Hertz rent to buy

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Discussion

RedWhiteMonkey

6,857 posts

182 months

Saturday 4th August 2012
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eldar said:
Any used car may have had an non caring or thrashy owner, unless you believe the 'one titled owner' dribble.

At least a hire car gets the bonnet lifted once in a while.
True, fair point.

Chrisw666

22,655 posts

199 months

Saturday 4th August 2012
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RedWhiteMonkey said:
Yes, as have I but presumably you'd accept that plenty of people don't. Personally, I'd be unlikely to buy an ex rental, they change renters so frequently that you'd have to assume that at least one renter has thrashed it.
If that's your reasoning I'd politely suggest car ownership isn't for you.

If you've ever witnessed how imported cars are loaded/unloaded from ferries and how some are driven off a production line then you'd be shocked.

RedWhiteMonkey

6,857 posts

182 months

Saturday 4th August 2012
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Chrisw666 said:
If that's your reasoning I'd politely suggest car ownership isn't for you.

If you've ever witnessed how imported cars are loaded/unloaded from ferries and how some are driven off a production line then you'd be shocked.
Thanks, I understand car ownership perfectly well enough. My point is that it isn't unreasonable to suggest that rental cars are often trashed.

Living on an island I've seen new cars being unloaded from the ferry many times, they are driven extremely gingerly as the dealership will put a claim in for even a minor scratch. Seen the same with Nissans being loaded at Port of Tyne as well, very well driven.

Wulluff

650 posts

206 months

Saturday 4th August 2012
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RedWhiteMonkey said:
That seems rather naive, have you never rented a car?
I rent cars through work - may be 2-3 per month and drive them exactly the same way as I drive my own; leave home very early (say 5am), drive to site/meeting and then drive home. Typically 300miles in a day and 'thrashing' limited to the speed on M25/M4 etc.

Not sure what else you would expect from a typical rental?

W00DY

15,492 posts

226 months

Saturday 4th August 2012
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Despite my previous positive comments I will say that if anyone is interested in buying an ex-rental Fabia with over 100k km from a Skoda dealer in Bratislava, I'd probably advise against it. Poor car.


oldcynic

2,166 posts

161 months

Saturday 4th August 2012
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Just been browsing the stock list - it looks like they got massive bulk discount on the Fiesta 1.25 82PS Edge. There's hundreds on there!

If I was in the market for a boring econobox then it looks like as good a place as any to look - especially if I can just pay up for the rental used and walk away after a few days, or try another car they've got up for sale until I found something I liked could tolerate, given my current budget constraints.

Vetch

92 posts

175 months

Saturday 4th August 2012
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The company I work for hire a couple of Ford Fiestas from a local dealership. They are our pool cars and we've had them from new (they are 12 platers) and each of them has about 12k miles on the clock.

Knowing how my colleagues and I drive them, I really wouldn't want to own them if they ever come up for sale.

Chrisw666

22,655 posts

199 months

Saturday 4th August 2012
quotequote all
RedWhiteMonkey said:
Living on an island I've seen new cars being unloaded from the ferry many times, they are driven extremely gingerly as the dealership will put a claim in for even a minor scratch. Seen the same with Nissans being loaded at Port of Tyne as well, very well driven.
They might have got strict with drivers since I used to unload Vauxhalls just down the road from there.

We had between 2 and 4 hours to offload the boat regardless of it's size or the number of men who turned out, speed limit was 40mph but this was often ignored and some of the lads were utterly useless drivers who thrashed stuff in 1st and 2nd gear.

valiant

10,227 posts

160 months

Saturday 4th August 2012
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Would I buy an ex-Hertz rental? Well yes I did!

This was before Hertz jazzied up their website to allow joe bloggs to buy direct and I bought from a main dealer.

Car was about £1500 cheaper than an equivalent 'one lady owner' car (Focus) but main dealer was up front about it's history and it was good value and it came with the balance of warranty for piece of mind.

Car has never broken down and bar a few niggly problems it has been fine and I'm only thinking of changing it as it's sooooooooo boring (that's what you get when you let your head rule your heart!).

One thing to bear in mind is you know what you're getting. Many rental companies disguise it's history on the V5 by using subsidery company names that bear no relation to a car rental company and then charge you full whack. Also fancy approved used cars are often ex rental or driving school stock (Ford Direct sell many ex-AA school cars)

As said before, the vast majority of renters just drive it as they would their own car and only occasionally you get a retard who thinks it's ok to mistreat other peoples property - but then again - a good thrashing now and then is no bad thing!




briSk

14,291 posts

226 months

Friday 3rd July 2015
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bit of google based thread resurrection here but..

.. any one else had any experience of this?

we'd like to replace the 'family' car with a generic mid-sized petrol estate and this doesn't seem a bad place for the model we would like.

if the car is a petrol non turbo and it's done less than 10,000 miles and you change the oil and filters right away... well I am thinking that you're basically just exposing yourself to maybe a clutch replacement at some point nearer than otherwise.. and otherwise it's just nearly new car luck... views?

SteBrown91

2,385 posts

129 months

Friday 3rd July 2015
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briSk said:
bit of google based thread resurrection here but..

.. any one else had any experience of this?

we'd like to replace the 'family' car with a generic mid-sized petrol estate and this doesn't seem a bad place for the model we would like.

if the car is a petrol non turbo and it's done less than 10,000 miles and you change the oil and filters right away... well I am thinking that you're basically just exposing yourself to maybe a clutch replacement at some point nearer than otherwise.. and otherwise it's just nearly new car luck... views?
Think about it. Car has done 10k. Let's say 20% have driven it a little less than carefully than the other 80% (probably about right).

That's 2k of thrashing. Take into account they will probably not thrash it all the time. So its probably little over 1000 miles being thrashed. It's not going to make any difference to the wear of most parts (other than maybe a pair of tyres).



briSk

14,291 posts

226 months

Friday 3rd July 2015
quotequote all
SteBrown91 said:
briSk said:
bit of google based thread resurrection here but..

.. any one else had any experience of this?

we'd like to replace the 'family' car with a generic mid-sized petrol estate and this doesn't seem a bad place for the model we would like.

if the car is a petrol non turbo and it's done less than 10,000 miles and you change the oil and filters right away... well I am thinking that you're basically just exposing yourself to maybe a clutch replacement at some point nearer than otherwise.. and otherwise it's just nearly new car luck... views?
Think about it. Car has done 10k. Let's say 20% have driven it a little less than carefully than the other 80% (probably about right).

That's 2k of thrashing. Take into account they will probably not thrash it all the time. So its probably little over 1000 miles being thrashed. It's not going to make any difference to the wear of most parts (other than maybe a pair of tyres).
that is my thinking really too.
given that we're think about a japanese car too i am reasonably confident that it'd be fine.
i read this thread and i thought "yeah if i have ever hired anything i have driven it hard, but, oh yeah I bought my car 10 years ago and drive that hard every day and it's been fine..."
!



Odhran

579 posts

183 months

Friday 3rd July 2015
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Pricing actually seems quite good! Great option if buying nearly new that I didn't know existed.

delta0

2,352 posts

106 months

Friday 3rd July 2015
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AndySpecD said:
Step down? More like a step up - nothing get's driven harder than a rental

http://youtu.be/lsmdG8687fw
http://youtu.be/p2UsTWNaYxA

etc
Or this..
http://youtu.be/rZuoLJfwse8

hairyben

8,516 posts

183 months

Friday 3rd July 2015
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Ah, old ex-rentals-are-dogs dilema, is it that time of the month already?

I wouldn't worry too much about most exrentals, probably been driven sensible for at least 98% of their mileage with maybe the odd thrash they're more than capable of handling by occasional tit or two, than some of the ex lease disposals, haircuts on the miles to get cheapest lease terms, minimal servicing and thrashed ruthlessly by angry men in unsatisfying jobs.

Man I knew had an ex (think it was hertz) calibra (poss turbo, was long time ago), never had a moments trouble with it.