Yep. Really it's a good way to get a 1 year old car for dirt cheap. In 2000 I bought a 1 year old corolla with 17k, drove it for 3 years and another 60k then traded it in on a 2002 Subaru Outback with 15k that I drove for 10 years and 150k which I eventually sold to a mechanic because I did not want to replace the head gasket.
I still wish I had both cars and am entertaining buying another.
I've always found that Hertz seems to keep their rentals in decent shape. Don't want to jinx myself, but I can't recall a problem with any of the many rentals I've driven from them.
Like the people here who are employed in the auto biz will tell you: "Every new car is the same, but each used car is different". So the point is that no matter where you source the car, it has to speak for itself. I'd say rental cars get better maintenance than a fair percentage of private party cars, but they might be more susceptible to fender-benders and the like, so check CARFAX and get a PPI.
I would agree that most rental cars today are maintained well, but this idea that you can buy them one year old with 15,000 miles isn't the case with Hertz anymore. They hold on to their cars much longer - typically 3 years now which is beyond the manufacturers warranty. Have an independent shop take a look and do the car fax thing. If the car/truck has a tow hitch as some Highlanders do, you never know what someone tried to pull with that car.
Most major rental companies have budget rental companies as their subsidiaries, like advantage, budget, dollar. So they pass on their one or two year old cars to these cheap companies and they use them for up to 50 thousand miles.
I'm seeing 40K's on mainline Hertz, Avis, etc. sometimes. If you think about it, cars tend to have fewer problems and last longer than a decade ago though.
I'm seeing 40K's on mainline Hertz, Avis, etc. sometimes. If you think about it, cars tend to have fewer problems and last longer than a decade ago though.
I've noticed that as well and not all brands are the same after 40,000 miles. A Camry after 40,000 miles might feel great behind the wheel. A Chrysler product? very different.
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I still wish I had both cars and am entertaining buying another.
So they pass on their one or two year old cars to these cheap companies and they use them for up to 50 thousand miles.