How to Avoid Buying a Used Rental Car
A car that's been abused is obviously not going to last as long as one where the owner treated it like their baby.
This is why most experts advise not to buy a car that's been used as a rental or commercial vehicle. When most people rent cars, they don't have a vested interest in the long-term reliablity of the car.
Most will floor the accelerator every chance they get. Some people even use rental cars as if they're stunt cars, trying to pull off 360 degree spins and abusing the braking system.
Knowing which cars are used most often as rental and commercial vehicles can help you avoid buying one.
Automotive Fleet Magazine released a list of cars most often used as fleet vehicles. Some on the list, such as the Ford Crown Victoria, are used mostly as taxis and police cars and usually aren't found too often as used cars.
If you're interested in buying one of the cars on the list, we advise you find one being sold by a private party. Make sure it is a one-owner car, not one that has been resold already. If the car is being sold on a dealer lot, our recommendation is to stay away. Chance are the car was purchased at auction from a rental or fleet company and the dealer doesn't have any obligation to reveal this fact to you.
Top 20 Cars Used as Rental or Commercial Vehicles
Rank | Vehicle | % Sold to Fleet |
1 | Ford Crown Victoria | 94.0% |
2 | Chevrolet Uplander | 90.0% |
3 | Dodge Magnum | 69.7% |
4 | Lincoln Town Car | 66.1% |
5 | Chrysler PT Cruiser | 61.5% |
6 | Chrysler Sebring | 58.3% |
7 | Dodge Durango | 57.7% |
8 | Mitsubishi Galant | 55.7% |
9 | Suzuki XL7 | 55.7% |
10 | Mercury Grand Marquis | 55.4% |
11 | Dodge Avenger | 53.9% |
12 | Pontiac Grand Prix | 53.3% |
13 | Ford Taurus X | 51.4% |
14 | Dodge Caravan | 51.3% |
15 | Dodge Charger | 51.1% |
16 | Chevrolet Impala | 50.8% |
17 | Ford Taurus | 48.0% |
18 | Kia Sedona | 47.9% |
19 | Dodge Caliber | 47.3% |
20 | Cadillac DeVille | 46.3% |
Each week, I'll keep you up-to-date on the latest car deals and news that might affect your purchase. This includes...
- Best Rebates, Incentives, and Lease Deals
- Latest Car Buying Scams and Tricks
- The Best & Worst Time to Buy a Car
- Which Cars You Should Avoid
About The Author
Gregg Fidan is the founder of RealCarTips. After being ripped off on his first car purchase, he devoted several years to figuring out the best ways to avoid scams and negotiate the best car deals. He has written hundreds of articles on the subject of car buying and taught thousands of car shoppers how to get the best deals.Latest Weekly Car Buying Tips
March 2024
- Real Prices of Midsize SUVs Mar 28, 2024
- Which Cars Better to Lease or Buy Mar 28, 2024
- Nissan Rogue Special Deals Alert Mar 28, 2024
- Cheapest Luxury Lease Deals Mar 28, 2024
- New Cars with the Most Available Inventory Mar 21, 2024
- Best Car Deals by Category Mar 21, 2024
- Top 100 Cheapest New Cars for 2024 Mar 21, 2024
- Real Prices of Compact Cars Mar 21, 2024
- Top 100 Cheapest Lease Deals Mar 14, 2024
- Best Car Deals Around the Country Mar 14, 2024
- Cars With the Largest Rebates Mar 14, 2024
- Real Prices of Pickup Trucks Mar 14, 2024
- Best 0% Finance Deals March 2024 Mar 07, 2024
- Best Bang for Your Buck Lease Deals Mar 07, 2024
- Best Electric, Hybrid Lease Deals Mar 07, 2024
- Biggest Discounts on New Cars Mar 07, 2024
- Real Prices of New Compact SUVs Mar 07, 2024
February 2024
- Worst Cars to Lease Right Now Feb 29, 2024
- Price Comparison of Subcompact SUVs Feb 29, 2024
- Real Prices of Large SUVs Feb 22, 2024
- New Cars You Should Wait to Buy Feb 22, 2024
- Real Prices of Midsize Cars Feb 15, 2024
- Largest Hidden Dealer Rebates Feb 01, 2024