Would you buy an used car from a rental company like Hertz?

Question

Hi,
I am looking to buy a reasonablly "new" used car. I am wondering what people think of cars offerred by Hertz, Enterprise and alike.

Some people say renters often abuse the rental cars; but others counter that rental companies take good care of their cars to achieve efficiency and reduce liability.

What do you think?

thanks in advance,
Jeopardy.

Answer 1

Ok, you buy the used car of the little nice old lady who lives inin a farm, only used for going to church and the supermarket. Great deal, it seems, but maybe that car has been used by all the family and you don't know how it has been taken care of, or if the oil and liquids have been regularly changed...

I know people who bought that cars, (mom's car, granpa's car, a friend's car), believen they were getting real good deals, and were ripped off to pay a lot of money and ended up paying costly repairs.

One of my friends bought a former rental, from a dealership and he got a great deal, really cheap, it has been running for 3 years as an everyday car and on long trips. No problem at all.

Answer 2

A little info for all of you looking at that row of "Certified" used vehicles that are the current model year and have 10 or 20 or 30 thousand miles on them.

Yes, they are certified. They had a more thorough inspection done before hitting the lot, and they usually carry additional warranty.

Most of them were RENTALS. Thats right. Hertz and all their competitors rent them out, then take 'em to the auction, where dealers buy 'em as cheap as they can, certify them and call them a program car, and most won't tell you if it was a rental(if the salesman even knows) unless you ask.

And seriously, do you think hard braking and heavy accelerating is really THAT hard on most vehicles nowadays? No.

But remember this. When it comes to MOST vehicles, you get what you pay for. If you buy the cheapest used car you can find, there is a reason it is the cheapest. Do your research.

Have a carfax run on any used vehicle before you sign the deal: know you are getting something that hasnt been in any major accidents or something. It's no guarantee that the vehicle is perfect, but it's better than not knowing about its past.
Good luck!

Answer 3

Hi, I bought a car that was once a rental. (It was bought through a dealership as second hand). Its 9 years old now and still going great! It had done about 48000's and still had 18 months warranty. By that stage any new car 'problems' had been sorted out. The only down side is that the master ignition key was lost and I only have the spare to use.

I would buy another car like this one in the future!

Answer 4

I agree that they service their cars better than most people would. Also, my exboyfriend bought one and it was a great car. It lasted him 10 years.

I looked at getting a used rental car and found that Enterprise had the best prices. The other agencies were overpriced. Also, if you find a car on the Enterprise website that you want to test drive (you don't even have to be sure you want to buy it) they'll have someone drive it to you.

I didn't end up getting one from Enterprise b/c I wanted a Japanese car and they really didn't have many.

Answer 5

It may come down to every instance being different, but my car make and model was sold only as a "fleet vehicle" to rental companies, etc. when it was made. My car is a 1998 buick that i bought in April of 2004 and I have never had any problems with it (other than maybe the ones that I caused).

Answer 6

Its not an wise decision to buy cars from rental companies. There are many used car markets from you can buy a car in good condition. you can take a look at the Cars for sale bay area to have some cool collection. Also, you can have some discount over there.

Answer 7

Drivers may drive the cars hard, but rental agencies usually service their cars on a regular basis, and can be a good deal.

Answer 8

I have never purchased a rental myself but my S-I-L did, 3 times. She has had nothing but good luck with them. She has had less problems than some of my friends who purchased new vehicles.

Although renters may treat the vehicle rough the company do better maintenance on their vehicles than we do on our personal cars.

And remember, the companies keep meticulous records of their maintenance. You may be able to get a copy for your records.

Answer 9

A famous person once said that a rental car was as good as any off road vehicle....I think you get my point.

DON'T buy a used rental. If you're going to buy a used vehicle get one that's "Certified" by the dealer. Good luck!

Answer 10

I rip the hell out of rental cars. Hard braking, high revs and basically seeing what the babies got the whole time I have it. You wouldn't want to have an old one I had been using.