Rental cars

[Greenman]

So for the first time in 40 years I'm considering buying a used car, and had a look at the Hertz site. Prices don't seem to be all that bad, but they were rental cars. I've always lived by the axiom that there are two kinds of vehicles that can go anywhere, a four wheel drive and a rental. So it makes me a bit nervous to buy something that might have been thrashed without mercy, what do you fellows think?

 

[pcgeek11]

I've rented many cars in my life.... There is no way I would want to buy one of them.

 

[nisryus]

It all depends on.. luck?

When I graduated form HS and my old Nissan Pulsar broke down, I got a Chevy Nova from Hertz. Despite it previously being a rental, no problem and I drove it for 6 years. Mind you, that was back in 1989.

Fast forward to 2010, instead of getting a new car, we got a Nissan Rogue from Enterprise. Maybe we were lucky because again, no problem at all with it. Later only we traded it in for a new Forester in 2014.

 

[Greenman]

I've rented many cars in my life.... There is no way I would want to buy one of them.

It seems like it would depend on the car. Something sporty would be driven a little harder than a vanilla sedan, at least that's my MO.

 

[Greenman]

It all depends on.. luck?

When I graduated form HS and my old Nissan Pulsar broke down, I got a Chevy Nova from Hertz. Despite it previously being a rental, no problem and I drove it for 6 years. Mind you, that was back in 1989.

Fast forward to 2010, instead of getting a new car, we got a Nissan Rogue from Enterprise. Maybe we were lucky because again, no problem at all with it. Later only we traded it in for a new Forester in 2014.

I'd agree with that.
Do the rental company's actually service them? Regular oil changes are what makes or breaks an engine.

 

[BurnItDwn]

Ehh, the 2008 subaru forester I bought in 209 was originally a rental. I drove the car for about 10 years. Everything worked well. at like 125k it needed head gaskets, around 130k it needed a resonator, at like 140k or so my cousin crashed it into a tree and totaled it. It was overall a decent car. Had plenty of room, never broke down or left me stranded, handled awkward/slippery mud roads perfectly. I drove it very hard, it saw the redline just about every time i took it out of the driveway.

essentially, my previous DD had been a rental before I bought it. Things mostly didnt break, and it was reliable other than typical subaru problem (head gaskets)

 

[Greenman]

It might be worth a shot.
This car is for my wife, who drives around 4k a year now. Her 2002 Escape still looks good, runs very well, and hasn't needed any major repairs, but it has well over 200k on it, and an oil leak that drips on to the catalytic converter and stinks as it burns off. The repair cost is around the value of the car, so I'd rather just sell it cheap and buy something with a couple hundred thousand fewer miles on it.

 

[Sgt. York]

Rental companies generally do an excellent job of servicing their cars. Just ask for the service record of the car you're interested in.

 

[Greenman]

Rental companies generally do an excellent job of servicing their cars. Just ask for the service record of the car you're interested in.

Another check in the yes column. Thank you.

 

[nisryus]

Sgt York is right. Rental companies usually service their own rentals.

For Hertz I had to ask them for the servcie records.

Enterprise actually provided the servcie records, plus any minor issues that were reported when customers have return the vehicle after each rentals. Then again, this Enterprise is in Austin so I am not sure if anywhere else would do the same.

 

[zinfamous]

The year-old Mazda that I bought back in 09 was a fleet vehicle of some sort--rental or maybe a company/salesperson car. I never had issues with it, besides interior stains and dirt that would creep through whenever the clean "wore off." I drove that thing for 10 years and never had an issue, but I'm also low use when it comes to vehicles....took me those 10 years to put an additional ~45k miles on it, after the 28k in its first year, haha.

while you have no idea what the renters or salesfolk did to those cars, you can be confident that the car was regularly maintained to spec by teh company that owned it, so that's something, at least.

 

[ondma]

Only rental I ever bought was a 1990 Mercury Topaz back in the day. Never broke down, but it was continually plagued by minor problems. Cars are much more reliable these days though. Another attractive option is an off lease vehicle. I bought an off lease 2013 Altima, and never had mechanical problems.

General wisdom seems that rental returns tend to have problems, but I think I would trust one as much or more than a purchase from a private party that I did not know. At least you know it has been well maintained.

 

[Brainonska511]

Don't many rental buys come with a return period or rent-to-buy option? Could use those windows to also have a mechanic give it a thorough inspection for additional piece of mind.

 

[ondma]

Don't many rental buys come with a return period or rent-to-buy option? Could use those windows to also have a mechanic give it a thorough inspection for additional piece of mind.

I remember one of the big companies, Hertz I think, did have such a policy. It was some time ago when I was looking though, so I dont know if it still exists.

 

[Perknose]

OP, apparently the economic fallout from the pandemic has had folks who might otherwise buy new turning to the used car market in droves, pushing up the prices. Of course, who knows how this affects the used rental market and who knows how much and how thoroughly this affects the market where you are.

Also, the demographics of people who rent where you live . . . might . . . affect the degree to which renters "trashed" their rentals. When buying used, it's always a good idea to insist on having a mechanic you trust go over any vehicle you buy first. The money spent on such an inspection is well worth it.

Finally, as has been noted, the overall quality of all cars has been on the upswing, meaning buying used is less of a crapshoot than it has ever been.

 

[Greenman]

OP, apparently the economic fallout from the pandemic has had folks who might otherwise buy new turning to the used car market in droves, pushing up the prices. Of course, who knows how this affects the used rental market and who knows how much and how thoroughly this affects the market where you are.

Also, the demographics of people who rent where you live . . . might . . . affect the degree to which renters "trashed" their rentals. When buying used, it's always a good idea to insist on having a mechanic you trust go over any vehicle you buy first. The money spent on such an inspection is well worth it.

Finally, as has been noted, the overall quality of all cars has been on the upswing, meaning buying used is less of a crapshoot than it has ever been.

All sound advice.
Since I'm looking for a "vanilla" car, I'm not to concerned about it being thrashed. My biggest worry was that the rental companies actually changed the oil now and then, which appears to be the case. Looking at the local Hertz site, there are several that will fit the wife's needs quite well, with 35k or fewer miles, and for under 20k. That all works for me. I'd actually put it on a credit card that's one year interest free, just because I'm a cheap old bastard and writing a $20k check for a car would pucker my ass tight enough to bend steel.

The biggest issue will be getting my wife to give up her 18 year old escape that she loves. I tried explaining that it would go to car haven where it was washed every day and all roads were down hill, she didn't buy it.
I also need to make sure she doesn't see a new Bronco before we do this, cause the only car she loved more than her escape was her Bronco, and I don't want to shell out $70k for a new one.

 

[pcgeek11]

70K! Wow.

I only spent 75K for my house.

 

[Greenman]

70K! Wow.

I only spent 75K for my house.

That's a wild ass guess on my part. I have no idea what the things will sell for.

 

[Torn Mind]

70K! Wow.

I only spent 75K for my house.

75k houses don't show up unless its isolated and boring area like rural Ohio or the deep south. .

All sound advice.
Since I'm looking for a "vanilla" car, I'm not to concerned about it being thrashed. My biggest worry was that the rental companies actually changed the oil now and then, which appears to be the case. Looking at the local Hertz site, there are several that will fit the wife's needs quite well, with 35k or fewer miles, and for under 20k. That all works for me. I'd actually put it on a credit card that's one year interest free, just because I'm a cheap old bastard and writing a $20k check for a car would pucker my ass tight enough to bend steel.

The biggest issue will be getting my wife to give up her 18 year old escape that she loves. I tried explaining that it would go to car haven where it was washed every day and all roads were down hill, she didn't buy it.
I also need to make sure she doesn't see a new Bronco before we do this, cause the only car she loved more than her escape was her Bronco, and I don't want to shell out $70k for a new one.

Well, knowing Ford, it'll probably blow a blower motor at some point and then the lack of A/C will prompt change. It's just a matter of time. It's...all part of the design.

 

[pcgeek11]

75k houses don't show up unless its isolated and boring area like rural Ohio or the deep south. .

It was a long time ago...

 

[Greenman]

75k houses don't show up unless its isolated and boring area like rural Ohio or the deep south. .

Well, knowing Ford, it'll probably blow a blower motor at some point and then the lack of A/C will prompt change. It's just a matter of time. It's...all part of the design.

It's been 18 years and well over 200k miles, any idea when I can expect this event to occur?

 

[Torn Mind]

It's been 18 years and well over 200k miles, any idea when I can expect this event to occur?

Maybe when it hits 250k. The blower motor resistor fails. But maybe not enough to swing her over, since it often still functions at the high setting. https://www.fixmyoldride.com/Ford-blower-motor-resistor.html

There's always checking the brake and fuel lines for severe rust.

If your state requires periodic safety inspections, a failed part can easily swing sentiment.

Or if you can find fault in suspension/steering components leaking, showing signs of failure--I think the sigh of a ripped CV boot is something you apparently would want --etc. Every 120k, any vehicle is due for a strut replacement, imo.

I find that alternators do just fail when just sitting around. Too much experience. But that's completely sitting still, not 4k a year, which can keep it fresh.

Or neglect the coolant and the let the radiator start weeping and slowly leak worse and worse until she sees the temp gauge hit H.

Or if there oil just soaking a sensor like the crank or cam position sensor.

Is there any indication of a noisy exhaust leak.

I wouldn't be in a rush to replace the vehicle right now if everything above still checks out. Would feel like a waste. Plus, happy wife is happy life, right?

Fords have many filmsy parts, but they often need to be used to trigger their failures.

 

[Wreckem]

Rental cars don’t stay in rental fleets for very long. And yes they do regular maintenance on them.

Also if you buy a car off Carvana there’s a good chance it was a rental in it’s previous life.

 

[Greenman]

Maybe when it hits 250k. The blower motor resistor fails. But maybe not enough to swing her over, since it often still functions at the high setting. https://www.fixmyoldride.com/Ford-blower-motor-resistor.html

There's always checking the brake and fuel lines for severe rust.

If your state requires periodic safety inspections, a failed part can easily swing sentiment.

Or if you can find fault in suspension/steering components leaking, showing signs of failure--I think the sigh of a ripped CV boot is something you apparently would want --etc. Every 120k, any vehicle is due for a strut replacement, imo.

I find that alternators do just fail when just sitting around. Too much experience. But that's completely sitting still, not 4k a year, which can keep it fresh.

Or neglect the coolant and the let the radiator start weeping and slowly leak worse and worse until she sees the temp gauge hit H.

Or if there oil just soaking a sensor like the crank or cam position sensor.

Is there any indication of a noisy exhaust leak.

I wouldn't be in a rush to replace the vehicle right now if everything above still checks out. Would feel like a waste. Plus, happy wife is happy life, right?

Fords have many filmsy parts, but they often need to be used to trigger their failures.

I've put around a million miles on fords over the years, the only issues in that list I've had is the strut replacement. I might have replaced the water pump and the radiator in the Escape, I honestly don't remember.

 

[ondma]

I've put around a million miles on fords over the years, the only issues in that list I've had is the strut replacement. I might have replaced the water pump and the radiator in the Escape, I honestly don't remember.

I had an Escort back in the 80s that ate a water pump about every 30K. Rebuilt transmission at 90k and got rid of it when head gasket blew at 110k. Never even considered another Ford after that POS.