Thanks in advance for the helpful, serious replies.
It is a big negative...get a mechanic to check it out
not sure, when I used to rent cars, I always pushed them to the limit......
(If what I just wrote makes you sad or angry,
Our 15-passenger van was a rental; it was a year old with 30,000 miles when we bought it. We've had it almost 5 years now. The only unexpected problem - given the model and the mileage - was that the side door panels (interior) had come loose, presumably due to lots of people getting in and out. We fixed it with duct tape - not worth the cost of replacement, since we're putting in hard usage, as well.
Whenever I get a rental, I drive like Ben Hur on the way to dollar day at the cathouse.
I would buy a rental IF it was directly through the company. They auction off the cars that they don't want to sell themselves (gee, I wonder why). Enterprise, for instance, will give you the maint. records for any car you buy DIRECTLY from them. They keep good records and maintain the cars better than most people who keep a car for only a year. I would not buy a year old leased vehicle, no matter what.
I bought a '91 Buick Century from Enterprise rentals.
It still runs good at 180K, but all the hardware is going.
AC, power windows, door handles, knobs, levers, all shot.
I would not suggest buying a rental, unless it's super cheap!
Good luck!
I owned a rental for 3 years and it was fault free.
When I got it, it had 16,000 miles on it, and when I sold it, it had 75,000 miles on the odometer.
Note on this thread, people who rent the cars say they abuse them, people who have actually bought them say they were a good deal.
BTW, ask the dealer about the warrentee, I'd bet you will get a new car warrentee.
It shouldn't make a difference if there's nothing actually wrong with it... as anytime you're putting thousands of dollars on the line, trust but verify - get a professional you trust to give you the skinny on the vehicle.
I bought an 02 Explorer off a dealer lot knowing that it was used, but not that it was a rental. The Carmax history told me the story and that car has shown a lot of wear as time has gone on. Be careful.
The safe thing for me to say is DON'T BUY THAT CAR! That way, if you follow my advice, you'll likely never know whether it was bad advice.
If I wanted to go out on a limb, I'd say IF the price is right (i.e. low enough to mitigate the perceived risk), buy it. Actually, that's not going out on a limb at all. If it turns out to be a lemon, YOU paid too much for it. :)
Any car is risky.
MOST IMPORTANT - how is it on a decent drive? Notice any shuddering or noises?
Rental-car CON: it's a hack that is treated various ways by many people (potentially, altho yours can't be more than an honest year old). They don't have to "mistreat" it, just that different habits can contribute to many different problems.
Rental-car PRO: often well-maintained by the rental company. And most people w/bad habits or arrogant it-aint-mine attitudes don't get enough time to ruin the car.
The best car I ever "owned" so far (barring my parents' old Lincoln bought new) was a Cavalier - exact same situation as yours. It was 1.5 real years old and had 18k on it, and was acquired from a rental co. by the dealer.
I drove the thing and it seemed like a SOLID (that's the key thing to feel) drive. I kept looking, but sure enough I went back to it.
I had the car for 8 years before finally giving it up for a Monte Carlo. It was great; dependable and solid and all. I loved that little car and felt I was betraying it - but it had some 100k on it or so and had just busted a head gasket, so when I got the bug for a Monte it seemed the right time to let it go.
You can never tell - the best you can do is give it a good test drive.
My daugther bought her 2001 Ford Escape from a Hertz Car sales lot. I was very skeptical at first, so I went with her. Hertz provide a list of everything Ford or they had done to the car. Every warranty repair and routine service and even provided a Carfax report.
For $900.00 she got a 48 mo., 48,000 mi. bumper to bumper warranty (Very inexpensive)which she has use in frequently for minor things like a leaking headlight.
She has had the car for almost 3 years now and loves it.
I would buy a rental car, but only from the rental company's own sales lot.
How much are they asking compared to a new one?
I'm pretty spoiled in that my grandfather bought me my first car new. He then paid for my 2nd car new (God bless his soul) when I traded in the first one after 6 years. 5 years later, I convinced my husband to buy me a new Volvo (because a baby was on the way).
Now, ten years later (sigh) I am still holding out for a new "something" bigger for our family of 4. I am 90% sure I won't look at SUVs because I am such a cheapo with gas. I want to be able to get at least what my Volvo gets now. But, my (grrrr) husband is doing everything possible to get me to buy used. (Every week he shows me newspaper and magazine articles about the benefits of buying used.)
I'll be curious to see what you choose to do and how things turn out.
Good luck.
...this thread makes me think the rental firms are going to install black boxes real soon......tracking speeding, etc.
What's the difference between a 4X4 and a rental car? There are places some people won't take a 4X4.
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.
You forget where you are.