Save Money on Your Next Car Purchase with a Used Rental Car
Rental Car Availability
Every year, rental car agencies sell the older vehicles in their rental fleets and restock with the newest models. Larry Lovejoy of Automobile Consumer Services Corp (ACS) states, “These cars can be a great deal for the average buyer. They have been well-maintained, so in essence you are buying a nearly-new car with no worries about mechanical problems. Furthermore, (if you buy a rental car from a car dealership) some dealers might extend the warranty for the full term or you can drive it under the balance of the warranty.” This means every rental agency sells a lot of cars in good condition that get replaced with new cars, either directly to buyers, or to dealerships that mark the cars as “fleet” or “program” vehicles.
Rental Car Reliability
In order to keep customer satisfaction high and ensure repeat rentals from customers, a rental car agency must maintain their vehicles in optimal condition, both mechanically and physically. This means drive train, exterior and interior are well maintained, as no agent wants to strand a client on the road with a defective rental or malfunctioning power seats.
Each time a rental vehicle is returned to the agent, it is checked over with care and cared for with attention to detail to prepare it for rental by the next client. The engine and transmission are checked and any noises or noted problems are repaired. Regular maintenance is done on schedule – such as oil changes, transmission fluid changes, radiator fills and flushes, replacing windshield wiper blades, belts, tires, refilling any and all fluids, and regular brake service. Obviously, the quality of maintenance might not be as good with a private owner, therefore a used car from a private owner might be in poorer condition.
Interior and Exterior Maintenance
Often, private citizens fail to perform much-needed maintenance on the inside and outside of their vehicles. Rental agencies can’t afford to neglect anything. Their vehicles must appear as nearly new as possible so that people will want to rent them. This means that after each and every rental, a vehicle is detailed inside and checked for any wear and tear on seats and carpet. When problems appear, they are repaired before the minor damage becomes noticeable. Exterior dings are quickly repaired and the paint job is maintained by washing and waxing the vehicle in order to maintain a shiny, like-new appearance.
Where to Buy Rental Cars
Now that you understand why former rental cars are great buys, where do you locate those which are available for purchase? Lovejoy of ACS said, “(Used car) dealers like these cars because they can get them at low prices and sell them at a good profits.” Often you will find advertisements in the newspaper indicating special sales prices on “program” or “fleet” cars at a new car dealership’s used car lot or even at a dealership selling only used cars. The CarFax.com report on the car will tell you if it was a rental car. You could contact rental car agencies directly, and find out if they have any vehicles for sale. Some rental agencies list their vehicles in newspapers and sell to private buyers, and you can often get a great price by going directly to the rental agency.
