re: Would you buy a former rental car?

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We took our little compact rental sedan on some sketchy dirt/gravel roads in Alaska to get to some remote trailheads. That's probably an exception, but you never know what someone has been up to.

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You don’t really know if the used car you are considering was privately owned by someone that couldn’t afford the maintenance. You don’t know if they let their teenaged son drive it.

Rental company will typically at least keep the tires, windshield, and brakes in good condition and occasionally change the oil.

Unless you are buying from someone you know, I don’t see any more risk in a used rental car with no collision repairs in its history than any other used car with similar records, lease returns, etc.

Certainly more risk than a new car though.

I wouldn’t have a problem with a rental in something like a Tahoe. The people that rent those aren’t likely to treat them as poorly as the Shane whose insurance pays for a Camry while his truck is in the shop

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Dude that’s kinda like marrying a hooker

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Contrary to the majority of replies, Yes, I would and have.

I've bought several cars from Enterprise Rental. But I buy exclusively from them for these reasons:
1. They only sell the top 10% of their fleet to the public. If the car's not pristine, with zero service issues or damage, they sell it to Auto Nation, Car Max, and corner lots.
2. They have a record of scheduled maintenance for the car and they've followed it to the letter. The LAST thing a car rental place wants if for a customer to become stranded due to car trouble. You can guarantee the oil has been changed regularly, and they've assessed the condition of the car after every rental.
3. They offer a warranty above and beyond the factory warranty if you want to pay for it.
4. They take trade ins.
5. They don't haggle on the price. They show you the blue book value of the car, their price, which is usually right in alignment, and that's it. No bullshite of back and forth to talk to their manager.
6. If you change your mind, you can return the car within a week or two, can't remember.

If you bought a used car from some personal owner, you'd have no idea how often it was serviced, how well it's been maintained, no warranty options, no trade in option, have to haggle on the price, and if you bought a lemon, you're kinda screwed.

On top of that, the sales guys at Enterprise make the same commission if they sell you a Cadillac or a Corolla. So their goal is to sell you the car that's right for you, not the one they make the most cash off.


If you're looking to buy a used car, I'd highly recommend it.

I've bought a Nissan Maxima, Chevy Blazer, Lincoln Town car, Toyota Solara, and a Nissan 350 Z from Enterprise. Every one of those cars ran like new, lasted a LONG time, and gave me no problems at all.

Man, the things I seen people do with rental cars.. No.

1 - Use the emergency brake to try to drift it around corners (doesn't work very well)
2 - See how hard you can slam the doors
3 - See how loud the radio gets
4 - Gas and brake at the same time
5 - Put it in neutral, rev the engine, then drop it in drive
6 - Get some McDonalds serving trays, put them under the rear tire and set the e-brake, drift around on the serving trays (only works on a front wheel drive vehicle)
7 - All gas or all brake

I wouldn't, but that's because I'm doubtful I could find a used Accord or Mazda3 with a stick at Enterprise/Hertz/etc. Otherwise, an automatic Camry or similar? Sure, no problem with that.

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1 - Use the emergency brake to try to drift it around corners (doesn't work very well)
2 - See how hard you can slam the doors
3 - See how loud the radio gets
4 - Gas and brake at the same time
5 - Put it in neutral, rev the engine, then drop it in drive
6 - Get some McDonalds serving trays, put them under the rear tire and set the e-brake, drift around on the serving trays (only works on a front wheel drive vehicle)
7 - All gas or all brake

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you sound like a terrible person

My company rents exclusively. We beat the shite out of those cars and trucks.

If you have bought a used vehicle there is a chance it was a rental car. Companies like Enterprise buy and sell vehicles at the very same auctions every other dealership does. And Enterprise doesn't just sell their rentals. If they get a good deal at an auction they will buy the vehicle to sell on their lot that was never a rental.