Would you buy an ex Avis Budget car?
Discussion
Help, I'm in a bit of a quandary. Looked at a used Toyota Verso (boring car, I know) last week from a well known Toyota main dealer. The sales rep assured us it came direct from Toyota. We agreed a price, paid a deposit and went to pick it up today.
I glanced at the V5 today as they were sorting out the paperwork and was surprised to find that the previous owner was Avis Budget Ltd.
So, it could have been a hire car and I know the reputation they have!
Car is almost a year old with 18k on it.
What would you do?
I feel I've been misled. The sales rep said it was nothing to worry about, but they would say that wouldn't they?
I glanced at the V5 today as they were sorting out the paperwork and was surprised to find that the previous owner was Avis Budget Ltd.
So, it could have been a hire car and I know the reputation they have!
Car is almost a year old with 18k on it.
What would you do?
I feel I've been misled. The sales rep said it was nothing to worry about, but they would say that wouldn't they?
Bought one a few years ago and it was fine. Had it for 3 years and no real issues.
Bought mine with 45k on the clock from a Ford main dealer and it was a little cheaper than an equivalent non-rental car and the service history was a letter from Hertz saying when and at what mileage they were carried out. Thought I may lose a bit come part exchange time but they still gave me CAP clean for it.
Although some d
heads may treat it as a rally car, most people are scared of losing their excess so probably drive them a bit more carefully than their own cars plus they see them simply as a tool to complete their mission.
Just do your usual checks and I'm sure you'll be fine.
Bought mine with 45k on the clock from a Ford main dealer and it was a little cheaper than an equivalent non-rental car and the service history was a letter from Hertz saying when and at what mileage they were carried out. Thought I may lose a bit come part exchange time but they still gave me CAP clean for it.
Although some d
heads may treat it as a rally car, most people are scared of losing their excess so probably drive them a bit more carefully than their own cars plus they see them simply as a tool to complete their mission. Just do your usual checks and I'm sure you'll be fine.
Hired a rental car abroad last week for work. Thrashed it to the red line immediately from cold in every gear and slammed it into every bend (where appropriate) for 2 days straight 
Having said that, there aren't scores of ex-rentals breaking down on the hard shoulders of motorways, and they flow through auctions perfectly easily at reasonable prices, so you will probably be fine. Rental firms service their cars well (on the whole).
Having said that, there aren't scores of ex-rentals breaking down on the hard shoulders of motorways, and they flow through auctions perfectly easily at reasonable prices, so you will probably be fine. Rental firms service their cars well (on the whole).
Mrs Jim AK has a 2013 Polo we bought almost 2 years ago from a VW dealer.
He told us it was ex rental & everything has been fine in the time we've owned it except for both front door locks seizing up.
I don't believe most of the replies to threads involving hire cars on here tbh.
All the claims of red lining it in every gear from cold etc are just another form of the 'Key board warrior' imo.
Unless you have it in writing the car was 'Direct from Toyota' I'm not sure there is anything you can do.
'
He told us it was ex rental & everything has been fine in the time we've owned it except for both front door locks seizing up.
I don't believe most of the replies to threads involving hire cars on here tbh.
All the claims of red lining it in every gear from cold etc are just another form of the 'Key board warrior' imo.
Unless you have it in writing the car was 'Direct from Toyota' I'm not sure there is anything you can do.
'
Edited by Jim AK on Friday 3rd February 18:11
Yipper said:
Hired a rental car abroad last week for work. Thrashed it to the red line immediately from cold in every gear and slammed it into every bend (where appropriate) for 2 days straight
Having said that, there aren't scores of ex-rentals breaking down on the hard shoulders of motorways, and they flow through auctions perfectly easily at reasonable prices, so you will probably be fine. Rental firms service their cars well (on the whole).
Do people really do this?Having said that, there aren't scores of ex-rentals breaking down on the hard shoulders of motorways, and they flow through auctions perfectly easily at reasonable prices, so you will probably be fine. Rental firms service their cars well (on the whole).
I hire with work every so often and have never driven a car harder than I'd drive one of my own.
I never thrash them either, I drive them no different to my own car. We have sold a couple of ex europcar audis, we show customers the v5 so it's up to them to notice, they drive no different, they have service history's the only thing to note with them is they seem to have had a few smart repairs.
I would buy one, most lease / fleet will be 3/4 years old, anything any younger will be ex hire cars, demonstrators, staff cars all under the name of ex management cars.
I would buy one, most lease / fleet will be 3/4 years old, anything any younger will be ex hire cars, demonstrators, staff cars all under the name of ex management cars.
I bought a Golf which was Budget, it was six months old with 12k. Absolutely mint.
I kept it 4 years, passed to my daughter at 62k. She sold it at 94k.
In that time only maintenance, including cambelt/water pump, but no breakdowns, no failures.
Not everyone is a knob when they hire a car.
I kept it 4 years, passed to my daughter at 62k. She sold it at 94k.
In that time only maintenance, including cambelt/water pump, but no breakdowns, no failures.
Not everyone is a knob when they hire a car.
In general - there is rarely anything wrong in buying ex-rental cars. They will have been appraised by the manufacturer, and some will have been rejected for a whole host of reasons. (And then shoved through the auctions to get shot of them). The ones that are deemed "good" are then fed through the dealer network.
If you are a little dubious about buying one of these - then you may have good grounds to be. An ex-rental will have been driven by at least 30 different people, none of which will have any concern for the condition after their use. They will probably have had minor cosmetic repairs done, and whatever warranty is still left will still apply.
Many, many years ago when I was buying LOTS of used cars from Ford Motor Company, ALL the ex-rental and ex-management cars were filtered through an appraisal unit in Tilbury. The "nice" ones were directed and sold through the "Ford Direct" used car scheme - the rest were sent through British Car Auctions and Manheim Auctions. This DIDN'T mean that the auction cars were of lesser quality that the Ford Direct stock. It may have been that they already had too many of several particular models.
Cars in the last 12 years are, now, so well made, that the chances of buying a "wrong'un" are very small.
If you are a little dubious about buying one of these - then you may have good grounds to be. An ex-rental will have been driven by at least 30 different people, none of which will have any concern for the condition after their use. They will probably have had minor cosmetic repairs done, and whatever warranty is still left will still apply.
Many, many years ago when I was buying LOTS of used cars from Ford Motor Company, ALL the ex-rental and ex-management cars were filtered through an appraisal unit in Tilbury. The "nice" ones were directed and sold through the "Ford Direct" used car scheme - the rest were sent through British Car Auctions and Manheim Auctions. This DIDN'T mean that the auction cars were of lesser quality that the Ford Direct stock. It may have been that they already had too many of several particular models.
Cars in the last 12 years are, now, so well made, that the chances of buying a "wrong'un" are very small.
Grandad Gaz said:
Help, I'm in a bit of a quandary. Looked at a used Toyota Verso (boring car, I know) last week from a well known Toyota main dealer. The sales rep assured us it came direct from Toyota.
It probably did get to them directly from ToyotaGB.The hire fleets quite likely have a contract where the cars go directly to them from the importer, then go back to the importer at the end of the term. The importer then distribute them to the dealers.
What did you think the importer was going to have been doing for a year and 18k with a definition-of-dull mid-range launched-seven-years-ago sprogbus? Press fleet? Senior management? Central demo fleet?
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