Buying used car from Avis or Dollar

[rvchat]

Some of the rental agencies sell their cars as you may know and it's usually like a 1.5 or 2 year warranty.

what do you think? of course the prices are higher than buying used car from a private owner, but there's the warranty here.

thanks all

 

[dakcp2001]

I think it means they probably have all of the routine maintenance performed, but then I think of how people treat their rental cars and it isnt good.

Id love to hear from people who have bought these cars from the rental agencies to see how it goes. I am in the market for a car but cant afford new by any means.

 

[Hannathy]

The best way to buy a used car!

We are on our 3rd car this way and have had wonderful cars. You know exactly what has been done to the car and you know all the maintenance was done and when it should be. you get a complete printout. and since age kills a car quicker than mileage it is a good way to get a newer car with more mileage earlier.

we just quit driving the 16 yr old car because of rust, nothing else. and mine is 11 yrs old and going great. We just bought a 2009 2 months ago and our mechanic said it is in fantastic shape. The only thing they (Avis) had done was put in a new windshield which is great for us cause we keep our cars forever.

I would buy one again in a heartbeat.

 

[marie1203]

I wouldn't buy a car from a rental agency. People don't treat their rental cars well.

 

[3goofyboys]

We bought our sedan from a rental agency (I don't remember which one now, I'm thinking it was probably Enterprise) and it has been awesome! We got it at 1 year old with 26,000 miles. For the most part, rental companies turn over thier fleets pretty regularily so you can get a newer car that you know has been maintained. We haven't had a single problem with ours and we've put 100,000 plus miles on it.

 

[SookieStackhouse]

We had a former rental. Bougt it from a dealer "used" but the previous owner registration said Avis. It ran fine for 6 years before it started needing repairs nothing too expensive at that.

 

[mrsklamc]

No Jeff Foxworthy joke?

 

[TiggerStac]

We had a former rental. Bougt it from a dealer "used" but the previous owner registration said Avis. It ran fine for 6 years before it started needing repairs nothing too expensive at that.

I bought a car the same way. no problems with it whatsoever.

 

[MEG&MINNIE]

How do you find out where these cars are for sale. Do you go directly to the Car Rental Agency . I'd love some more info on this ...
When we bought our last car from a dealership , the Carfax basically said it was a lease car ( or something to that effect). It was a Dodge Caravan ,10 mos. old with 18,000 miles on it . I think we got a good $ deal on it.

I would love to hear how you find out about these rental cars up for sale. Thanks!

 

[sluggozmom]

I am driving a 2001 Buick Century. It was a rental car. It had one pink koolaid spot on the rug in the back. I can't remember if it had 34k or 44k when I got it, but it has 187k on it now. After it went over 100k I had the expected repair work.. but it runs like it will never die...

 

[BridgetBordeaux]

Right now it is Jan 2011.

A large portion of the 2010 and (believe it or not) 2011 used cars for sale were rentals. Some 2011 cars were built and put into service in August, so they are now ready to be turned over because the mileage is in a "sweet spot". The dealers go to the auctions and buy them up big time. All those 18k to 28k mile vehicles are then cleaned up and sold by the dealer. Now that we all have Carfax as a resource, you can tell where the car has been. Go to a site like autotrader.com and search for 2010/2011 Camrys, Impalas, Fusions, Escapes, etc and look over the ones that say "view the carfax".

As with any used car, you need to have someone look it over before you buy it, but many people have had a good experience.

The only other thing that needs to be considered is that used car prices are hot right now and it might be worth it to get a new one. Do your shopping either way. I hope you find the one that is right for you.

If you actually search and find a unit at a dealer, many of their one year old cars are "certified previously owned" and have very long warranties that are backed by the manufacturer. A large portion of those were also prior rental cars.

 

[gk90]

We have an ex-rental ourselves, Toyota minivan, bought it certified pre-owned from the dealership. It was a year old, 18K miles, very clean inside and out and performed like a new car. We've had it 6 months and so far so good. We thought long and hard about buying an ex-rental but found enough positive reviews online to decide it was worth it taking a chance.

Hertz is another company that also does sales of its rentals---easy to find with a google search.

Also want to say that not all drivers of rental cars treat them badly! We rented a Toyota minivan 2 years ago for our 2000+ mile round trip drive to WDW and DH who is usually a careful driver did not drive it any more roughly than he did our own car.

 

[MEG&MINNIE]

Right now it is Jan 2011.

A large portion of the 2010 and (believe it or not) 2011 used cars for sale were rentals. Some 2011 cars were built and put into service in August, so they are now ready to be turned over because the mileage is in a "sweet spot". The dealers go to the auctions and buy them up big time. All those 18k to 28k mile vehicles are then cleaned up and sold by the dealer. Now that we all have Carfax as a resource, you can tell where the car has been. Go to a site like autotrader.com and search for 2010/2011 Camrys, Impalas, Fusions, Escapes, etc and look over the ones that say "view the carfax".

As with any used car, you need to have someone look it over before you buy it, but many people have had a good experience.

The only other thing that needs to be considered is that used car prices are hot right now and it might be worth it to get a new one. Do your shopping either way. I hope you find the one that is right for you.

If you actually search and find a unit at a dealer, many of their one year old cars are "certified previously owned" and have very long warranties that are backed by the manufacturer. A large portion of those were also prior rental cars.

Thanks so much for this info ! I guess you have to just check your local dealerships. That's how I stumbled across my Van that I'm currently driving. Thanks Again.

 

[dgthree]

How do you find out where these cars are for sale. Do you go directly to the Car Rental Agency . I'd love some more info on this ...

A lot of the used vehicles on dealer lots are off lease, too. When you see two registration states on a Carfax, there are good odds it was a leased car

As for buying from a rental car company, Hertz & Enterprise have national sites

http://www.hertzrent2buy.com/
http://www.enterprisecarsales.com/carsales/home.do
(Enterprise also offers $1000 more on KBB value for a trade in from time to time)

Also found one for Avis in NJ

http://www.avisnj.com/sales.htm

 

[prncess674]

I travel for work and rent cars weekly. I can guarantee you I don't treat a rental as nice as I would treat my own car. Renters punch the engine, treat it like a rolling garbage can and basically aren't very nice. They get premium prices because it looks like low mileage, but you have no idea where that car has been.

Also rental agencies seem to have a plethora of poorly equipped American cars. So if an American car, with high mileage (fot its age) and has been treated poorly is your idea of a good car, then go for it.

 

[prncess674]

I travel for work and rent cars weekly. I can guarantee you I don't treat a rental as nice as I would treat my own car. Renters punch the engine, treat it like a rolling garbage can and basically aren't very nice. They get premium prices because it looks like low mileage, but you have no idea where that car has been.

Also rental agencies seem to have a plethora of poorly equipped American cars. So if an American car, with high mileage (fot its age) and has been treated poorly is your idea of a good car, then go for it.

 

[ckdsnynt]

I think it means they probably have all of the routine maintenance performed, but then I think of how people treat their rental cars and it isnt good.

Id love to hear from people who have bought these cars from the rental agencies to see how it goes. I am in the market for a car but cant afford new by any means.

Bought one from Enterprise several years ago and loved it! Well maintained and no hassle pricing!

 

[ckdsnynt]

How do you find out where these cars are for sale. Do you go directly to the Car Rental Agency . I'd love some more info on this ...
When we bought our last car from a dealership , the Carfax basically said it was a lease car ( or something to that effect). It was a Dodge Caravan ,10 mos. old with 18,000 miles on it . I think we got a good $ deal on it.

I would love to hear how you find out about these rental cars up for sale. Thanks!

They are advertised on the radio ususally the week or so before they have one or I happen to drive by the rental office and watch for the sale abnners if I am in the market for one.

 

[Hannathy]

I travel for work and rent cars weekly. I can guarantee you I don't treat a rental as nice as I would treat my own car. Renters punch the engine, treat it like a rolling garbage can and basically aren't very nice. They get premium prices because it looks like low mileage, but you have no idea where that car has been.

Also rental agencies seem to have a plethora of poorly equipped American cars. So if an American car, with high mileage (fot its age) and has been treated poorly is your idea of a good car, then go for it.

I think you are very poorly informed and talking out your you know what.

I think the vast majority of rental cars go to business people and they do not abuse their cars. Why would they ? that is pretty juvenile don't you think? My Dh traveled a lot for work and he never mistreated a car and none of the other people he traveled with did either. First of all if you damage a rental car your work is going to hear about it and that is the last thing you want on your record.
who treats a rental like a garbage can? when they charge you for anything damaged or dirty?

What do you mean looks like low mileage? actually you are wrong it is high mileage for the age of the car but since age is a bigger killer than mileage that is good. And how can something "look" like low mileage? It either is or it isn't it doesn't "look" like anything.

then what do you mean don't have any idea where it has been? I know exactly where it has been with a car from a private sale or a dealer I have no idea where it has been. From the rental I definitely know. I also know each and every oil change, tire change and any other repair done to the car since day one. You don't get that anywhere else.

And Rental cars are actually usually very well equipped! Or recent one has everything you could want power everything, plus a ton of extras!

So you are very wrong on many things and yes I do want a car with high mileage low age that has been maintained exactly by the book and I have written records that it has, know where it has been, is clean, very well equipped, and decently priced.

But yeah you are right I guess getting 15 years and over 180,000 miles on one of these terrible cars was a bad thing? and the 11 yr old one that is going strong with 160,000 miles was a bad buy. And the current one that our mechanic said is an excellent car (one of those cheaply built fully loaded Camry's you referred to)
Plus it is pretty hard to do anything to the new engine based on how you drive, it isn't 20 years ago. The computers have taken most of that away.

 

[Hannathy]

duplicate post