So a lot of car companies sell up to 25%, or even more of some of their models in discounted bulk sales to rental car agencies and other companies. These rental car companies usually hold on to these cars for about 22 months, then dump them to auction, then you wind up seeing a bunch of 2 year old cars with 40-50k miles flooding the dealerships and market, thus if you buy a new car that popular in the rental fleets your re-sale value can take a big hit it seems. Was wondering what you guys/gals thought about that when making a new car purchase? Do you stay away from the car brands that are popular in the rental car agencies?
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When buying a new/newish used car do you look at fleet sales?
- Thread starter darksithpro
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Depends on the manufacturer. For some of the upscale stuff, you can get a really good deal. That being said, the miles on the car are very bad.
So it sounds like the question here isn't so much about considering fleet/rental cars for sale, but considering how they might affect the (resale) value of a car that you might be buying basically simply because it might be the same make/model as some popular fleet/rental cars?
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I think it all depends on what your car ownership and driving habits are. In my family we buy used cars and drive them "until the wheels fall off". In most cases we own our cars for 7-10 years and will put over 200,000 miles on the vehicle. My inlaws last purchase was a Nissan from a rental agency who was selling off some of their stock to make room for newer models. They got a great deal on a car that was, just like you described, a couple of years old with 20-30 thousand miles on it. It has been great for them.
Now, I never make a car purchase without having a mechanic look over the vehicle and inspect wear and tear. Always check the vehicle history report and look at maintenance records. There are some good deals to be found out there so I wouldn't cross the option of buying from a rental company off the list.
If you are kind of person who buys something current, only drives it for a few years, and then trades it in for a newer model vehicle then buying a previous rental vehicle is not going to match your ownership style.
Now, I never make a car purchase without having a mechanic look over the vehicle and inspect wear and tear. Always check the vehicle history report and look at maintenance records. There are some good deals to be found out there so I wouldn't cross the option of buying from a rental company off the list.
If you are kind of person who buys something current, only drives it for a few years, and then trades it in for a newer model vehicle then buying a previous rental vehicle is not going to match your ownership style.
not all fleet cars are the same:
-can be a company car which was only assigned to a single person for a few years. Those users usually don't treat the car badly. After all they have to drive it not only for a few days but for years.
-company cars assigned as pool vehicles: utterly trashed, usually look older on the interior than they are
-can be a company car which was only assigned to a single person for a few years. Those users usually don't treat the car badly. After all they have to drive it not only for a few days but for years.
-company cars assigned as pool vehicles: utterly trashed, usually look older on the interior than they are
It seems like that's not quite what the OP is asking about.
It depends how long you plan to own the vehicle..... But frankly, cars are horrible investments anyway. Buy the car you like best, not because it will hold its value the best. Resale should only become a factor if you are needing something to tilt the scale in case you like two cars just as much, but can't decide based on the cars own merits.
If you like a vehicle that depreciates like crazy better than a vehicle that holds its value better, buy the car that depreciates. Don't settle for a car you don't like even if it holds its value over the car you like better.
If you like a vehicle that depreciates like crazy better than a vehicle that holds its value better, buy the car that depreciates. Don't settle for a car you don't like even if it holds its value over the car you like better.
Outside of high end cars and high performance sports cars, the idea of getting something used has never appealed to me. This was further cemented into my belief system years ago on a special of Top Gear where they had their used car buys examined by specialists and they found all sorts of nasty stuff.
Some examples I recall being human feces, urine, semen, sweat, body hair embedded in the seats or seat stitching if leather, skin particles, mucus, blood and staph. Yikes.
Some examples I recall being human feces, urine, semen, sweat, body hair embedded in the seats or seat stitching if leather, skin particles, mucus, blood and staph. Yikes.
They can be, but they're also risky because you could bang on a leased car and it not look visually different than when it was first driven off the lot. Really any used car is going to have hidden nightmares that pop up eventually.
Yes, it's disgusting, but movie theaters and hotel rooms are probably worse places.