Automotive

Buying used car. Found out it was a rental

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  • Jul 27th, 2015 1:18 pm
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Member
Feb 4, 2015
215 posts
106 upvotes
York, ON
koffey wrote: In this case, you do not get a carproof where as a dealer typically will supply one. Nothing wrong with buying your own UVIP and nothing wrong with you buying your own carproof. A lot of buyers are appalled that as a private buyer, either may not be supplied. Do you own homework and CYA yourself in life I always say. What's $20 here or there.
Notes on the Carproof:

- Dealers have accounts with Carproof whereby they pay a set fee and have unlimited reports. If a car is clean, there is no reason the dealer shouldn't share the Carproof with you. If no Carproof is offered, assume the worst.
- Always ask to see the Carproof on the salesman's computer screen, run there and then. Don't accept a pre-printed copy which may have been edited before printing, or pages omitted after printing.
- Be aware that a Carproof report may still not have a full history on a car. Not all places report to it. If you're buying expensive/high end and are worried about accident damage, a thorough PPI is the way forward.

As I mentioned in my previous post, totally agree that for $20 on a 5-figure investment, there's no reason not to get a UVIP.
Deal Addict
User avatar
Apr 22, 2013
3039 posts
2516 upvotes
Markham
koffey wrote: Car was more than likely purchased by the dealer off auction and really didn't know about the cars past.
You give the dealer too much slack, they rarely are this silly with used car buying. Even at the dealer auctions like Adesa they'll have a sticker indicating the rental company that once had it. Also rental companies often sells directly to the dealers, you'd be surprised at how many main dealers will buy packs of rentals. In fact if the used car sales manager is smart and wants rentals to fill their inventory they buy directly rather than the auction. If any issues arise with the rental, buying directly means they can reject them if they fail your inspection and simply replace with a another identical car, others will repair the vehicle themselves and send the rental company the bill for reconditioning if it wasn't satisfactory. As a result buying rentals is actually more painless for used car departments than buying a private vehicle. Rentals always need to clear cars in large volume, they never risk the wrath of dealers and always accept returns no matter the reason.
Member
Feb 4, 2015
215 posts
106 upvotes
York, ON
JeganV wrote: You give the dealer too much slack, they rarely are this silly with used car buying. Even at the dealer auctions like Adesa they'll have a sticker indicating the rental company that once had it. Also rental companies often sells directly to the dealers, you'd be surprised at how many main dealers will buy packs of rentals. In fact if the used car sales manager is smart and wants rentals to fill their inventory they buy directly rather than the auction. If any issues arise with the rental, buying directly means they can reject them if they fail your inspection and simply replace with a another identical car, others will repair the vehicle themselves and send the rental company the bill for reconditioning if it wasn't satisfactory. As a result buying rentals is actually more painless for used car departments than buying a private vehicle. Rentals always need to clear cars in large volume, they never risk the wrath of dealers and always accept returns no matter the reason.
Agree with this guy. Even if the dealer didn't know at the purchase stage, they will have found out afterwards from:
- Their own VIN lookups/background checks
- Paperwork/records that came with the car
- The tiny odds for that model of that age with that high a mileage in such a short time period to NOT be a rental
- Other rental giveaways (such as barcode stickers on the windows)

In some cases, manufacturers create a model spec for rental companies offering a combination of options (usually low cost, or specific features like nav missing so that the rental company could sell nav unit rental on top) that was never available to the general public.

Obviously the OP has to play nice with the dealer and not throw accusations around in order to get a positive outcome, but I don't believe for one second the dealer didn't know of the car's past - either on paper or through evidence.
Deal Addict
Nov 26, 2011
1101 posts
302 upvotes
ontario
article from 2012 mystery shoppers in gta dealerships

http://www.ctvnews.ca/2012-apa-w5-used- ... n-1.796101

[QUOTE]Disclosure incomplete on daily rentals offered by dealers

Dealers in Ontario are required to disclose when a vehicle offered for sale is a former used daily rental, and most appeared to do so. However, getting accurate information on a former daily rental vehicle is difficult, as the rental companies do not report collision information to publicly available databases, partly due to a loophole in Ontario's reporting requirements for fleets and big leasing companies.


In the small APA sample of daily rentals, no dealer disclosed body repairs to these vehicles; this suggests consumers should not rely on representations concerning collisions involving former daily rental vehicles in Ontario.
[/QUOTE]
Deal Addict
May 16, 2009
1275 posts
83 upvotes
If it was a rental, it really depends on which rental company it used to belong to. When I was with Enterprise, if we had a car that needed work done, we sent it out to a local body shop near us, and that body shop had a very good reputation for quality work (they were a BMW certified repair shop).
Sr. Member
Feb 5, 2004
979 posts
89 upvotes
If making a deal always make it conditional on seeing the UVIP first. Always. Carproof is okay. It signals that the car isn't completely terrible and can move you along in negotiating but not enough to close a deal.

Same thing for a house...make it conditional on financing...or something.

Must leave yourself an out for things like this, dishonesty, buyers remorse etc.
Deal Expert
User avatar
Oct 6, 2010
15881 posts
10565 upvotes
Toronto
JeganV wrote: You give the dealer too much slack, they rarely are this silly with used car buying. Even at the dealer auctions like Adesa they'll have a sticker indicating the rental company that once had it. Also rental companies often sells directly to the dealers, you'd be surprised at how many main dealers will buy packs of rentals. In fact if the used car sales manager is smart and wants rentals to fill their inventory they buy directly rather than the auction. If any issues arise with the rental, buying directly means they can reject them if they fail your inspection and simply replace with a another identical car, others will repair the vehicle themselves and send the rental company the bill for reconditioning if it wasn't satisfactory. As a result buying rentals is actually more painless for used car departments than buying a private vehicle. Rentals always need to clear cars in large volume, they never risk the wrath of dealers and always accept returns no matter the reason.
And you as the consumer are to use tools to educate yourself like everything else, I'm not giving anyone slack. If I'm a dealer, my objective is to sell and make as much money as possible and I don't care how that is achieved. Your job as a buyer is to do the opposite. You are giving the buyers too much slack for not doing their homework or being too cheap.
Deal Addict
User avatar
Dec 15, 2007
1837 posts
598 upvotes
Guelph
booblehead wrote: rental cars are often abused, IMO. People driving them could not care less. I often see cut tires, scratched rims, cracked/damaged bumpers and the interior are dirty and cut in the seats are very common.
This. I had a few rentals when I was young and dumb. I drove the s**t out of them. Never did any damage to them, but I drove them like a race car.

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