Many drivers?

A person called Honest John has a column on car-related issues in the Daily Torygraph. In this week's offering, someone was asking about the wisdom of buying an ex-rental car. (A guy had bought a car as "one owner" from a dealer. It turned out that the one owner was a car rental company.) I would run a mile, but Honest John advised that this would be a good purchase, as it would have properly run in (what?), well serviced (probably) and that "a lot of different drivers is a very good thing for a car".

Is this true? And if so, why?

Just curious.

Reply to
Richard Brookman
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On or around Thu, 25 May 2006 22:04:38 +0100, "Richard Brookman" enlightened us thusly:

I offer as anecdotal evidence the observation made by a chap I used to know who ran no car himself but rented one when he needed one, this after having hired a rover 800...

"is it my fault they put the rev limiter all the way down at 7000?"

Reply to
Austin Shackles

I suppose that one reason it could be true is that multiple drivers not used to the car are more likely to spot problems and insist they get fixed. But I doubt this effect, if it exists, would outweigh the "I don't own it so I don't worry what I do with it" effect. JD

Reply to
JD

That's the same problem I have with the exceptionally horrible shared pool vehicle from work - it develops a funny miss at 80kph in 2nd. Worst bit is that depsite being driven significant distances hard on the rev limiter it refuses to die (and the boss has promised me that he'll buy a new one if I manage to do it a terminal injury).

Reply to
EMB

I'm not sure about many drivers, but I bought an ex-rental car - the nice thing about with it was that it had a printed out list of

*everything* that had ever been done with it - even down to changing the windscreen wipers! It was obviously not a pool car - I know how badly they are treat! but given the vehicle was more likely some middle-management type had it, I guess you just have to think about who is likely to have owned or driven the car.

Matt

Reply to
Matthew Maddock

heel-toe right foot slip-clutch left foot

that should do it

Company Cars? Bl**dy marvellous - never need oil, water etc. run for miles.

Reply to
William Tasso

In a couple of days time my wife's car will be traded in. When she bought it we were rather unsure if we were doing a wise thing -- it was an ex-rental Fiat Cinquecento (of all things!), but there were various complicated reasons why it was the only example of the model that she could find at the time.

That little car has been a trojan -- she's tripled the mileage on it, and it still storms about, doubling as an economical run-to-the-city car and a farmer's truck. That's why it's been so difficult to find a modern replacement, and it's only going now because it's just beginning to make the 'hot' smells that herald not-wellness. Oh, and I've been underneath and seen what a couple of years of farm lane mud have done to the underside!

So in our experience at least, an ex-rental car has proved to be a delight... but I must admit I'd probably not feel so happy about a rep's motorway chariot Mondeo/Vectra etc.

GRAEME ALDOUS Yorkshire

Reply to
Teeafit

Reply to
Viviane

There's a big difference between "rental" as in Avis etc, and "rental" as in 'been to one user on contract hire'. I wouldn't touch the former with a barge pole - I drive them regularly. They are with customers from mile 0 and get no running in at all.

Reply to
Tim Hobbs

My Defender was ex-rental, in the first month it had a new gearbox and some transfer box bits replaced under warranty, but the engine has been as sweet as a nut all the years I've had it. Given that I've only ever driven one landy extensively, I had to take the dealer on his word that it was very "revvy" and quick off the mark for a 300TDi, even before I put the Fearns intercooler on. It doesn't use a drop of oil between services, even when I was doing higher mileage in it than I do now.

Not sure if the rest of the truck had been damaged due to ex-rental use as I replaced most of it within the first year due to being too brutal on the pay 'n' play sites at first.

Reply to
Ian Rawlings

On or around Fri, 26 May 2006 13:14:19 +0100, Tim Hobbs enlightened us thusly:

The main point is that the customers care not a fig for the longevity of the thing, as per my earlier comment about rev limiters. I've never revved any of my things to the limit on the road, far less as a habit.

Reply to
Austin Shackles

Nah mate you are doing it the wrong way round 110kph ( 4th?) then drop it into second you can walk back and find out what snapped later or wait for it to break while somone else is driving it.In my younger days the hardest driven cars at autotests were always hire cars and I did hear of one getting rolled. Derek

Reply to
Derek

|| Richard Brookman wrote: || ||| A person called Honest John has a column on car-related issues in ||| the Daily ||| Torygraph. In this week's offering, someone was asking about the ||| wisdom of ||| buying an ex-rental car. (A guy had bought a car as "one owner" ||| from a dealer. It turned out that the one owner was a car rental ||| company.) I would run a mile, but Honest John advised that this ||| would be a good purchase, as it would have properly run in (what?), ||| well serviced (probably) and that "a lot of different drivers is a ||| very good thing for a car". ||| ||| Is this true? And if so, why? ||| ||| Just curious. ||| || I suppose that one reason it could be true is that multiple drivers || not used to the car are more likely to spot problems and insist they || get fixed.

That reason was given in the article: all faults would have been reported and rectified before the next customer. Seems fair enough.

|| But I doubt this effect, if it exists, would outweigh the || "I don't own it so I don't worry what I do with it" effect.

That's my thought exactly. Wheels will have been kerbed, clutches fried, gears crunched, engines slogged or over-revved.

Reply to
Richard Brookman

I've driven hire cars with all manner of defects, and have never insisted that they were fixed for the next customer!

Reply to
Tim Hobbs

|| || I'm not sure about many drivers, but I bought an ex-rental car - the || nice thing about with it was that it had a printed out list of || *everything* that had ever been done with it - even down to changing || the windscreen wipers! It was obviously not a pool car - I know how || badly they are treat! but given the vehicle was more likely some || middle-management type had it, I guess you just have to think about || who is likely to have owned or driven the car. || || Matt

I think the point was that a rental car (as opposed to a lease car) will have had a squillion and one drivers in its life, most in a hurry, most unfamiliar with the car, and not caring a hoot about damage or wear as long as it wasn't visible. You prove the point about good maintenance, though.

Reply to
Richard Brookman

I remember someone telling me that Ford wanted to homologise ? their Mustang ( Shelby ) for racing and persuaded Hertz to have enough to qualify the car as an everyday one ! Hertz then could'nt work out why the cars were coming back knackered after weekends. ( Apparently they were hired, the blueprinted engine removed and raced in a lighter car and returned after the weekend thrashed to death :-))

Reply to
Hirsty's

In article , Derek writes

Reminds me of the (probably apocryphal) tale of the motoring journalist's test drive. On returning to the office he was asked how it went. His reply was "sort of OK, but second gear isn't in the right place", colleagues asked what he meant, so he dug in his pocket and produced part of one of the second gear components.

Adrian

Reply to
Adrian Simpson

ROFL sounds about par for journalists I recall a story about Ferrari launching a new high speed money pit.Before they let the scribes out on the road they wined and dined them in grand style - like Bertorelli (allo allo) would say "whata mistak-a to make-a" and a fair bit of work for the mechanics and body shop. Derek

Reply to
Derek

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