm

Re: Buying a rental car.. Any new experience?

Post by researcher »

Quickfoot wrote:Buying rental cars is a good overall strategy because the rental companies maintain their vehicles much better than most private owners do.
Mainstream non-luxury vehicles require very little maintenance over 20K-30K miles.
Likely only ~3 oil changes. Maybe 1 air filter. That's it.

Modern cars let you know when maintenance is due. And most dealership provide your first x oil changes for free.

With so little maintenance required, how is it possible for rental companies to maintain the vehicles "much better" than private owners?
Quickfoot
Posts: 1166
Joined: Fri Jan 11, 2013 12:03 pm

Re: Buying a rental car.. Any new experience?

Post by Quickfoot »

Over the first 20-30K that's often true but the next 20-30 not so much and you'd be surprised how few people change their oil regularly. Manufacturers recommend very little maintenance these days in general but that doesn't mean it isn't necessary. In addition to doing the maintenance rental companies are likely to actually make repairs, they aren't as price sensitive as consumers are. Certainly there have been improvements in build quality but there's also been a reduction in recommended maintenance because manufacturers know most people don't keep their cars longer than 50-60K miles.
TallBoy29er
Posts: 1319
Joined: Thu Jul 18, 2013 9:06 pm

Re: Buying a rental car.. Any new experience?

Post by TallBoy29er »

Would never buy a rental car. That's not based on the practical, but Seinfeld would just keep reverberating in my head...:

Rental Car Agent: Would you like to purchase the renter's insurance?
Jerry: Yeah, you better give me the insurance because I'm going to beat the HELL out of this thing.
poker27
Posts: 1149
Joined: Mon Apr 01, 2013 2:48 pm

Re: Buying a rental car.. Any new experience?

Post by poker27 »

researcher wrote:
Casper wrote:Just curious why so many people say this? Whenever I've rented a car, I've been super careful with it, because I'm spooked about getting any scratches or damage that I'm going to have to pay for. Why do people think rental cars are abused?

Just asking because it's a statement I see on this site all the time, but has been the opposite of my experience.
Here are some of the reasons why...
- Rentals are driven by literally dozens/hundreds of different drivers, of all ages, from all backgrounds/walks of life.
- It is guaranteed that a proportion of these renters (25%-50%?) are going to abuse the vehicle. I do it myself.
- Drivers are not going to care for the vehicle as they would their own: door dings/scratches, dragging luggage in/out of car, piles of sand inside.
- Renters are unfamiliar with the vehicles, and can inflict unintentional damage, as a previous posted mentioned (" I did see a few instances where coworkers who were unfamiliar with manual drive were accidentally in the wrong gear and did some nasty sounding stuff to the engine")
- It is likely that a proportion of renters will smoke, do drugs, or possibly other more nefarious acts in the vehicle.

Just because you are a 'Nervous Nellie' when driving a rental doesn't mean the rest of the population is.

If a vehicle has 30,000 miles, and the average renter puts on ~250 miles, then 120 different people have driven that car. It is guaranteed that some of those renters are not as careful or considerate as you.
What can/does someone do to harm these vehicles? I would think you would be able to see most wear and tear on the outside of the vehicle. Other than that I think anything 'damaged' would be consumable items such as brake pads.

I don't think many people are renting a Prius or Camry and and going off road or something
TIAX
Posts: 1433
Joined: Sat Jan 11, 2014 11:19 am

Re: Buying a rental car.. Any new experience?

Post by TIAX »

researcher wrote: Do you really think a one-owner vehicle has the same likelihood of experiencing these issues as a rental car driven by 120 different non-owners?
You're assuming that with one owner, you can meet the owner and tell how good of a driver he or she is (or believe the dealer that the owner was a little old lady that drove the car once a week). But you probably can't.
Casper
Posts: 311
Joined: Tue Oct 15, 2013 8:32 pm

Re: Buying a rental car.. Any new experience?

Post by Casper »

researcher wrote:
Casper wrote:Just curious why so many people say this? Whenever I've rented a car, I've been super careful with it, because I'm spooked about getting any scratches or damage that I'm going to have to pay for. Why do people think rental cars are abused?

Just asking because it's a statement I see on this site all the time, but has been the opposite of my experience.
Here are some of the reasons why...
- Rentals are driven by literally dozens/hundreds of different drivers, of all ages, from all backgrounds/walks of life.
- It is guaranteed that a proportion of these renters (25%-50%?) are going to abuse the vehicle. I do it myself.
- Drivers are not going to care for the vehicle as they would their own: door dings/scratches, dragging luggage in/out of car, piles of sand inside.
- Renters are unfamiliar with the vehicles, and can inflict unintentional damage, as a previous posted mentioned (" I did see a few instances where coworkers who were unfamiliar with manual drive were accidentally in the wrong gear and did some nasty sounding stuff to the engine")
- It is likely that a proportion of renters will smoke, do drugs, or possibly other more nefarious acts in the vehicle.

Just because you are a 'Nervous Nellie' when driving a rental doesn't mean the rest of the population is.

If a vehicle has 30,000 miles, and the average renter puts on ~250 miles, then 120 different people have driven that car. It is guaranteed that some of those renters are not as careful or considerate as you.
Like someone else said, I'd like to see actual research or data on this, rather than guesses.

- The number of times and miles each rental is driven varies from car to car. Maybe some rentals are driven "hundreds" of times, but many others aren't.
- This 25-50% number is a total guess and probably way overstated, and I still don't know what you mean by "abuse." As someone else said, probably not a good idea to buy a rental Camaro or Charger or something (or a minivan, for that matter), but not sure what other types of abuse people are talking about. I'd also be leery about buying a rental that I knew was based out of JFK or some other high-traffic area.
- Scratches and other wear and tear are easily visible. "Piles of sand" or dirt in the car would have been cleaned out by the rental company.
- I'd like to see other examples of "unintentional damage" besides this one manual transmission issue. The biggest problem I've had is not knowing how to turn on the windshield wipers.
- Prior smoking will usually be detectable. I think your fears of "nefarious" behavior occurring in rental cars is overblown, but in any event I'm not concerned about "nefarious" behavior going on in the car, as long as the car is fine.
nec
Posts: 23
Joined: Mon Nov 30, 2015 11:54 pm

Re: Buying a rental car.. Any new experience?

Post by nec »

I bought a car through carmax and discovered before buying that it had been a rental (got a police report regarding a minor bump to rear). My only issue is that I wish I had known about Hertz before buying this car...doing an apples to apples comparison, it looks like Hertz is cheaper...as for the car, 6 years later (camry) no issues...next time, I will be looking at Hertz...
TIAX
Posts: 1433
Joined: Sat Jan 11, 2014 11:19 am

Re: Buying a rental car.. Any new experience?

Post by TIAX »

Casper wrote:I think your fears of "nefarious" behavior occurring in rental cars is overblown, but in any event I'm not concerned about "nefarious" behavior going on in the car, as long as the car is fine.
Would "nefarious" behavior in a rental be, for example, a getaway car in a bank robbery?
researcher
Posts: 1294
Joined: Thu Mar 12, 2015 7:05 pm

Re: Buying a rental car.. Any new experience?

Post by researcher »

poker27 wrote:What can/does someone do to harm these vehicles? I would think you would be able to see most wear and tear on the outside of the vehicle. Other than that I think anything 'damaged' would be consumable items such as brake pads.

I don't think many people are renting a Prius or Camry and and going off road or something
Here are the things that have happened in a rental car, either while driving or as a passenger...
- Driving over speed bumps at 30-40+ MPH
- Doing donuts in a dry parking lot, in both forward and reverse
- Routinely accelerating at 100% throttle and slowing with 100% braking
- Burnouts by putting car in neutral, revving engine to redline, then quickly putting into drive (similar to a clutch dump)
- Ever heard of a J-turn? If not, google it and watch a few videos
- Using the emergency brake to stop
- Driving through fields, small creeks, dirt trails, ect.

Go to Google or YouTube and search for "rental car abuse."
https://www.youtube.com/results?sp=CAI% ... +car+abuse
taguscove
Posts: 135
Joined: Sun Dec 11, 2016 5:49 pm

Re: Buying a rental car.. Any new experience?

Post by taguscove »

researcher wrote:
poker27 wrote:What can/does someone do to harm these vehicles? I would think you would be able to see most wear and tear on the outside of the vehicle. Other than that I think anything 'damaged' would be consumable items such as brake pads.

I don't think many people are renting a Prius or Camry and and going off road or something
Here are the things that have happened in a rental car, either while driving or as a passenger...
- Driving over speed bumps at 30-40+ MPH
- Doing donuts in a dry parking lot, in both forward and reverse
- Routinely accelerating at 100% throttle and slowing with 100% braking
- Burnouts by putting car in neutral, revving engine to redline, then quickly putting into drive (similar to a clutch dump)
- Ever heard of a J-turn? If not, google it and watch a few videos
- Using the emergency brake to stop
- Driving through fields, small creeks, dirt trails, ect.

Go to Google or YouTube and search for "rental car abuse."
https://www.youtube.com/results?sp=CAI% ... +car+abuse
Seems exciting!
If buying a used rental car allows me to get a similar level of interesting performance, count me in! More amazing action that I've ever been able to do with my own car.
tim1999
Posts: 4203
Joined: Tue Dec 16, 2008 6:16 am

Re: Buying a rental car.. Any new experience?

Post by tim1999 »

I would never buy a rental car myself, mainly because I am extremely picky when it comes to physical condition. Former rental cars usually have numerous scratches, dings, stains, smells, the guaranteed scratched up rear bumper from people dragging suitcases over it, etc. I disagree that rental cars are better maintained than privately owned cars as a rule. Rental companies only make money when the car is rented out, not when it is in the shop for preventative maintenance. They change the oil when the light comes on and that's it, and that's if they notice it. I don't think they are changing air filters, rotating tires, waxing the finish, checking fluid levels, etc. Can't tell you how many times I've had to add oil to rental cars because it was below minimum or have had to put air in the tires because they were dangerously low.

I posted a couple years ago about the time I accidentally drove a rental Impala into a large pile of road gravel at 30mph, and after picking the obvious pebbles out of the grille and running it through an automatic car wash to get the extreme dirt/dust off, returned it with no questions asked despite the engine compartment (and who knows what intakes) being full of them. I'd never want to be the guy that buys that car. Or the one where my co-worker could not hold his bladder any longer and let loose in the passenger's cloth seat (did not leave a stain). I recall a few back in my mid 20s that I would floor the gas and redline the engine off of every stoplight, whether it was a Taurus or a Mustang.

As for smoking in rental cars, I've rented many cars were it was obvious it was smoked in despite the "no smoking" stickers all over it. Look at it this way. At busy airport locations, the person who issues the car is usually not the person who checks it back in when you return. Unless the smell is particularly fresh and pungent (cigars for example) they have no idea whether it went out in that condition or not, and they have no incentive to care. Just last week I pulled up to a rental car at a stoplight, probably Enterprise or National based on the "On Ramp Concierge" sticker on the driver's window and the barcode sticker on the rear passenger's window, and the driver was puffing away on a cigarette.

Although there are people, probably rare ones, that abuse their own cars, I doubt there are many people who take care of and drive rental cars like their own, other than very timid drivers.
Last edited by tim1999 on Wed Mar 08, 2017 8:28 am, edited 1 time in total.
matatupuncher
Posts: 48
Joined: Mon Aug 17, 2015 7:26 pm

Re: Buying a rental car.. Any new experience?

Post by matatupuncher »

poker27 wrote:
researcher wrote:
Casper wrote:Just curious why so many people say this? Whenever I've rented a car, I've been super careful with it, because I'm spooked about getting any scratches or damage that I'm going to have to pay for. Why do people think rental cars are abused?

Just asking because it's a statement I see on this site all the time, but has been the opposite of my experience.
Here are some of the reasons why...
- Rentals are driven by literally dozens/hundreds of different drivers, of all ages, from all backgrounds/walks of life.
- It is guaranteed that a proportion of these renters (25%-50%?) are going to abuse the vehicle. I do it myself.
- Drivers are not going to care for the vehicle as they would their own: door dings/scratches, dragging luggage in/out of car, piles of sand inside.
- Renters are unfamiliar with the vehicles, and can inflict unintentional damage, as a previous posted mentioned (" I did see a few instances where coworkers who were unfamiliar with manual drive were accidentally in the wrong gear and did some nasty sounding stuff to the engine")
- It is likely that a proportion of renters will smoke, do drugs, or possibly other more nefarious acts in the vehicle.

Just because you are a 'Nervous Nellie' when driving a rental doesn't mean the rest of the population is.

If a vehicle has 30,000 miles, and the average renter puts on ~250 miles, then 120 different people have driven that car. It is guaranteed that some of those renters are not as careful or considerate as you.
What can/does someone do to harm these vehicles? I would think you would be able to see most wear and tear on the outside of the vehicle. Other than that I think anything 'damaged' would be consumable items such as brake pads.

I don't think many people are renting a Prius or Camry and and going off road or something
I had a wild time with a few military friends hot lapping a rental Toyota Corolla in the Nevada desert. I really hope no one bought that car on the used market.
researcher
Posts: 1294
Joined: Thu Mar 12, 2015 7:05 pm

Re: Buying a rental car.. Any new experience?

Post by researcher »

TIAX wrote:
Casper wrote:Would "nefarious" behavior in a rental be, for example, a getaway car in a bank robbery?
How about someone renting car and searching out drugs & prostitutes. Unfortunately, I knew someone who fell into addiction and would do this very thing. I'm sure it's not unheard of for people to fly into Miami/Vegas/LA, rent a car, and decide to partake in these things.
physiorol
Posts: 287
Joined: Sun Mar 09, 2014 12:52 am

Re: Buying a rental car.. Any new experience?

Post by physiorol »

Quickfoot wrote:I just purchased a CPO that was originally a rental car so my warranty comes from the manufacturer. Buying rental cars is a good overall strategy because the rental companies maintain their vehicles much better than most private owners do. Remember more than likely you'll have an electronics failure well before a drive train failure.
It seems that with Certified Pre-owned most manufacturers give a 7 year/100,000 mile power train warranty, but with the rental car you only get 1 year/12,000 miles. I have been looking at the two options rental car company purchase versus CPO.
Topic Author
BogleMelon
Posts: 3181
Joined: Mon Feb 01, 2016 10:49 am

Re: Buying a rental car.. Any new experience?

Post by BogleMelon »

physiorol wrote:
Quickfoot wrote:I just purchased a CPO that was originally a rental car so my warranty comes from the manufacturer. Buying rental cars is a good overall strategy because the rental companies maintain their vehicles much better than most private owners do. Remember more than likely you'll have an electronics failure well before a drive train failure.
It seems that with Certified Pre-owned most manufacturers give a 7 year/100,000 mile power train warranty, but with the rental car you only get 1 year/12,000 miles. I have been looking at the two options rental car company purchase versus CPO.
ِAssuming that the car condition, mileage is the same and they were both rentals, and since the CPO's are more expensive to buy. Then the CPO would be equal to = rental + extended warranty.
Since I am not doing extended warranties, then I would see no value for buying the same exact car at a higher price just for the sake of more warranty.
"One of the funny things about stock market, every time one is buying another is selling, and both think they are astute" - William Feather
Post Reply