quote:

Originally posted by LimaCharlie:
I spent years as a consultant renting vehicles including insurance on the client's dime. My work included going to remote wilderness areas on jeep trails.

I once got to the rental company and the only vehicle they had left on the lot was a Pontiac Fiero two-seater. Ever been on jeep trails in a sportscar?

I would never buy from a rental company because I drove them like I stole them.

That does remind me of doing some ground support work in the middle of fooooking nowhere AZ. My partner on the job was a retired Navy guy who had 'been there, done that'. Like you, we needed a 4x4 truck be we got a smaller sedan.

We drove a long one on very very unimproved roads, over dry river beds with him driving - I heard the skid plates and undercarriage of that vehicle grind multiple times on exposed rocks, etc. But his skill at driving like that was amazing, as we made it to the work site with a working, running vehicle with 4 good tires. I was spotting ruts / holes and calling them out to him, with a lot of "white knuckle time" as well. The other team in a 4x4 showed up with a blown tire they had to spend an hour changing, because it was a bitch to find a good location to jack it up.

I pity whoever got that car, because we drove 50-75 miles like that and the car was returned with 1/4 of dust and dirt covering the exterior, aside from the windows.

ETA - I also learned the JB Weld has many automotive uses - specifically attaching / plugging leaky oil pans that have taken damage. Zip ties do great for body work too.

I don't know about Hertz but there's an Avis near us that my wife has frequently used for work travel and there is no way I'd buy anything from them. The cars are dirty to filthy. I've had to practically chisel bugs off of the windshields and the interiors are usually stained and filthy even on upscale vehicles. I suspect that every car might get an oil change at least once while they're in service.
We've complained over and over but they could care less. Unfortunately, it's the company her job has decided to use.

quote:

What's the fastest car in reverse?????"

"A RENTAL!!!"

^^^
Yeah and they really lay rubber when you slam it into drive. Stick shift rentals are good for teaching your teen how to properly shift gears.

I’d 100% buy one.

I constantly rent cars through enterprise for work. I basically have a car rental 52 weeks a year. Different vehicle every week (my company doesn’t want a fleet of vehicles, so they rent at a corporate rate.)

I think the old thinking of people destroying rentals is not true in most cases. I take care of them when I have them, and enterprise always goes over the vehicle well after my return.

I once bought a new Lincoln that had to go in for some warranty work. Part of the deal was that the dealer would provide a similar loaner. Only problem was that I had yet to turn 21, and the dealer's insurance would not cover me in one of their loaners.

They checked with a local rental company who was able to supply them with a Mitsubishi Montero that I was insurable on. I immediately took it to a construction site and had it buried twice so badly that I had to get pulled out. I returned it with mud still dripping off from underneath. A lot of mud.

I have friends that only drive used rentals, and haven't heard of any typical issues one may expect from a used car. Enterprise is based local to us, and they tend to be a popular choice due to their warranty and maintenance.

Look at Offleaseonly.com. They sell a lot of the fleet rentals from the rental car companies in Florida. Good place to start--and the Carfax reports are there.

My 2006 x-type spent a year and 11k miles in Vegas as a Hertz rental.

I’ve never pried, it never said.

Still runs fine, 130k miles later.

Just bought a 2019 GMC Terrain for the wife that was a rental.23,000 miles in showroom condition and factory warranty. The price was good and wife very happy.

Last summer we bought a 2019 Kia Sorento with 16K miles from Enterprise. We've been happy with it.

I rented a minivan from our local Enterprise location and I felt the alignment was off. I told the customer service associate about it and he seemed surprise. He said that they do an alignmet on the cars every time they change the oil.

Now, I don't know how often they change the oil. I assume it is every six months. But I don't know that for certain.

I have read articles on the Internet (take it for what it is worth) that the rental companies turn over 90% of their fleet every year.

I've looked at Enterprise's, Hertz's and Avis's Web sites and I've noticed they don't give much of a discount for higher mileage vehicles. So if you have time I would look around and see if you can find one with lower mileage. I think they are a better value.

Another thing to note is that rental fleets tend to be the lower trim lines. So you want to be aware of the trim line you are looking at.

The lower trim lines tend to have the smaller engines if that is a concern to you. That isn't something you may notice when you are test driving with just you and the sales person in the car. But add the family and some luggage and you'll notice it really quick.

quote:

Originally posted by BigSwede:
I have bought them before, no problems, just have it looked over by a mechanic for evidence of abuse or accidents that may not be on the reports

I would agree. I've never beat the shit out of a rental car, nor have any of my friends. Anecdotal (at best) evidence but I also have friends that have bought rentals. Non have bought a lemon. Again, anecdotal. The inspection is important.

quote:

Originally posted by RAMIUS:
I’d 100% buy one.

I constantly rent cars through enterprise for work. I basically have a car rental 52 weeks a year. Different vehicle every week (my company doesn’t want a fleet of vehicles, so they rent at a corporate rate.)

I think the old thinking of people destroying rentals is not true in most cases. I take care of them when I have them, and enterprise always goes over the vehicle well after my return.

Not me, I want to get every penny out of the overpriced insurance. I drive em like I stole em.

quote:

Originally posted by RogueJSK:
Considering how the average person treats rental items (houses, cars, the proverbial mule, etc.), I would have some serious reservations about buying a former rental car.

THIS, I wouldn't touch one with a 10' pole. Plus all the scuzzy people that have rode in it, their dogs and cats and lord knows what else.

Bought my mom a 2003 Buick in 2005 or 6 low miles and still running great, as stated check it out and go with your gut!

A friend of mine years ago used to rent cars to jump hills and railroad tracks. He had a way of doing it to where you couldn’t see any damages without looking under the vehicle. I stopped socializing with him a long time ago.

Last I heard he still hasn’t grown up.

Was it Jeff Foxworthy's joke about buying a rental car? "Like looking for a wife at a whore house. You don't want anything that's been driven that hard, by that many people."

quote:

I would never buy from a rental company because I drove them like I stole them.

Preach On Brother! Rental cars are the ultimate test drive. Though I've matured quite a bit and generally a good driver of them.

reminds me of a lot of old rental car performance challenge jokes. Burn out/tire-smoking competition: Put the nose of a FWD on a wall and have at it. Soak the tires in bleach prior.

Buy the optional full coverage insurance and get your money's worth.....This was known long before the jackass idiots did it.

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I would probably buy one if looking and found something descent. Just nothing that has seen service in the ice/salt states.

Thanks everyone for your comments and a few laughs along the way...

What’s the difference between a four wheel drive and a rental car? A rental car can go anywhere....

Personally I’d never buy a rental, with the economy as bad as it is wait for a good deal on new.

We have bought two over the years. The first for my oldest son when he turned 16 was a Mazda 6 and had about 25K on the clock. He sold it when he went into the Army with over 100k on it ...no issues.

The second was a Ford Expedition for the family with about 22k on it. Drove it for almost 150k miles and once again no problems. I would do it again in a heart beat. Keep in mind that most of these sales have the balance of the factory warranty with them.

I’ve bought a few and had good luck. I bought each of my kids a 2 year old car when they started college. I bought both directly from the auto auction.

It sounds like hertz is on the cliff and I see hoards of cars at our airport bullpen. Their will be lots of rentals for sale.