i found a pretty good deal at one of the dealerships. its a 2001 max GXE with only 28k on it for 13k but the dealer says that they cen go lower... when i checked the VIN it came up as a rental/fleet car, should i still get it or is it a bad deal?

thx

IgS

 

rentals arent a good deal usually... neutral drops, beating on cars often happens...

 

At 28K you're still under warranty, so almost anything that can be wrong with the car is covered. I would go for it, see how low they are willing to go.

Nice

 

What??? Rentals are often a GREAT deal! Last time I checked, in most states you have to be at least 25 to rent a car. So, you're not real likely to have dumb kids doing neutral drops in them. Also, Maximas aren't exactly cheap to rent. Most people on this board are probably MUCH harder on their cars than the average renter. The average person who rents a Maxima is probably a business-person -- not the likely type to beat on a rental. Even if you do find a cherry used Max owned by a grandma, what are the chances that her grandkids didn't take the car out for a few joyrides? Plus, rental car companies take excellent care of their cars -- often doing maintenance at shorter intervals than many owners do. If you're concerned, you should have the car checked out by an independent mechanic -- plan to pay between $60-$100 for a pre-purchase inspection. My Max was a formal rental. It's probably been the best car I've ever owned -- and I've had a lot of different cars. Diatribe over ...

 

NOO.. Never buy a rental. Ppl beat the crap out of these cars. I know when I drive rentals I do neutral bombs, burn-outs.. etc.. I't not worth the trouble you get later on.

 

sweet, i was thinking the same thing, plus the rental place was at the O'hare airport i dont think any "kids" would go there just to get a rental, plus ill ask the dealer, and if he bullsh!ts and tells me that its not a rental, then i can get the car even cheaper or add some things to it

thx a lot guys

IgS

 

naughty naughty...

 

I think you underestimate the average person who rent's cars. I can't think of a single guy out there who WOULDN'T screw around in a rented Maxima (unless the girlfriend or wife is in the car)

Rentals get beat to hell and neglected, not just by the customer, but also the rental places who routinely forget to change oil, use cheap gas etc.... Those types of things will bite you in the a$$ down the road when the warranty's is expired

 

I think you underestimate the average person who rent's cars. I can't think of a single guy out there who WOULDN'T screw around in a rented Maxima (unless the girlfriend or wife is in the car)

Rentals get beat to hell and neglected, not just by the customer, but also the rental places who routinely forget to change oil, use cheap gas etc.... Those types of things will bite you in the a$$ down the road when the warranty's is expired

 

LOL 28K in rental driving...There ARE people that don't beat the car, but I can just imaging how many people did! If I got it I would get an extended warranty, maybe if the dealer says its not a rental you should see if they'll throw in the extended warranty at no extra charge

I'll end by saying "good luck"

 

Maybe. I think I definitely underestimate the average maxima.org member who rents a car. And no one who actually OWNS a Maxima ever screws around in it. Riiiiigggght I think I'd much rather buy a rented Maxima than one from many, many members on this board. Some of us do some really crazy shiet to our cars ...


Rentals get beat to hell and neglected, not just by the customer, but also the rental places who routinely forget to change oil, use cheap gas etc.... Those types of things will bite you in the a$$ down the road when the warranty's is expired [/QUOTE]

Where do you get this info? I did a TON of research on this before I bought the car. Trust me, they do a much better job than most car owners do. Cars are their (rental car companies) products -- they have a vested interest in keeping them running well until they get rid of them. In addition, I looked at EVERY maintenance invoice for my car -- oil changed every 3000 miles, tires rotated, etc. I've also talked to a number of other people that have bought former rentals. Almost every one of them agree -- they're great deals for those of us that can get past the folklore ...

 

Neutral bombs? are those like neutral drops? Becuase those are REALLY, REALLY fun!

 

Where do you get this info? I did a TON of research on this before I bought the car. Trust me, they do a much better job than most car owners do. Cars are their (rental car companies) products -- they have a vested interest in keeping them running well until they get rid of them. In addition, I looked at EVERY maintenance invoice for my car -- oil changed every 3000 miles, tires rotated, etc. I've also talked to a number of other people that have bought former rentals. Almost every one of them agree -- they're great deals for those of us that can get past the folklore ... [/QUOTE]

The people on my team travel quite a bit, and therefore rent cars all the time. It's business travel, so typically we're not doing burnouts, or taking it to the track or whatever. But, I think anyone is willing to do things in a rental that they won't do in their own car; things like not slowing down for speed bumps / RR tracks; going over curb to get somewhere (I'm not talking about jumping it); parking ANYWHERE, because who cares if it gets hit; not caring about driving fast and heating up the brakes, etc.

And I think most guys on a business trip will floor it a few times just out of boredom, and do random car tricks (I once did extensive testing on anti-lock brakes in PA). So let's say that's (conservatively) 50% of the drivers, or half of the mileage, that deliver mild abuse.

Then there are the horror stories; my boss (at his previous company) was driving with some guy, who out of the blue grabbed the gear shift and jammed it into park. When my boss said WTF, the guy shrugged and said "always wondered what would happen if you did that..." I'm thinking that having that happen ONCE is too often. So even if normal maintenance is done, I would expect that the cars have received more than "normal" wear and tear, and could be a problem once the mileage starts getting up there (and the warranty is gone...).

 

Wrong. I worked in the rental car industry for 6 years. You just don't know what you are getting and if you are buying a previous rental from an auto dealership (not a rental outlet run by the agency that actually owned the car) you are REALLY taking your chances as this car probably went through an auction-so you have no idea which company owned it. Rental agency policies on things like maintenance vary from company to company and can be spotty with some companies.

Not to mention the abuse rental cars take. I had a customer call me up one day complaining that the airbag deployed on the car he rented from me while he was driving down the road. I told him to bring it in and we would take a look at it and give him another car. When it came in I took a look at the car and sure enough, the airbag had deployed. As I was walking back to the office (I was the manager at this location) I noticed a puddle of transmission fluid trickling out from underneath the car. After I pointed this out the guy admitted he had driven over a dip a little too fast. He must have really been flying to bottom out the front end and tear a hole in the transmission pan. The force of the impact also blew the airbag and probably blew out the shocks. Needless to say, he did NOT get another car from me but I'm sure that very car was sold through an auction a year or so later and wound up on a dealership used car lot.

This is just one story of many I could tell you.

I would NEVER even consider a previous rental.

 

dayum....thats ****ty, but was that an expensive rental though?..and out of curiosity how old was the guy?

i agree on the whole "its a rental who gives a fu**" plus that car has been on their lot for almost a year now...but its just such a good bargain, i mean before i was leaving the dealership he was going as low as 10, but he was bluffing cause i told him that there is no way i would buy it right now, cause i knew my dad just wouldnt budge that day...but still if he would go as low as 11 or 10 i mean hell yeah, for a maxima!

so im confused right now....

IgS

 

The people on my team travel quite a bit, and therefore rent cars all the time. It's business travel, so typically we're not doing burnouts, or taking it to the track or whatever. But, I think anyone is willing to do things in a rental that they won't do in their own car; things like not slowing down for speed bumps / RR tracks; going over curb to get somewhere (I'm not talking about jumping it); parking ANYWHERE, because who cares if it gets hit; not caring about driving fast and heating up the brakes, etc.

And I think most guys on a business trip will floor it a few times just out of boredom, and do random car tricks (I once did extensive testing on anti-lock brakes in PA). So let's say that's (conservatively) 50% of the drivers, or half of the mileage, that deliver mild abuse.

Then there are the horror stories; my boss (at his previous company) was driving with some guy, who out of the blue grabbed the gear shift and jammed it into park. When my boss said WTF, the guy shrugged and said "always wondered what would happen if you did that..." I'm thinking that having that happen ONCE is too often. So even if normal maintenance is done, I would expect that the cars have received more than "normal" wear and tear, and could be a problem once the mileage starts getting up there (and the warranty is gone...). [/B][/QUOTE]

Rental places could care less about the Maintence. Rental Companies just have to make the car last for 20,000-30,000 miles.

Ask yourself this, why are they getting rid of their rentals when they have 20,000 miles on them. If they're maintaining them properly, shouldn't they last 100,000+

They get rid of them at 20K because that's when an unmaintained car starts to have problems.

 

The people on my team travel quite a bit, and therefore rent cars all the time. It's business travel, so typically we're not doing burnouts, or taking it to the track or whatever. But, I think anyone is willing to do things in a rental that they won't do in their own car; things like not slowing down for speed bumps / RR tracks; going over curb to get somewhere (I'm not talking about jumping it); parking ANYWHERE, because who cares if it gets hit; not caring about driving fast and heating up the brakes, etc.

And I think most guys on a business trip will floor it a few times just out of boredom, and do random car tricks (I once did extensive testing on anti-lock brakes in PA). So let's say that's (conservatively) 50% of the drivers, or half of the mileage, that deliver mild abuse.

Then there are the horror stories; my boss (at his previous company) was driving with some guy, who out of the blue grabbed the gear shift and jammed it into park. When my boss said WTF, the guy shrugged and said "always wondered what would happen if you did that..." I'm thinking that having that happen ONCE is too often. So even if normal maintenance is done, I would expect that the cars have received more than "normal" wear and tear, and could be a problem once the mileage starts getting up there (and the warranty is gone...). [/B][/QUOTE]

Rental places could care less about the Maintence. Rental Companies just have to make the car last for 20,000-30,000 miles.

Ask yourself this, why are they getting rid of their rentals when they have 20,000 miles on them. If they're maintaining them properly, shouldn't they last 100,000+

They get rid of them at 20K because that's when an unmaintained car starts to have problems.

 

i just bought my first max 2 weeks ago, i looked at two rentals before i decided on the one i got. they both were filthy, the seats and carpets were stained. both foglights had been cracked. overall it was in pretty bad shape cosmetically. they were both 2002 se with about 26-28k on them. i ended up getting a 2k gle fully loaded with 23k in pristine condition and i could notbe happier. now i just have to get it lookin like your cars now. already got the clear lights, lower grill, ae pedals, and *****'s dead pedal

 

The guy who rented the car from me was in his early 30s I'd say. The car was a Chrysler mid $20k car new and had less than 10k miles on it. We had Toyota Camrys in our fleet but no Nissans. I guess Nissan just wasn't giving good fleet discounts to the auto rental places like the big three when I worked in the industry (early to mid 90s).

I looked at some of the used Maximas on the dealer lot when I was looking and some of them were previous rentals. They looked like they had gone through the standard used car prep, steam cleaned interiors (it looked and smelled like it anyway), painted the bumpers etc.

I take care of my car like I want it to last 100-150k miles even though I probably won't own it that long. I do that because I don't want it to give me any problems and I want the best price for it on trade when it comes time to sell it.

Rental companies try to keep their vehicles on a regular maint. schedule and some are better than others but sometimes cars slip through the cracks. Only a fool would believe otherwise. I remember getting a vehicle on a one way rental from one of the NY City locations with 36,000 miles on the original oil filter!!! Tell me they disclosed that to the sucker who bought that car! I don't think so...

If you can see the service history on the car and it looks to be in good shape (not trashed, interior smelling like funk, etc) and there is no undercarriage damage and the car has never been in an accident then sure you could get a good deal on a previous rental but really, why do you think they are so cheap?

 

hmm....whoever said that you had to be over 25 to rent a car? I've rented two cars before and i'm 20. I'll admit...I don't take great care of them... Ever slammed the transmission from D to "R" while you're going 35 mph in a mitubishi? <grin>

 

You said FLEET CAR...which means it was a company car...
if it was a company car they are takin car of, my dad has a company car and he has a book with all the maintains stuff he has to get done every 5,000 miles.
Is the car loaded...becuase rental cars are usually bare bones stock

 

Where's that video of some guys running a rented 2k2 Maxima through the desert? The one where after the joyride the Maxima was actually "bleeding" (e.g. transmission fluid was leaking pretty bad).

 

It's "MISCHIEF" with that silver maxima. lol funny as hell.

 

Rental cars are considered fleet vehicles if I remember correctly.

 

well the category that it was under was rental/fleet, but then at the auction it was sold as a Rental car, they put around 25k miles on it in a year...thats kinda alot, but the car is in great shape, the interior is all shiny, descent paintjob, everyting works. I test drove it, rides real smooth and quiet, pretty quick too.

It is a GXE though, but they added some features to it, but minimal. but i mean if they go as low as 11 i think its worth it. i can always have it checked out by a mechanic, if he finds any problems with it, then the dealer can keep it...

I dont think this car was torchured, u can always see scars of what was done to the car, the engine bay looks real clean and shiny, but ill be paying them a visit soon, and will have a more detailed inspection


IgS

 

I worked as a Regional Director for a large rental company a few years ago. Even though there are strutured maintenance programs, i would never buy a former rental car. Expecially not if it lived is useful rental life in a big city.

All i can say is you get what you pay for !

Bob

 

They're so cheap because they're usually around a year old and have high mileage for a year old car. The standard mileage is 12-15k a year -- rentals are usually double that. I agree, lots of people do really dumb **** to cars, whether they own them or not. Have any of you ever listened to Car Talk??? That's why you should NEVER buy a used car without a pre-purchase inspection. Personally, I can't imagine abusing a rental car the way some of you have. In actuality, you're not screwing the rental company as much as you're screwing other customers. Do you also trash hotel rooms when you stay in them? Rental car companies are happy to pass the repair costs along to the customer. Buying a used car from a private party is no guarantee that the person didn't drive over dips at 50mph and crack the oil pan, either. Besides, if it's a big concern, run a Carfax. Here's one other thing, car rental companies cherry pick the cars they sell themselves -- the rest go to auction. Guess who buys those? Dealers. Chances are, a few of you have bought a used car from a dealer not even realizing the car was a previous rental.

Oh, and if you're really interested in seeing what the experts think, here are a couple articles that support what I've said:
http://www.carbuyingtips.com/used.htm
http://www.edmunds.com/advice/buying...7/article.html
Consumer reports also has some good info on this.

 

How on earth did you know the car was using it's original oil filter???

 

I worked for a major car rental company for 2+ years, and can tell you the truth about the rental cars. Rental companies are affected by fluctuating demand, and the pressure to keep the costs low. You may get a surge in reservations but your fleet is only the fixed number of units, therefore you have cars out on the road for months non-stop. If you got a customer waiting on a car, you want to make sure the customer is served, and dont give a crap if that car needs an oil change. I saw cars that did not have an oil change for first 15000 miles, how about that? Also, if a rental gets into an accident, they will make sure to fix it in a cheapest way possible, because car rental companies are self-insurers, and pay for all repairs out of their pocket.

Regarding neutral drops, be assured that every rental car, especially @ airport locations, were neutral-dropped. Each car is being driven from the lot to the cleaning facility, "home base" and back. I worked as one of the shuttlers and oh boy you dont want to know what we did to those Fords, Mazdas, Hyundais, Toyotas, Chevys, Dodges, Nissans, even Lincolns and Jags. It sure felt great to get the brand new Towncar and holding the brakes have the rear wheels spin like at the track. Neutral drop in a $65K Jaguar felt great too. Almost got rolled over in a Pathfinder. Spinning around the lightpole in a Camaro..

 

In NY if you are under 21, you cannot rent a car; no if's, and's or but's about it...

If you are under 25, you need special "underage insurance" which basically triples your rental payment per day....


Another reason why NY is such a GREAT state...

 

I worked for a major car rental company for 2+ years, and can tell you the truth about the rental cars. Rental companies are affected by fluctuating demand, and the pressure to keep the costs low. You may get a surge in reservations but your fleet is only the fixed number of units, therefore you have cars out on the road for months non-stop. If you got a customer waiting on a car, you want to make sure the customer is served, and dont give a crap if that car needs an oil change. I saw cars that did not have an oil change for first 15000 miles, how about that? Also, if a rental gets into an accident, they will make sure to fix it in a cheapest way possible, because car rental companies are self-insurers, and pay for all repairs out of their pocket.

Regarding neutral drops, be assured that every rental car, especially @ airport locations, were neutral-dropped. Each car is being driven from the lot to the cleaning facility, "home base" and back. I worked as one of the shuttlers and oh boy you dont want to know what we did to those Fords, Mazdas, Hyundais, Toyotas, Chevys, Dodges, Nissans, even Lincolns and Jags. It sure felt great to get the brand new Towncar and holding the brakes have the rear wheels spin like at the track. Neutral drop in a $65K Jaguar felt great too.

 

rental = 87 octane. I like the few that have bought rentals and try to talk them up like its better than buying a new car sheesh...

 

Did you actually read the thread? No one said a word about it being better than buying a new car. More cost effective and a good deal if you do your homework, yes. Move along, there's nothing to see here ...

 

I post my opinion you don't like it DRIVE ON THROUGH

 

We never serviced our cars at the dealership and you can tell a Motorcraft (Ford) filter from all the aftermarket brands just by looking at it. Also, it would show up on a fleet printout when the last service was performed and this particular car had no service history.

I also did my share of beating on some of the cars in our fleet. I remember driving down the street and pulling up the e-brake to lock the rear wheels and get sideways. When I lived in New York I also remember plowing through 3' snowbanks in a Mitsubishi just for grins. I was in my early 20s back then though. Probably wouldn't try those stunts now. I would certainly never do that in my own car!

 

My Grandma won't do over 55 mph in her car, but put her in a rental and she's doing donuts in the parking lot.....

 

Don't we all???

 

Does CARFAX tell you if your car was a rental? I bought a 2000 and it was a lease return... could it have been a rental/fleet? I got a carfax report (not with me). It didn't say rental anywhere. Just checking. Would a rental company stock a SE with leather and sunroof? hrmm

 

Yep, carfax will tell you if it is a rental. I returned my Max to the dealership because I found out it was a rental hours before I was going to bring them the check from my Credit Union. F**king dealers. I never would have drove the car off the lot had I known it was a rental. I was lucky that I had not signed a contract yet.

 

no, rental car companies do not stock cars with luxury options, they prefer basic A/T, and CC package lol