DaReaper9

Came across this 02 SE, all options except Navi, 34K miles...but I think it was a former rental car...It drives like a champion, and it seems to have been taken care of...(Flawless exterior/interior)...

I have come across a few posts about fleet/rental cars, and I seem to get a negative vibe from it...Suggestions please!

Klutch

iTrader: (5)

34K means a LOT of different rental drivers BUT it isn't like it has 100K worth of them either. What do they want for it? At least It'll still have a factory warranty.

Kevin

also, fwiw...I've never seen any "loaded" rental cars before. be so be wary of paint/body damage on this car, check the carfax to make sure there isn't any salvage title or anything. good luck

pbb

iTrader: (1)

Not all rental cars are beat up, at our dealership we usualy give the managers a car to drive. Those care tend to have all the bells and whistles on them which we write off as rentals and use them to go to mettings. they get taken care of pretty well, also with those cars when it hits the milage to get a service done, it gets done! which is a good thing cus some people tend to put it off. If it feels good to you and car fax comes up clean. have a trusted mechanic take a close look at it then buy it.

sooner02r1

iTrader: (6)

It may be a GREAT car, but I know how I drive rental cars, and they are definately not in as good of shape when I take them back. But wait, I do that with all cars including my own.

Gsilk

i would think twice after buying a rental car after seeing some videos. on the flip side, my dad bought a Volvo S80 from a dealership where it was a previous rental from Hertz. he hasn't had any problems.

NismoMax80

iTrader: (6)

I need asking price before my opinion. also, stick or auto? colors you like? If the history is clean and price is right (compare online), sure go for it!

Tommy Boy

Spend the $10 for a Carfax report. That will provide a lot of useful info!

blu02

I have had very good luck buying used cars from a certain unnamed rental agency that little E shills for.
Different agencies have different policies for resale. The dealer I buy from sells the top 5% of the fleet at their lots, and wholesale the rest. As a previous post stated, whenever the oil needs changing, it gets done. Brake service, done. Anything that needs to be performed gets done.

I would definately take a look at extending the warranty if at all possible. The last maxima I bought had a crappy tranny, thank you extended warranty-beat on the old one till it died, brought it to the dealer- Bingo-New Tranny, no problems since.

There are always people that tell you how bad they beat in rentals, but you never know what any previous owner did to a car. A lot of times they take off-lease cars from wholesale lots.

Be wary of any used car, and do a carfax, it is great insurance.

Just wanted to post my very positive opinion of buying a used car from a rental agency. As a matter of fact I just upgraded today from a 2000 to an 02. Can't wait for those extra ponies.

Wasim521

iTrader: (4)

I bought an 01 ex-rental GXE - definitely not worth it, as lots of little problems just cropped up non-stop throughout its life. I wouldn't risk it. On the other hand, my one-owner 02 6-speed has given me little trouble, so I don't think I would ever buy a rental again.

Also what kind of rental place stocks fully loaded cars?

2k2kev

Saw on an overhead during a sales meeting:

"I've never seen a curb a rental car couldn't jump"


There was a knowing laughter from the audience, they'd all done it........... be careful.

CCS2k1Max

iTrader: (2)

Yup, and if it's a former rental, I wouldn't buy it. If I didn't drive it like I stole it, I drove it like it's rented. Same difference.

DaReaper9

Well...found out that it's not a rental, but a fleet car that a company leased for one of it's executives...The car is flawless, interior like a newborn...The going price is 17,9. It's the car that I want, and I have been searching for this car (color, int, options) for about 6 months...But I don't want to buy a piece of crap either...I do plan on getting this extended warranty that is a "true" bumper-to-bumper warranty, that everything is included...roadside...yada yada yada...My first car was a Maxima, and my next car will be an 02 SE...period...just kinda hate to let your dream go...

Tommy Boy, where can u get a carfax for $10...They sent me this autocheck crap from Experian...first time I have ever seen it...It came back clean, with only entries in the fleet/lease section...and matches the free carfax history check also...but I don't want to assume that the entries are in the same section...ideas???

2k2kev

If that's true I'd buy it... a fleet car is *not* treated like a rental.

ddpack

My Max was a fleet car. I had the dealer run a Carfax on it and it came back negative. I bought the car. After a couple of days, I noticed the paint was 2 different colors on the passenger side. The paint started falling off the rear bumper and the trunk leaked. Come to find out, there was a new skin on the passenger side rear. Whatever happened, it didn't show up on Carfax and this was a "Certified Pre-owned" car. So, be careful, go over that baby with a fine tooth comb. Mine was also a fleet "Hertz" car.

My_first_maxima

You say BUMPER to BUMPER extended warranty.....well there is no such thing. If there was then the oil, brake pads, belts, filters, spark plugs, and tires would all be covered but they aren't. Dont waste your hard earned money on a dealer extended warranty. Go with one on the net. I have 1 sourse auto warranty that has helped me out for years and literally at half the price for twice as long of a coverage too. The car sounds awesom. If you like it and you have done the research like others have said.....BUY IT. What do you have to loose since you have checked it over and have done the research and have asked questions....dont let that dream car get away.

Morgan06

iTrader: (17)

warranties dont cover items that wear according to driving habits. i.e. oil, brakes, tires, clutch, etc. belts, filters, and plugs are scheduled maintenance- not covered either. you're buying an $18,000 car so dont turn cheap on the extended, get that warranty, whats it going to add to your financing charges- maybe 5 months of payments. ive had more than $10,000 in parts and labor covered under mine. no exaggeration.

think about this. if the car is not your own and you're not liable for damage- how would you drive it. why do you think cars that have one owner are usually stated as 'one owner' on the advertisement. because it's a high selling point. your fleet car may have had 100 different drivers at 34k.

.45

Another re-tread opinion here... No, I would not buy a rental nor am I going to state why (irrelevant-sp?). But...I do drive rentals about 40 out of 52 weeks every year give or take a week or two so I have some experience to back-up my "opinion." Let common-sense prevail.

I30swimmer

well i have some good videos of jettas and BMW 530Is and RX330s doing burnouts, doughnuts, slides, drifting, hard stops from 70, accelerating to 100 with tires spinning, but the problem is my family doesnt own any of those cars.. O WAIT THEY WERE RENTALS. please dont buy a rental. i think the jetta i had may need a new tranny and it only had 500 miles on it when we brought it back. ( burnout though first and second gear)

God i love rentals.. i would spend the money on one just to have fun for a day..

DonGfun

iTrader: (19)

And that is the problem with the world today!

sshocker96

iTrader: (2)

i ordered carfax...they have a buyback policy if you have problems with your car that didnt show when the report was generated. does this apply to you? you should check into it.

Derrick2k2SE

iTrader: (3)

Auto Check Express is a similar to Car Fax. I can pull a report and fax it to you if you don't trust the dealer. Just PM me the VIN and a fax #.

026speedmax

i buy over 175 rentals a year for my dealership chain, and the cars usually are ok, except for the same problems with 99% of them, mis-matched tires, horrible brakes, and both front and rear bumpers need to be painted or replaced. Mechanically i have seen little to no problems, at least no more than a car we take in on trade or buy at the off lease auction.

Edit: ALL of them come from enterprise, i find they have the cleanest rentals around here(north east)

ddpack

Nissan took the bull by the horns (for a change). Re-painted the whole car and did an excellent job. They fixed my trunk leak, gave me a new spare tire cover and trunk carpet. Seemed like they went above and beyond (shock). I am real happy with the car but if I have any problems, that's a good idea. Thanks.

CCS2k1Max

iTrader: (2)

Enterprise is the biggest pain in the a5s to deal with on the rental side. We no longer use them as they always try to tack on some bogus damage charge or extra cleaning fees weeks after the rentals have been turned in. My company policy stricktly states not to rent from Enterprise as they have tried to screw us countless times.

2kprlmax

iTrader: (16)

I would be very carefull being that it is a rental. You have to figure it was beaten on as a rental