UPDATE: All knowing board- buying a car from Hertz sales

[PSU95alum]

Has anyone done it? My first thought was "no way, rental cars get abused". Then I started reading reviews and people seem to rave about it. The cars are cheaper and only 1-2 years old with around 20-30K miles (meaning you still have the balance of the manufacturers warranty left). They claim the maintenance upkeep is better than having a private party own it. Furthermore, people say they don't get abused because most people are fearful of getting charged for damages or extra fees for a rental car.

I've been in the market to replace my Suburban with another used one for almost a year now, but the prices are crazy on them. The Hertz "no haggle" prices are pretty damn decent (approx $47K vs $53K). I don't want new because 1) I don't like taking the hit on a new car and 2) my kids are going to beat and trash the interior of anything we get anyways.

Thoughts?

 

[ILLINOISLION]

Have never done so but also have heard many positives about the process over the years.

All in all since you don't know how ANY used car has been driven, at least in this case you know the cars have been watched carefully, kept clean / no smokers and pretty much guaranteed to have been maintained maintenance-wise.

For that price differential, I think that's a good risk / reward opportunity.

 

[Lion84]

I rent cars a lot and I do find that the more upscale cars seem to be in much better shape - I would stay away from the econo or typical mid size but I think something like a Suburban would be a good bet and save you some money.

 

[massimoManca II]

I'd have no objections to buying a fleet-vehicle providing the discount is substantial (usually are) and that it pass my (hate to say it) eye-test.. I typically view CarFax reports very skeptically with any private sale or a dealer scenario, but my opinion is that such clearinghouse-reporting is likely to be more-reliable with a rental/fleet car...

cars are sooooo much better than they were ages ago (when I did a stint with a rental-car firm in my early 20s, and may have been "witness" to some rental-unit hoonage!)... While I would have never considered a fleet-owned Celebrity or a Cavalier, I'd have little trouble jumping on the right Cruze/Camry/Focus (i'd still go over it like I would any candidate)

I'm interested in what model you are sniffin'

 

[PaoliLion]

I bought a rental (Subaru Outback) a few years ago and it ran like a gem, but hated it because of a lot of odd things about it. The seats were unnaturally hard compared to the similar cars of the same make/model/year. The speakers all failed one be one after a few years. My hypothesis was that car manufacturers (Subaru?) use cheaper parts on fleet vehicles than they do on their regular vehicles.

 

[PSU95alum]

I'd have no objections to buying a fleet-vehicle providing the discount is substantial (usually are) and that it pass my (hate to say it) eye-test.. I typically view CarFax reports very skeptically with any private sale or a dealer scenario, but my opinion is that such clearinghouse-reporting is likely to be more-reliable with a rental/fleet car...

cars are sooooo much better than they were ages ago (when I did a stint with a rental-car firm in my early 20s, and may have been "witness" to some rental-unit hoonage!)... While I would have never considered a fleet-owned Celebrity or a Cavalier, I'd have little trouble jumping on the right Cruze/Camry/Focus (i'd still go over it like I would any candidate)

I'm interested in what model you are sniffin'

Looking at one of your favorite vehicles- a 2017 Suburban LT 4x4 with 20K miles. I figure if you can afford to rent a Suburban, you probably aren't the type to beat it up too bad. Like I said, my kids will probably beat it up more than anyone else who has already driven it.

 

[troutrus]

I bought a 1999 Mazda Protege from Avis in 2000, for $11,000. Passed it on to my son a few years back and last week he just gave it to a friend that was down and out and needed something to drive. 265,000 miles, never a major repair. Good deal for me.
Don't think I'd pay $47,000 for any Chevy product, but that's your business. Good luck.

 

[OSUUofC]

I have a former rental car that would be considered a luxury vehicle and have had no issues in the year I've owned it.

As a side, you can buy a car straight from their fleet as well - tell them what yo want and miles and they can find one and give you a price; at least that's what I've experienced recently when I was looking for a car.

 

[Fox Chapel Lion II]

Q: What's the difference between a rental car and a Jeep?

A: There's places a Jeep can't go.

 

[Metal Mike]

What is the world's best off road vehicle? A rental car
Old joke. I have friends who purchased rental cars from the big name rental agencies and they have good success. You mentioned Hertz so you should be OK.

 

[Obliviax]

I'd rather set up an alert on cars. Com car gurus and the rest and wait. Model, year, max milage and price. Then when you get the alert, strike quickly. Your competition are dealers looking to flip cars that are under priced.

I took a year to find my'dream car' and found one ten years old that only had 22000 miles on it. I bought it that day and grabbed a one way flight and drove it home.

 

[PSU Mike]

I'd rather set up an alert on cars. Com car gurus and the rest and wait. Model, year, max milage and price. Then when you get the alert, strike quickly. Your competition are dealers looking to flip cars that are under priced.

I took a year to find my'dream car' and found one ten years old that only had 22000 miles on it. I bought it that day and grabbed a one way flight and drove it home.

Yeah, those '74 Monzas are hard to find.

 

[Delco Lion]

Have you looked at low millage cars coming off a 1-2 year lease with a good CarFax? Thats probably what I am going to do for my next car. Most likely finished buying new cars.

 

[psuro]

Does Hertz offer a warranty above and beyond what the mfg offers? Do they inspect the vehicle thoroughly before selling it? If the car falls apart in the first 30 days can you return it for your money?

 

[MtNittany]

Yeah, those '74 Monzas are hard to find.

I always had Obli pegged as more of a Citation Man...

 

[Lionguy32]

Does Hertz offer a warranty above and beyond what the mfg offers? Do they inspect the vehicle thoroughly before selling it? If the car falls apart in the first 30 days can you return it for your money?

Not exactly

 

[Dave-97]

Enterprise takes better care of their rentals. Try them as well. Tons of dealerships get cars from rental fleets.

 

[Obliviax]

I always had Obli pegged as more of a Citation Man...

Only the best will do. I am a Cadillac man.

 

[PS4814]

Have you looked at low millage cars coming off a 1-2 year lease with a good CarFax? Thats probably what I am going to do for my next car. Most likely finished buying new cars.

These days there is little discount or deal to be had by going for one of those. Most sellers/dealers will price the car a couple grand less than new but you're not getting the benefits of buying new i.e. better financing/cash back options, warranty etc.

 

[olelion]

Has anyone done it? My first thought was "no way, rental cars get abused". Then I started reading reviews and people seem to rave about it. The cars are cheaper and only 1-2 years old with around 20-30K miles (meaning you still have the balance of the manufacturers warranty left). They claim the maintenance upkeep is better than having a private party own it. Furthermore, people say they don't get abused because most people are fearful of getting charged for damages or extra fees for a rental car.

I've been in the market to replace my Suburban with another used one for almost a year now, but the prices are crazy on them. The Hertz "no haggle" prices are pretty damn decent (approx $47K vs $53K). I don't want new because 1) I don't like taking the hit on a new car and 2) my kids are going to beat and trash the interior of anything we get anyways.

Thoughts?

There are probably used car dealers that source their vehicles from the rental companies. Back a while ago I bought a Hyundai XG 350 (former rental) from a dealer and it was about $1000 cheaper than buying direct from the rental company (I forget which one). Turned out to be one of the best cars I've ever owned

 

[Norm Petersin]

I bought an Altima a few years ago and would do it again. The luxury vehicle you are looking at will be a good deal. You do get a 12,000 Mile warranty I believe.

 

[86Engineer]

Q: What's the difference between a rental car and a Jeep?

A: There's places a Jeep can't go.

Q: What's the fastest car in the world?

A: Rental car.

 

[86Engineer]

I would never do it based solely on the way I treated rental cars in my nearly 20 years of business travel. Made a lot of flights by the skin of my teeth and caught air numerous times flying over the bumpy roads of the rural Midwest.

 

[massimoManca II]

Looking at one of your favorite vehicles- a 2017 Suburban LT 4x4 with 20K miles. I figure if you can afford to rent a Suburban, you probably aren't the type to beat it up too bad. Like I said, my kids will probably beat it up more than anyone else who has already driven it.

Yeah, that Suburban likely saw most of its short fleet-service life as a family road-trip rental... As long as it has not been registered in TX or FL, I'd have no reservations

 

[Obliviax]

Q: What's the fastest car in the world?

A: Rental car.

ha. a few years ago I drove a road north of Sedona that I had driven a LONG time before. It was a complete mess. That night at dinner, I talked to a local and told them I drove in that way. The guy looked at me, laughed and said "that road has been abandoned by the govt. The only thing that is driven on it today are off road vehicles and rental cars." I told him it was OK, I was in a rental car.

 

[massimoManca II]

I bought a rental (Subaru Outback) a few years ago and it ran like a gem, but hated it because of a lot of odd things about it. The seats were unnaturally hard compared to the similar cars of the same make/model/year. The speakers all failed one be one after a few years. My hypothesis was that car manufacturers (Subaru?) use cheaper parts on fleet vehicles than they do on their regular vehicles.

You'd be wrong... the fleet car is the same car Subaru retailers push as the base-model offering... Subaru seats across their lineup generally suck ( base-model, at least ... and that's primarily what they send to the fleets ... not enough windshield time in the higher-trim models to tell you if they suck any less, but I know they're the same crappy chairs with merely a better fabric/leather stapled on'm...) The standard sound system in my Subaru company-car is simply dreadful.

 

[massimoManca II]

Enterprise takes better care of their rentals. Try them as well. Tons of dealerships get cars from rental fleets.

Now there's a broad-brush statement...

I bought a 1999 Mazda Protege from Avis in 2000, for $11,000. Passed it on to my son a few years back and last week he just gave it to a friend that was down and out and needed something to drive. 265,000 miles, never a major repair. Good deal for me.
Don't think I'd pay $47,000 for any Chevy product, but that's your business. Good luck.

Those old Protege's were a nice little secret... better than Civic's of the same era in many respects IMHO

 

[BoChops]

Better than "Rent-A-Wreck". I got one of those from State College to lovely Belmar NJ while in school. It barely made it up Seven Mountains on the return. Seriusly though, I would only consider "Premium" models as they have been used less and probably by more responsible persons. Good luck!

 

[RTLH]

Has anyone done it? My first thought was "no way, rental cars get abused". Then I started reading reviews and people seem to rave about it. The cars are cheaper and only 1-2 years old with around 20-30K miles (meaning you still have the balance of the manufacturers warranty left). They claim the maintenance upkeep is better than having a private party own it. Furthermore, people say they don't get abused because most people are fearful of getting charged for damages or extra fees for a rental car.

I've been in the market to replace my Suburban with another used one for almost a year now, but the prices are crazy on them. The Hertz "no haggle" prices are pretty damn decent (approx $47K vs $53K). I don't want new because 1) I don't like taking the hit on a new car and 2) my kids are going to beat and trash the interior of anything we get anyways.

Thoughts?

Used cars are like used condoms. You never know what you are going to get!

 

[PSU95alum]

Thanks for the responses. I went to check out the vehicles today and they were very nice. No smells inside (dirty nor heavy cleanser/air freshener). They drove great. The only noticeable issues were a single door ding on the passenger door of both vehicles I looked at.

Both are 2017 Suburban LT SUVs with the exact same options.

Black one- 17,500 miles for $48,998
Silver one - 26,000 miles for $46,898

Not sure if the lower miles one is worth the extra $2,100 or not. But it would be nice to have the manufacturers warranty for almost 18,500 more miles rather than only 10,000 more miles. Also, that is a LOT of vehicle to own in black.

 

[Nittany.Lion]

Thanks for the responses. I went to check out the vehicles today and they were very nice. No smells inside (dirty nor heavy cleanser/air freshener). They drove great. The only noticeable issues were a single door ding on the passenger door of both vehicles I looked at.

Both are 2017 Suburban LT SUVs with the exact same options.

Black one- 17,500 miles for $48,998
Silver one - 26,000 miles for $46,898

Not sure if the lower miles one is worth the extra $2,100 or not. But it would be nice to have the manufacturers warranty for almost 18,500 more miles rather than only 10,000 more miles. Also, that is a LOT of vehicle to own in black.

Have you done a search for certified used chevys? You could probably negotiate similar pricing and get a an extended factory warranty, better financing, and a couple of free oil changes.

 

[pointingdogsrule]

8 years ago I bought a ford F-150 four door pick-up (four wheel drive) from a dealership. I did a check and they had told me it was a rental vehicle from northern Minnesota. 27,000 miles and clean. The price was too good to pass up... $17,000.00. It now has 141,000 miles and has been a gem. The only thing I had to replace was brake pads.

 

[PSU95alum]

Have you done a search for certified used chevys? You could probably negotiate similar pricing and get a an extended factory warranty, better financing, and a couple of free oil changes.

I've been looking at certified used online, and most are priced a good $5K over these ones. I doubt they'd move enough to make it worth my time.

 

[Nittany.Lion]

I've been looking at certified used online, and most are priced a good $5K over these ones. I doubt they'd move enough to make it worth my time.

You're right, they won't move much on certified vehicles, probably $2-3k at most at the 50k price point.

 

[massimoManca II]

Both are 2017 Suburban LT SUVs with the exact same options.

Black one- 17,500 miles for $48,998
Silver one - 26,000 miles for $46,898

Not sure if the lower miles one is worth the extra $2,100 or not. But it would be nice to have the manufacturers warranty for almost 18,500 more miles rather than only 10,000 more miles. Also, that is a LOT of vehicle to own in black.

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
YgBSM

 

[PSU95alum]

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
YgBSM

I know your feelings on these "overpriced road hogs for yuppy idiots". I have explained before why this vehicle suits my family's needs and don't feel the need to state it again.

 

[massimoManca II]

I know your feelings on these "overpriced road hogs for yuppy idiots". I have explained before why this vehicle suits my family's needs and don't feel the need to state it again.

Yeah - rings a bell... hope you find one you like! Wishing you good hunting!

 

[demlion]

Q: What's the difference between a rental car and a Jeep?

A: There's places a Jeep can't go.

I used to tell people that rental cars are made in a special factory, and that they're tougher than regular cars. Oh, the terrible stuff I did to rental cars back in the day. We took a spanking new Tercel up Hatcher Pass o/s Anchorage in 81, howling thru about 3 inches of slimy muck. When we took it back a few days later because there was something wrong with the steering, we washed it in a manual car wash first, got it pretty clean, but we forgot the huge globs of mud on the roof. The ones with the foot prints in them.

They were kind of hard to explain when the Massimo manca II pinhead at the rental place demanded to know what happened. We settled on "we don't know!" as our answer. It was not well received.

 

[PSU95alum]

So I bought a black 2017 certified CHEVY SUBURBAN LT 4X4 with 17,500 miles from Hertz Sales today.

I've never had an easier purchase with a vehicle. No pressure whatsoever from the sales people. When I showed up to check out the vehicle, they let me drive 3 different SUVs off the lot by myself for as long as I needed. They got me 1.99% financing for 60 months, although I plan to pay it off in 36. Since the lot was about 90 miles away and I already visited them once, after I called them and told them I'd take the black one, they told me there was no need to drive back up there. They delivered the SUV to my front door with a full tank of gas. After another quick test drive, I signed the papers and then drove the salesman down the street to the Hertz rental place so he could get himself back home. Couldn't be happier with the price and transaction. I'm crossing my fingers that nothing bites me in the ass since it was so easy.

Side note- the salesman told me that about 75% of the vehicles on the CarMax lots are fleet/rental vehicles.

 

[lein]

To bad you can get the 8.1L engine in a suburban any longer.