Originally Posted by
pinworm
I would advise against it. They are driven by too many different drivers, and maintenance is done on the cheap, if done at all. They are also abused, and reach high mileage very quickly. The only thing worse than buying a rental car is buying an old taxi or police car.
Actually, the maintenance standards at corporate stores of most rental companies (at least certainly the major chains) are very strict. (Franchises are more hit-and-miss.)
My current car (2000 Toyota Corolla) is not only an ex-rental, it's a totaled ex-rental (Avis) reconstruct. You'd never know, though. It now has over 100,000 miles and is still looking and running beautifully (except for the crack I put in the windshield, which, as a die-hard Alaskan, I refuse to fix, since it will invariably just happen again).
Two other cars in my family are ex-rental reconstructs, and both are still looking and running beautifully, too.