I800 brought but never told it was from a hire complany

AdrianC

How often do we read threads here about how somebody's been hit hard on charges at lease/PCP return because the car's been neglected? "It was immaculate" quickly turns into "It only had a few scratches and a couple of dinged wheels", then they post the breakdown of the £2k+ bill, and it turns out most panels have been charged for.


Stop fretting about who may or may not have driven the car before you - you simply will never know. Buy on condition, and condition alone.

motorguy

Herzlos wrote: »

I've had a couple of 1.0-1.2l hire cars lately that've needed thrashed pretty hard to get anywhere, but they'd have needed thrashed just as hard if I'd owned them.


Most car hires these days are (presumably) business users who may go a bit fast on motorways to get between meetings (or to make up for flight delays), or tourists. Neither are going to abuse the cars pretty badly (someone will be cleaning them, checking the oil and tyres regularly). The same vehicle as the first car for a 17 year old driver? Maybe checked over a couple of times a year?
I thrashed the crap out of my first car (and the 2nd and 3rd)

+1

Buying any used car is a risk. They will all generally be presented in the best possible light by the seller but you will have no idea how its previously been driven.

I recall on a thread over on Pistonheads where a guy there was getting all sniffy about ex hire cars and had instead paid a significant premium to buy an ex demo car which he had been assured "had only been lent out to discerning prospective customers who were carefully vetted by the Dealer Principal and were previously known to the dealership". Yeah, thats what it was used for. :rolleyes:

OhhEnnEmm

I wouldn't worry about it, can't have been treated too badly if it's been fine for a couple years now

James2k

AdrianC wrote: »

Can I strongly suggest that, not only do you never ever buy any used car, but you should probably arrange a factory-gate collection for your next new one.

so, you also accelerate hard when the engine is still cold?

Didn't realise so many mechanically unsympathetic people were around

James2k

motorguy wrote: »

Maybe 50 years ago it was a requirement or maybe if you drive a racing car for a living but regular cars, no not so much.

And what does your average 1.4i Astra hire car get "revved out" to when thats happening? Maybe 4,000 revs? Big deal.

Jesus man. 4k on a cold engine, day after day. no thank you.

go read up on thermal expansion of differing materials, and to a lesser extent, the variance of oil viscosity with temperature.

Dropped the car off just now, walking back to my car and three hire cars almost ran me over crossing the road. im sure one was on two wheels around the corner.

But hey, its all in my head.

James2k

Also @motorguy, i am bemused (oh yeah) that you and others on this forum seem to hate low mileage short journey cars. ("id rather have 500k miles on a car than 50k" etc) when they aren't allowed to heat up fully. but revving cold engines? yeah that's fine no drama.

hmm

motorguy

James2k wrote: »

Jesus man. 4k on a cold engine, day after day. no thank you.

go read up on thermal expansion of differing materials, and to a lesser extent, the variance of oil viscosity with temperature.

Dropped the car off just now, walking back to my car and three hire cars almost ran me over crossing the road. im sure one was on two wheels around the corner.

But hey, its all in my head.

Ah you're extrapolating what you "see" now to happens every day to the same car relentlessly? That would mean its being done by the people hiring the cars AND they're cold all the time??? :rotfl:

Not one button of harm will the odd blip up the revs when the car is cold do it once in a while. The engine is more than capable of it, and the oil is more than capable of it. Some tired old A series engined Mini from the 1970s? Maybe a problem (although mine took dogs abuse when i was a teenager), but modern cars - not a problem.

We're talking about 100BHP Astras here, not F1 racing engines.

motorguy

James2k wrote: »

Also @motorguy, i am bemused (oh yeah) that you and others on this forum seem to hate low mileage short journey cars. ("id rather have 500k miles on a car than 50k" etc) when they aren't allowed to heat up fully. but revving cold engines? yeah that's fine no drama.

hmm

Where did i say i hated low mileage / shot journey engined cars? Certainly i wouldnt fancy a diesel car driven like that constantly (for DPF reasons), but it wouldnt be a particular issue with a petrol car.

My message would be - as per AdrianC's - buy a car based on condition, not make preconceptions about the car based on stereotypes of ownership types.

Occassionally revving an engine thats not fully up to normal temperature will do it no harm whatsoever. Lack of maintenance will cause x1000 times the harm. Surprised you dont know that.

James2k

motorguy wrote: »

Lack of maintenance will cause x1000 times the harm. Surprised you dont know that.

Haha, you are funny

Where did i say that lack of maintenance wasn't worse?

And yes i doubt its actually every day for the cars, but i also doubt its merely a 'blip' based on being based at this particular airport for going on 8 years and seeing it every day i go to work.

Maybe i misspoke about the high miler thing, but there are plenty of people on this forum who do, quite correctly in most cases.

There are car people and then there are people with cars. Yes i'm probably more anal than most about mine but I will never even blip my cold engines unless its a safety issue.

motorguy

James2k wrote: »

Haha, you are funny

Where did i say that lack of maintenance wasn't worse?

And yes i doubt its actually every day for the cars, but i also doubt its merely a 'blip' based on being based at this particular airport for going on 8 years and seeing it every day i go to work.

Maybe i misspoke about the high miler thing, but there are plenty of people on this forum who do, quite correctly in most cases.

There are car people and then there are people with cars. Yes i'm probably more anal than most about mine but I will never even blip my cold engines unless its a safety issue.

So where are we now? According to you about hire cars :-

• Cars can sustain engine damage if not allowed to warm up fully before applying any sort of revs - could have been done to ANY used car.
• Where you dont know who has been driving the car, best not to buy it. So best not buy ANY used car.
• Hire cars may not be driven with mechanical sympathy. Again, applies to ANY used car. You just dont know for sure.
• Cars can attain scratches and scuffs that may be repaired and refurbished before you buy the car. Would apply to ANY used car.
• Cars can suffer faults during the time the previous owner had them. Would apply to ANY used car.

My suggestion to you then would have to be - only ever buy new and insist on picking the car up as it leaves the production line from the factory and get it trailered home with you in full attendance until you register it. Because frankly thats the only way you will guarantee the above can be avoided. You're setting the bar / expectation far too high for a used car purchase.

For everyone else - do your due diligence before you buy, and buy on condition, not based on internet myths and stereotypes.