Car rental companies, or sometimes referred to as car hire agencies, often carry large fleets of vehicles that they generally change over regularly. As a result, the vehicles they get rid of make their way into the hands of regular consumers through various used car markets. These vehicles are labelled as “rental vehicles” and are often required for this information to be made known to potential buyers as per local state/provincial laws.
A lot of people run as soon as they hear that the vehicle they were just drooling over was previously used as a rental. Sometimes a rental car could be a good deal, depending on how good the saving are and of course the condition of the car. Just remember never let anyone talk you into something that you are not comfortable with, and do not ever fear walking away if something is not right. Now that we have that out of the way here are some things you need to consider when purchasing a former rental:
1) transmission problems – especially if its a manual transmission, feel out the clutch.. you don’t know who or how many people have driven the vehicle and with everyone driving differently it could cause problems.
2) body panels – rentals tend to go through a bit more abuses so make sure you check out the body panels for damages
3) get the car checked over by a professional – I know this is stating the obvious but honestly I can’t count how many people don’t get their vehicles checked over. DO IT! Always get a second opinion.
Remember most rentals are fairly new and still have lots of warranty left on the clock, take advantage of that and the savings of buying a rental.
