🚗 Consider a Rental to Save Money on a Used Car​​ (AARP Article)

[SummerOnTheWay1]

HAS ANYONE BOUGHT A RENTAL? 🤔  I HAVE NOT! 😎

Want to Save on a Used Car? Consider a Rental.

Avis, Enterprise and Hertz all sell from their fleets. Here’s what to consider.

By Donna Fuscaldo. Published February 20, 2024.

https://www.aarp.org/money/budgeting-saving/info-2024/used-rental-car-buying.html

[Tempest332 · Accepted solution]

Iv'e bought 3 cars off rental fleets, as well as my parents did years ago. Now these rental outlets no longer exist, & companies like CarMax & Carvana buy these up & put a serious markup on them, & the actual manufactures now have agreements to buy these vehicles back or are leasing them out to them.   

Rentals are kept clean, & usually well maintained.  I hung on to these vehicles longer as they have been my better of used cars.   I've never owned a "brand new" vehicle.  One I purchased from AVIS was 9 months old & had 18K on it. 

In the past, found that Avis cars were usually the cleanest, followed by Hertz, then Budget when they had direct sales outlets near me. 

Now the age of my vehicles are getting older & older, &/as insurance is going up & up as well.  

[SummerOnTheWay1]

📎 (2/22/24) @Tempest332 , what about HIGH MILEAGE?  🤔

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[*** @Tempest332 wrote:

Iv'e bought 3 cars off rental fleets, as well as my parents did years ago. Now these rental outlets no longer exist, & companies like CarMax & Carvana buy these up & put a serious markup on them, & the actual manufactures now have agreements to buy these vehicles back or are leasing them out to them.   

Rentals are kept clean, & usually well maintained.

In the past, found that Avis cars were usually the cleanest, followed by Hertz, then Budget when they had direct sales outlets near me.  ***]

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[Tempest332]

Define "High Mileage"?  When I was buying from the Rental fleets the Avis again had the lowest miles, followed by Hertz & Budget, I've seen vehicles on Avis lots with as little as just under 10K to as much as 25K, they told me at the time it's pretty much based on rental frequency & they typically try  to retire them before 25K.  On the other side, I seen vehicles slightly older on Budgets lots with mileages  above 30K.   

For me, I generally never drove over 10K /yr ( with a couple years of exception) now about 5K /yr. so milage isn't a worry, now I have picked vehicles up wholesale with over 100K recently.  

[SummerOnTheWay1]

📎 (2/22/24) @Tempest332 , I was thinking that some cars go "out of state" - but I am NOT into Used Cars, so....

Awesome it has worked out for you!!!  😎

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[*** @Tempest332 wrote:

Define "High Mileage"?  When I was buying from the Rental fleets the Avis again had the lowest miles, followed by Hertz & Budget, I've seen vehicles on Avis lots with as little as just under 10K to as much as 25K, they told me at the time it's pretty much based on rental frequency & they typically try  to retire them before 25K.  On the other side, I seen vehicles slightly older on Budgets lots with mileages  above 30K.   

For me, I generally never drove over 10K /yr ( with a couple years of exception) now about 5K /yr. so milage isn't a worry, now I have picked vehicles up wholesale with over 100K recently.  ***]

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[Tempest332]

& yes, my rentals purchases were all originated out of the south, I oil spray the undercarriages, lower bodies now yearly. 

Drawback, as they are put through car washes, one I had had scratches on the windshield from going through a car wash.  May have door lot ding or so.  missing parts taken off others in the sales fleet (last one sold gets rebuilt!) Any mechanical complaints on the vehicles were always addressed.  Back years ago when my Parents were buying from AVIS, they were giving a 12/12 warranty on the powertrain, something even the manufactures weren't giving on new cars at the time. 

I haven't bought recently, though all in all good experiences. Cars were one price usually @ one price point unless exceptionally high/lower mileage, no haggle, were priced less than a dealer, never high pressure sales.  Pick your color/mileage.