Used car salesman gets mad at the information in an old article. Complains to original author of article. Author re-reads article on TH-cam channel with 300k subscribers! Being upset isn't his biggest problem. Being dumb is his biggest problem.
Your article was spot on. Truthful and to the point. That said, 2018 GMC Sierra was a former U-Haul rental truck. I did my homework, had it thoroughly inspected before purchase, had low miles, and a great price. Have had it for 2 years and it has been flawless. Like you said, be informed and understand your risks.
I was at uhaul yesterday day seen an f650 and was wondering what would this sell for. I would like it without the box. Wondering if it would be a good price.
I used to work for uhaul a long time ago and the pickup trucks were rarely rented and were usually the last resort when larger trucks were not available.
As in how a lot of legislation is titled, citizens united, affordable care act, truth in lending. The list is likely limitless. When you bring it up to the gullible masses your called being negative for attempting disillusionment, weird how people almost want to be lied to in situations.
My wife and I have used a rental car once due to a car accident totaling our previous car. It was a giant jeep, but we treated that thing better than we do our own because IT WASN'T OUR CAR. We even vacuumed the jeep after the few days we used it. We did everything we were supposed to, including filling the gas tank when we were done. The day we returned it, they did a quick check on it while my wife was dropping it off. The reaction we got was unnerving in the strangest way. They guy brought over my wife and as many employees as were around and was absolutely incredulous about the state of the car. "They even vacuumed it," they said. "I have never seen that before." The employees about wanted to hug my wife, they were so happy with how we treated the thing. They were flabbergasted and even told my wife if she ever needed a rental there again, let them know who she was and they would "hook her up" because they were so pleased. To this day, we still do not understand that interaction whatsoever. Why is the bar THAT low? We treated it with care because it didn't belong to us and we had responsibility for it. The last thing we wanted was to be on the hook for something we didn't do or wasn't in our control. We followed their guidelines and what we were contractually obligated to do and practically got a standing ovation. We like the praise, but that isn't justified at all. 1.75 and twenty minutes or so of vacuuming work got us that reaction? What. The. Hell. I have a question for you all. What do you DO in your rentals that makes this reaction possible???
So many people have no respect for vehicles that are not their own. We were the same whenever we rented a car, treated it extra carefully. Props to you for being decent human beings!
@@CandyGirl44 I don't see that as being decent but a bare minimum. I am confused why standards are so low. My wife is a stellar person, I would be considered just barely not an asshole.
This is why there are groups on Facebook with titles like "Uhaul probably wouldn't want you to treat their vehicle like that" or something along those lines.
I rent equipment for my small excavation business. It gets grease in the morning like anything else on the job and, if something needs attention, it gets tightened/repaired/lubed. When I call for a rental, they give me the best they have. Often a new unit. People aren't blind. Karma is real in the rental business.
@@lawrencekokjr.1376 This is the exact reason I don't understand people mistreating things that aren't theirs. If you are in that kind of situation once, it is fairly likely to happen again at some point. How do you think that second time is going to go? Are they going to treat you with a ton of respect or courtesy when you trash their stuff? I am glad to hear that there are people who feel the same way I do. We are part of a community, not the meaning behind everyone's existence.
@@Skank_and_Gutterboy 'LIKE'? If you follow Steve's videos you will know that it likely WAS stolen and may still be reported as such. lol Especially if it was ever a Hertz vehicle.
Program or Fleet. If you see either it means rental. Another important thing to note is that rental cars come with ZERO factory warranty. That's why they sell fleet vehicles so cheap. Whatever would otherwise be left on a factory warranty is meaningless on a former rental car!
@@jblyon2 a fleet vehicle isn't usually a rental vehicle ,,,a fleet vehicle usually came from a company that buys them for something like service vehicles ,,Police vehicles , municipal service trucks ,, used school vans /buses all examples of fleet units ,,,rental cars very rarely have high miles ,,my sister has owned 2 former rental cars that were enterprise rentals ,,neither had over 40K miles they were just past factory warranty, under 3 years old ,,rental trucks on the other hand can get a lot of miles on them ,,I've bought a number of old U haul and Penske trucks that were retired and they all had a lot of miles ,,being fleet maintained however they were in good shape able to pass DOT class A inspections ,,same with police cars ,,I am a mechanic and run a recycling business ,, and one of my favorite ways to get good used engines and parts ,, retired police cars , retired rental trucks which have a number of uses ,and old school buses fleet vehicles often times especially corporate ones can have huge numbers of miles ,, which is the reason fleet vehicles usually sell fairly cheap
@@jblyon2 fleet usually means it used to belong to a company or agency that lent them out to its employees. better than a rental imo. i once bought a fleet car - sport coupe with 3k miles on it. fabulous car.
Steve, as a retired aviation professional, we had our fair share of rental cars weekly. One of the “amusing sayings” amongst us high volume car renters was… “ What will go where a TANK won’t, a RENTAL CAR”….. 🚘 totally agree whit you.
People just don't treat stuff that they don't own as well as stuff they do own. I see/hear it a lot when discussing things that are short term beneficial but cause issues over time (like some de-icers, "flushable" wipes, etc): they'll say if you own your house, don't use this, but if you just rent, feel free. I also see it with public spaces and shared spaces. People use them, but don't clean up and don't respect the equipment in those spaces.
Notice how lawyers get a lot of deserved flak, but lawyers who actually stand up for the customer on the basic of logical justice are the ones who receive the most hate.
Watching this channel, I honestly have begun to think a lot of the bad press around lawyers is mostly propagated by people and businesses that got well deserved losses and judgments against them in court.
@@7F0X7 - All the rest of the lawyers are working FOR the politicians, big business, and those essentially in power; they're not going to hate their own henchmen.
Great story Steve and great advice. In the 70s I got kicked out of a used car lot for 'the rest of my life' when I told him what I thought a car was worth to me. I went in just to see if they had anything in the $500 range for my wife to drive to work and buzz around doing errands. I told him I just wanted a six stick but an auto would be fine also, no frills just a grocery getter. My wife stayed in the car because she knew how I could get. He kept trying to steer me towards 'performance' cars, that were nothing more than junk with homemade 3 on the floor conversions. Some of the holes looked like they were chopped with an ax no boot and you could see the top of the tranny. He kept insisting someone my age should be in something cool like this. He wouldn't even give prices and kept saying 'make me an offer' . I told him I'm not making an offer on something I don't want. Then he said 'you don't know what this is worth do you?' I said I know what it's worth to me. He said what. I said about a hundred bucks (I was going to say 50). My wife could hear him screaming at me to 'get the f#@k out of my lot for the rest or your life' he was still screaming as we drove away. I always wondered what he would have done if I said 50.
As a former rental car employee I have seen first hand at what clients and fellow rental employees do to the cars. Maintenance? It's a last thought. Useally rental vehicles are only maintained when they couldn't drive anymore because of a major completely undriveable condition. If I had a choice, I would walk or take a bus. NEVER PURCHASE A FORMER RENTAL VEHICLE!
I remember 20 years ago I was walking a Carmax lot and see 3 Identical Blue Toyota Camry LX's parked next to each other all with about 12K miles on them, and the window sticker said "Fleet Vehicle". Yeah... I read that as "Rental Cars" immediately
@@slingbart705 I have a car that im the second owner of and the car is listed as a former rental but that was a lie, car was owned by the executive of a oil company who used it to drive around to facilities they owned to look at projects it was a personal car. Got the proof and everything.
I bought a used rental car once. It was a two year old Crown Vic LX, and it had around 33K on it. I would put on nearly 400K on it before it gave up the ghost. Now, a used economy level car, I'd definitely think twice over....
The Crown Vic / Grand Marquis was made as a fleet vehicle, almost to light truck standards... Ford sold millions of them to police agencies, and had them in the fleet when they owned Hertz. Lots of them still on the road as police cars and taxis, because they're budget friendly and relatively easy to maintain. I used to get assigned a Grand Marquis from Hertz every time I went to Dallas - about twice per month - around 15 years ago... Not something I would really want to buy, (talk about needing a big parking space!) but it would have been fairly easy to fix one up into reliable daily transportation for a reasonable amount of money, even after Hertz slipshod maintenance. But, I'm not really familiar with much of anything else, including light trucks, that I'd consider to be so easy to bring up to snuff after time in a rental fleet...
Love your work, keep it coming. A couple years ago my wife asked for my help in finding her a decent car. I agreed and after getting the must haves and price range went to work. I found a couple of nice ones. She ended up going on her own and buying a used hertz car. I washed my hands of it and let her know she can assume any problems that may arise. Now 2 years later she may have lucked out as there have been no major problems yet...
What's funny is, I always kind of thought "program" meant former lease vehicles, but since in my area, these cars are at dealers I wouldn't consider shopping at, it never affected me.
those are probably covered under the same euphemism. And much the same thing applies to them, half of them are very well cared for and the other half are utterly trashed, depending on who was the driver. Seeing what I see here too, a lot of former lease cars end up going to low-end rental companies who then rent them out for a few more years to low-end customers who are more likely to trash them, and then get sold on via cheap used car lots run by rather shady used car salespeople. And they usually don't disclose the history of the car. Just list them as "2 previous owners" for example, technically correct as it was OWNED by the lease company and then the rental company.
Steve I hate most lawyers ( got screwed over by every one every single time ) you are Awesome 👏 an ethical moral lawyer a unicorn 🦄 a miracle and a good human being thanks for helping me get through hate to forgiveness!!!
The more I watch Steve's channel, the more I think lawyers are just like every other profession in that there are good ones and bad ones. Steve's not the exception, just a bright example of the good half of the pie.
I have learned that lawyers are just like any other person on the spectrum of good to bad, and you have to shop around and follow your gut feeling. Get references, interview them, and do not be afraid to change lawyers.
It might help to think of it this way. Lawyers are doing a job representing their clients. Therefore, they are not necessarily stating their own opinions. Rather, they are stating what they perceive to be most helpful to their client (hopefully within legal reasonableness.) So, unless you have a problem like you believe an overcharge by YOUR lawyer, you're really getting screwed by the opposing party. THEIR lawyer is just their talking head. btw, IANAL.
@@musicloverme3993 It does not help to think of things that way. Some lawyers are decent, if not especially skilled at their jobs, others are very good at their jobs, but not what can be called decent people. Some are very good people who are very good at their jobs. In my custody case with my son, my first lawyer was a reasonably smart guy, a bit of a jerk, and I was not very impressed by his skills. My second lawyer spent about 45 minutes going over my situation, and then asking a lot of very specific and personal questions. At one point I asked him about the questioning, and he explained that he was interviewing me to find out if would take me as a client. He wanted to make sure that I was not just going after custody just to get back at my tyrannosaurus ex (my words, not his), but that I really wanted to be a part of my sons life. He took me as a client, and he was worth every penny. Because of him I was able to be a part of my wonderful sons life when his mom wanted me to never see him again. He was very supportive, caring, and challenged me to be a better human being. He helped me navigate through the very confusing reality of my ex's actions, much of what turned out later to be mental illness, and not take on her projections while also taking responsibility for my own actions and standing up for my relationship with my son. A wonderful human being all around who I will never forget and be forever grateful to.
@@GoCoyote Hi. I was replying to the OP about "[getting] screwed over." But as in your case, I do acknowledge and agree with your first post here. What you said there can actually be applied to others as well; doctors come to mind as one. I am glad for you that you eventually found the right lawyer for you & you got the results that you were seeking. Nothing at all wrong for you to be grateful for them. But if I apply what I said earlier here, your wife's attorney is not inherently "bad." She was entitled to representation just as you were. Even "guilty" criminals are entitled to representation.
I treat rental cars better than my own. Besides it being the right thing to do, I'm paranoid about getting even the smallest scratch on it and being taken to the cleaners over it. I've just always been raised to treat anything that's not yours with extra care and respect. Really sad that that's not the case with so many people.
I've rented vehicles a few times. Twice they were "cars" and they shilled a bs shitty vehicle on me that was not what I resurved. The other 3 were u-hauls and eh-eh fine. One of those 3 I got one that hadnt been cleaned, but was using it for a dump run. Manager waived cleaning on it as it hadnt been cleaned. Nice practical fellow.
that's why when my dad used to rent cars a lot (business traveler...) he always paid premium to Hertz to get a brand new car. And he almost always did (few times they couldn't get him one in time when he needed a car quickly so they got him the newest they could find and a free upgrade instead). But that's a major rental company, not some shady backstreet rental agent that gets their fleet from a used car lot, uses them for a year or two until they fall apart, and then sell them back to that same used car lot.
Watching this channel, I'm heartened by how much of a positive difference one man can make. The world may still be a screwed up place, but at least guys like Steve exist to counter balance the bad actors.
The last car I rented was a Volvo that had a light saying it needed an oil change. It had an oil change sticker that showed the last oil change was six months and twelve thousand miles ago. So I'd never want to buy that car.
The majority of the cars I rent usually come with a lot of deferred maintenance. I picked up a Dodge Ram once and they had it running when I got there. They did that so all the maintenance warnings could be temporarily cleared. This thing had 40k miles on it and the last oil change, according to the sticker, had been done at 16k miles. I had a Malibu that every 75 miles would flash a warning about the stability control and turn the cruise control off. I was told that it was because it had 2 different brands of tires on it. I don't know if I believe that, but like you I would never buy an ex-rental car.
I rented a car that started vibrating really bad on the freeway. The rental company sent out a mobile mechanic that concluded the rear tires were bad. The next day they called me and asked me to drive 100 miles the wrong direction to have the tires changed... I declined and after a bit of discussion they brought me a different car.
@@mrfrenzy. That makes absolutely no sense for them to make you drive the vehicle back 100 miles, unless they compensate you for your time AND don't charge you those extra 200 miles to return back to your location.
Yeah, I might consider a used rental car but only after a thorough inspection by a qualified mechanic. Used car salespersons are way down on the trust totem pole right next to real estate agents, insurance sales agents and carnie game tenders.
I've bought two cars from Hertz (before pandemic) and had great experience with both - both at 20-30k miles now well over100k miles with no major issues. I did all preventative maintenance when I picked them up (oil change, brake pads, rotate tires, etc.) to be safe. Yes - I'd do it again. Just make sure you have the car checked over by an independent mechanic before you pay.
I just watched your blog on TH-cam about a county impounding unregistered vehicles from private property. The same thing happened in Farmington Utah in the 1970's by Farmington city. An elderly gentleman had a large collection of antique vehicles on his property, that could be seen from the street. Because he was unwilling to sell any of them,the city impounded them all and because he was unable to afford attorneys, he not only lost his automobile collection but his home as well. I personally consider this to be a travesty of an over zealous city council, who were soon voted out of office and asked to leave our city and never return.
I didn't know they were people. F*ck em. First used car I ever bought, after I signed the paperwork, they removed EVERYTHING not bolted down...floor mats, cigarette lighter, air freshener, etc. When I argued, they tossed me the keys and told me to get off the lot.
I'd never buy a former rental car but, depending on the circumstances, I might consider a lease turn in. My son wasn't allowed to keep a car on campus during his 1st year of college but, he could from the second year on. He'd saved enough from his part time job to put a good down payment on a reliable used vehicle to take back with him so I contacted a couple buddies in the business and we went looking. One of them had just taken in a local lease turn in that was a model that I've heard MANY horror stories about-a 2002 Dodge Stratus! I was completely against that one when I heard about it but, my buddy convinced me to at least give it a look and, I'm glad that he did. Even though, at 70k+, it was over mileage for a 4 year old lease, it was in mint condition and came with every single maintenance receipt since new. The person that originally leased it for 2 years actually renewed for an additional 2 years. My son kept up the maintenance as it had been. He absolutely loved that car and had it for 7 or 8 years. It met an unfortunate end in North Carolina when someone forced it off the road into a ditch (and then a tree). My son and his 3 passengers were all uninjured except for a few bruises.
Now "Certified Pre-owned " from some. Supposedly because they have been throughly inspected and needed repairs done. In one case that I recall, the ad said with a warranty. But I didn't look any further, so I don't know if the warranty was the manufacturer's "left over" or one from the dealership, perhaps some kind of insurance they have to cover themselves.
All I have is personal anecdotal evidence. I bought a Kia Rondo from Enterprise Car Sales. Low mileage, good price. Best used car I ever bought. Had it trouble free for twelve years. Ohio rust started to get to it underneath, traded it before it became an issue.
Great video. As a former Enterprise employee and car dealership employee you are mostly right. Maintenance on the Enterprise cars was generally decent, I'd say better than the average owner. Any car with a safety recall was not rented, period, zero exceptions. Collision work was done fast and cheap, one body shop in our zone did dozens of cars a month, usually accident history won't be found on carfax from a rental. If you hate insurance companies, you'd be happy to know they are fleeced in a number of ways by the industry. Probably 3/4ths of the used inventory the dealer I worked at was bought at auction and were former Enterprise cars. They were Chevy, which was what our dealer sold new. I believe most customer just assumed they were trade-ins. If a customer inquired, we would tell them it was a rental and also provided a link to each vehicles Carfax which would state the same. Most people didn't ask and we wouldn't volunteer it. If you still decide to buy a former rental, do it from the rental company directly, they keep the best and auction the rest. No matter what the history report says, have it inspected by a mechanic AND a body shop.
My daughter and I are going on a long road trip and we were talking about which of our vehicles to take. We quickly decided to rent a car for the trip because, "as long as it still looks pretty and has the same amount of gas in it, you can do whatever you want in a rental." I wouldn't buy a former rental if my daughter had used it. She babies her own truck. But she abuses rentals like crazy.
@@Cheepchipsable because both her truck and my suv have over 200,000 miles on them and are 20 years old. A rental is newer and more likely to be able to go up and down the steep mountains where we will be headed. The rental company doesn't care if we drive in rough terrain as long as there is no noticeable body or interior damage. But her truck's transmission and my SUV's suspension can no longer handle that kind of drive.
Hello Steve, I just came upon your channel a month or so ago, and found it habit forming. Your intellect, personality and good humor are impressive! Your ability to express, in many cases complicated law is inspiring. It's nice to know that there are Attorney's in this complicated society we now live, like yourself, who value the law, honestly and integrity, and, strive to better the human race! Cheers, from Stockton, in the insane State Of California.
I've purchased 4 ex rental cars. In Jersey, New York and Florida. They were all disclosed as "off rental" and were one year old with under 20k miles. Of course I inspected them and test drove them before purchase. Had good luck with all of them. Still have the one purchased in Florida.
I've bought 2 used rental cars. They both were great. Always have an independent shop of your choosing inspect any used vehicle you plan on buying. Just Let them know you're in the market and for a flat $100-$200 they'll inspect like 5 or 6 cars for you and they'll usually bump you in the queue knowing you're on a test drive. It's also a nice flex to leave that bad inspection record in the glove box when you decide to keep looking
I remember 20-30 years ago where rental car companies really pushed the fact that buying a used rental car was a great idea as they kept flawless service records on there well maintained cars. I buy a new car every 7-8 years and I have every receipt/record from my previous car.
@@everythingpony my vehicles are kept in very good condition. I am a C7 quadriplegic from an accident from a fall at work and I’m under Worker’s Compensation and they replaced my vehicle every 7 to 8 years and must have at least 100,000 miles on it. The reason they replace the vehicle even though it’s in still great working condition is a safety issue for me so that I don’t get stranded. Plus after warranty has expired they don’t want to have to invest money in a vehicle after 100,000 miles. They always buy a seven year 100,000 mile warranty extension for the vehicle. I keep all my receipts so that I can show the insurance company that I take care of the vehicle they spent so much money on which I am getting a new one now that is $117,000.
Hey Steve great discussion and video. Almost 4 years ago I bought a known used rental car for $14k with 33k miles on it. That little Altima 4 cyl has an additional 140k miles on with with only 2 mpg drop from its original 39 mpg it gets every maint done at the dealership which isn’t perfect but a client requires and pays for it so that’s how it rolls. I gambled and have been lucky! Thanks Steve, keep up the good work
Hey, don't worry about getting credit for something you didn't deserve -- there are plenty of other times where you get blamed for something that wasn't your fault.
It's a waste of gas, but idling should generally be better for cars, less heat cycles and stresses than using a car a few times a day then bringing it back to sit in a lot then repeat and the wear from driving shouldn't be too bad as long as they get regular oil changes or what not. Seriously, those the heating and cooling cycles cause a lot of things to break over time, not just cars, like lead-free solder in laptops/phones as another example it's a better these days but over several years your devices can randomly stop working for no reason, well cracked solder joints are one reason.
Steve -- I worked for the NYC zone of Avis RAC in the mid-1980s. Mid-summer of 1985 Avis held a big used car sales event at the Nassau Coliseum. I happened to be in the corner with the Toyotas when they flung the doors open at noon. I had 22 signed contracts before we closed at 8pm. Regarding the purchase of any former rental car, I can only say it depends on the car, the miles, and the city. Des Moines or Columbus, OH cars are probably OK, but NYC or LA, not so much. Catching cars for scheduled maintenance in smaller cities is easier. Cars are usually cycled out of the fleet with mileage between 15K and 18K. Cars of this vintage can usually be sold at retail blue book, and are probably a good value. Cars under 18K have probably had NO corrective maintenance done, but might have had warranty work performed. "Program" leased cars were sold back to GM, Ford or Chrysler, which then wholesaled them. Cars with over 20K typically get wholesaled or sold at auction. Not sure if it's still true, but the RAC companies buy or lease a lot of otherwise undesirable cars from Detroit, in part to help the manufacturers meet CAFE standards with ugly, under powered cars. Avis used to rent the Renault Dauphin. You had to push in the turn signal to honk the horn. The horror!
The real awareness is that the rental companies are far far to lax with maintenance schedules. Because if something bad happens.. "Well it must have been something, You, the customer was doing" Too many horror stories of work colleagues that litterally got into the rental and it broke down on the way to the hotel. Working, Red Eye, Arrival and try to check in to drop your suitcase off before going to client site. One colleague broke down, 2 hours for tow truck (in a state with no passenger assist) and another 1 hour for a taxi and? The next day a call from the bank saying he had been charge 2k by the rental company for "damages". It was dismissed but it was the risk he had to assume as part of the job. AND got shit from bosses when he got back ("oh you must be one of those negligent drivers we hear about.")
Thankfully most Turo guests treat my cars pretty good. Not all but most appreciate the fact that it's owned by an individual and may be their only mode of transportation.
So funny... Thank you Jalopnic for reprinting this in large print for a used car salesman to read. I think program cars came from the car manufacturer to include shi*boxes to resell prior damaged vehicles. The auto industry has gone to hell.
I have bought from 4 of them, and two of them got outright pissed. One was a logical dude that was just flipping cars for a little somthing and we came to a deal where he made about 350 bucks on a car worth 2 grand, we were both happy. other happy sales guy sold me a Mercury off a Caddillac lot and wasn;t on commission. The two that got mad? First guy I traded in my 13 year old Bronco and the Mercury from above on a used Expedition. baby faced young guy made me a trade in offer over the phone, I lived about 3 hours away. Drove down there. Guy was PISSED there was rust around the back wheels of my Bronco. I told him I told you that on the phone. What had happened is when they took them for inspection, his boss came out and chewed his ass and told him they couldn't get 1/3 of what he had promised me at auction. Then the boss made him take the difference out of his commission. I drove away in the Expedition, the salesguy wouldn't even shake my hand or look me in the eye as we did paperwork and left without a word as soon as I picked up the keys off the desk. The other guy I didn't buy from. I got in a wreck years ago and wanted a 4 door sedan on the lower end of cost to replace. Local small time guy had a few in small town south of me, including a fairly old but really nice looking DeVille. Told me he needed to be somewhere/leave in two hours when I asked for a test drive. I drove it to my home about 10 minutes away so I could crawl under it for rust, it looked pretty good one bad spot in a wheel well. Went back to the lot. Whole thing was maybe 35 minutes. Guy was mad, red faced mad(he was like 60 so it really was obvious against his grey hair) said he had to leave soon, I took way to long "what did you drive it to xxxx(three towns away)". I asked if he had the clear title, he actually turned more red faced and blew up saying he can;t sell untitled cars... i interrupted him and told him my Uncle up north just got done being scammed by a small time guy and lost 1500 bucks that way and i was just doing what I need to. Then I made an offer on the car, 2 grand even, he was asking 2200. He got even more red faced and told me to get off his lot, "nothing wrong with that car grumbles" turned to his secratary and said " I gotta get going, this joker will make me late!" and left. Secretary apologized, and actually said "things go better when he isn;t here". I told her best of luck, sorry for offering to buy a car from them(I was laughing at that part out loud) and a couple months later I had that Expedition. Just remember with those guys, you didn;t choose for them to live that life, they did. And if they are being silly, it's not your fault, or obligation, to buy that vehicle from them, or even at the price they want. Offer what you think is fair(or walk away if it is bad) and have no regrets.
Steve I bought a 2020 Ford Fusion hybrid with 3 thousand miles. There car was a rental car for Ford and I normally wouldn’t buy but for the price and mileage I made the decision to buy it. Haven’t had a single problem
The problem may be the title of the article and some of the contents.. It might need to be edited, change the wording to 'program' everywhere it says, 'rental'. I have a friend who's a mechanic that maintains a fleet of rental cars. He likes to tell the joke that the best off-road vehicle, a vehicle that will go anywhere anytime is not a Jeep or dune buggy, or any other special purpose off-road vehicle, but rather a rental car. Of course he's referring to the abuse that rental cars get. The other point that Steve makes is that rental car companies are very cheap regarding doing maintenance on cars and only want to pay for what they have to. If they're more of an 'up scale' rental business they do even less maintenance because they rotate their fleet more often. My friend works on a fleet for a low scale cheapie rental agency so they rent out the cars as long as they can, so pay for some maintenance, but only what they absolutely have to, basically when the cars are falling apart. I used to go out of town on business and get rental cars. I never drove over parking lot barriers myself, but I can tell you that I drove the living 'heck' out of them accelerating hard, stopping hard etc. Funny that a used car salesman would get offended. He must sell them. Two vocations me thinks you need a thicker skin for. Car sales, new or used, and being a lawyer. Better not to be one of those and not have a good sense of humor about those vocations.
Totally agree with honesty in transactions... Like products labled "ultra premium" "Super deluxe" or some other string of synonyms that try to inflate the perceived value of an item.
Having worked for Manheim for several years, I can assure you that the vast majority of cars at CarMax are repos and lease/rental cars, and Carvana has a fleet of haulers lined up at a Manheim side lot awaiting cars.
Steve, I understand your point, and it's a point of risk, a percentage of risk. First, I am not a used car salesman, nor am I a new car salesman, nor have I ever purchased a car previously owned by a rental car company, however, I have rented my fair share of rental cars in my 40+ years of driving experience. I have purchased a "Certified Pre-owned Vehicle". In the 2-dozen or so vehicles I have personally rented, I've never been abusive to driving one. Does that make me a "One of a Kind" rental car driver? I don't think so. Is a maintenance schedule maintained on a rental car? Yes, I would say yes, as much as is reasonably possible and it does get done in a reasonable time when it is scheduled for maintenance. At least it has a schedule. I of course know of private car owners that are very lax in their responsibility of car maintenance. But, really, is this a definitive reason to cast doubt on the purchase of a "Pre-Owned Rental Vehicle"? Well of course it is, but just how much is the question. You make it sound like the risk is 100% assured the person purchasing a "Rental Vehicle" is buying a problem child. I think the risk is no more or no less than purchasing a "Trade In" vehicle or a vehicle that is being sold privately or on eBay.... Now the real cars to watch out for and consider higher risk are "Corporate Vehicles" and of course, "Taxis". Corporate vehicles pretty much get used up and treated like shibbits by the employees driving them. But personally, I would not have any problem considering purchasing a pre-owned rental vehicle after performing customary due diligence on the vehicle.
Hey Steve, do you still take clients? I don't need a lawyer, I was just wondering. A family friend retired from his practice (years ago) but kept his license current for years after.
Dang!! I wish I read this article back then!! I work in auto repair and can tell you that everything you said is mostly true. All the rental companies will get NEEDED safety repairs but they want the cheapest repair possible. Also they require the wrong oil, conventional instead of synthetic. If the car states 0W30 but says 5W30 can be used, THAT is what they require. Plus people rent the car and abuse it severely, cancel the credit card used so they cannot be charged excessive fees.
40years ago while driving a rental car in Nevada I told a friend "Never buy a rental car" and with that said a cop pulled me over for speeding in the dirt left shoulder passing a car.... $157.50 later all was good.
Oh boy, does this story bring back memories. Iam 55 now. Back in my younger years, time frame around 1990's or there about, I use to be an Auto Body Painter. There was a shop that I painted at that was the repair center for one of the Nations BIG Car rental outfits. I can tell you that I had painted 100's of these vehicles due to damage from renters. These rental outfits demanded that the repairs be done at the cheapest cost. Thus why the shop I painted at was the winner of the contract. The things we were told to do to these vehicles was something else. Typically, if an insurance or customer pay job was being done to the vehicle it was done to the best of my ability. These rental cars, the only sanding that was done on the panel(s) was the areas that were repaired. The rest of the panel was masked, cleaned and painted over. These things only had to be presentable to make it over the auction block to be sold to dealerships. Am I happy about the work that was done? Not at all. Its one of those things when the boss says Do It, I did it. Another reason why to never buy a "program vehicle."
I have had very good luck with 2 former u haul trucks and one taxi fleet vehicle. 1 U-Haul had a still good engine that I sold/installed. The second U-Haul actually had a reman engine from the dealership. Very strong engine still running good 8 years later. And the 3rd motor was well maintained by a fleet mechanic and passed all my tests before putting it in another truck. I think it all comes down to having a mechanic check things over and help weed out the bad ones
I remember a story of a group of pro football players that would rent cars, mostly Towncars, buy the insurance and then have a smash up derby with them. When they were done, or the cars would no longer run or drive, they would call the rental company tell them where the cars were and walk away from them. Apparently they did this quite often, they said it was a blast of fun. I personally have gotten a few rentals airborn, honed my brake torqueing skills, power sliding ability, and my favorite speed reverse to forward take offs. Rentals make great test vehicles. Where and how else can you have that much fun for $40.00 a day with unlimited mileage?
I bought one of these cars. I bought the extended warrant and used it fairly quickly. But I am very happy with the car and they had to fix my issues for free. Now I have been driving it a few years with no further issues.
I've only driven a rental once, a decade ago, when my truck was in the shop for some repairs. It was newer, lower mileage, nice condition. Still, I wouldn't buy a vehicle that was part of a rental fleet.
Steve, I did buy a former rental car, a 2007 Ford Taurus at the time 19K on the clock. It was 1 year old and got it for $8600. Here it is 14 years later and it just turned 170K. I do all of my own maintenance and I would do it all over again. The ford 3.0 pushrod V6 is an awesome engine. I do a fluid exchange (100%) plus new filter on the trans every 40K miles. No major problems other than batteries, brakes and rear wheel hubs as of yet.
I bought a used 2020 BMW x1 from, of all places Carvana. I like Carvana. This is my second purchase from them. At any rate, the Carfax report listed all of the maintenance/servicing that has taken place since it was first purchased. It was all performed in accordance to the proper intervals. Of course there's a little bit of exterior paint chips - which I already knew because Carvana showed these "hotspots" on their website.
6:12 I think I have an idea what might have upset him, you're unintentionally calling him out, so now he feels guilty even though he won't admit that he's the actual problem, being the living stereotype of a shady used car dealer, scammers really don't like being honest about anything as helps them distance themselves from their scams and the harm it causes.
You are either very brave or very foolish! AWESOME! The POWER of Big Pizza! It even allows Steve to have OPINIONS! I sold pre-owned vehicles on consignment for a year. I am not offended!
That nation-wide car vendor that offers a known price for their cars misses a lot of items if they check their cars at all. I was shocked as I thought they checked their cars before selling them. They missed a number of problems when I last purchased a car from them. I'm not sure they'd be on the top of my list for my next purchase.
I had a car that 18months of maintenance history on Carfax that happened before the car was actually built. We bought a car in the early 1990's from a local used car lot and it wasn't running quite right, nothing major. They promised to fix it, by the time we finished and drove it off, still not quite fixed, I kept bringing it back until they told me they would no longer honor their warranty and supplied me with forms for filing on a warranty situation. Long story short, we took it to a mechanic for an oil change and he noticed the plug wires had dry rotted and were shorting out. Replaced those, ran fine.
I wound up buying a rental car that had been sold to a private party who then sold it to a dealer as the "original owner" some months later (they said). This hid the fact that it was a rental car until I started finding all sort of weird "repairs" on the car. I found out later that the Odometer had been "replaced" (yea, rollback), and that there had been duct tape repairs on the back of the back seat in the trunk that had been spray painted with undercoating texture to hide it. The convertible top also had duct tape repairs that had been hidden and glued/painted so that I could not see until the top just fell apart about 6 months after I bought the car. It also just ate tires like it was going out of style. I wish I had done more research on that car when I bought it from the dealer. I eventually bought a carfax report after some of these discoveries, and it showed several accidents (bent frame which explained the tire issue) as well as the rental car source, all of which the dealer denied at the time of purchase. Never never never ever buy a used car without getting a history report of some sort before you lay out the cash.
I bought a used car from Hertz. I still own it and for the most part just normal things that go wrong with this type of car. I am very happy with my car. One thing I was able to do was to get the car for a 3 day "rent before you buy" and was able to take it to my local mechanic to get checked out before agreeing to purchase. It went through inspection and everything looked great. The price I paid was on the lower end of what cars of this make/model/millage were going for - so it was a good deal. All you need to do is your due diligence. I had the car inspected and I was also a part of that inspection as I went up under the car to see for myself that it was in pristine condition with no water damage (The car spent it's life in Florida and I am in Chicago) I spent 3 days going over the car for anything that would set off a red flag. In the 4 years I have had the car I have had to replace The water pump (Mechanic said that it was not unusual for this make model). Note: it had not gone out yet, but I noticed some unusual behavior and had it checked. The ignition coil pack - again not that unusual. Rear Brake Calipers The tires - even though they had good tread they developed dry rot cracks. And standard maintenance.
I wonder, I you asked the salesman what program car meant would he have to give a truthful answer? Oops, that's right, they are allowed to lie anyhow. On the other hand I just bought a used car at a used car dealership. I was given a flat price which I paid and they didn't add any kind of charges. They even registered the car for me at no extra charge! This is the first time I've shook the hand of a car dealer without feeling the need to wash my hands after I left.
I love this. I bought a rental car. 08 Malibu classic in Dec of 08. They pushed the Carfax and how clean it was. Then a few months down the road I was working on it and noticed some oddities about how the trim pieces attached. Then when I scraped a concrete wall with my front bumper and I went to get a quote to fix it the body shop asked what rear ended me. I didn't know what he was taking about. He then showed me the evidence of a major rear ending. Fast forward a couple years my air bag sensor has an issue. Fast forward a few more years I get hit at a slow speed. I was talking to the adjustor from the other person's insurance and he explained how car fax works and how they probably fixed it. Then showed me more evidence that he thinks it was rear ended and rolled. Also you having opinions does keep me up at night. I'm always wondering what you're opinion is on many things 🤣
Steve, thank you for this video. Like others, I also learned what A Program Car actually is. I have seen them on lots and assumed, like you stated other had, been a leased or Manufacturer Employee owned vehicle. I know that the parents of many of the kids in my neighborhood worked at Oldsmobile or Fisher Body and got employee vehicles that had extra features because they got a deal GM on their purchase as an employee. But what GM did 60 years ago is not the GM process today.
in 2016 I bought a 2013 Hyundai Genesis with relatively low mileage and it looked to be in really good shape. Less than a year later the transmission went out on it, and that's when I learned that the vehicle had been a rental for the first 35,000 miles of its life. Not sure if I would've purchased the car had I known that up front, but the saving grace in this is that I purchased it CPO from a Hyundai dealer, so they were on the hook to replace the transmission.
my dad was one of the best furniture salesmen at the company he worked for many years in a row , and he taught me this , rather be honest and lose a sale while gaining your customers trust , because as a salesmen your job is to give your customer what he really needs , not just taking his money and he was the best because when people came in to buy furniture , they would refuse to be served by anyone but him , because they trusted him and he sold furniture hand over fist , he sold so much he often had to buy out furniture at other furniture stores to meet the demand , he outsold branches 4 times the size of his branch a dishonest salesmen will always run out of people to con
I honestly remember reading this article when I was 15, and the only thing that might have annoyed me was I already knew most of the points as basic research when buying a second hand car, but my grandpa having a tow yard let me see a lot of automotive aspects of the world, specifically for this a 2003 impala SS that had a lemon buyback title, and lots of wrecked, stolen, and abused rental cars. Once you see something its easy to know what it is. And most people don't know their rights, especially with examples in the form of your videos like the woman who bought a car at the dealership without even seeing it in person, as the rep told her it was being surviced, then took her in to sign paperwork. Then changed the terms of the paperwork after she signed.
I should rewrite Steve's article for Turo cars. I can agree with Steve on most rentals because one of my four rental cars was a previous standard rental car. It had damage in the back quarter panel that had been improperly repaired. I found out when the Bondo cracked. Tldr I took it to a good Tesla approved repair shop where they replaced the whole quarter panel and did a factory like job. I can tell you right now that Turo unlists vehicles for any and all perceived minor issues. Absolutely any minor recall will get a car unlisted. If a guest says one of the brand new tires went flat it will be unlisted. When I take it to a body shop to get a minor dent repaired and they find out it will be unlisted. To get it relisted they want it inspected by a ase certified mechanic. Around here if you can find one that will do it costs about $100. And you have to schedule your car for it which can be days out. As a former mechanic the process and their policies are maddening. Apparently none of their employees are car people. Most have no knowledge of physical sciences. Thankfully they seem to know that tires are round. My flat tire car I put the second set of tires on and sent it out the door the next day. The girls drove on the flat despite the tpms light being on and ruined the tire. But Subarus need matching tire sizes so ended up getting 4 new tires later. I run full synthetic oil and change it every 3-4 thousand miles for the turbo cars and 7,000 for the non-turbo cars and I can tell you that if you do that you can delay an oil change once or twice with no problem. That all being said I'm just one owner with four cars I'm renting out. The downside to Turo is you never know how a host is going to take care of their cars.
Yes Steve it so right! I bought a 626 Mazda rental from a Mazda dealer.The car looked new as I bought it at the end of the new car year. long story the car had 25k on it .By the time this car hit 60 k it went through 2 transmitions payed by Mazda.I sold it before it broke again.
We purchased a Ford Aerostar in the early 90s from Budget rental that was still under manufacture warranty. Had a couple of small things repaired but it was a great van. Many vacations from CO to FL a couple of times, San DIEGO, Mexico, the Dakotas.. Only traded it because we got a bigger van. Today I would definitely think twice about that purchase.
I rented a car recently. They told me not to worry about the flashing display that said "Maintenance required". The sticker showed that it has not even had its initial free service and was already due for its third service. The representative told me to use 91 petrol but the petrol filler said only use 95! People using 91 probably explained the lack of power/pinging when I drove it - luckily it was only a couple of days while my car was being repaired.
@ Lehto’s law… I am going to agree to disagree agree with you. Buyer beware should be happening regardless to where you buy any car. I have a Toyota Camry in the body shop still (because insurance is being slower than snail 🐌 snot in April), on paying the claim to the body shop and for me… I digress, I bought a car that was originally a enterprise rental and then it ended up on a local lot. My Camry has been a steadfast wonderful car. Black beauty (as I call her), is a blessing. She had approximately 25,000 miles on her at time of purchase. So… you are correct too. Thank you 🤔❤🇺🇸
My grandparents had decent luck with a couple of ex rental cars, one a first Gen Ford Granada (75-77) they acquired before I was born and the next a 1984 Ford midsize LTD. My dad ended up with the Granada and I ended up with the LTD. Not all rental vehicles are driven or maintained correctly your results may vary see Steve for details.
This happened to me . Purchased a BMW Z3 from a BMW dealership who failed to tell me it was an ex rental. The first time I washed it I found a Hertz label under the seat. Contacted the salesperson who asked what did I matter. Ended up talking to the owner of the dealership who promptly took the car back and supplied me with one that had been used by BMW management with less miles and an apoligy. I purchased a heap more BMW's from that dealership dealing with the owner. The salesperson no longer worked at that dealership.
In 15 years in the car business I had fewer customer issues with cars we bought from Enterprise than cars we too in on trade. Just saying. When you buy any used car inspect it carefully and take it to your own place to get looked at. Retired rentals can be fine or not just like any used car. Store I worked at never called them program cars (I was in Michigan). We had our customers sign a copy of the Carfax to acknowledge they had a chance to see it. On the Carfax it says "Rental" anyway.
I lived in Lansing Michigan and left the state over 25 years ago and new car GM dealerships were using the term "program vehicle" way back then for some of their used cars. I always thought that a "program vehicle" was a car driven by GM company employees as they would advertise as such. But again this was over 25 years ago. And also Michigan is the only state that I've heard this term used for a used car.
Fully d'accord with you there. If a dealer tries to not tell you the truth about a vehicle, you probably shouldn't buy it.. and not disclosing a rental history is equally bad as a rolled back odometer or a freshly cleaned motor.
"He's a used car salesman. He's probably upset every day of his life."
Damn, Steve! Lol!
lol shots fired!
@@hirisk761 friend of sherryl trying to talk to her but her number not good. She texted me this number i believe.
Did Steve offend the moral sensibilities of a used car salesman? wow
pow! Slam!
Used car salesman gets mad at the information in an old article. Complains to original author of article. Author re-reads article on TH-cam channel with 300k subscribers! Being upset isn't his biggest problem. Being dumb is his biggest problem.
"I Upset a Used Car Salesman!"
Fun Fact: Every time a Used Car Salesman is angered, an angel gets its wings!! 😊
And bells 🔔 go off! Just like Zazo’s petals!
@@KameraShy some but not ALL! I’m sure there’s a few good ones out there!
@@Nonsense62365
😁😁😁😁
😁😁😁😁
Ok Clarence 😂
Your article was spot on. Truthful and to the point. That said, 2018 GMC Sierra was a former U-Haul rental truck. I did my homework, had it thoroughly inspected before purchase, had low miles, and a great price. Have had it for 2 years and it has been flawless. Like you said, be informed and understand your risks.
I was at uhaul yesterday day seen an f650 and was wondering what would this sell for. I would like it without the box. Wondering if it would be a good price.
I used to work for uhaul a long time ago and the pickup trucks were rarely rented and were usually the last resort when larger trucks were not available.
Yikes, even with inspection, that was risky.
@@Foolish188 Every used car purchase is inherently risky. With proper inspections and due diligence, you minimize the risk.
It helped that I personally know the financing manager at the dealership, so I knew the bottom dollar they were willing to take, too.
Steve: "Do research before spending money."
Used car salesmen: "Dude, that's fucked up."
I am with you 100% buying something with a weird description should be a red flag to anyone, in any situation not just for a car.
As in how a lot of legislation is titled, citizens united, affordable care act, truth in lending. The list is likely limitless. When you bring it up to the gullible masses your called being negative for attempting disillusionment, weird how people almost want to be lied to in situations.
My wife and I have used a rental car once due to a car accident totaling our previous car. It was a giant jeep, but we treated that thing better than we do our own because IT WASN'T OUR CAR. We even vacuumed the jeep after the few days we used it. We did everything we were supposed to, including filling the gas tank when we were done.
The day we returned it, they did a quick check on it while my wife was dropping it off. The reaction we got was unnerving in the strangest way. They guy brought over my wife and as many employees as were around and was absolutely incredulous about the state of the car. "They even vacuumed it," they said. "I have never seen that before." The employees about wanted to hug my wife, they were so happy with how we treated the thing. They were flabbergasted and even told my wife if she ever needed a rental there again, let them know who she was and they would "hook her up" because they were so pleased.
To this day, we still do not understand that interaction whatsoever. Why is the bar THAT low? We treated it with care because it didn't belong to us and we had responsibility for it. The last thing we wanted was to be on the hook for something we didn't do or wasn't in our control. We followed their guidelines and what we were contractually obligated to do and practically got a standing ovation. We like the praise, but that isn't justified at all. 1.75 and twenty minutes or so of vacuuming work got us that reaction? What. The. Hell.
I have a question for you all. What do you DO in your rentals that makes this reaction possible???
So many people have no respect for vehicles that are not their own. We were the same whenever we rented a car, treated it extra carefully. Props to you for being decent human beings!
@@CandyGirl44 I don't see that as being decent but a bare minimum. I am confused why standards are so low. My wife is a stellar person, I would be considered just barely not an asshole.
This is why there are groups on Facebook with titles like "Uhaul probably wouldn't want you to treat their vehicle like that" or something along those lines.
I rent equipment for my small excavation business. It gets grease in the morning like anything else on the job and, if something needs attention, it gets tightened/repaired/lubed.
When I call for a rental, they give me the best they have. Often a new unit.
People aren't blind. Karma is real in the rental business.
@@lawrencekokjr.1376 This is the exact reason I don't understand people mistreating things that aren't theirs. If you are in that kind of situation once, it is fairly likely to happen again at some point. How do you think that second time is going to go? Are they going to treat you with a ton of respect or courtesy when you trash their stuff? I am glad to hear that there are people who feel the same way I do. We are part of a community, not the meaning behind everyone's existence.
Being a EX-Rental car location manager for Value, I’d never buy a used rental car..EVER!!!
I've bought more than a dozen. Zero lemons.
You know people drove that car like it was stolen.
But would you buy a "program car"? That's the question.
@@Skank_and_Gutterboy 'LIKE'? If you follow Steve's videos you will know that it likely WAS stolen and may still be reported as such. lol Especially if it was ever a Hertz vehicle.
@@UncleKennysPlace Nothing like a sample size of one to show just how poorly logic is understood!
Congratulations, Steve! Upsetting a used car salesman may be the highest of human callings.
I learned what a "program" car is today and I'm sure that's what enraged him.
Program or Fleet. If you see either it means rental. Another important thing to note is that rental cars come with ZERO factory warranty. That's why they sell fleet vehicles so cheap. Whatever would otherwise be left on a factory warranty is meaningless on a former rental car!
This is why I watch videos like this and stuff from rSlash. I learn things that will help me out as an adult that no one else will teach me.
that would be my guess
@@jblyon2 a fleet vehicle isn't usually a rental vehicle ,,,a fleet vehicle usually came from a company that buys them for something like service vehicles ,,Police vehicles , municipal service trucks ,, used school vans /buses all examples of fleet units ,,,rental cars very rarely have high miles ,,my sister has owned 2 former rental cars that were enterprise rentals ,,neither had over 40K miles they were just past factory warranty, under 3 years old ,,rental trucks on the other hand can get a lot of miles on them ,,I've bought a number of old U haul and Penske trucks that were retired and they all had a lot of miles ,,being fleet maintained however they were in good shape able to pass DOT class A inspections ,,same with police cars ,,I am a mechanic and run a recycling business ,, and one of my favorite ways to get good used engines and parts ,, retired police cars , retired rental trucks which have a number of uses ,and old school buses
fleet vehicles often times especially corporate ones can have huge numbers of miles ,, which is the reason fleet vehicles usually sell fairly cheap
@@jblyon2 fleet usually means it used to belong to a company or agency that lent them out to its employees. better than a rental imo. i once bought a fleet car - sport coupe with 3k miles on it. fabulous car.
Steve, as a retired aviation professional, we had our fair share of rental cars weekly. One of the “amusing sayings” amongst us high volume car renters was… “ What will go where a TANK won’t, a RENTAL CAR”….. 🚘 totally agree whit you.
People just don't treat stuff that they don't own as well as stuff they do own. I see/hear it a lot when discussing things that are short term beneficial but cause issues over time (like some de-icers, "flushable" wipes, etc): they'll say if you own your house, don't use this, but if you just rent, feel free. I also see it with public spaces and shared spaces. People use them, but don't clean up and don't respect the equipment in those spaces.
Notice how lawyers get a lot of deserved flak, but lawyers who actually stand up for the customer on the basic of logical justice are the ones who receive the most hate.
People in influence, power and money don't like to be questioned..
Watching this channel, I honestly have begun to think a lot of the bad press around lawyers is mostly propagated by people and businesses that got well deserved losses and judgments against them in court.
@@jckdnls9292 Sorry, I meant the most 'official' hate in the form of threats from politicians, judges, essentially those in power.
@@7F0X7 - All the rest of the lawyers are working FOR the politicians, big business, and those essentially in power; they're not going to hate their own henchmen.
@@somebodyelse6673 Precisely
Great story Steve and great advice.
In the 70s I got kicked out of a used car lot for 'the rest of my life' when I told him what I thought a car was worth to me. I went in just to see if they had anything in the $500 range for my wife to drive to work and buzz around doing errands. I told him I just wanted a six stick but an auto would be fine also, no frills just a grocery getter. My wife stayed in the car because she knew how I could get.
He kept trying to steer me towards 'performance' cars, that were nothing more than junk with homemade 3 on the floor conversions. Some of the holes looked like they were chopped with an ax no boot and you could see the top of the tranny. He kept insisting someone my age should be in something cool like this. He wouldn't even give prices and kept saying 'make me an offer' . I told him I'm not making an offer on something I don't want. Then he said 'you don't know what this is worth do you?' I said I know what it's worth to me. He said what. I said about a hundred bucks (I was going to say 50).
My wife could hear him screaming at me to 'get the f#@k out of my lot for the rest or your life' he was still screaming as we drove away. I always wondered what he would have done if I said 50.
In my humble opinion, this Used Car Salesman is a blight on the reputation of thieves everywhere.
🍋👍
As a former rental car employee I have seen first hand at what clients and fellow rental employees do to the cars. Maintenance? It's a last thought. Useally rental vehicles are only maintained when they couldn't drive anymore because of a major completely undriveable condition. If I had a choice, I would walk or take a bus. NEVER PURCHASE A FORMER RENTAL VEHICLE!
Thank you to you and all the others that have shared their first-hand experiences in the rental industry!
I remember 20 years ago I was walking a Carmax lot and see 3 Identical Blue Toyota Camry LX's parked next to each other all with about 12K miles on them, and the window sticker said "Fleet Vehicle". Yeah... I read that as "Rental Cars" immediately
Former rental cars have been some of the best taken care of vehicles I have owned and I worked at a car rental place.
@@slingbart705 I have a car that im the second owner of and the car is listed as a former rental but that was a lie, car was owned by the executive of a oil company who used it to drive around to facilities they owned to look at projects it was a personal car. Got the proof and everything.
I bought a used rental car once. It was a two year old Crown Vic LX, and it had around 33K on it. I would put on nearly 400K on it before it gave up the ghost. Now, a used economy level car, I'd definitely think twice over....
The Crown Vic / Grand Marquis was made as a fleet vehicle, almost to light truck standards... Ford sold millions of them to police agencies, and had them in the fleet when they owned Hertz. Lots of them still on the road as police cars and taxis, because they're budget friendly and relatively easy to maintain.
I used to get assigned a Grand Marquis from Hertz every time I went to Dallas - about twice per month - around 15 years ago... Not something I would really want to buy, (talk about needing a big parking space!) but it would have been fairly easy to fix one up into reliable daily transportation for a reasonable amount of money, even after Hertz slipshod maintenance.
But, I'm not really familiar with much of anything else, including light trucks, that I'd consider to be so easy to bring up to snuff after time in a rental fleet...
Love your work, keep it coming. A couple years ago my wife asked for my help in finding her a decent car. I agreed and after getting the must haves and price range went to work. I found a couple of nice ones. She ended up going on her own and buying a used hertz car. I washed my hands of it and let her know she can assume any problems that may arise. Now 2 years later she may have lucked out as there have been no major problems yet...
i bought a used Enterprise car almost 15 years ago and it's a daily driver, no problems and i've put a lot of highway miles on it . . .
The truth always hurts their feelings, after they come to grips with themselves. Realizing the depth of their BS
Takes one to know one? I feel for ya, buddy.
@@johnnyliminal8032 amateur , that is not how you troll
What's funny is, I always kind of thought "program" meant former lease vehicles, but since in my area, these cars are at dealers I wouldn't consider shopping at, it never affected me.
those are probably covered under the same euphemism.
And much the same thing applies to them, half of them are very well cared for and the other half are utterly trashed, depending on who was the driver.
Seeing what I see here too, a lot of former lease cars end up going to low-end rental companies who then rent them out for a few more years to low-end customers who are more likely to trash them, and then get sold on via cheap used car lots run by rather shady used car salespeople.
And they usually don't disclose the history of the car. Just list them as "2 previous owners" for example, technically correct as it was OWNED by the lease company and then the rental company.
Steve I hate most lawyers ( got screwed over by every one every single time ) you are Awesome 👏 an ethical moral lawyer a unicorn 🦄 a miracle and a good human being thanks for helping me get through hate to forgiveness!!!
The more I watch Steve's channel, the more I think lawyers are just like every other profession in that there are good ones and bad ones. Steve's not the exception, just a bright example of the good half of the pie.
I have learned that lawyers are just like any other person on the spectrum of good to bad, and you have to shop around and follow your gut feeling. Get references, interview them, and do not be afraid to change lawyers.
It might help to think of it this way. Lawyers are doing a job representing their clients. Therefore, they are not necessarily stating their own opinions. Rather, they are stating what they perceive to be most helpful to their client (hopefully within legal reasonableness.) So, unless you have a problem like you believe an overcharge by YOUR lawyer, you're really getting screwed by the opposing party. THEIR lawyer is just their talking head. btw, IANAL.
@@musicloverme3993
It does not help to think of things that way. Some lawyers are decent, if not especially skilled at their jobs, others are very good at their jobs, but not what can be called decent people. Some are very good people who are very good at their jobs. In my custody case with my son, my first lawyer was a reasonably smart guy, a bit of a jerk, and I was not very impressed by his skills. My second lawyer spent about 45 minutes going over my situation, and then asking a lot of very specific and personal questions. At one point I asked him about the questioning, and he explained that he was interviewing me to find out if would take me as a client. He wanted to make sure that I was not just going after custody just to get back at my tyrannosaurus ex (my words, not his), but that I really wanted to be a part of my sons life. He took me as a client, and he was worth every penny. Because of him I was able to be a part of my wonderful sons life when his mom wanted me to never see him again. He was very supportive, caring, and challenged me to be a better human being. He helped me navigate through the very confusing reality of my ex's actions, much of what turned out later to be mental illness, and not take on her projections while also taking responsibility for my own actions and standing up for my relationship with my son. A wonderful human being all around who I will never forget and be forever grateful to.
@@GoCoyote Hi. I was replying to the OP about "[getting] screwed over." But as in your case, I do acknowledge and agree with your first post here. What you said there can actually be applied to others as well; doctors come to mind as one. I am glad for you that you eventually found the right lawyer for you & you got the results that you were seeking. Nothing at all wrong for you to be grateful for them. But if I apply what I said earlier here, your wife's attorney is not inherently "bad." She was entitled to representation just as you were. Even "guilty" criminals are entitled to representation.
I treat rental cars better than my own. Besides it being the right thing to do, I'm paranoid about getting even the smallest scratch on it and being taken to the cleaners over it. I've just always been raised to treat anything that's not yours with extra care and respect. Really sad that that's not the case with so many people.
I've rented vehicles a few times. Twice they were "cars" and they shilled a bs shitty vehicle on me that was not what I resurved. The other 3 were u-hauls and eh-eh fine. One of those 3 I got one that hadnt been cleaned, but was using it for a dump run. Manager waived cleaning on it as it hadnt been cleaned. Nice practical fellow.
that's why when my dad used to rent cars a lot (business traveler...) he always paid premium to Hertz to get a brand new car. And he almost always did (few times they couldn't get him one in time when he needed a car quickly so they got him the newest they could find and a free upgrade instead).
But that's a major rental company, not some shady backstreet rental agent that gets their fleet from a used car lot, uses them for a year or two until they fall apart, and then sell them back to that same used car lot.
Always inspect FIRST before accepting / paying , or take yer biz.elsewhere.
Watching this channel, I'm heartened by how much of a positive difference one man can make. The world may still be a screwed up place, but at least guys like Steve exist to counter balance the bad actors.
The last car I rented was a Volvo that had a light saying it needed an oil change. It had an oil change sticker that showed the last oil change was six months and twelve thousand miles ago. So I'd never want to buy that car.
The majority of the cars I rent usually come with a lot of deferred maintenance. I picked up a Dodge Ram once and they had it running when I got there. They did that so all the maintenance warnings could be temporarily cleared. This thing had 40k miles on it and the last oil change, according to the sticker, had been done at 16k miles. I had a Malibu that every 75 miles would flash a warning about the stability control and turn the cruise control off. I was told that it was because it had 2 different brands of tires on it. I don't know if I believe that, but like you I would never buy an ex-rental car.
I rented a car that started vibrating really bad on the freeway. The rental company sent out a mobile mechanic that concluded the rear tires were bad. The next day they called me and asked me to drive 100 miles the wrong direction to have the tires changed... I declined and after a bit of discussion they brought me a different car.
@@mrfrenzy. That makes absolutely no sense for them to make you drive the vehicle back 100 miles, unless they compensate you for your time AND don't charge you those extra 200 miles to return back to your location.
@@mrfrenzy. That takes big balls for them to ask you the customer to do their job for them....FOR FREE.
@@callak_9974
Probably wanted discounted tires installed 100 miles away. Tires are available almost anywhere but not at a discount.
"You're not trying to cancel culture me are you?!" I nearly spit out my drink lmfao
Yeah, I might consider a used rental car but only after a thorough inspection by a qualified mechanic. Used car salespersons are way down on the trust totem pole right next to real estate agents, insurance sales agents and carnie game tenders.
That statement is terribly unfair to carnie game tenders...
@@jblyon2 You are right, what was I thinking?
@@venician2face You could have said "televangelists" instead.
I've bought two cars from Hertz (before pandemic) and had great experience with both - both at 20-30k miles now well over100k miles with no major issues. I did all preventative maintenance when I picked them up (oil change, brake pads, rotate tires, etc.) to be safe. Yes - I'd do it again. Just make sure you have the car checked over by an independent mechanic before you pay.
C note behind the Speed limit sign
I just watched your blog on TH-cam about a county impounding unregistered vehicles from private property. The same thing happened in Farmington Utah in the 1970's by Farmington city.
An elderly gentleman had a large collection of antique vehicles on his property, that could be seen from the street. Because he was unwilling to sell any of them,the city impounded them all and because he was unable to afford attorneys, he not only lost his automobile collection but his home as well.
I personally consider this to be a travesty of an over zealous city council, who were soon voted out of office and asked to leave our city and never return.
I didn't know used car salesman had feelings!
Lol
I didn't know they were people. F*ck em. First used car I ever bought, after I signed the paperwork, they removed EVERYTHING not bolted down...floor mats, cigarette lighter, air freshener, etc. When I argued, they tossed me the keys and told me to get off the lot.
They don't. They just pretend they do in hopes you buys something from them.
Greed, contempt, and aggressive arrogance are feelings.
Greed, contempt, and aggressive arrogance are feelings.
I'd never buy a former rental car but, depending on the circumstances, I might consider a lease turn in. My son wasn't allowed to keep a car on campus during his 1st year of college but, he could from the second year on. He'd saved enough from his part time job to put a good down payment on a reliable used vehicle to take back with him so I contacted a couple buddies in the business and we went looking. One of them had just taken in a local lease turn in that was a model that I've heard MANY horror stories about-a 2002 Dodge Stratus! I was completely against that one when I heard about it but, my buddy convinced me to at least give it a look and, I'm glad that he did. Even though, at 70k+, it was over mileage for a 4 year old lease, it was in mint condition and came with every single maintenance receipt since new. The person that originally leased it for 2 years actually renewed for an additional 2 years. My son kept up the maintenance as it had been. He absolutely loved that car and had it for 7 or 8 years. It met an unfortunate end in North Carolina when someone forced it off the road into a ditch (and then a tree). My son and his 3 passengers were all uninjured except for a few bruises.
Back in the day all the Cadillac, Lexus and Infinity dealers had huge banners saying "Pre Owned". Guess they did not want to say Used!
Years ago I walked into a store that proudly proclaimed the availability of "pre-read books." Riiiiiight.... Kind of creative, actually.
Now "Certified Pre-owned " from some. Supposedly because they have been throughly inspected and needed repairs done. In one case that I recall, the ad said with a warranty. But I didn't look any further, so I don't know if the warranty was the manufacturer's "left over" or one from the dealership, perhaps some kind of insurance they have to cover themselves.
Those banners would still be flying if they still had the inventory that they had a few years ago.
The thing is, you don't have to be a genius to figure out that "pre-owned"="used". But there's plenty of ambiguity in "program cars"
@@johnmckown1267 Certified....Supposedly inspected... All you know for sure is that it is certainly used!😂
All I have is personal anecdotal evidence. I bought a Kia Rondo from Enterprise Car Sales. Low mileage, good price. Best used car I ever bought. Had it trouble free for twelve years. Ohio rust started to get to it underneath, traded it before it became an issue.
I once had a rental pull up beside me and the rear wheels were smoking, I told him he had the park break on, he shrugged and drove off.
ahem,... they prefer to be called 'program cars'. Please use the correct pronoun.
Great video. As a former Enterprise employee and car dealership employee you are mostly right. Maintenance on the Enterprise cars was generally decent, I'd say better than the average owner. Any car with a safety recall was not rented, period, zero exceptions.
Collision work was done fast and cheap, one body shop in our zone did dozens of cars a month, usually accident history won't be found on carfax from a rental. If you hate insurance companies, you'd be happy to know they are fleeced in a number of ways by the industry.
Probably 3/4ths of the used inventory the dealer I worked at was bought at auction and were former Enterprise cars. They were Chevy, which was what our dealer sold new. I believe most customer just assumed they were trade-ins. If a customer inquired, we would tell them it was a rental and also provided a link to each vehicles Carfax which would state the same. Most people didn't ask and we wouldn't volunteer it.
If you still decide to buy a former rental, do it from the rental company directly, they keep the best and auction the rest. No matter what the history report says, have it inspected by a mechanic AND a body shop.
My daughter and I are going on a long road trip and we were talking about which of our vehicles to take. We quickly decided to rent a car for the trip because, "as long as it still looks pretty and has the same amount of gas in it, you can do whatever you want in a rental." I wouldn't buy a former rental if my daughter had used it. She babies her own truck. But she abuses rentals like crazy.
Why? I don't get why people actively trash a car for which they are probably more likely to be held accountable for?
She has bad morality then
@@Cheepchipsable because both her truck and my suv have over 200,000 miles on them and are 20 years old. A rental is newer and more likely to be able to go up and down the steep mountains where we will be headed. The rental company doesn't care if we drive in rough terrain as long as there is no noticeable body or interior damage. But her truck's transmission and my SUV's suspension can no longer handle that kind of drive.
Hello Steve,
I just came upon your channel a month or so ago, and found it habit forming.
Your intellect, personality and good humor are impressive!
Your ability to express, in many cases complicated law is inspiring. It's nice to know that there are Attorney's in this complicated society we now live, like yourself, who value the law, honestly and integrity, and, strive to better the human race!
Cheers, from Stockton, in the insane State Of California.
I've purchased 4 ex rental cars. In Jersey, New York and Florida. They were all disclosed as "off rental" and were one year old with under 20k miles. Of course I inspected them and test drove them before purchase. Had good luck with all of them. Still have the one purchased in Florida.
Did you align them?
the under 20k was probably the factor as they werent driven into the ground and sold at 100k miles
@@ghostwriter720 Agree. The first 3 had under 12k. The one I have now had 18k.
I've bought 2 used rental cars. They both were great. Always have an independent shop of your choosing inspect any used vehicle you plan on buying. Just Let them know you're in the market and for a flat $100-$200 they'll inspect like 5 or 6 cars for you and they'll usually bump you in the queue knowing you're on a test drive. It's also a nice flex to leave that bad inspection record in the glove box when you decide to keep looking
I remember 20-30 years ago where rental car companies really pushed the fact that buying a used rental car was a great idea as they kept flawless service records on there well maintained cars. I buy a new car every 7-8 years and I have every receipt/record from my previous car.
I have all the records for my current vehicles which were bought a while back. The newest one is a 2014.
I bought two former rentals, and had no issues with either.
Why do you buy a new car every 6 to 8 years? Do ypu not take care of your car?
@@everythingpony my vehicles are kept in very good condition. I am a C7 quadriplegic from an accident from a fall at work and I’m under Worker’s Compensation and they replaced my vehicle every 7 to 8 years and must have at least 100,000 miles on it. The reason they replace the vehicle even though it’s in still great working condition is a safety issue for me so that I don’t get stranded. Plus after warranty has expired they don’t want to have to invest money in a vehicle after 100,000 miles. They always buy a seven year 100,000 mile warranty extension for the vehicle. I keep all my receipts so that I can show the insurance company that I take care of the vehicle they spent so much money on which I am getting a new one now that is $117,000.
Hertz doesnt even know if they actually OWN a specific car, let alone if anyone ever put oil in it
Hey Steve great discussion and video. Almost 4 years ago I bought a known used rental car for $14k with 33k miles on it. That little Altima 4 cyl has an additional 140k miles on with with only 2 mpg drop from its original 39 mpg it gets every maint done at the dealership which isn’t perfect but a client requires and pays for it so that’s how it rolls. I gambled and have been lucky!
Thanks Steve, keep up the good work
Hey, don't worry about getting credit for something you didn't deserve -- there are plenty of other times where you get blamed for something that wasn't your fault.
Flabbergasted and obviously crestfallen! LMAO
Steve, you rock!
Worse is a fleet vehicle. Vehicles at my work during the summer sometimes are left idling for 4-6hr but drive
It's a waste of gas, but idling should generally be better for cars, less heat cycles and stresses than using a car a few times a day then bringing it back to sit in a lot then repeat and the wear from driving shouldn't be too bad as long as they get regular oil changes or what not.
Seriously, those the heating and cooling cycles cause a lot of things to break over time, not just cars, like lead-free solder in laptops/phones as another example it's a better these days but over several years your devices can randomly stop working for no reason, well cracked solder joints are one reason.
Steve -- I worked for the NYC zone of Avis RAC in the mid-1980s. Mid-summer of 1985 Avis held a big used car sales event at the Nassau Coliseum. I happened to be in the corner with the Toyotas when they flung the doors open at noon. I had 22 signed contracts before we closed at 8pm. Regarding the purchase of any former rental car, I can only say it depends on the car, the miles, and the city. Des Moines or Columbus, OH cars are probably OK, but NYC or LA, not so much. Catching cars for scheduled maintenance in smaller cities is easier. Cars are usually cycled out of the fleet with mileage between 15K and 18K. Cars of this vintage can usually be sold at retail blue book, and are probably a good value. Cars under 18K have probably had NO corrective maintenance done, but might have had warranty work performed. "Program" leased cars were sold back to GM, Ford or Chrysler, which then wholesaled them. Cars with over 20K typically get wholesaled or sold at auction. Not sure if it's still true, but the RAC companies buy or lease a lot of otherwise undesirable cars from Detroit, in part to help the manufacturers meet CAFE standards with ugly, under powered cars. Avis used to rent the Renault Dauphin. You had to push in the turn signal to honk the horn. The horror!
The phrase “It’s just a rental” is said a lot when the driver decides on certain behaviors while behind the wheel.
Drive it like you stole it.
The real awareness is that the rental companies are far far to lax with maintenance schedules. Because if something bad happens.. "Well it must have been something, You, the customer was doing"
Too many horror stories of work colleagues that litterally got into the rental and it broke down on the way to the hotel.
Working, Red Eye, Arrival and try to check in to drop your suitcase off before going to client site. One colleague broke down, 2 hours for tow truck (in a state with no passenger assist) and another 1 hour for a taxi and? The next day a call from the bank saying he had been charge 2k by the rental company for "damages". It was dismissed but it was the risk he had to assume as part of the job. AND got shit from bosses when he got back ("oh you must be one of those negligent drivers we hear about.")
Thankfully most Turo guests treat my cars pretty good. Not all but most appreciate the fact that it's owned by an individual and may be their only mode of transportation.
So funny...
Thank you Jalopnic for reprinting this in large print for a used car salesman to read.
I think program cars came from the car manufacturer to include shi*boxes to resell prior damaged vehicles.
The auto industry has gone to hell.
If I ever upset a used car salesman I would be extremely happy.
I have bought from 4 of them, and two of them got outright pissed. One was a logical dude that was just flipping cars for a little somthing and we came to a deal where he made about 350 bucks on a car worth 2 grand, we were both happy. other happy sales guy sold me a Mercury off a Caddillac lot and wasn;t on commission.
The two that got mad? First guy I traded in my 13 year old Bronco and the Mercury from above on a used Expedition. baby faced young guy made me a trade in offer over the phone, I lived about 3 hours away. Drove down there. Guy was PISSED there was rust around the back wheels of my Bronco. I told him I told you that on the phone. What had happened is when they took them for inspection, his boss came out and chewed his ass and told him they couldn't get 1/3 of what he had promised me at auction. Then the boss made him take the difference out of his commission. I drove away in the Expedition, the salesguy wouldn't even shake my hand or look me in the eye as we did paperwork and left without a word as soon as I picked up the keys off the desk.
The other guy I didn't buy from. I got in a wreck years ago and wanted a 4 door sedan on the lower end of cost to replace. Local small time guy had a few in small town south of me, including a fairly old but really nice looking DeVille. Told me he needed to be somewhere/leave in two hours when I asked for a test drive. I drove it to my home about 10 minutes away so I could crawl under it for rust, it looked pretty good one bad spot in a wheel well. Went back to the lot. Whole thing was maybe 35 minutes.
Guy was mad, red faced mad(he was like 60 so it really was obvious against his grey hair) said he had to leave soon, I took way to long "what did you drive it to xxxx(three towns away)". I asked if he had the clear title, he actually turned more red faced and blew up saying he can;t sell untitled cars... i interrupted him and told him my Uncle up north just got done being scammed by a small time guy and lost 1500 bucks that way and i was just doing what I need to. Then I made an offer on the car, 2 grand even, he was asking 2200. He got even more red faced and told me to get off his lot, "nothing wrong with that car grumbles" turned to his secratary and said " I gotta get going, this joker will make me late!" and left. Secretary apologized, and actually said "things go better when he isn;t here". I told her best of luck, sorry for offering to buy a car from them(I was laughing at that part out loud) and a couple months later I had that Expedition.
Just remember with those guys, you didn;t choose for them to live that life, they did. And if they are being silly, it's not your fault, or obligation, to buy that vehicle from them, or even at the price they want. Offer what you think is fair(or walk away if it is bad) and have no regrets.
Steve I bought a 2020 Ford Fusion hybrid with 3 thousand miles. There car was a rental car for Ford and I normally wouldn’t buy but for the price and mileage I made the decision to buy it. Haven’t had a single problem
The problem may be the title of the article and some of the contents.. It might need to be edited, change the wording to 'program' everywhere it says, 'rental'.
I have a friend who's a mechanic that maintains a fleet of rental cars. He likes to tell the joke that the best off-road vehicle, a vehicle that will go anywhere anytime is not a Jeep or dune buggy, or any other special purpose off-road vehicle, but rather a rental car. Of course he's referring to the abuse that rental cars get. The other point that Steve makes is that rental car companies are very cheap regarding doing maintenance on cars and only want to pay for what they have to. If they're more of an 'up scale' rental business they do even less maintenance because they rotate their fleet more often. My friend works on a fleet for a low scale cheapie rental agency so they rent out the cars as long as they can, so pay for some maintenance, but only what they absolutely have to, basically when the cars are falling apart.
I used to go out of town on business and get rental cars. I never drove over parking lot barriers myself, but I can tell you that I drove the living 'heck' out of them accelerating hard, stopping hard etc.
Funny that a used car salesman would get offended. He must sell them. Two vocations me thinks you need a thicker skin for. Car sales, new or used, and being a lawyer. Better not to be one of those and not have a good sense of humor about those vocations.
Totally agree with honesty in transactions...
Like products labled "ultra premium"
"Super deluxe" or some other string of synonyms that try to inflate the perceived value of an item.
Having worked for Manheim for several years, I can assure you that the vast majority of cars at CarMax are repos and lease/rental cars, and Carvana has a fleet of haulers lined up at a Manheim side lot awaiting cars.
CarMax lists a lot of their cars as Fleet Vehicles?
I've bought two lease return Lexus' and was very happy with them.
@@SmittyAZ I bought a Lexus at the end of a lease, too. That was 21 yrs. ago and I still drive it.
@@wholeNwon I've also leased two cars and I kept the mileage low and made sure there was no penalty at the close, so the cars were near perfect.
@walmartdog11 Carvana seems to be having problems with car titling--why would that be? Surely not the cars from the auction.
@@SmittyAZ If I weren't going electric next, I'd want to buy you out of your lease.
Steve, I understand your point, and it's a point of risk, a percentage of risk. First, I am not a used car salesman, nor am I a new car salesman, nor have I ever purchased a car previously owned by a rental car company, however, I have rented my fair share of rental cars in my 40+ years of driving experience. I have purchased a "Certified Pre-owned Vehicle". In the 2-dozen or so vehicles I have personally rented, I've never been abusive to driving one. Does that make me a "One of a Kind" rental car driver? I don't think so. Is a maintenance schedule maintained on a rental car? Yes, I would say yes, as much as is reasonably possible and it does get done in a reasonable time when it is scheduled for maintenance. At least it has a schedule. I of course know of private car owners that are very lax in their responsibility of car maintenance. But, really, is this a definitive reason to cast doubt on the purchase of a "Pre-Owned Rental Vehicle"? Well of course it is, but just how much is the question. You make it sound like the risk is 100% assured the person purchasing a "Rental Vehicle" is buying a problem child. I think the risk is no more or no less than purchasing a "Trade In" vehicle or a vehicle that is being sold privately or on eBay....
Now the real cars to watch out for and consider higher risk are "Corporate Vehicles" and of course, "Taxis". Corporate vehicles pretty much get used up and treated like shibbits by the employees driving them. But personally, I would not have any problem considering purchasing a pre-owned rental vehicle after performing customary due diligence on the vehicle.
Hey Steve, do you still take clients? I don't need a lawyer, I was just wondering. A family friend retired from his practice (years ago) but kept his license current for years after.
According to his website, yes.
Dang!! I wish I read this article back then!! I work in auto repair and can tell you that everything you said is mostly true. All the rental companies will get NEEDED safety repairs but they want the cheapest repair possible. Also they require the wrong oil, conventional instead of synthetic. If the car states 0W30 but says 5W30 can be used, THAT is what they require. Plus people rent the car and abuse it severely, cancel the credit card used so they cannot be charged excessive fees.
40years ago while driving a rental car in Nevada I told a friend "Never buy a rental car" and with that said a cop pulled me over for speeding in the dirt left shoulder passing a car.... $157.50 later all was good.
To brzmi jak Polska, naprawdę
Oh boy, does this story bring back memories. Iam 55 now. Back in my younger years, time frame around 1990's or there about, I use to be an Auto Body Painter. There was a shop that I painted at that was the repair center for one of the Nations BIG Car rental outfits. I can tell you that I had painted 100's of these vehicles due to damage from renters. These rental outfits demanded that the repairs be done at the cheapest cost. Thus why the shop I painted at was the winner of the contract. The things we were told to do to these vehicles was something else. Typically, if an insurance or customer pay job was being done to the vehicle it was done to the best of my ability. These rental cars, the only sanding that was done on the panel(s) was the areas that were repaired. The rest of the panel was masked, cleaned and painted over. These things only had to be presentable to make it over the auction block to be sold to dealerships. Am I happy about the work that was done? Not at all. Its one of those things when the boss says Do It, I did it. Another reason why to never buy a "program vehicle."
Upset them freely the dealership model needs to change and evolve.
I’ve owned two former rental cars. Both have been great vehicles. I had them professionally inspected before purchased.
You can always tell when a car salesman is lying,....his lips are moving.
He’s breathing I fixed it for you
@@djroselli6310 That was GREAT!!!! thanks.
@@8000RPM. the only profession more sleazy than lawyer is used car salesman! Steve Lehto being the exception that proves the rule !
@@djroselli6310 it's the opposite
Actually that applies to customers but I suppose the salesman would need to level the playing field from time to time!
I have had very good luck with 2 former u haul trucks and one taxi fleet vehicle. 1 U-Haul had a still good engine that I sold/installed. The second U-Haul actually had a reman engine from the dealership. Very strong engine still running good 8 years later. And the 3rd motor was well maintained by a fleet mechanic and passed all my tests before putting it in another truck. I think it all comes down to having a mechanic check things over and help weed out the bad ones
I remember a story of a group of pro football players that would rent cars, mostly Towncars, buy the insurance and then have a smash up derby with them. When they were done, or the cars would no longer run or drive, they would call the rental company tell them where the cars were and walk away from them. Apparently they did this quite often, they said it was a blast of fun. I personally have gotten a few rentals airborn, honed my brake torqueing skills, power sliding ability, and my favorite speed reverse to forward take offs. Rentals make great test vehicles. Where and how else can you have that much fun for $40.00 a day with unlimited mileage?
Except it's a criminal offence.
I bought one of these cars. I bought the extended warrant and used it fairly quickly. But I am very happy with the car and they had to fix my issues for free. Now I have been driving it a few years with no further issues.
I've only driven a rental once, a decade ago, when my truck was in the shop for some repairs. It was newer, lower mileage, nice condition. Still, I wouldn't buy a vehicle that was part of a rental fleet.
Steve, I did buy a former rental car, a 2007 Ford Taurus at the time 19K on the clock. It was 1 year old and got it for $8600. Here it is 14 years later and it just turned 170K. I do all of my own maintenance and I would do it all over again. The ford 3.0 pushrod V6 is an awesome engine. I do a fluid exchange (100%) plus new filter on the trans every 40K miles. No major problems other than batteries, brakes and rear wheel hubs as of yet.
What trans is there?
Bruce Gender, or
Ru Paul?
You should have told that used-car dealer “Don’t be upset about the article, only one reprint and only read by a little old lady in church…”
I bought a used 2020 BMW x1 from, of all places Carvana. I like Carvana. This is my second purchase from them.
At any rate, the Carfax report listed all of the maintenance/servicing that has taken place since it was first purchased. It was all performed in accordance to the proper intervals. Of course there's a little bit of exterior paint chips - which I already knew because Carvana showed these "hotspots" on their website.
6:12 I think I have an idea what might have upset him, you're unintentionally calling him out, so now he feels guilty even though he won't admit that he's the actual problem, being the living stereotype of a shady used car dealer, scammers really don't like being honest about anything as helps them distance themselves from their scams and the harm it causes.
You are either very brave or very foolish! AWESOME!
The POWER of Big Pizza! It even allows Steve to have OPINIONS!
I sold pre-owned vehicles on consignment for a year. I am not offended!
That nation-wide car vendor that offers a known price for their cars misses a lot of items if they check their cars at all. I was shocked as I thought they checked their cars before selling them. They missed a number of problems when I last purchased a car from them. I'm not sure they'd be on the top of my list for my next purchase.
'Missed', failed to disclose....
BUT you bought that car. They're happy.
I had a car that 18months of maintenance history on Carfax that happened before the car was actually built. We bought a car in the early 1990's from a local used car lot and it wasn't running quite right, nothing major. They promised to fix it, by the time we finished and drove it off, still not quite fixed, I kept bringing it back until they told me they would no longer honor their warranty and supplied me with forms for filing on a warranty situation. Long story short, we took it to a mechanic for an oil change and he noticed the plug wires had dry rotted and were shorting out. Replaced those, ran fine.
Probably the Used Car Salesman had been looking too deep into a bottle before "attacking" you and your article!
Yeah, posting on a Saturday night after drinking a 6-pack of tall-boys probably isn't a good plan.
I wound up buying a rental car that had been sold to a private party who then sold it to a dealer as the "original owner" some months later (they said). This hid the fact that it was a rental car until I started finding all sort of weird "repairs" on the car. I found out later that the Odometer had been "replaced" (yea, rollback), and that there had been duct tape repairs on the back of the back seat in the trunk that had been spray painted with undercoating texture to hide it. The convertible top also had duct tape repairs that had been hidden and glued/painted so that I could not see until the top just fell apart about 6 months after I bought the car. It also just ate tires like it was going out of style. I wish I had done more research on that car when I bought it from the dealer. I eventually bought a carfax report after some of these discoveries, and it showed several accidents (bent frame which explained the tire issue) as well as the rental car source, all of which the dealer denied at the time of purchase. Never never never ever buy a used car without getting a history report of some sort before you lay out the cash.
Ben - North West corner of "I can't drive 55"
Aw poor baby got his feelings hurt. Your are always on point Steve.
I needed a good laugh, thanks 😁
I bought a used car from Hertz. I still own it and for the most part just normal things that go wrong with this type of car. I am very happy with my car.
One thing I was able to do was to get the car for a 3 day "rent before you buy" and was able to take it to my local mechanic to get checked out before agreeing to purchase. It went through inspection and everything looked great. The price I paid was on the lower end of what cars of this make/model/millage were going for - so it was a good deal.
All you need to do is your due diligence.
I had the car inspected and I was also a part of that inspection as I went up under the car to see for myself that it was in pristine condition with no water damage (The car spent it's life in Florida and I am in Chicago) I spent 3 days going over the car for anything that would set off a red flag.
In the 4 years I have had the car I have had to replace
The water pump (Mechanic said that it was not unusual for this make model). Note: it had not gone out yet, but I noticed some unusual behavior and had it checked.
The ignition coil pack - again not that unusual.
Rear Brake Calipers
The tires - even though they had good tread they developed dry rot cracks.
And standard maintenance.
Did the same thing pre-pandemic world. I thought it was a good way to get a car for quite a bit less ($2000 less) than locals could do.
I wonder, I you asked the salesman what program car meant would he have to give a truthful answer? Oops, that's right, they are allowed to lie anyhow.
On the other hand I just bought a used car at a used car dealership. I was given a flat price which I paid and they didn't add any kind of charges. They even registered the car for me at no extra charge! This is the first time I've shook the hand of a car dealer without feeling the need to wash my hands after I left.
Thanks, Steve. Much obliged...
The term "car salesman" is a euphemism for "theif".
“Theif”?
I before E except after C.
There are exceptions but it's a pretty reliable rule.
I love this. I bought a rental car. 08 Malibu classic in Dec of 08. They pushed the Carfax and how clean it was. Then a few months down the road I was working on it and noticed some oddities about how the trim pieces attached. Then when I scraped a concrete wall with my front bumper and I went to get a quote to fix it the body shop asked what rear ended me. I didn't know what he was taking about. He then showed me the evidence of a major rear ending. Fast forward a couple years my air bag sensor has an issue. Fast forward a few more years I get hit at a slow speed. I was talking to the adjustor from the other person's insurance and he explained how car fax works and how they probably fixed it. Then showed me more evidence that he thinks it was rear ended and rolled. Also you having opinions does keep me up at night. I'm always wondering what you're opinion is on many things 🤣
Steve, thank you for this video. Like others, I also learned what A Program Car actually is. I have seen them on lots and assumed, like you stated other had, been a leased or Manufacturer Employee owned vehicle. I know that the parents of many of the kids in my neighborhood worked at Oldsmobile or Fisher Body and got employee vehicles that had extra features because they got a deal GM on their purchase as an employee. But what GM did 60 years ago is not the GM process today.
in 2016 I bought a 2013 Hyundai Genesis with relatively low mileage and it looked to be in really good shape. Less than a year later the transmission went out on it, and that's when I learned that the vehicle had been a rental for the first 35,000 miles of its life. Not sure if I would've purchased the car had I known that up front, but the saving grace in this is that I purchased it CPO from a Hyundai dealer, so they were on the hook to replace the transmission.
I actually remember reading this article on Jalopnik, before I had any idea who you were. :D
my dad was one of the best furniture salesmen at the company he worked for many years in a row , and he taught me this , rather be honest and lose a sale while gaining your customers trust , because as a salesmen your job is to give your customer what he really needs , not just taking his money
and he was the best because when people came in to buy furniture , they would refuse to be served by anyone but him , because they trusted him
and he sold furniture hand over fist , he sold so much he often had to buy out furniture at other furniture stores to meet the demand , he outsold branches 4 times the size of his branch
a dishonest salesmen will always run out of people to con
I honestly remember reading this article when I was 15, and the only thing that might have annoyed me was I already knew most of the points as basic research when buying a second hand car, but my grandpa having a tow yard let me see a lot of automotive aspects of the world, specifically for this a 2003 impala SS that had a lemon buyback title, and lots of wrecked, stolen, and abused rental cars. Once you see something its easy to know what it is. And most people don't know their rights, especially with examples in the form of your videos like the woman who bought a car at the dealership without even seeing it in person, as the rep told her it was being surviced, then took her in to sign paperwork. Then changed the terms of the paperwork after she signed.
Almost time to bring out those fancy summer rides Steve..!!
Excellent Finnish accent at end 😂 very accurate.
I should rewrite Steve's article for Turo cars. I can agree with Steve on most rentals because one of my four rental cars was a previous standard rental car. It had damage in the back quarter panel that had been improperly repaired. I found out when the Bondo cracked. Tldr I took it to a good Tesla approved repair shop where they replaced the whole quarter panel and did a factory like job.
I can tell you right now that Turo unlists vehicles for any and all perceived minor issues. Absolutely any minor recall will get a car unlisted. If a guest says one of the brand new tires went flat it will be unlisted. When I take it to a body shop to get a minor dent repaired and they find out it will be unlisted. To get it relisted they want it inspected by a ase certified mechanic. Around here if you can find one that will do it costs about $100. And you have to schedule your car for it which can be days out. As a former mechanic the process and their policies are maddening. Apparently none of their employees are car people. Most have no knowledge of physical sciences. Thankfully they seem to know that tires are round.
My flat tire car I put the second set of tires on and sent it out the door the next day. The girls drove on the flat despite the tpms light being on and ruined the tire. But Subarus need matching tire sizes so ended up getting 4 new tires later. I run full synthetic oil and change it every 3-4 thousand miles for the turbo cars and 7,000 for the non-turbo cars and I can tell you that if you do that you can delay an oil change once or twice with no problem.
That all being said I'm just one owner with four cars I'm renting out. The downside to Turo is you never know how a host is going to take care of their cars.
Yes Steve it so right! I bought a 626 Mazda rental from a Mazda dealer.The car looked new as I bought it at the end of the new car year. long story the car had 25k on it .By the time this car hit 60 k it went through 2 transmitions payed by Mazda.I sold it before it broke again.
Hey Steve, what ever happened to the epilog for Crazy Town?
We purchased a Ford Aerostar in the early 90s from Budget rental that was still under manufacture warranty. Had a couple of small things repaired but it was a great van. Many vacations from CO to FL a couple of times, San DIEGO, Mexico, the Dakotas.. Only traded it because we got a bigger van. Today I would definitely think twice about that purchase.
I rented a car recently. They told me not to worry about the flashing display that said "Maintenance required". The sticker showed that it has not even had its initial free service and was already due for its third service. The representative told me to use 91 petrol but the petrol filler said only use 95! People using 91 probably explained the lack of power/pinging when I drove it - luckily it was only a couple of days while my car was being repaired.
@ Lehto’s law… I am going to agree to disagree agree with you. Buyer beware should be happening regardless to where you buy any car. I have a Toyota Camry in the body shop still (because insurance is being slower than snail 🐌 snot in April), on paying the claim to the body shop and for me… I digress, I bought a car that was originally a enterprise rental and then it ended up on a local lot. My Camry has been a steadfast wonderful car. Black beauty (as I call her), is a blessing. She had approximately 25,000 miles on her at time of purchase. So… you are correct too. Thank you 🤔❤🇺🇸
Oh, Steve! There you go makin' friends again...
My grandparents had decent luck with a couple of ex rental cars, one a first Gen Ford Granada (75-77) they acquired before I was born and the next a 1984 Ford midsize LTD. My dad ended up with the Granada and I ended up with the LTD. Not all rental vehicles are driven or maintained correctly your results may vary see Steve for details.
Personally rented a ford transit last week. According to the sticker and the dash it was 3k overdue for an oil change
This happened to me . Purchased a BMW Z3 from a BMW dealership who failed to tell me it was an ex rental. The first time I washed it I found a Hertz label under the seat. Contacted the salesperson who asked what did I matter. Ended up talking to the owner of the dealership who promptly took the car back and supplied me with one that had been used by BMW management with less miles and an apoligy. I purchased a heap more BMW's from that dealership dealing with the owner. The salesperson no longer worked at that dealership.
In 15 years in the car business I had fewer customer issues with cars we bought from Enterprise than cars we too in on trade. Just saying.
When you buy any used car inspect it carefully and take it to your own place to get looked at. Retired rentals can be fine or not just like any used car.
Store I worked at never called them program cars (I was in Michigan). We had our customers sign a copy of the Carfax to acknowledge they had a chance to see it. On the Carfax it says "Rental" anyway.
I lived in Lansing Michigan and left the state over 25 years ago and new car GM dealerships were using the term "program vehicle" way back then for some of their used cars. I always thought that a "program vehicle" was a car driven by GM company employees as they would advertise as such. But again this was over 25 years ago. And also Michigan is the only state that I've heard this term used for a used car.
Fully d'accord with you there. If a dealer tries to not tell you the truth about a vehicle, you probably shouldn't buy it.. and not disclosing a rental history is equally bad as a rolled back odometer or a freshly cleaned motor.