Buying an ex-rental car

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Mister Paul
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Buying an ex-rental car

Post by Mister Paul » 3 years ago

I'd be interested in your views on this.

We bought a 2017 Hyundai i30 a month ago from a dealer. We were told it had one owner. The first service wasn't in the book so I've been chasing it. I've just had an email from the dealer with an attachment confirming the first service. The confirmation was from Europcar and also confirmed that it had been a rental vehicle.

I know that views on buying ex-rentals are mixed. "Hire cars are the fastest in the world" vs "they get serviced properly" and I'm not sure whether to be concerned or not. The other aspect is that the ASA state that dealers should tell potential buyers if a car is ex-lease or ex-rental, as it's a valid consideration when buying and buyers shouldn't have to ask. This is backed up by legislation.

What do you think? I know that resale value would likely be lower if the next buyer knows it's ex-hire. The car is in good condition and we've still got 2.5 years of warranty from it, but that wouldn't cover eg a trashed clutch if it goes early. Do we let it go or contact the dealer, if only to express disappointment that they didn't tell us it was ex-hire?
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Rutabaga
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Re: Buying an ex-rental car

Post by Rutabaga » 3 years ago

Sorry Mr P, I'm only breaking the silence to say that I have been out of the car-owning world for years now, so the anxiety about future unexpected repair/MOT shocks/bills is something I'm very glad to be liberated from.

Having said that, I'd have thought the dealer should have been honest about the car's history, so I'd probably be taking it up with them in a bit of a pissed-off way.
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Greg
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Re: Buying an ex-rental car

Post by Greg » 3 years ago

Judging by the fastidious finnicky Greek pedant I recently hired one from, I'd be biting their hand off to buy one, they were immaculate.
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Joan
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Re: Buying an ex-rental car

Post by Joan » 3 years ago

This is too late to be useful, but thought I would chime in. The "one owner" is a lie, if not in legal terms. The one careful owner almost always means the car has been better looked after than one that has been through many hands. But this car has been through many hands, they just didn't own it. Each renter cared less for the car than would any of multiple owners, and would have been unfamiliar with it eccentricities. The last car I rented was an manual after driving an automatic. I kept forgetting to use the clutch.

Still, probably well serviced, and kept clean.
Nothing handles better than a rented car. You can go faster, turn corners sharper, and put the transmission into reverse while going forward at a higher rate of speed in a rented car than in any other kind. You can also park without looking, and can use the trunk as an ice chest. Another thing about a rented car is that it's an all-terrain vehicle. Mud, snow, water, woods – you can take a rented car anywhere. True, you can't always get it back – but that's not your problem, is it?
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Mister Paul
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Re: Buying an ex-rental car

Post by Mister Paul » 3 years ago

Sorry, after asking for advice I should have updated you with the outcome.

I emailed the manager at the dealer's and said that I was concerned about the purchase and that if I'd known it was an ex-rental car it would have affected our decision to buy. I assume that he knew he was potentially in trouble as he replied almost immediately asking for a time to talk. I was expecting a difficult conversation, partly because I thought might be difficult but also because I didn't know what to ask for to sort it out -returning the car seemed a bit drastic. But it didn't go like that at all. He started off by saying that if we wanted he'd put us back to where we were when we bought the car, with a full refund. That relaxed things straight away. We went back to the dealer the following Saturday and spend 3 hours in there exploring the options. We came out having spent a bit more but with a pre-registered i30 on a really pleasing deal. So we effectively got a free hire car for a couple of months and a brand new car (5 year warranty) with it's initial depreciation already covered.
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Joan
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Re: Buying an ex-rental car

Post by Joan » 3 years ago

That's brilliant.

I have had such negative experiences of car dealers that I am actually shocked by this. It was a lie, but a lie of omission, and they made it right.

Well done!
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Mister Paul
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Re: Buying an ex-rental car

Post by Mister Paul » 3 years ago

Joan wrote:
3 years ago
That's brilliant.

I have had such negative experiences of car dealers that I am actually shocked by this. It was a lie, but a lie of omission, and they made it right.

Well done!
It really surprised me, but for a lesson in turning things around it's a good one for any dealer.
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