Why Would a Car Rental Company Sell Multiple Year-old Low-mileage Cars?

January 5, 2020 12:54 PM

Carmax have lots of low mileage (15-25k) 2019 Hyundai Santa Fe SUV's, which appear to mostly be ex-rental vehicles. Does anyone know why a rental company - or companies - would have sold such relatively new vehicles with such low mileages?
posted by my log does not judge to Travel & Transportation (6 answers total)

Best answer: Standard fleet turnover. They have a mileage or an age limit and these cars have hit it. If it is lower than their usual mileage or age limit then it is likely these cars haven't been proven to be popular with renters or there is a more profitable model coming.

It doesn't seem to be unusual to have these kind of numbers coming up: Link
posted by Brockles at 1:04 PM on January 5, 2020 [6 favorites]

Best answer: Yes, this is very common. My dad managed a car dealership and through him I learned these are called "program cars" and are a great way to get a very good deal. My first "new" car was a Toyota Corolla with 12,000 miles on it that had been a rental - I drove it for many years with no problems.
posted by something something at 2:21 PM on January 5, 2020 [8 favorites]

Agree with the above. 3 of the 4 cars we got from CarMax (including two last year) were just that, and we’ve had zero issues with them.
posted by tilde at 4:41 PM on January 5, 2020

I bought a used rental with 40,000km and drove it for 18 years. The oil/engine light came on in the first month because the rental company had never changed the oil, so I'd recommend changing all the fluids when you get it.
posted by bonobothegreat at 7:02 PM on January 5, 2020 [1 favorite]

When I looked into buying a rental car a few years ago, Kia/Hyundai previous rental cars don't have their full 10 year warranty. I think they have to be certified pre-owned (from the manufacturer/dealer).
posted by meowzilla at 12:48 PM on January 6, 2020

It was a 96 Corolla. I can't say for sure they NEVER changed the oil but what came out was black and gooey and amazed the lube shop. They gave me a sample to take to the garage that did our pre-purchase "inspection" but I never got around to it. The car was still running when we finally sold it....so yes, if it's a Toyota or Hyundai, I'd take the chance - and try to line up a well reviewed garage for your inspection.
posted by bonobothegreat at 3:00 AM on January 7, 2020