Purchase a Former Rental?

thanks for being honest. Real world you’re gonna be fine, if you bought a Jetta or GM it would be a different story.

 

Do any of the members flinging sh*t back and forth on this subject even realize the OP bought a used rental over 3 months ago?

 

that sums it up. Auction cars and rental cars are very similar.

 

Years ago, I bought a Sequoia with less than 20k miles from Hertz car rental. After 11 years and almost 200k miles, no issues. Just normal preventative maintenance items. I would steer clear of auction cars though.

 

I would argue it depends on the area. Airport car vs rural town. Chicago vs Albuquerque…. That kind of thing.

branch managers have a big part of it, same way two of the same restaurant can be very different experiences.

 

Like some others have said I think it depends on it being a really good deal. I’m just thinking about the rental cars I’ve had to get for work over the past few years and how many were not being maintained to the same degree as prior to the Covid rental demand surge. Whether due to the increase in demand, the company struggling to find enough workers, or a combo of both.
I’ve had cars the past 2.5 years that were really dirty (inside and/or out), had broken (non-functional) wiper blades, were way overdue for oil changes based on the warnings I received while driving, and had body damage or major scratches .

 

I wouldn't, but I would buy a heavily used mattress from the seediest hotel around because I'm a degenerate. Imagine all of the hookers that did it on that thing.

 

Great conundrum.
I’m driving RIGHT NOW a 2022 SR5 4wd which I picked up in SFO and one way renting it to Durango, CO. It has 11,000 mi on the odometer and the “Oil Service due” annunciator warning is constantly on. VERY annoying to look at. I feel like servicing it myself just because I feel sorry for the awesome little machine. They can’t do a simple oil service on time? Nah, I wouln’t buy a used rental.

 

I would just say, after buying a certified used Toyota that was a former rental, my experience sucked really bad.

Fortunately, because I bought it from a Toyota dealership, they made the wise choice to buy the car back after 1 year at my full purchase price. It needed a shitload of repairs...

 

Truthñ

 

I did through Hertz. 2016 in 2016 with 26k for $26k. Have had no issues. It's been rock solid and a massive steal. Definitely would recommend. I was hesitant, but ended up convincing myslef thinking, "Who's renting a 4runner?" My rationale being that it wasn't someone looking to go hoon around in a parking lot, but the average family of 4 who wants a little more space on a vacation. I'm at 99k right now and have done nothing but fluids and brakes.

 

Former rental

California Car
2023 Off Road

19,000 miles
$38,000

thoughts?

 

I would probably use Engine flush from Liqui Moly on a former rental.

 

Sounds good on paper, I would still have it independently inspected prior to purchase.

 

There is a lot of information missing, but I can say this much... I had a former rental 2020 off-road as a Toyota certified used vehicle. The inspection was complete and utter bullshit. After a year of lots of minor complaints, including a steering wheel shake, parasitic draw, windshield noise (it was OEM glass, turns out that car companies use OEM glass on repairs) and just a whole lot of things not working properly like the emergency braking system, the wrong windshield wipers were put on after whatever broke the windshield, etc. That inspection was my saving grace. The dealership bought back the vehicle at my full purchase price.

Rentals are driven hard. Sometimes by unfamiliar drivers, mistakes like hitting curbs could have long-term impacts on the reliability of the vehicle. The 4WD system needs to be exercised on a regular basis, you can imagine it was not.

While they may have changed the oil regularly, surely they did not do a break-in oil change. Something else that was with my rental was, they overtorqued the oil filter housing and there were micro-cracks. They were not leaking but they were visually noticeable.

I would just highly encourage a verification that the inspection was done, but it is a Toyota certified used vehicle, that the service department at the Toyota dealership is a thorough shop with knowledgeable service advisors and be prepared to be very firm if you've got a problem.

Also, just because they say it's a California car and all the registration was done in state, that car could have been anywhere. My rental was registered in Florida; not in Carfax, but in my Toyota owners portal, after purchase I found my car had been looked at by dealerships in North Carolina and Virginia. Not included in my inspection was the presence of rust. There were bolts literally flaking apart on the exhaust system.

 

Just buy new at that point. I wouldn't pay more than salvage for a rental

 

Budget was a big factor for me. I backed into what I was willing to spend on my 4Runner knowing that I would be upgrading suspension and tires then adding bumper, winch, sliders and roof rack. I also wanted something with the newer technology but far enough along for kinks to be worked out and had zeroed in on an Off Road Premium. This all meant a young higher mileage rig.

One local to me that had been a rental then owned by a local doctor’s son fell into my lap. 2021 ORP with 60K miles for 33K. The dice were cast and I am thrilled so far. Budget is a big factor for some, but with due diligence, the risk for the right brand is low in my opinion. I have never owned a new vehicle in my life and haven’t felt short changed a bit.

We each have our own calculus for our decisions…

 

Sure budget in important. But I paid 40k for my brand new 2020 trd orp. Was saving the extra 7k really worth the rental abuse and 60k miles? Probably not.

 

Agreed but I bought mine 2 months ago - much different new vehicle prices then.

 

I wouldn't marry a hooker but some guys do. Good luck.

 

Look on Autotrader.com - there are many 2023 OR's in SoCal with similar mileage and Toyota Gold Certified in the same price range. (You can select your own areas, I just used SoCal.) Why chance a former rental when you can go with a certified car for the same money?

 

I paid below sticker with Chris Marino at Escondido Toyota July 2023 (when other dealers were charging market adjustments). The dealership is really iffy, but Chris is an honorable dude.

I bought new after a plain used and a TCUV. Got my vehicle service agreement from Jerry at Midwest Toyota.

46k new 23 Off-Road Premium with a few options.

Jerry Johnson
Warranty Manager
Midwest Toyota
Phone 800-530-5789

Chris Marino
Toyota Escondido
Office: 760-300-3376

 

I would not consider it

 

And some of us drive as if losing the precious green ECO light is a personal failure akin to committing one of the seven Deadly Sins.

 

Without the knowledge to know how to inspect it myself or have a trusted mechanic that knows his shit I wouldn't even consider it. Neighbor girl bought a Nissan sedan that was a rental and looked immaculate. Come to find out it had been hit hard in two corners and transmission gave out in about 10,000 miles.

 

My hiking group usually flies into Vegas and rents a car to drive to the trail heads around Death Valley or Zion. We operate under the assumption that all rental cars are built tougher then normal production vehicles and drive them accordingly.

 

lol