Rental Cars For Sale

Automotive forums are often full of questions from first time buyers looking to buy rental cars. The general public perception is that rental cars are often abused and battered by drivers who rent them but the experts at Edmunds have a different opinion. According to them, rental companies maintain the cars well but they recommend that you thoroughly inspect the car before buying. In most cases, rental cars for sale are less than a year old so the warranty is still in place.

Like rental cars, used car dealers also sell program cars. Program cars are also known as finance or factory cars. They are owned by the manufacturer and given to an employee for a short period of time, mostly for advertising purposes. They are then sold to dealers at closed auctions, who later sell them at lower prices. Program cars are also used by rental agencies.

Rental fleet owners like Hertz, Enterprise and Avis offer rental cars for sale. Because of the high usage, the cars have an above average mileage. However, they are well taken care of by the rental company in accordance with the quality and maintenance guidelines that each company has. Rental companies put their cars for sale to meet increased consumer demands for new cars.

Larry Hecker, of the Automotive Maintenance and Repair Association, mentions that rental cars are the same as any other used car but come with the benefit of an intact warranty.

Hertz offers a Rent2Buy program for selling cars from their fleet. One of the highlights of the program is that it allows potential buyers to test vehicles by renting them for 3 days at a special rate of $49, which is completely waived at the time of purchase. The program claims that it offers substantial savings to customers, often times the prices are well below suggested retail prices. Every car comes with a 60 day or a 2000 mile limited warranty, offered by Hertz.

All rental car sales companies offer financing options too. You can complete a credit application at the time of purchase for a financing quote.
If you purchase directly from a rental fleet, make a reservation before you walk in to test your selected car. Cars that are put up for sale constitute a part of the active fleet and may not be available at all times.

Some companies do not provide vehicle maintenance records. Make sure you check on the website before purchasing your car. If the records are not provided, you can hire a mechanic to validate vehicle quality.

Although you can seek the help of a broker for purchasing a rental car, sites like Hertz2Buy, Enterprise and Avis offer a wide inventory of 12000 to 15000 cars and the purchase process is also simple.