Would you buy / Have you bought ex-rental ?

[Europa25]

I've just traded in my Passat I owned for the last 4 years, and went for a Golf TSi SE at VW.

I'm not happy with the Golf, re noise / effectively concealed bodywork issues, so VW have a 30 day no-quibble exchange which I am regrettably having to use. I had a v short test drive with a rather authoritative salesman below 40mph, whereas I use the motorway constantly.

I've decided to go back to what I know - Passat - and have been offered a B7 for not much more, though 2 years younger.

It's 9 months old, 16k, 1.6TDi S BMT manual.

They're asking (mileage adjusted) full price , so having maybe had 100+drivers, many washes, and I'm not sure what kind of treatment.
I haven't seen the car yet, as they are sourcing a handful. As I say, it's main dealership, 27 months left on the warranty.
(I'm not sure how the wear and tear factor fits in with in this), but I need something reliable, as it will spend 90% of it's life on the M25!

I'm torn between this, or possibly a very late ie 10 plate B6 with better spec with one careful owner !

The car arrives at the dealership this week, so I shall look then, but could it be more trouble than it's worth ?
I haven't hired for a while, but think that most car renters tend to thrash/test the vehicle, kerb it, plus it could have had some scrapes at 1700 miles a month.

It's an ex - Avis airport vehicle.

Really appreciate any feedback please !

[sarah_a3]

Have no experience in buying an ex rental so can't help there. But I work for a big company and we are given hire cars when out on business and I think many other companies operate this way. I'm always very careful with the cars (don't want to lose my job!) but have heard many stories from colleagues about testing out the cars (such as the first gear challenge) so there's definitely a risk of it having been used and abused. Remember also that for each rental, these cars are probably driven by three people - a delivery driver each way and the renter themselves. You're correct on the many washes front as they deliver a clean car each time so could be several washes a week at this time of year. There's usually at least some kerbing or scratches on models I get which are generally less than six months old so I'd imagine all this is tidied up with smart repair techniques before being sold on. Worth keeping an eye out for these when you take a look.

Ultimately it's a function of the component reliability from when it was made and the treatment it's had since new. I bet this can vary massively between two rental cars so you need to judge it after viewing. It's not unheard of that a well used car can actually turn out to be more reliable than a one owner example!!

personally I'd always go with a slightly older car with more specification. Good luck with your purchase though and I hope I haven't put you off an ex rental :-)

[Europa25]

Thanks Sarah, loads of info and more to consider !

I think at 16k, I'd be lucky if each and every user had been a decent one - but then you could get an ex blue-chip company car that was driven by a nutter for it's whole life too!

Haven't heard of the first gear challenge, and a good point about the delivery drivers too, especially on long one-wayers, I've known a couple, and they didn't value the cars as they were paid so little...and thought they'd have a bit of fun with a vehicle type they could maybe never own!

It's going to have to come down to a thorough look-over and a decent test drive... tempted to get a RAC used vehicle check as a back-up maybe too.

Thanks again,appreciate it.

[Guest 2]

a previous thread here - VW Dealerships selling ex rental cars.

i wouldn't touch one with a bargepole .. remember there are other cars out there for sale, dont jump at the first one you see.

[Europa25]

Cheers Chris, and thanks for the link and advice...

Can you pop a quick reply with reason why you wouldn't touch ex-rental ?! I'd appreciate it.

Is it from personal experience or engineering know-how ?! I'm close to having to make a decision, and you're totally right, I shouldn't be talked into the first thing that comes along.

Although 27 months VW warranty remains, I'm not sure how much could be put to the wear and tear aspect if there are problems.

Thanks again

[-M-]

I would also stay clear of ex-rental cars if possible. Being in VW dealerships the trend especially in the UK was that fleet companies only spent the minimum amount of money that had to be spent on their fleets.

From experience most ex fleet cars that then went back to VW dealers to be resold were pretty much unloved and always had a service overdue on them - that is to say the reminder was up and could have been for some time. Fleet cars are on longlife and they tend to only run the cars untill the service is due - when servicing was carried out it was rarely with a VW dealer as fleet choose their own cheaper garages for servicing.

The driver is responsible for oil top-ups so you have no idea what oil they may have put in it.

There was also a lot of wear and tear on these vehicles due to the fact they have been driven by x amount of people who don't care or respect the car due to it not being their own vehicle. The vehicle especially the engine needs a gentle hand when first being driven for the 1st year/10,000 miles in order for it to break and settle in. The amount of different drivers it could have had also increases the wear and tear risks especially on manual transmissions where the clutch wear and any faults relating to it would not be covered by VW as it is a wear and tear item that could have failed prematurely due to driver operation.

For example - i recently saw a Tiguan ex-demonstrator with 1000 km/620 miles with a clutch friction plate fault - the lining had come off its plate. VW offered to pay for it under goodwill but still suggested that it was due to driver error and not a parts fault so you have to watch out there.

[Guest 2]

Cheers Chris, and thanks for the link and advice...

Can you pop a quick reply with reason why you wouldn't touch ex-rental ?! I'd appreciate it.

Is it from personal experience or engineering know-how ?! I'm close to having to make a decision, and you're totally right, I shouldn't be talked into the first thing that comes along.

Although 27 months VW warranty remains, I'm not sure how much could be put to the wear and tear aspect if there are problems.

Thanks again

I will do, just got a few things to do this morning and ill reply


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[bertj]

Ask the dealer about ex. VW fleet cars. We bought a 9 month old Passat DSG SE tdi estate that had been used by a Bentley Motors manager. (Bentley, of course are owned by VW). It had only done 4k miles and had loads of extras. It was considerably cheaper than new and had obviously been looked after. It's an excellent car with no issues whatsoever. Your dealer should have a list of these cars. My dealer offered to obtain the car with no obligation to buy. The car had been prepared to an absolutely perfect standard and was like new.

[Europa25]

Thanks M and bert for your comments, appreciate it -and more to think about.
Thanks also Chris for offering to come along (just when you're ready), to comment further too.

I am tied to my dealer now, as it is a 30 day exchange, so it depends on their stock / what they can source.

For a similar price, I can get the ex-rental (1.6 TDi BMT S) (12) , 9 months old, 27 months manufacturer warranty.
or
it would be a 09/59 2.0TDi Highline, 40ish months old, 12 months used car warranty.
Of course the B6 would be higher spec, but the only thing the S doesn't have is park sensors/cruise which they can fit.

They have promised (!) that, they increasingly sell ex-rental, only the best of what's available and that-
VW will not take the car from Avis unless it is in very good condition, they will not accept it from source for the
same reasons, it will have a full major service and used car check-over and on top of that (apart from my instinct),
I will use my RAC cover to use their Essentials Plus vehicle inspection which covers 166 criteria and a full test drive.

Of course with any 2nd hand car, you never really know how it has been treated (you can get a feel), and of course I
am very conscious that this has had multiple drivers, and that could be it's achilles heel.

So it's a decision between newer technology,current model, higher future value, 9 months of (possibly some hard) life vs
40+ months of (possibly easier to determine) life, lower future value, previous model, possibly double the mileage.

See how the week unfolds, opinions, decisions, dealer promises are factored in and whether it is the right choice to sign on
or not !

Thanks again for all your thoughts.

[Guest 2]

I'm here now! *wooooosh*

My own experiences from driving courtesy cars, same thing.

I had a 6 month A4 3.0 TDi quattro on loan .. 10k miles, a large chunk out of the sidewall on the tyre, a large scuff/hole in the rear bumper, various scrapes inside etc.

That was the worst condition "new" car I've drove. It even had a drone from the front left wheel area.

That car had a tough life, and I'm sure its had many 0-60 launches, wheel spins and general messing about. I know I wouldn't of touched that car when it was up for sale.

If you search "rental car abuse" on youtube it pretty sums up why I would never touch one, yes it may look OK on the outside but think of the potential punishment the car has had from people taking the full insurance and giving the car back in whatever condition they leave it in.

When I was in Scotland last year, I stayed at the Holiday Inn Express outside Glasgow Airport and I witnessed a 12 plate Golf being wheel spun to within a inch of its life coming out of the rental office by two young fellas.

Saying that, if you chose the rental car it could be the best car you have ever had and it could go on trouble free for the next 100-200k and could be trouble free apart from wear and tear.

I know I would never touch one, unless it had less than 5k miles on it.

Some viewing - rental car abuse - YouTube