buying ex fleet / ex rental

peasant

I'm currently in (telephone) negotitiations with an independent dealer about a car that is going fairly cheap.

The dealer hasn't gotten back to me with all the details yet ...but I suspect that the car previously was a fleet / rental car.

It's an 03 with just under 60 k miles on it (Diesel).

Before I drive across the whole country to have a look at the car ...what is the sages' opinion on buying ex fleet / rental?

The car in question was a newish model in 03 and is known to have had a few electrical niggles in the beginning.

Would a fleet / rental company carry out diligent servicing? In other words is there a chance that all these niggles might be taken care off by now (in theory they should be after 60k) ...or do rental / fleet companies just keep thrashing the car and service only when it is dead by the roadside?

Anybody got any experiences?

crosstownk

The fleet company should have a service history on the car - ask the dealer if he can get this for you.

I work for a fleet company and we ensure the highest standards in servicing but it is up to the driver of the car to tell us when the car is due a service. That said, if we spot a car that is overdue a service we will contact the driver to arrange one. There is a difference between a rental car and a fleet car. Rental cars could have had a different driver everyday and sometimes, during the peak tourist season especially, these cars may not be serviced as regularly as they should. A fleet car usually has one driver for the period of the lease. Some drivers treat the car as if it was there own and others simply couldn't give a fcuk.

Now think about from the fleet company or rental companies point of view. With a fleet company the car is usually covered by contract maintenance. This means the lessee pays a premium every month for maintenance - so it is in the interests of the fleet company to ensure that the car is serviced regularly in order not to void warranty or suffer other costly faults which will be at the expense of the fleet company. It could be argued that the fleet company might 'scrimp' on repairs in order to save a few quid but this, in my experience, is not general practise. A rental company needs to have the car available for rent at all times and is legally responsible for the condition of the car that is rented. So it is good practise to keep the car in good working order. I work closely with two leading rental companies and neither will rent a car if something as small as a bulb is blown.

We sell both exrentals and exfleet cars to the trade here and most are in perfect condition. Be sure to get a warranty from the dealer.

If you've any more questions - just ask!

alias no.9

Meeting the service schedule for lease/fleet cars is often down to the driver. It's often meticulous when that's one person but can be totally neglected when it's a pool car. Rental cars are usually disposed of before any serious maintenance is required but may have been thrashed (read manual transmission and many american tourists). The best thing to do is ask to see the service history and take the car for a spin to see if it seems consistent. Also do the usual check for any stickers indicating when the next service is due and see if they correspond to recorded work.
If you're in the market for this type of car, it might be worthwhile to try and contact the leasing companies direct and cut out the middle man.

peasant

Thanks guys !!

That's sound info ...much appreciated.

As I said, at the moment I don't even know yet if it's fleet/rental and I suspect the dealer doesn't either (yet)

But I think I shall cross the country and have a looksee. On paper the car ticks all the boxes ...hope it does in the metal as well.

Reason why I don't go to fleet companies directly is that i kindo DO need a middleman to trade in my current car ...selling privately is so much hassle.

maidhc

I bought an ex-fleet that was subject to a maintenance contract earlier this year.

I got the the service history and it had been done every 9k, despite the manufacturer recommending 12.5k. It was well looked after, and apart from a few (very small) scratches on the bumper was in immaculate condition. It was driven by the one driver, and was leased by a small company in cork. It even got a major service with all new filters and brake pads one month before it was sold on, so I havn't even looked at it yet.

So far so good, but I reckon they are looked after better than the vast majory of s/h cars out there.

Alun

If it's an '03 then it's unlikely to be a rental car, I'd say. Usually these aren't kept for more than a season, in many cases this'll be spring to summer, with them coming free in September or so. I bought an ex-rental Focus C-Max and have had no trouble with it whatsoever. It was registered at the end of May '04 and I bought it in October of the same year when it had done only 8000 miles.

crosstownk

maidhc wrote:

So far so good, but I reckon they are looked after better than the vast majory of s/h cars out there.

Thats certainly the case where I work - these cars are treated so well, tbh.

Henry Ford III

Ex fleet - perhaps.

Ex rental - no chance.

crosstownk

Alun wrote:

If it's an '03 then it's unlikely to be a rental car, I'd say. Usually these aren't kept for more than a season, in many cases this'll be spring to summer, with them coming free in September or so.

Yes, that would apply to about 80-90% of most rental fleets. But most rental companies keep some cars for up to 3 years - this is due to VRT implications that, tbh, I don't fully understand. AFAIK, rental companies are exempt from VRT - something to do with tourism, this is why they will only rent cars for 1 month at a time - if you wish to continue the rental then they will give you a different car and a new rental agreement. If the rental exceeds 28 days then the VRT must be paid - same applies if the car is kept for more than one year. For some reason, probably to do with corporate rentals (not sure) they keep cars for longer than a year. In the busy tourist seasons, most rental companies take cars from dealers on short term lease (6 months) and return them in September - thats when you hear the ads on radio for current year cars.

It's more than likely an ex lease car rather than a rental - but if it turns out to be a rental you'd want to get it checked over thoroughly.