Need car shopping advice. Model? Hertz?

[tamawrite]

DH and I are getting ready to buy a car or small SUV-type-thingie. We'd like something pretty new but not brand new and are considering taking a look at Hertz Car Sales. Has anyone purchased from Hertz before? How did it go?

Also, we're open to suggestions for make and model. Here are our criteria:

1. Prefer non-American made (sorry, Ford lovers)
2. Need fuel-efficient, commuter vehicle
3. Will sometimes haul dog and/or horse tack, so a hatchback or little SUV would be nice for keeping seats clean
4. We're thinking mid-level model, nothing too fancy, nothing too cheap. I had a Nissan Sentra before and loved it -- would go for one again, except for reason #3
5. All-wheel drive would be nice but not required. Front wheel drive much preferred. We'll occasionally have this vehicle on slick roads, but if the weather is really lousy, we'll drive our truck instead
6. Either manual or automatic is fine.

TIA!

[mbrogier]

I've never gone through Hertz for car sales, but I would be very hesitant to for one reason. No one drives a rental car carefully. You're getting a car that was driven by at least two different drivers a week (weekly rental, then weekend) not counting multiple drivers on one rental ticket. I rented a ford mustang once from Hertz to drive from Michigan to West Virginia. It was the standard mid sized car, not an upgrade. The car had 15k miles on it, and the engine was already shot. I used to own a mustang, so I'm very familiar with the way they drive. This car had no pickup and was very rough in its acceleration--like somone kept punching the gas and redlining the car. I felt bad for whoever wound up with that car.

Rob and I own a honda accord. We love it. We bought it used from the Honda dealership. They stand behind their pre-owned vehicles and certify them. We've been so impressed our next purchase will be their SUV--the Honda Pilot. It's mid sized with enough leg room for Rob, great gas mileage, and isn't humongous. If you want something more utilitarian, they have the Honda Element--which we also liked, but it isn't for a lot of road travel--which we do.

If I had a horse farm, I'd be very tempted to get the H3 in the standard transmission with the towing package. The gas milege is unbelievably good, and you can get it in the utilitarian nylon instead of the luxury package. It's definitely a vehicle that is made to go off road.

[Gumbeaux]

It sounds to me that an Xterra might work.

1. Prefer non-American made (Xterra is made by Nissan)
2. Need fuel-efficient, commuter vehicle (Xterra is similar to other small SUV's)
3. Will sometimes haul dog and/or horse tack (Xterras are made for hauling)
4. We're thinking mid-level model,I had a Nissan Sentra before (Xterra is Nissan made)
5. We'll occasionally have this vehicle on slick roads (Xterra is the only true offroad small SUV, it's built on a truck frame. Four wheel drive available. Can hadle ice, snow, mud, rain, etc.
6. Either manual or automatic is fine. (you can get either in an Xterra)

You should be able to get a 2003 model for about $12,000 - $13,000.

[Curiosity Hears]

My last car I did buy from Enterprise and it was a wonderful experience. Purchased a limited edition Sebring JXI converatable fully loaded w/ all upgrades and extenended warranty. Saved quite a bit of money going this route and never had one problem with the car. It was not even a year old when I purchased it. Loved this car!

While I have heard that no one takes good care of a rental, my personal experience is quite contrary. Have had many rentals over the years for business trips and visiting relatives back east and have always taken good care of these cars. Who wants a problem with the rental company???

Anyway, Enterprise sells all cars around 25K miles so still under manufacture's warranty as well. They service their cars reguarly for they do wish to maximize the resale end as well. Of coarse I am just one person but I did have a very favorable experience. In the end I did resell the car when it got close to 70K (almost five years of driving for me) which means I drove/owned the car for about $2000./yr or $167. month plus insurance, gas, oil change etc. Not bad for a nice car.

Most recently I purchased a car from CarMax. (while we can afford a new car I just can't get myself to deal with the depressiation of a new car). This too was quiet an enjoyable experience as far as car shopping can be.

Best of luck to your in your car search.

[Canice]

I had once considered purchasing from Hertz and had been warned about how rough renters can be on the car, you don't know how it was driven, etc. However, the low mileage and the fact that the cars are typically well-maintained made me think it was worth looking into. Plus, while I am (like all of us ;) ) a good driver, the fact is I do 98% of my driving on city streets where there are no freeways and LOTS of steep hills and stop signs - in other words, the hardest possible on a car. So I figured a bad driver in better driving conditions is not going to be harder on a car than I am...and I've had pretty good luck with my cars. Something came along before I could persue the Hertz option so I don't have the experience to comment on. However, I've been on edmunds.com for my own search, and here's something they had to say:

Conventional wisdom has warned buyers not to purchase used rental cars. It is assumed that these cars have been abused by drivers renting the cars. However, prices at rental car lots are extremely low; the warranties are still in effect; and anecdotal evidence in Edmunds Town Hall reports few problems with such purchases. Furthermore, the Hertz lot was no haggle, or fixed pricing.

I'm only wondering how many non-American brands Hertz offers? One of my challenges is that I prefer a manual transmission and that pretty much strikes the rental company option off the list.

[Ralph]

how rough renters can be on the car, you don't know how it was driven, etc. However, the low mileage and the fact that the cars are typically well-maintained

EXACTLY what I've heard about rental car agencies. They DO indeed follow the maintenance recommendations (oil changes, etc.) to a tee.

[cminmd]

I did have friends buy their Toyota Camry from a car rental place and their experience was fantastic. They got a great price, no problems after and so easy.

[misskitty100]

I haven't bought from Hertz (or any place like that) but assuming you get the car checked out before buying it and everything looks good - I say go for it!!

BTW, I have a Honda CRV and LOVE IT!! I traded "down" from a Chevy Blazer and although the Blazer had more cargo space the Honda hasn't had nearly the repair bills. I can put my 90 lb. German Shepherd in the back cargo area and still have room for a stroller too.

I would recomend checking out Subuaru Forresters, Toyota Rav4's and CRV's.

[southjerseymom]

I don't know anything about buying a car from a rental agency, but here's my 2 cents on types of cars: go with Honda or Toyota. They are both highly recommended by Consumer Report. I have a Highlander and LOVE it!!! I know alot of people with Hondas and they, too, are very pleased. I will never buy Cheverlot again. I had a Blazer and although it was 10 before I got rid of it, I wasn't too pleased by the repairs and "fear factor" while driving it ( it would stall at stops).

[Hammster]

Just received the Consumer Report's Annual Auto Issue.

Non American brand recommended used SUVs:

2002 Honda CRV (2006 extremely close second to Forester this time) 21mpg
2003 Subaru Forester (2006 is top rated in CR this time, and also lowest priced) 21 mpg
2002 Xterra (Redesigned for 2006, so no data) 17 mpg

[Laura]

I bought a Nissan Pathfinder that had been a rental car and never had any major problems with it. It was just routine stuff for me and I ended up putting 147,000 miles on it.

[Violanan]

We purchased a Lincoln Town Car (yes, a gas hog but DH had always wanted one) 8 years ago, had 24,000 miles on it, was a rental car, and we've never had a problem, only routine service on it, new tires after 65,000 miles, and it now has over 112,000 miles on it. Still runs wonderfully, rides like a dream, and great for road trips. So we're officially fans of purchasing used rental cars. I think they are serviced by the book and well taken care of...given that there are exceptions to everything! I do think you are smart to purchased from a business that warranties their used cars....ours came with a NEW factory warranty.
Good luck with your purchase. I do believe you are looking at the right vehicles for your needs!
Nancy

[Ann1965]

Hey, 8 years ago we bought a Ford Windstar van from our local dealership. It was supposed to have been never titled outside of Ford and was supposedy only used by Ford execs to drive around. After we had to have it towed before the second payment was due, we did some snooping and found out it had been a rental from up North. The dealership refused to do anything about all the lies we had been told and the finance company offered no hope either. The van was just trouble. There was something constantly wrong with it. Finally, the transmission just died in it right before it was to be paid off. We had to park and keep making payments on it because no one would take it in as a trade. We will NEVER buy another Ford and we will NEVER buy another used vehicle without checking carfacts first! Just my two cents worth, but I would really re consider buying from Hertz! Car saleman usually don't hang around long, I guess they can only handle being the dregs of society for so long at a time!

[doggerham]

Car saleman usually don't hang around long, I guess they can only handle being the dregs of society for so long at a time!

I am sorry for your poor experience. However, please don't tar my DH, who has sold Mercedes Benz for nearly 10 years, with the "dregs of society" tag. Unfortunately, there are a lot of sales people in that (as well as many other) field of sales jobs that move around a lot -- for a lot of reasons. However, a good sales person, who knows his product and cares about his customers will stay put because of the referrals and repeat customers he or she earns.

[Gumbeaux]

........ we will NEVER buy another used vehicle without checking carfacts first!

Warning!

Carfax or any other title or VIN search company is not worth using. Have a certified mechanic determine if a used vehicle is worth the money that the seller is asking.

Click here (http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Nissan-Titan-TITAN-LE-2006-NISSAN-TITAN-LE-LOADED-RED-BLACK-KATRINA-SALVAGE_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQcategoryZ84164QQitemZ459 5238193QQrdZ1) to see a flooded, salvaged-titled truck that was for sale on Ebay. (scroll down when you get to the Ebay site so you can see the description) Then cut and paste that vehicle's VIN number (1N6BA07A66N507210) into Carfax's (http://www.carfax.com/cfm/general_check.cfm?partner=PRL_A) search engine that determines if a car has been flood damaged.

Guess what? Carfax doesn't tell you that the truck has been flooded and has a salvage title!

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y7/bayoutitan/salvage1copy.jpg
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y7/bayoutitan/Carfax.jpg

[Ralph]

Warning!

Carfax or any other title or VIN search company is not worth using. Have a certified mechanic determine if a used vehicle is worth the money that the seller is asking.

Guess what? Carfax doesn't tell you that the truck has been flooded and has a salvage title!

Not all states are required to submit that information to Carfax's (or others') database! Illinois is one of them, and they're trying to get that law changed. So, I'm assuming if the vehicle you're looking at was ever in a crash in Illinois, you'll never know about it! :eek: