buying a rental car?

Well, I had my heart set on an '09 sienna, but when I called about it, they'd already sold it. I really really want a BLACK one. I pretty much hate all the other colors (except for that rare cool greenish color). When I called about it, he said he could take my name & number, and that they get used '09 sienna's all the time....from Enterprise. Duh - makes enough sense - would be pretty hard to find an owner wanting to trade in something as new as an '09. So - is it advisable for one to buy a rental car? The one I was looking at only had 33K miles on it. Kinda scares me since I've heard the phrase "nothin' parties like a rental" more than a few times.

We've bought a rental at least once(Ford Focus) maybe twice as I cannot remember the details of our first FreeStar.

Although we tend not to keep our cars long we had NO problems with either one, just the normal oil change, etc. I would have no problems buying another rental but if you want your bases covered do a car check on the VIN.

And in personal experience from renting an Enterprise. DS put a small scratch in one of the doors with a toy, a very very minor paint scratch and we were charged 400.00 on top of the over 2000.00 we paid to rent the van. Personally I would have got out some black nail polish and called it a day but they had a very long and detailed repair report covering the two days it took to fix it so if they are that concerned about a scratch imagine how they would treat a major repair job.

First let me say I have no real experience with this besides buying 5 used cars in the past 2 and a half years

Will the van come with some type of warranty? If a warranty isn't included I would try to see if you could budget to pay a little more for some type of warranty. Could you have someone look at it first?

Since it is a rental I would definitely just double check that it has all the standard features a Sienna should have. I am starting to think the 2008 Impala we bought in September 2008 could have been a rental (we didn't ask, they didn't tell) because it does not have side airbags and most come standard with them. I have also seen on another thread here about another Chevy rental (a Cobalt I think) not having side airbags.

I think a newer Sienna should have side air bags but I would just make sure you see the word "airbag" where they should be.

As for mileage wise, we bought it in September 2008 and it was a 2008 Impala with about 17,000 miles on it and we assumed it was about a year old (and it now has almost 50K miles on it )

I currently have a rental (someone hit me and my car is getting fixed) and I am extra careful driving it. I know I could be in the minority but it drives totally different than my car and has different blind spots so I am being extra careful. And I noticed it also does not have side airbags (it is a 2009 Chrysler 300 and when I did a quick google search it did come up optional).

I think anytime you are buying a used car and there is that uncertainty of if the person who owned it before you partied too hard in it.

When we needed a second car last summer my boyfriend ended up with a 2000 Buick LeSabre and we paid extra (around 500 I believe) for a 6 month major part warranty. We figured if something was broke and they tried to do a cheap fix it would go within those 6 months.

I would probably still consider it but I would be cautious. Hopefully someone else can give you better advice.

ETA: I was typing this for a long time but to add to the PP reply - I am extra careful with the rental because I am also scared of getting a scratch on it!

I would never, ever buy a former rental car.

The way I look at it is like this...if I am buying a used car I want to know (or at least believe) it was well taken care of. There are things that people can do to cars in the first 20,000-40,000 miles that won't actually show up until many many miles later. How do people drive a rental car? How do people treat rental cars? Like crap! Because it isn't theirs and they have no reason to baby it or treat it well. They don't have to worry about its resale value.

I would rather have a well cared for car where I can meet the owners in a color I don't love than a former rental in the color of my choice. :twocents:

A relative of mine always buys former rental cars (not performance-type vehicles, more like Tauruses and Impalas). He's been satisfied.

The guy that I talked to said that 90% of 2009 Siennas for sale at a dealer will be former rentals. I just figure, we can't afford new, and '09 is the latest that we can afford, so '09 it is....or isn't.....I've been searching on CL, Autotrader, Classifieds, but an owner selling an '09 Sienna with low-ish miles seems pretty non-existent. We were also hoping to just trade in my Xterra instead of the PITA of trying to sell it. I hate feeling rushed about all this, but we need to find something before we go on vacation July 24th! We were going to borrow my brother's Sequoia, but it has had some issues lately ('03) - brakes, hatch/trunk (whatever it's called) won't open, traction control spazzing out randomly. So we aren't going that route any more. This is a tough decision.

We have a 2003 Camry that was a rental. It has been a great car so far.

It depends on the class of rental of car. A Cobalt or Focus? Something that has heard the words 'drive like you stole it'? Not so much.

A larger vehicle like a van or suburban? Sure. Our Excursion was a rental for a few months before we got it. Saved us thousands, had been very taken good care of and came with the factory warranty. Most of the time the worst that will be wrong with a family rental is grime that is cleaned before you even see the car.

Plus, some rental companies have very strict guidelines for when a car must be sold. We really wanted to buy a Dodge Charger that was a rental. It had less than 1000 miles on it but had been into the shop 3 times for piddly, unrelated stuff. It sold for right around $7000 the day it was put up. I can't remember what all had been service, I think it was a dash light out, power window and something else small.

Rental cars from a reputable company will always have routine maintenance done on time. They will be cleaned on a regular basis. Check engine lights are not ignored. Oil levels are checked. I don't know very many people in real life that actually do what they are supposed to with their cars.

TXAggieTech said:

Rental cars from a reputable company will always have routine maintenance done on time. They will be cleaned on a regular basis. Check engine lights are not ignored. Oil levels are checked. I don't know very many people in real life that actually do what they are supposed to with their cars.

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This exactly. Larger, more expensive rentals have typically been rented by families, school groups, church groups, etc., and have been watched very closely. A major part of the rental company's job is to take care of the vehicles, and it's something they take seriously.

Thank you all so much for your replies and advice. I will continue my search at the local dealers for a used Sienna (with a warranty!).

We've owned several vehicles that were previously rentals and have had really good luck. They've been newer models with low mileage at used prices. They've all lasted us for good long times. In fact, I think the one car that we bought that wasn't previously a rental was awful with repairs and problems!

Our most recent purchase (about a month ago) was an 09 Kia Rondo that had been a rental in Iowa. So far, we are as pleased as we could be.

Tina

I think I would be ok with a rental Sienna. It most likely didn't take a lot of abuse. I wouldn't personally buy a smaller car that had been a rental if I was going to keep it for a long time. My only prior rental and my parents only prior rental both had issues sooner than normal....maybe a coincidence but maybe not.

It's hard buying almost new cars. We were just looking at them. At 1 year old their are almost all either rentals or repos...both bad in my book. When buying used I prefer to buy private party so you can get a sense of the owners and how the car was probably driven and maintained.

Are you wanting an 09 because of the 10 redesign? With the rebates and such, a new toyota or honda can be very close to the price of a 1 year old one. We just bought a new Civic because at 1 year old and 20k miles they were only $500 less.

I would feel ok buying a rental car. I think in this day and age, people are so scared of being charged out the you-know-what for repairs that they take pretty good care of them. Or I'd like to think so.

On the other hand, we just traded in our '09 Odyssey, so it IS possible to find new-ish non-rentals.

At this point, we are just all over the place. I found an '08 sienna, 33K, $17,500, private owner last night! I called this morning and it was already gone. I'm trying so hard to be patient, but I just want to get this all over with - I hate car shopping. We have considered new, but the redesigned sienna's lack of TA's is a real turn off. So, is the 2010 Sienna the redesigned version or not? I'm confused on that. I thought it wasn't. And I thought maybe I could get a good deal somewhere on a 2010 since the 2011 is what they're advertising to be "all the rage" now.

Anyway. I am exhausting all opportunities here. CL, Autotrader, backpages, dealers. I just can't seem to find a good enough deal anywhere. Finding an '08 with low miles at $17,500 is insanely more practical than paying $35,000 for something brand new.

I'm definitely still looking at the '09's that were previous rentals. It still just scares me a little.

My brain hurts.

Oh yeah - what did you trade in your '09 Ody for? Just curious.

The 2004-2010 Siennas are the model years for the previous version, while the 2011 Sienna is the redesigned version with fewer top tether anchors. Good luck in your car quest.

The 2011 Sienna is the redesign that's missing some LATCH. A 2010 will have the same as a 2009.

DH went to look at 2010 Sienna's in February and there were no 8 passengers left on the lot and only a couple 7 passenger ones. There were lots of the 2011 available already. The salesman told dh that if we were serious about getting an 8 passenger 2010, he could call other lots, but it was unlikely there'd be any left after the end of February. Which sucked, since we wouldn't have been ready to buy until after taxes anyway. It's the first time I've seen a model year come out so early in the previous year. I always thought the following year rolled out around summertime, but not for the 2011 Sienna.

Anyway, that was just giving you a heads up that you may be unlikely to find a new 2010 on a lot anywhere. It can't hurt to try, but it might not be worth the effort. I would totally get a 2009 that was a rental if I could get the 8th seat and it was an LE. That's my dream van- 2006-2010 LE, 8 pass. We're going to wait until next spring now to get something and hope we can find a good used vehicle and save ourselves a little money.

Our Corolla was a rental. We bought it in 2003, it was an 03 model year. It only had a few thousand miles on it and was in PRISTINE condition. :thumbsup: They take good care of rental cars, so they're often an excellent value for the price.

I know of a few families that have bought rentals. Amazing price for what you get. And typically they have been used for such a short time and so well maintained. I refuse to buy new; it's always used. And when it comes right down to it, just because what I buy isn't a rental doesn't mean it's been well cared for necessarily. Think about the fact that rental agencies probably provide better maintenance that most people do, and the fact that every little thing would be repaired almost instantly, and the fact that miles/kms are so low, and honestly, a rental is probably a better bet than most people realize.

I'm sure there must be some kind of forum for buying rentals. I would google that first. Maybe there are some tips and tricks or things to ask about before considering a rental. Honestly though, it is something I would consider, especially if the price were right.



Good luck!

I've owned 2 rentals cars. My first was an 04 Galant. I drove it until it had 110,000 miles on it and never had any issues with it. Just regular maint. things. My 2nd was a 07 Ford Freestyle. I just got rid of it a couple weeks ago. Mine had a CVT tranny and it was having issues. The only thing they could do was replace the whole tranny and that was going to cost 5700 in just parts. So we traded it off. I don't really think the tranny issues had anything to do with it being a rental. From my research it's a pretty common thing that happens with the CVT trannys. It also had 95,000 miles on it.