The most important factor that determines the longevity of a car is whether the car was well maintained by the previous owner. When you are purchasing a previously owned car from a car dealer or an individual, there is no way to determine how well the vehicle was actually maintained. When you purchase a vehicle from a rental car company, the guesswork is taken out of the equation.
As a former manager of a car rental company, I can tell you that the rental vehicles have to be well-maintained. Not only do customers demand a vehicle in tip-top shape, but car rental companies have to keep the rental car maintenance up to date for other reasons:
At many rental car companies, a large percentage of the vehicles are leased with an option for the rental companies to purchase them. The banks that finance the cars often drop by the rental locations to check on their assets and will sometimes ask for vehicle maintenance documentation.
There are also legal aspects that influence the maintenance of rental cars. It is imperative that rental cars have their oil changed on a regular basis, that the tires are in good condition and that the vehicle runs dependably and safely. Rental car companies have been sued when improperly serviced vehicles have caused accidents or prevented their customers from avoiding them.
Most car rental companies use one form or another of rental car software in their businesses. As an attendee of numerous rental car conventions throughout the United States, I have had the opportunity to “test drive” practically every program created for the industry. I’ve never seen one that did not include vehicle maintenance as one of its components. The rental software automatically alerts car rental companies when vehicles are due for service and usually will “ground” those cars until required maintenance is performed. You can easily obtain a copy of these service records for any car on the lot at a rental car company.
Finally, it should be stated that most drivers of rental cars are not maniacs who are trying to abuse the car. Despite the fact that there are people who may comment whimsically that “it’s only a rental,” most people are really a little more concerned about their own personal safety than to do anything too irresponsible in a rental car. Every rental agreement that I’ve ever seen contains a clause that the vehicle may only be driven on paved roads. I know that we fined a few drivers over the years when they returned a car covered in mud and the customer admitted to having driven it off-road.
I wouldn’t hesitate to purchase a car being sold by a rental car company. They are the best-maintained vehicles on the road. The fact that the miles are usually low and the car is always clean is just icing on the cake!