Buford T. Justice Posted February 2, 2007 Posted February 2, 2007 Anyone with a personal experience I'd love to hear it.
Albany,n.y. Posted February 2, 2007 Posted February 2, 2007 Only personal experiences are driving rentals on the job & my answer is hell no! I've driven these cars on bumpy dirt roads and I've seen a change oil warning light go on as I pulled out of the parking area when I rented the car. People who buy into the idea that these cars are maintained better than owned ones are kidding themselves. They might be maintained better than the real lazy drivers do, but that's about it. My owner's manual says change the oil every 10,000 miles, I go 3,000-4,000 between oil changes-I doubt the rental agencies, where everything is bottom line, do any unrecommended maintenance. Under our contract, I can get a compact car for around $32 with unlimited mileage-I put about 200-300 miles on per day when I rent-the bottom line is too close to the edge for owner type maintenance. So, if you want a poorly (by my standards) maintained car driven by a lot of different people who could care less about the car they are driving, go ahead & buy a rental.
rockpile Posted February 2, 2007 Posted February 2, 2007 Anyone with a personal experience I'd love to hear it. My brother-in-law got a couple very sweet deals, but he is also a mechanic and made sure they were perfect. Since he was looking for an SUV and a minivan, and the market was glutted, he did fine and would definitely do it again. When I was looking, I found that for just a few thousand more, I could get a NEW Honda Accord sedan with 10 miles on it instead of 20 thousand miles. That was only because the high gas mileage sedans were in much higher demand from rental resales than the SUVs.
/dev/null Posted February 3, 2007 Posted February 3, 2007 My first (and only) car is a former rental. I bought a 98 Cavalier in 99 with less than 10k miles on it. I bought it from a GM dealer who acquired it via auto auction. Since it was a GM car I purchased from a GM dealer I also got the remaining 2 years on the warranty Had a problem within a month of buying the car but it had nothing to do with being a former rental. There was a factory defect where road salt would prematurely corrode some wires. Covered under warranty and a year or so later GM issued a recall for the same problem I had Other than that the only problems I've had with the car in 8 years are normal wear and tear (belts, alternater, battery) She's still got a few good years left in her too
mead107 Posted February 3, 2007 Posted February 3, 2007 yes picked up a sentra 2005 for my son only had 10,109 on it . paid $10,000
stinky finger Posted February 3, 2007 Posted February 3, 2007 Years ago, I worked for an insurance rental outfit. You know, the guys that would have a rental in tow only to deliver you one of these "gems". Upon pick up of these rentals, the cars were usually trashed. Smelled of smoke, cigarette burns in the seats. Busted door/window handles. Generally speaking, they were just nasty. Personally, I'd steer clear.
Fezmid Posted February 3, 2007 Posted February 3, 2007 My owner's manual says change the oil every 10,000 miles, I go 3,000-4,000 between oil changes A bit off-topic, but if the manual says to do it every 10,000 miles, why would you be tripling your oil change expense? My manual says to go 7,500 miles and some people at my last job thought that was crazy and they also do it every 3,000 miles. I don't get it -- usually manufacturers are VERY conservative with esimtates (meaning you could probably go 15,000 miles without an oil change on your car). Why change it so frequently? I have a '99 Camry with almost 100,000 miles and havn't had any problems with it yet *knock on wood* CW
buckeyemike Posted February 3, 2007 Posted February 3, 2007 In May 2003 I bought a 2001 Ford Taurus that was part of the Hertz fleet. The car needed new tires almost right away, but it still has the ones I bought. The brake discs have needed to be replaced twice, the second time just a couple of months ago. I have a tendency to stomp on the brake pedal. I have nearly four years and 53,000 more miles on that car since I purchased it. And, it is now paid off. I've had to put some money into it (recently, the heater needed to be fixed due to a design defect within the Taurus itself...there is a space between the hood and the body where water leaked in and corroded the fan), but I love the car. And my goal is to drive it for four more years. The mechanic has told me I've taken very good care of it.
Albany,n.y. Posted February 3, 2007 Posted February 3, 2007 A bit off-topic, but if the manual says to do it every 10,000 miles, why would you be tripling your oil change expense? My manual says to go 7,500 miles and some people at my last job thought that was crazy and they also do it every 3,000 miles. I don't get it -- usually manufacturers are VERY conservative with esimtates (meaning you could probably go 15,000 miles without an oil change on your car). Why change it so frequently? I have a '99 Camry with almost 100,000 miles and havn't had any problems with it yet *knock on wood* CW My last car lasted 13 years and over 170,000 miles doing this & the engine was in great shape when I retired it-due mainly to rusting. The cost ia about $80/year extra. Anyone who has to save $80 extra a year probably is in a pretty good struggle to keep their car. I paid over 30k for the car over 6 years ago and since I may never be able to afford a car that expensive again (I bought it before I owned a house) I figure a little extra maintenance may help & certainly can't hurt.
Bill from NYC Posted February 3, 2007 Posted February 3, 2007 Not me. The people driving it probably use the cheapest no name gas, and beat the crap out of the car. I am guilty of the cheap gas thing. The Caddy we rent for every Nills trip gets filled up with regular gas before we return it, and we don't care about the brand (other than Citgo), as long as it is cheap. For a used car, I like the "Certified Used" programs that most new car dealerships offer.
R. Rich Posted February 3, 2007 Posted February 3, 2007 Not me. The people driving it probably use the cheapest no name gas, and beat the crap out of the car. I am guilty of the cheap gas thing. The Caddy we rent for every Nills trip gets filled up with regular gas before we return it, and we don't care about the brand (other than Citgo), as long as it is cheap. For a used car, I like the "Certified Used" programs that most new car dealerships offer. Didn't you have an 06 Town Car for the last trip, William? Or, are your Nills trips different than the trips you guys make up each year for the Bills games?
BB27 Posted February 3, 2007 Posted February 3, 2007 I wouldn't buy a former rental car. I also would not buy a car that was previously owned by the General Services Administration (GSA). These are all govt. cars that are out there that get auctioned off at around 3 years old. Lets just say I have personal experience with GSA doing absolutely nothing above an oil change every 10000 miles.
mcjeff215 Posted February 3, 2007 Posted February 3, 2007 My first (and only) car is a former rental. I bought a 98 Cavalier in 99 with less than 10k miles on it. I bought it from a GM dealer who acquired it via auto auction. Since it was a GM car I purchased from a GM dealer I also got the remaining 2 years on the warranty Had a problem within a month of buying the car but it had nothing to do with being a former rental. There was a factory defect where road salt would prematurely corrode some wires. Covered under warranty and a year or so later GM issued a recall for the same problem I had Other than that the only problems I've had with the car in 8 years are normal wear and tear (belts, alternater, battery) She's still got a few good years left in her too I had a 1998 Cavalier, too. I was driving to work one AM and BOOM the engine just blew up while I was rocking along at 70 miles/hour. There was smoke and oil everywhere. Big hole right in the case. It was, to this day, one of the coolest things I've ever seen.
Wraith Posted February 3, 2007 Posted February 3, 2007 My last car lasted 13 years and over 170,000 miles doing this & the engine was in great shape when I retired it-due mainly to rusting. The cost ia about $80/year extra. Anyone who has to save $80 extra a year probably is in a pretty good struggle to keep their car. I paid over 30k for the car over 6 years ago and since I may never be able to afford a car that expensive again (I bought it before I owned a house) I figure a little extra maintenance may help & certainly can't hurt. Well, you're right, it can't hurt. However, if you want to pay extra attention to a subsystem of your automobile to extend it's life, I wouldn't choose the engine, as it's pretty much already the strongest link in the chain already.
Cheeseburger_in_paradise Posted February 3, 2007 Posted February 3, 2007 Only had one experience. An '82 Toyaota Celica. And it proved to be a great car. Those particular cars tend to be great cars. Overall, one of the best and most trouble free I ever had. Got great resale price when I sold it too. But everything is a crap shoot.
erynthered Posted February 3, 2007 Posted February 3, 2007 I used to buy thousands of them a year. For the most part, they are decent cars. To answer your question on the personal side, no, I wouldn't. Brass Hats, corporate cars, lease and rental cars are like rolling the dice. Good luck.
Hammered a Lot Posted February 3, 2007 Posted February 3, 2007 We bought a 95 Intrepid (former rental car) with 20,000 miles on it. It now has 120,000 miles on it. Engine still strong, tranny starting to act up a liitle. The car sat most of this summer, drove work truck. Driving it daily this winter. Car still can fly when needed. No major problems just usual oil changes brakes, tires, tuneup.
Ramius Posted February 3, 2007 Posted February 3, 2007 In the words by jeff foxworthy, "buying a rental car is like searching for a wife at a whore house. You dont want anything thats been driven that hard by that many people."
Buford T. Justice Posted February 4, 2007 Author Posted February 4, 2007 Thanks for the feedback guys. We've been looking for a 2006 Sonata for around $16000 for the past few months. I was getting quite frustrated that the only cars that ever seemed to be available were former rentals with about 20,000 miles on it. I was finally contemplating buying one against my better judgement. I know you can find great used rental cars, but I also know they are more risky and I know how I've driven them. This morning, I decided to expand my search beyond a 100 miles. Then a big stroke of luck (and they never happen to me.) I find exactly what we're looking for. 2006 Sonata GLS with only 2,100 miles on it for $15,999. Call and get the story on it. It was a older woman recently divorced who just got a big settlement from her husband. She traded it in for something sportier and more fancy. Carfax checked out, remaining manufacturer warrenty was transferable. They actually had it on their lot since last October and it was dropped from 17,999 to 16,999 then finally to 15 this week. Spent the day driving down and back. Man, I feel like I just scored big. The same car goes for 18 easy in my area. I think I'm going to start buying all my cars out in the sticks. Pick it up next Saturday
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