Hahahahaha!! 
A little rubbing compound and no one will notice.
Posted on 10/11/2005 8:21:09 AM PDT by RayBob
I am in the process of purchasing a certified pre-owned vehicle. I usually buy new, but figured this time I would try Certified Pre-Owned primarily for price reasons. I get to get the vehicle I want with the equipment I want and pay a whole lot less.
The vehicle is a 2005 with 17,000 miles. Looks great inside and out (just came in and had not gone through the detail shop yet). It has a minor ding that the dealer will take care of on the one wheelwell.
I deceided to get a Carfax Report and it showed that the car had one owner, but it was a "major rental company" in Virginia. That was the only "negative" if you could call it that.
My problem is that I know how some folks treat rental cars and it has me a little nervous. Thought I would ask FReepers for some imput.
What's the difference between a 4X4 and a rental car? There are places some people won't take a 4X4.
1. One thing in your comments doesn't make total sense...You mentioned being attracted to the options in the car...but MOST rental cars are not really luxury equipped.
Because of the near collapse of the SUV market, dealers and manufacturers are choking on 2 year old cars coming back off lease..these are one owner..usually far better equipped than rental cars..and you can usually get a full warranty AND very low financing...it's indeed a buyer's market now..so you might well do better...I'd suggest doing some more looking...
2. Depending on what state you live in, I think it may be illegal for the dealer to represent a car bought from a rental company as a "one-owner" car. I'd suggest calling your Consumer Affairs office...If the dealer has indeed committed a big "boo-boo"..and we all know car dealers are ethical icons right?...then you may have some BIG leverage to employ..
I took it for a test drive. Road very smooth. Nice, solid ride. Handled well on corners... a lot better than the '00 Mountaineer I'm trading in. I checked it over for evidence of repairs and found no damage anywhere other than a couple of scratches that can be buffed out and a small ding that the Dent Wizzard will fix (at dealers cost).
I checked the oil and it was clean and didn't smell burnt. Same with Tranny fluid. I know that they can swap out fluids, but I checked anyway. It seems pretty solid. Given its a 7 seat SUV, it probably rented out at $100+ a day, so the chance that it was used as a race car by some kid or young adult who likes to beat the crap out of rental cars is somewhat mitigated.
There are no shimmies or shakes when driving. The doors all close with an appropriate "thud". My Mountaineer was close to totalled after a bad encounter with black ice. The entire front clip and both front doors had to be replaced. When I close the doors, they don't sound the same. Its like there's a hollow sound, a weak sound when the doors close, not the solid "thud" that used to be the case.
The Mountaineer is going bad on me. The tranny is slipping and now there is a puddle of tranny fluid showing up under the car. I just sunk $700 into to replace the front link pins and replace the back brakes and rotors (the car has the combo disk/drum rear brakes with the emergency brake in the rear drum.) The pads crack and break up and destroy the drums requiring replacement at $100 each. This was the third time I had to replace the rear rotors because of the e-break pads (not covered under the warranty) So its time to dump and run with the Mountaineer. I wanted to do it before the odometer rolled over 100k, so it was now or never.
This was the best deal I found. I looked at new 05s, but the interest rate was HIGHER! than the used car rate offered by GMAC, and even with the $5k rebates GM is giving, the price is still too high (high 20s compared to $23k for this one) Plus they are giving me $3200 for my Mountainer, which is pretty good considering the milage and everything that I *KNOW* is wrong with it.
Buying brand-new is like setting thousands of dollars on fire in the dealer's driveway and one of the only things that keeps manufacturers selling new cars is that they go to the rental fleets. After that, smart and careful people can buy those cars which are generally well-cared for and let somebody else set fire to their money.
In re the "options" question, I was not looking for full luxurty appointments, but rather had a set of criteria for things that I wanted in the car. This vehicle met all those criteria, so in that sense it had everythin I was looking for.
Second, they did not represent that it was one owner, the sales guy said that he did not know if it was a lease return or something else. He offered to get me a Carfax report, and I opted to buy it for myself instead. Just felt better about getting it direct, then I know that there was no chance for tampering.
I've been looking for a while, but can't find anything I wanted at this price. I wanted a Trailblazer or Envoy and looked at a lot of cars. All had higher miles, or had serious "defects" (i.e. something I did not want or like as opposed to damage). For example, one would have an exterior color I really liked, coupled with an interior that can only be described as from "Pimp My Ride while you're smoking crack". Some has bad stains on the carpets, indellible mars on the the dash, things like that. I saw a lot of 03s and 04s that just seemed too "used" and too overpriced.
Sounds like the dealer is reputable, then....so trust your instincts..
I bought a car from the Enterprise sales lot several years ago.
Saved me a bundle over a comparable car.
They were meticulous with their maintenance records and the warranty transferred over.
Eventually, I sold the car to trade it in for a newer one and went back to Enterprise to buy the second one.
Never had a problem with either car.
I'd do it again without hesitation.
Do have a mechanic check out the car for peace of mind.
Good luck.
You'll get the gambit of answers from don't buy to buy. My answer is that I'd have the car checked by a reputable mechanic. If the car has low mileage and checks out mechanically sound I'd have no problem with purchasing it. Vehicles today can stand a lot of mileage and abuse before going south. Depending upon the rental company from which it came and the type rental it involved [local or one way] then most likely it will be okay, but have it checked. The mfg warranties will still be in effect and you can also purchase extended warranties should you desire.
Another option is go to Enterprise Rental and purchase directly from them. They offer an online sales service, warranties, 30 day purchase return, and other options. Their approach is a set price based upon Blue Book pricing but generally lower than what you'd pay from a dealer. Just another option. I also think some of the other rental companies sell direct to the public but not sure.
Ben Her indeed.
You forget where you are.
"You forget where you are."
Au contraire, my FRiend, that's why I expressly limited my gratitude to the "helpful, serious replies."
LOL!!
I thought you always drove like that!
Hahahahaha!!
A little rubbing compound and no one will notice.
I bought a 97 Cirrus in 1998 as a former rental car.
When I bought it, it had 18K miles on it.
It is still going today with 120K and I sold it too my dad who drives it to work every day.
Seriesly though, that'll buff right out.
I don't know why you are telling me...LOL
I don't need to buy former rentals anymore (or any other car at the moment **knock on wood**)...
but the car I had is still going....the only thing we (either my dad or myself) have replaced on it besides the normal stuff (windshield wipers, one battery, 1 set of tires and the left front headlight) is the brakes, and THAT was only last summer.
CAR FAX
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