Would you buy a used car if it used to be in a rental fleet?

[Mr. Big Dog 10,747]

I've had my Nissan for about 6 years (over 100K miles) now and I spent nothing in repairs on it other than oil changes, brake pads, tires and the like. You know, the regular wear and tear. That sucker just runs w/o any of the expensive mandated check-ups.

Yes reason that little nissan is not crapping on you is your keeping it up. doing all the Preventive maintenance. so you are basicly not giving it a chance to ####### out.

Yogi,

Sounds to me like ET isn't doing preventative maintenance. He is only reacting to problems that occur. ET, correct me if I'm misinterpreting your post.

You'e be right, AS. I am doing oil-changes but less frequently than advised (or required if you want to keep any warranty in effect). I've done the transmission fluid - again, not at the advised intervals (35K) but at my own pace (55-60K). The breaks got done when they made noises - I got the cheapest I could find i/o the factory ones. Other than that, there was one repair on the belts at 90K which also required a new belt driver as the ball bearing of the original one started to make sounds it wasn't supposed to make.

No, I am nowhere near fulfilling the suggested preventive maintenance but am doing the minimum one can get by on w/o risking getting stranded and that little Nissan still runs strong. That's why I like it.

I bought a used Nissan, and I suspect it was a rental because of high miles (28K for a 2 yr car).

LOL. That's "high mileage"? My Nissan is almost 6 years old and I passed the 110K mark last month. That comes to about 20K/year.

Edited March 26, 2006 by ET-US2004

[Hilarious Clinton 452]

I've had my Nissan for about 6 years (over 100K miles) now and I spent nothing in repairs on it other than oil changes, brake pads, tires and the like. You know, the regular wear and tear. That sucker just runs w/o any of the expensive mandated check-ups.

Yes reason that little nissan is not crapping on you is your keeping it up. doing all the Preventive maintenance. so you are basicly not giving it a chance to ####### out.

Yogi,

Sounds to me like ET isn't doing preventative maintenance. He is only reacting to problems that occur. ET, correct me if I'm misinterpreting your post.

You'e be right, AS. I am doing oil-changes but less frequently than advised (or required if you want to keep any warranty in effect). I've done the transmission fluid - again, not at the advised intervals (35K) but at my own pace (55-60K). The breaks got done when they made noises - I got the cheapest I could find i/o the factory ones. Other than that, there was one repair on the belts at 90K which also required a new belt driver as the ball bearing of the original one started to make sounds it wasn't supposed to make.

No, I am nowhere near fulfilling the suggested preventive maintenance but am doing the minimum one can get by on w/o risking getting stranded and that little Nissan still runs strong. That's why I like it.

Sounds good to me. The 'change-your-oil-every-3000-miles' is an invention of Jiffy lube (and their likes). New BMWs only recommend every 15000 miles. But... people are sheep.

[rbhigday 0]

I've had my Nissan for about 6 years (over 100K miles) now and I spent nothing in repairs on it other than oil changes, brake pads, tires and the like. You know, the regular wear and tear. That sucker just runs w/o any of the expensive mandated check-ups.

Yes reason that little nissan is not crapping on you is your keeping it up. doing all the Preventive maintenance. so you are basicly not giving it a chance to ####### out.

Yogi,

Sounds to me like ET isn't doing preventative maintenance. He is only reacting to problems that occur. ET, correct me if I'm misinterpreting your post.

You'e be right, AS. I am doing oil-changes but less frequently than advised (or required if you want to keep any warranty in effect). I've done the transmission fluid - again, not at the advised intervals (35K) but at my own pace (55-60K). The breaks got done when they made noises - I got the cheapest I could find i/o the factory ones. Other than that, there was one repair on the belts at 90K which also required a new belt driver as the ball bearing of the original one started to make sounds it wasn't supposed to make.

No, I am nowhere near fulfilling the suggested preventive maintenance but am doing the minimum one can get by on w/o risking getting stranded and that little Nissan still runs strong. That's why I like it.

Sounds good to me. The 'change-your-oil-every-3000-miles' is an invention of Jiffy lube (and their likes). New BMWs only recommend every 15000 miles. But... people are sheep.

Really helps when the shepard(Jiffy Lub) send you a postcard every 3 months or so

[w¡n9Nµ7 §£@¥€r 123]

I am nowhere near fulfilling the suggested preventive maintenance but am doing the minimum one can get by on w/o risking getting stranded and that little Nissan still runs strong.

Sentra? What year? Did you buy it new or used?

New BMWs only recommend every 15000 miles. But... people are sheep.

So you would recommend changing oil as often as the manufacturer recommends?

[ChristinaM 0]

I am nowhere near fulfilling the suggested preventive maintenance but am doing the minimum one can get by on w/o risking getting stranded and that little Nissan still runs strong.

Sentra? What year? Did you buy it new or used?

I have the Sentra, I'm not sure that ET has ever said what kind of Nissan he has. But mine is 1990, bought used, 79K, still going strong

[I'm Gone 60]

The 'change-your-oil-every-3000-miles' is an invention of Jiffy lube (and their likes). New BMWs only recommend every 15000 miles. But... people are sheep.

That's only on the newer ones. For models 1991 and older it's 7,500 miles.

http://www.gms.cc/maintenance.htm

I would never go 15,000 miles without changing the oil unless using synthetic oil. The last car I had a Chevy Cavalier owners manual said to change the spark plugs at 100,000, which I did and the guy changing them had a hell of a time getting them out, so with the Cavalier I have now they were replaced at 60,000. So sometimes it makes sense to do things before the owners manual says. Changing the oil is the cheapest thing you can do to make you car last, so what's the big deal with spending $30.00 every three months if it extends the life of your car. I bet they don't go 15,000 miles with NASCAR cars. No such thing as changing your oil too much. If you had the time and money doing it every week would be OK.

This from Pat Goss's Website and he is the mechcanic on the PBS show Motor Week and I would follow anything he says:

http://www.patgosscarworld.com/modules.php...id=0&page_id=35

[Saddle Bronc 124]

If Camry, Volvo or Passat (latter two with MANUAL shift), maybe.

(admittedly, the above is near-impossible).

[I'm Gone 60]

http://autorepair.about.com/cs/doityoursel...il_change_p.htm

How often do I need to change my oil?" you ask. Most manufacturers' recommendations are once every 7,500 miles, depending on the car and driving conditions. Most folks change it once every 6,000 miles. Conventional wisdom says that changing more often is better. Personally, I recommend every 3,000 to 3,500 miles to my customers. This is because driving conditions are very rarely "Ideal" and keeping clean oil in the crankcase is the best way to keep your engine running for a good, long time.

[I'm Gone 60]

So back to the original question, yes I would buy a former rental if the price was right and it had a decent warranty. You can buy a new car and it be a lemon. Buy used and let the other guy eat the depreciation.

[Mr. Big Dog 10,747]

I am nowhere near fulfilling the suggested preventive maintenance but am doing the minimum one can get by on w/o risking getting stranded and that little Nissan still runs strong.

Sentra? What year? Did you buy it new or used?

I have the Sentra, I'm not sure that ET has ever said what kind of Nissan he has. But mine is 1990, bought used, 79K, still going strong

An Altima. A 2000. It was a demo for a really good price with not even 4K on it then. That's why I bought it. Even though I think it has the most messed up rear design of any car I have ever seen. The designers must have been high on crack when they came up with that one...

Edited March 26, 2006 by ET-US2004

[w¡n9Nµ7 §£@¥€r 123]

So back to the original question, yes I would buy a former rental if the price was right and it had a decent warranty. You can buy a new car and it be a lemon. Buy used and let the other guy eat the depreciation.

Ok, I have a question about depreciation.

If I plan to run my car into the ground, do I care?

Isn't depreciation more important for someone who plans to do a trade-in at some point?

[Hilarious Clinton 452]

The 'change-your-oil-every-3000-miles' is an invention of Jiffy lube (and their likes). New BMWs only recommend every 15000 miles. But... people are sheep.

That's only on the newer ones. For models 1991 and older it's 7,500 miles.

http://www.gms.cc/maintenance.htm

I would never go 15,000 miles without changing the oil unless using synthetic oil. The last car I had a Chevy Cavalier owners manual said to change the spark plugs at 100,000, which I did and the guy changing them had a hell of a time getting them out, so with the Cavalier I have now they were replaced at 60,000. So sometimes it makes sense to do things before the owners manual says. Changing the oil is the cheapest thing you can do to make you car last, so what's the big deal with spending $30.00 every three months if it extends the life of your car. I bet they don't go 15,000 miles with NASCAR cars. No such thing as changing your oil too much. If you had the time and money doing it every week would be OK.

This from Pat Goss's Website and he is the mechcanic on the PBS show Motor Week and I would follow anything he says:

http://www.patgosscarworld.com/modules.php...id=0&page_id=35

Newer BMWs come with synthetic. That's why it's 15,000. Though it can be shorter depending on how you drive. There is a computer that calculates this based on driving style.

[Mr. Big Dog 10,747]

So back to the original question, yes I would buy a former rental if the price was right and it had a decent warranty. You can buy a new car and it be a lemon. Buy used and let the other guy eat the depreciation.

Ok, I have a question about depreciation.

If I plan to run my car into the ground, do I care?

Isn't depreciation more important for someone who plans to do a trade-in at some point?

Mathematically, the longer you own your vehicle, the less important the initial depreciation becomes. Simply because you "spread" it over more time. Plus, there's arguably a benefit in less repair cost if you buy a new vehicle.

[almaty 19]

also, always change the timing belt/chain every 100,000 miles..learn that lesson the hard way...

[Sister Fracas 5]

She's also looking at houses... and placed them $100K over budget (without her working yet that is)

Funny how women have a unique knack for liking things they can't afford

It's called having excellent taste...