Buying Rental Car From Dealership
In fact, many rental car companies take such good care of their cars that they are willing to offer their own warranty on car sales, as well as other types of coverage to sweeten the deal. This sets them apart from most used car lots, where you may have to haggle for any extras. Hertz and Enterprise both offer a 12-month/12,000 mile limited powertrain warranty, and Avis has a variety of extended warranty options. All three companies also note that many of their sale vehicles are still under the original factory warranty.
buying rental car from dealership
A former rental may cost less money up front, but it will also return less money down the road. Getting maximum resale value for a used rental car is difficult, because many shoppers are wary of buying former rental vehicles, so much so that some states have passed laws allowing car dealerships to call rental cars "program cars" in hopes of avoiding the stigma. The value for former rentals is also impacted by the fact that these vehicles are sold in such high volume. When the market gets flooded with thousands of cars of the same make and model, all at more or less the same time and with similar mileage, the price for that make and model gets driven down.
On CarGurus, all rental cars are marked as "Fleet," but not all cars marked "Fleet" are former rentals. To find out if a CarGurus "Fleet" vehicle was a rental, check the vehicle's history report. Of course, purchasing a vehicle history report and asking for service history documentation are steps every customer should take when buying a used car, but it's especially important when looking at a former rental. Taking a former rental to a trusted mechanic before purchasing it is also recommended. Keeping all these pros and cons in mind, a former rental car can provide relatively new tech and safety features at an affordable price.
Some manufacturers have centralized rental programs in place that are only available through their dealers. For example, Toyota has Rent a Toyota, a rental program offered at various Toyota dealerships.
Certain Ford dealerships also provide car rentals. The range of Ford vehicles available for rent includes hatchbacks, sedans, SUVs and trucks. The Ford F-150 is even available for rent at some dealer lots.
The cost varies from model to model. The pint-sized Fiesta rents for $30 per day at one dealership. And the Fusion costs approximately $40 per day, while the Explorer costs $45. Lastly, the F-150 has a daily rate of $55, while the large Expedition costs $85.
You go to a rental car company to rent a car, not buy one. But plenty of car rental companies sell vehicles from their fleet when they are a few years old. There are some good deals to be had, but you might be wondering if it's a good idea to buy a car that dozens of people have driven before you.
After fretting over how the rental car was cared for, naturally, people are going to wonder about how expensive a rental car typically is. Comparatively speaking, it should be lower than a dealership. That should be a welcome relief if you've been stressing about how loan or lease payments will affect your car loan budget.
Rental car companies like to have new inventory, so you'll probably find relatively new used cars for sale. Enterprise, for instance, sells cars, SUVs and trucks that are one to three years old. A search through Avis's rental cars for sale in August 2020 shows mostly vehicles from 2019.
If you're skeptical about buying a rental car, think about the person who buys the vehicle after you and learns the car was initially a rental. But if you take good care of the vehicle and save all your service records, it shouldn't matter. You're buying the car to drive, not to sell.
Many rental car agencies promise no-haggle buying, but so do many dealerships, especially online dealerships. And while many people hate to negotiate, declaring your business a no-haggle zone makes it clear that the car buyer will be unable to get a better deal. So it's a plus for the car selling companies more than anyone else. It makes you wonder if this bums out people who enjoy negotiating.
You'll want to ask about this if you're thinking of buying a rental car. On the one hand, if you're buying a rental car with high mileage, the vehicle's factory warranty may be expired. On the other hand, because these cars are often still only a year or two old, there may be more time or mileage left.
You're buying a car from a rental car company, not a car dealership. So you may not have a wide selection of vehicles from which to choose. In fact, the inventory will probably be less than it would be at a traditional dealership. Some rental car companies have essentially said that they're done buying cars and restocking cars for the year, thanks to the pandemic crushing their business. So next year, for instance, the inventory of rental cars for sale could be slim pickings.
Still, you're presumably just looking for one good car to buy, so that's all you need. There's no harm in checking out a car rental agency near you and taking a look at their inventory. If you find nothing you like, you can check out a different car rental agency or start searching on car buying websites or go to a dealership.
No-haggle pricing. This eliminates one of the most stressful steps in the car-buying process, but you might be able to negotiate a lower price elsewhere, either at a dealership or with a private seller.
These two companies offer similar services when it comes to buying a rental car. Hertz fleet sales also include no-haggle pricing, a free vehicle history report, and financing through partner lenders. Hertz also covers car purchases with a 12-month/12,000-mile warranty, the same coverage as the Enterprise car sales warranty.
5. Many rental cars are still in a low-mileage situation. It is not unusual for rental cars to be above the high-mileage limits in place for private ownership, but you can also find a lot of vehicles that are still in excellent condition. Hertz typically pulls out rentals from its fleet or rotation by the time they reach 40,000 miles. Avid takes them out at 35,000 miles or less, with many of them only 18 months old. That means you can still take advantage of the factory-included warranty when you pursue this option.
6. You may not have much inventory available locally. If you live in a rural area, then it may not be possible for you to find a rental car for sale. Your dealerships might have a handful of program or fleet vehicles from which to choose, but that might be it. Your best option in this circumstance is to work directly with a company to have your preferred make or model delivered or to speak with private owners about completing a transaction.
When reviewing the pros and cons of buying a rental car, it is essential to review the various labels that you can find in this industry. Program or fleet cars can be former rentals, but not all of them marketed in such a manner were actually rented to other drivers. The best way to find out what is going on with the make and model you prefer is to look at the service history documentation of the car you want.
When you buy from a car dealership, the buying process is mostly on the lot. Buying a used rental is much different. Most of the buying process is done online, and you may only need to go to the rental office for test drives or paperwork.
That said, the alternatives to buying from a dealer, most notably private sales, auctions, and purchases from rental car companies, are certainly worthy of investigation. Not only that, we've done much of the legwork for you. Continue reading to learn what each of these car-buying alternatives is, and discover their pros and cons.
Auctions are another car-buying alternative, and they can provide many of the benefits of purchasing from a private party with some of the buyer and seller safeguards more typical of a dealer transaction.
Purchasing a former rental vehicle from a car rental company is another alternative to buying from a car dealer, and, for the right person, it could be a surprisingly good choice. The process is straightforward, easy, and leverages the advantages of online buying while allowing the customer to get a long look at the vehicle before buying it.
One of the best aspects is you can make an online reservation to pick up the vehicle at a local outlet of the rental car agency and test drive it for as long as a couple of days before deciding to purchase it. Or you can give it back, paying a low rental fee that is refunded if you buy another car from the company.
Sales consultants are not working on commission and there is no sales pressure. Many of the former rental vehicles are under factory warranty and additional warranty coverage might be offered through the online buying process, depending upon the company. Some companies offer a short-term buy-back guarantee.
Jack R. Nerad has covered car buying, auto retailing, and the automotive industry for more than three decades. He has held editorial director posts at dealership, consumer, enthusiast, and market research publications; appeared on television as a car-buying expert; and hosts a popular podcast. He is the author of several books, including The Complete Idiot's Guide to Buying or Leasing a Car.
One of the biggest schemes used car dealers employ on unsuspecting buyers is failing to disclose that a vehicle had previously been a rental car. Often, dealers will either hide this fact from the customer or spring it on the customer in the finance office. After being on the car lot for hours and hours, a customer stuck in the finance office has no energy to fight off a team of professional car salesman. Is this right? Of course not!
Whether you are buying your vehicle at a dealership, in a private sale, or from a family member, or if you are leasing, you will need the following to register your vehicle and drive it on public roads in Michigan:
To further our vision of offering everyone a better value, we sell the best from our rental fleet directly to the public. When you buy from Dollar Car Sales, you'll experience our "small town" friendly service, while being able to take advantage of the "big city" volume discounts we earn from purchasing thousands of fleet cars every year. We will help you find the right vehicle, either directly from our rental fleet, local auctions, or from our just released inventory. We are a liquidation outlet center, so we are always motivated to sell and our inventory is constantly refreshed. 041b061a72