buying a car from a rental agency

I never have & can't remember anyone I know doing so but I'm sure it's quite common. Personally, I'd have it checked out by a mechanic first.

We bought a car on STX from a rental agency and it's doing really well. Make sure you have a mechanic look at it and talk to people about who you're buying from . . . we quickly got some opinions about which companies take better care of their vehicles and who does just the basic to keep them running.

Which companys would you recommend?? 😛

Definitely have them checked out............most rentals are driven like they were stolen - HA!

Budget is STT is your best bet. They also come with warranty. And yes, rentals cars over 4 years old can't be rented here. No Rent a Wreck.

I did this in STX 5 years ago. I bought a Ford Focus. It's an island car. I wouldn't say any other Ford Focus would've been worse, but a Ford Focus is a POS. It's running well now because a friend of mine is an ex Ford master mechanic and hooked it up, but remember, no matter where you buy your car, that a cheap car is a cheap car and it will have issues. These Suzuki's you see the rental agencies rent aren't going to last as long as a Honda in my experience.

Sean

Thanks for all the feedback! So from the man at the rental agency I talked to this morning, I learned that it's "five years old" measured through the last month of the inspection. So, a 2003 car can be rented through the beginning of 2009 if that's when its inspection comes due, but then it must be sold.

From the rental agencies I've spoken with today, I'm hearing prices of $5K for Vitaras, $6-$7K for Wranglers of the same vintage. Higher than I was expecting.

Ronnie, thanks for the tip on Budget! I'll check them out.

There used to be a Rent A Wreck type joint out by the airport in STT around the time of Hugo. I rented one when my car was in the shop & it had no brakes. Glad that's not allowed any more.