Avoiding buying a used rental car

[cvjw]

Another thing that scares me about buying a used car is getting a vehicle that was repurchased by the manufacturer under the Lemon Law. My 2013 Nissan Pathfinder was finally repurchased by Nissan late last year. It gave me nothing but trouble for almost a year and had so many problems with it that I made Nissan buy it back from me. Guess what happened to that Pathfinder? It was to be resold at auction to another dealership to sell to some unsuspecting used car buyer who will have no idea of it's past. The new owner will also be stuck with it because the lemon laws won't apply to a used car. Scary business. I've purchased used cars from Carmax in the past, but after dealing with the lemon laws, I won't ever purchase another one - just too risky

 

[kymom99]

Another thing that scares me about buying a used car is getting a vehicle that was repurchased by the manufacturer under the Lemon Law. My 2013 Nissan Pathfinder was finally repurchased by Nissan late last year. It gave me nothing but trouble for almost a year and had so many problems with it that I made Nissan buy it back from me. Guess what happened to that Pathfinder? It was to be resold at auction to another dealership to sell to some unsuspecting used car buyer who will have no idea of it's past. The new owner will also be stuck with it because the lemon laws won't apply to a used car. Scary business. I've purchased used cars from Carmax in the past, but after dealing with the lemon laws, I won't ever purchase another one - just too risky

Actually lemon laws vary by state. Some states have lemon laws that cover used cars. Also, if a car is certified used it would come with a warranty. In my state, a used car buyer can request the previous owner's contact info. My husband traded a dodge intrepid that was a repair nightmare. A lady bought it and called him after she had already purchased it so the info he could give her didn't really help, but he did advise her to keep on top of the air conditioning issue that we had every summer.

 

[manning]

Based on a friends experience I would hesitate buying a rental. He started the engine put it in gear, gripped the steering wheel with both hand. One slight problem. He couldn't steer. The steering wheel came off the steering column.

Also years ago I was driving a rental at night and the headlights shorted out. Kept going off intermittently.

 

[AZMermaid]

My first two cars were rentals, from the used car lots, one Hertz and then Enterprise. They were both great cars and I had them for 6 years each. I worked for Enterprise when I bought that one. The ones on their lot were the best of the best. All the rest were sold to dealers. Enterprise gets the vast majority of their business from replacement customers, those who were in an accident or have a car in the shop. Those customers use their cars like their own, getting to work and around town. Now, for sure some cars are trashed, but those will be in the used car section at the Chevy dealership, not on the Enterprise lot. If you buy a 1-2 year old car, there is a very good chance it was a rental.

 

[Kathryn Merteuil]

The car I have now is a former rental and it seems fine. I guess they haven't been treated gently (rental cars), but they should be built tough enough to take it. They have been maintained and everything. *knock on wood* I have never had any problems. I had one before and it lasted about 7 years before it had any problems, it required a couple $300-ish repairs.

 

[North of Mouse]

I would never purchase a rental car even though obviously some do and have great experiences.

I 'do' know how a lot of them are previously treated even though some hold up to the treatment better than others.

 

[Southernmiss]

My last 2 vehicles have been former fleet/rental vans. NO ISSUES what so ever! I have truly enjoyed the vans and have driven them a lot more miles than the rental folks did.

First was a dodge grand caravan that we bought and drove for many years until the dodge life wore out of it at about 147,000 miles. Current auto is a 2008 Toyota Sienna that we traded that van in for. Have had the Toyota since 2008 it had 20,000 miles on it. I now have 90,000 miles on it. Loved it and would not hesitate to buy a used Toyota or Honda again.

I don't trust American brand autos, yet.

Wouldn't hesitate to buy a fleet auto at all.

 

[dpswift]

My 2 former rental cars were better than the 2 cars I bought new. Both the new cars had problem after problem.

The second rental car had some of the warranty left on it as well.

I would not hesitate to buy another rental.

 

[kiki02]

My 2 former rental cars were better than the 2 cars I bought new. Both the new cars had problem after problem.

The second rental car had some of the warranty left on it as well.

I would not hesitate to buy another rental.

I bought one a few years back from a rental agency. In all honesty, it was one of the best cars I ever drove . Never a problem. Drove like a dream too.

 

[kymom99]

I guess the hesitancy of many is what causes these cars to be available at reasonable prices, so good for the rest of us!

The 3 new cars I have had all had more problems than my rental. I had a Toyota Tercel that cost me money for oil leaking into the valves. I knew there was something wrong early on but they kept telling me they couldn't find the problem. Later they told me I needed valve work. I was young and stupid and didn't have paperwork to prove this problem existed during the warranty period. Our new Camry had a problem with the suspension later in its life, and again, oil leaking into the valves. Good car otherwise and ran well after these were fixed. The new Dodge Intrepid my husband had was a nightmare from day one. Transmission, air conditioner, fuel leak, brake calipers. All under warranty, thank God, but we lost a lot of use while it was in the shop. So I'll take my used Altima over those problems any day!

 

[seashoreCM]

Hint: When buying any used car, it should drive perfectly. Don't accept excuses from the seller for things that don't seem right. For example, if it needed a tuneup then the seller should have done the tuneup first before selling the car.

Try out everything. For example, the windows should roll up and down perfectly.

 

[tvguy]

Hint: When buying any used car, it should drive perfectly. Don't accept excuses from the seller for things that don't seem right. For example, if it needed a tuneup then the seller should have done the tuneup first before selling the car.

Try out everything. For example, the windows should roll up and down perfectly.

Exactly. Actuallyt not bad advice for a new car too.

 

[MOpGrad2013]

My 2 former cars and current were both rentals. The sable was from the dealer so was used for those who were having work done on their vehicle. The charger was enterprise and the van was from Alamo. We bought through the dealership-not the rental company and had all certified check points, tune up, brakes, oil changed. I refused vehicles with high miles, worn interior and if they would've refused to do all the checks, work and new tires...I would've walked.

 

[pixiewings71]

Our last 3 cars have been PDRs. One is a 2005 (we purchased it in 2006) Grand Caravan, it's got 160k miles on it and runs great. I drive it daily. One is a 2009 (purchased in 2010) Kia Spectra, has 130k miles on it, runs great. The other was a Dodge Neon, DBF drove it until we got him the Kia, so probably 4-5 years. It also ran great but it had electrical issues, those were not from it being a PDR, it was a known issue with that particular year. I wouldn't hesitate to buy another.