Used car scandal??

I think the rental cars must be bad is a bit of myth these days.

What is going to damage a hire car? Extended periods of hard driving - where in the UK is a hire car going to get thrashed day in and day out? Careless driving - unlikely as the hirer has money to lose if they do damage. Poor driving technique - swings and roundabouts, a second hand car with one careful owner is potentially a careful owner who doesn't know clutch control - a hire car is unlikely to be a tow car and will not have extended use with a poor driver, anyone may take speed ramps hard but they aren't going to like doing it.

In terms of driving, there are still the rules of the road, so just because people are in a hire car, they aren't going to start driving like a 14 year old. Yes, they might just be inclined to see what it might do at some point, but with rev limiting you are going to struggle to break a car.

The rest, you can tell for yourself, it's either done mileage or it hasn't. It will have mechanical damage if abused which can be inspected. Generally though, if it looks right, there is not going to be anything magical about being a hire car that will make it suddenly fall to bits.

Now, a second hand car with a London previous owner, that I would avoid - how is that not going to have a hard life?