I'm curious how many folks here have had a rental experience that has directly influenced a car purchase, either positive or negative? By direct, I would say that a rental experience influenced a purchase (either for or against) of the same make/model/body-style vehicle.

In my example, I had been strongly considering purchasing a lightly-used '12 Hyundai Genesis 3.8 Premium. I had taken a short test drive of a new '13 at a nearby Hyundai dealership as well as the used '12 I was looking at, which happened to be at a GMC dealership. The GMC dealership would not facilitate an overnight or weekend test drive and I didn't feel right trying to get the nearby Hyundai dealership to provide once since I didn't have plans of buying new from them.

As luck would have it I came across a '13 Genesis (base 3.8) on ES at a recent rental and had 3 days and ~500 miles of mixed interstate/highway/city driving to spend with it. It had ~12k on the odometer and was clean inside and out with no apparent wear/damage to note (though it was the polar opposite of the color/interior combo I was looking for). While my previous short test drives had given me an overall good impression of the car, my 3-day rental sealed the deal. Road noise was minimal even at upper limits of reasonable highway speed, passing was effortless, suspension isolated bumps without feeling detached or lumbering, and steering was accurate without being aggressive.

The best way I could describe the Genesis 3.8 is it feels like a '04 Pontiac GTO wrapped up inside a ~ '06-'10 Lexus GS... this is coming from the former owner of an '04 GTO and a '07 Lexus IS. I got home from this rental on a Thursday and went back to the GMC dealer on Friday to bring home the used '12.

Any other similar stories of either positive or negative rental experiences having a direct influence on a vehicle purchase?