Ex-Hertz Rentals Might Break Down Sooner, But They Sure Are Cheap: Study
Everyone knows rental cars live hard lives, but prices like these make for some awfully tempting buys.
The auto industry is in a weird spot. Demand for new cars has been dampened by the COVID-19 pandemic, but with many carmakers forced to shut down production for weeks on end to slow the virus's spread, supply is lacking as well. This has consequently cranked up demand for used vehicles, though now that near-bankrupt rental giant Hertz is liquidating much of its fleet, used cars may not be in such short supply. And some of these ex-rentals might be solid deals, suggests a study by iSeeCars—provided you're okay with buying one that's likely been thrashed its whole life.
iSeeCars analyzed about 20,000 model year 2017 through 2019 vehicles listed for sale by Hertz Car Sales in May and found that its retired rentals had prices averaging $1,389 lower than market value—another $420 cheaper than they averaged in April. They also identified the 25 vehicles with the biggest average discount margins, the top 10 of which are listed below.
- 13.7 percent: BMW 7 Series
- 13.4 percent: Chevrolet Trax
- 13.0 percent: Mercedes-Benz A-class
- 12.7 percent: Infiniti QX50
- 12.6 percent: Toyota Tundra
- 12.4 percent: Nissan Versa Note
- 12.4 percent: Buick Cascada
- 12.3 percent: Kia Forte
- 12.3 percent: Volkswagen Golf
- 12.0 percent: Nissan Quest
Some are obviously flawed vehicles that you don't want to own for any reason. Buying an ex-rental BMW 7 Series is just begging to be bankrupted by the first serious service, and you know what they say about a cheap Mercedes. The Chevy Trax can't fit normal-sized adults in its second row, and a Nissan Versa Note is about as austere as new cars in America get.
Others are forgettable but passable vehicles, like the Buick Cascada, Kia Forte, Nissan Quest, and Infiniti QX50. The Volkswagen Golf and Toyota Tundra, however, stand out as the two top picks of the list, with the latter made especially tempting by the fact that Toyota's V8 trucks aren't long for this world. After all, what's a little rental duty to a pickup that can last a million miles?
Got a tip? Send us a note: tips@thedrive.com
MORE TO READ
Related
Dealers Are Running Out of New and Used Vehicles
It’ll most likely affect new and used car prices.
Related
This 2015 Lamborghini Huracan With 187K Miles Is the Riskiest Buy of the Year
That’s an average of approximately 110 miles per day for the past five years.
Related
Hertz Files For Bankruptcy
The rental car giant survived the Great Depression, World War II and more, but not the COVID-19 downturn.
Related
Hertz Rental Is Also Selling a Pair of Its Hendrick-Tuned 750-HP Chevy Camaro ZL1s
Hertz isn’t just hawking Corvettes this week.
Related