Should I buy a used car that was owned by a rental agency?

Question

Should I buy a used car that was owned by a rental agency and has a reported accident, no details were given as to the type of accident.

It has been inspected by the DMV and the car dealership, looks great and seems to run well. I got the info from CarFax.com and am a little leary about buying a car that a billion people have driven and not really knowing the details of the accident other than it hit another vehicle.

Answer 1

Most "program" cars are ex rentals if the public knows it or not.  It pends on the make and model as to the likelyhood of abuse for example a Mustang is more likely gonna have abuse to it then say a Malibu.  Genaraly most of the bigger chains such as hertz and enterprise have rules governing the maint of cars.  What bothers me about this car is the accident history.  

Answer 2

I strongly urge you to run away from this deal.  I had once purchased a used car from a rental car company.  It was, by far, the worst car I'd ever owned.  It had problems from day one.  You're instincts are right.... a rental doesn't get a proper engine break-in.  If something goes wrong, you'll luck into a customer that actually reports it upon returning the vehicle so that it'll get fixed.  Otherwise, it'll be driven TOO long until the problem escalates.  Heavy foot drivers; reckless drivers (hey, it's not their car; and sometimes not even their dime for it such as for "business").  Mix that with SHORT drives (e.g. hotel to office building) and you have the absolute WORST type of driving conditions.  Cold engine + heavy foot = short engine life

Answer 3

No way dude!!!! Don't spend your money on something that you don't even know clearly about!!

Answer 4

Definitely. They have likely taken good care of it, but before you buy it, find out if it has a salvage title by checking the VIN Number. If it has a salvage title, it will be very hard to register.

Answer 5

NO, NO, NO!

As someone who has driven rentals, and has been driven by people in rentals, there is NO WAY IN THE WORLD I would EVER consider buying an ex rental vehicle.

I have so many stories about rentals that your head would split. They get thrashed and abused on a daily basis, that is why they are sold off so early.

Run as far away from this car as possible. Dont ever consider buying a ex rental unless you want to buy trouble.

Answer 6

Price is the big question. Don't go by a DMV inspection, that just tells you if it was stolen, or previous owners and in most cases does a common person no good as far as making a decision. Also what dealer inspected the car, the one trying to sell it for the rental company?

The accident isn't always that big of a deal if it was repaired right and if it happened a while ago. If it happened a while back and the car doesn't pull or rattle or leak water, don't worry about it. If it was just repaired recently, I would worry.

A rental car should not sell for the same price as a common trade in car with equal miles. this doesn't mean it is not as good as, but resale when you are done will be lower.

If the car is below book value for sale price by $1000.00 or more, it is a fair deal.