Purchase of a Used Vibe that was a Rental - What is your take

[ou.grizzly]

We are looking to add another Vibe to the family and it seems the ones we have looked at online have been rental vehicles. They have 20,000 - 28,000 miles on them and still have the 5 yr/100,000 mile warranty. Opinions please.

[northvibe]

Thats how I bought my vibe! worked out great, had my main mechanic give it a good look over and he gave me a thumbs up. In reality, only 25yr and older can rent them, they do scheduled maintenance... I had the whole maintenance schedule from them too. I bought mine through Hertz. I say its a good deal if you have it looked over by a mechanic, as you still have 1xk miles left under warranty.

[prathman]

I think the rental Vibes would be a pretty good bet. It's not a type of car that's likely to be abused as a rental like a sportscar or off-road capable vehicle might be. I'd stay away from manual transmissions - they're not common in rentals and I've heard too many friends mention seeking one at rental places so they could teach someone to drive a stick. My own experience with the few manual rental cars I've gotten has also been poor (a few had worn out synchros). I'd expect most Vibe rentals to see the typical use of family vacations and business travelers just going between the airport and meetings - i.e. pretty easy use.

[kunkstyle]

Personally, I'd shy away from a former rental car. They'll never be treated as well as a personal vehicle. Unless you're getting it for a stellar price...

[dianebrat]

Quote, originally posted by kunkstyle »Personally, I'd shy away from a former rental car. They'll never be treated as well as a personal vehicle. Unless you're getting it for a stellar price...I agree, but I'm not saying that *all* rental cars are abused, but face it, the way most of us treat rentals is with less care then our own personal vehicles. The flip side is that they get great regular maintenance.I'd say it's an option, but I prefer new or a previous personal owner, not a corporation.Diane

[musicmanmu]

My first car was a rental - a 1993 Mustang convertible. Horrible idea, and a horrible car. But, as others have said, this was a car that probably took all sorts of abuse.I would imagine a Vibe wouldn't take the same sort of abuse, but if the deal is good, and an independent mechanic checks it out and gives the green light, I'd go for it.

[5speed4]

Quote, originally posted by ou.grizzly »We are looking to add another Vibe to the family and it seems the ones we have looked at online have been rental vehicles. They have 20,000 - 28,000 miles on them and still have the 5 yr/100,000 mile warranty. Opinions please. I don't see a problem with it. I know the common feeling is that rentals are abused, but mostly mature, responsible people are carrenters, especially since renting a car got more expensive in the past few years. Since Vibe's are attractive and affordable to young people, I'd say buying a rental is a better bet than buying a used one from a dealer with a history you don't know. It could have been owned/leased by an 18-25 year-old that treated it like a racecar.

[KNINE]

I looked into buying a rental. Hertz had good prices and the cars were loaded with options. I was hell bent on a manual, though. All they had were automatics.

[ou.grizzly]

Well, we purchased a 2008 Pontiac Vibe tonight. I did notice on the test drive the steering wheel shook over 60 mph. The dealer brought it into service and washed any snow/ice out. On the way home tonight, it is still shimming/shaking. So I called my salesman on the way home and left a message. He just called us and told me to bring it in tomorrow morning and they will get down to the issue. The vehicle is very clean, few rock chips on the hood (well aware of Toyota Paint), 1 nick on the rear passenger door, and then 2 on the passenger side door moldings. Breakdown:Year: 2008Brand: PontiacModel: Vibe BaseColour: Two-Tone Frosty (no clear coat on this colour ??)Transmission: AutomaticWheels: Stock OEM Steelies with Hub CapsTires: Goodyear RSA (they are brand new and well aware of their limited traction/wearing)Mileage: 25,858Warranty: Remaining Bumper-to-Bumper and 5 year/100,000 Mile Drive-train Warranty. It is GM Certified. Floor mats, cargo cover, and shifter hole cover are missing. That will be taken care of in a few weeks. What is funny is the rear cargo mat was not missing (odd since the floor mats were)!Planned Modifications:1. Tinted Windows2. Auto-dimming mirror (already have)3. Pioneer BT Head Unit (already have)4. Wet Okole Seat Covers (a member was selling theirs a few months back - wondering if they are still available)5. Rear Anti-Sway Bar6. Aftermarket Exhaust7. Hood Protector8. Remote Start9. Rear Bumper Protector10. Fog Light Protectors (need to contact Tool for those)11. Dual Lid Center Console Not in a hurry to do some of these modifications and not specifically in any order. We really did want a 2009 Vibe with a 2.4L FWD or AWD, but we did not want to commit to spending so much. If there was a 2008 AWD available, we would of purchased it; yet the last of the AWD's were MY06.

[Tubaryan12]

I got my vibe used from a rental fleet with 23,000 miles. I'm almost at 78,000 miles with the only repair being the tailgate supports. So far so good.

[ramenboy...]

let your mechanic check it out... by i say go for it. i bought mine the same way. w/21k miles on it. 4 years later and over 100k, its still going strong!

[northvibe]

oh yeah I got mine with 26k miles and now it has 80k miles and my sister drives it. yeah the shaking prolly just needs to be aligned. dont worry about a 09 it seems the 08's and prior got better gas mileage

[ramenboy...]

Quote, originally posted by ou.grizzly »On the way home tonight, it is still shimming/shaking. how do the itres look? do they have a bunch of miles on them? you may just need them to replace tires and/or balance them. and as cole said, probably alignment

[JohnC]

Every rental car I rented was abused (by me). When I was in college I serviced Hertz, Avis and National...they all wanted the samething, minimum service with maximum service records. The biggest abbusers to the rental fleet...rent a car employees BY FAR. I have got hundreds of stories that start out with "this one time in a rental car".

[ClunkClunk]

I just recently bought a 2008 Vibe that was a rental. I haven't actually gotten my hands on the car, but my dad checked it out thoroughly, and it looks good. It had a few minor dings, but I got it for a very good price, and it still has the remainder of the factory warranty (it has about 27k on it) in case anything goes wrong. Other than worn out tires, everything so far seems great.Our 2006 Vibe is also a previous rental, and it also needed tires, but it hasn't proved to be a problem being a rental, though every once in a while when it sits in the sun it smells faintly of cigarette smoke.

[Lysander]

A couple cans of Tuff Stuff, follow the directions to clean the upholstery and headliner. Then leave the car out in the sun with the windows open to let everything air out, should get rid of that lingering smell!

[Mavrik]

jeff foxworthy jokes come to mind...I'd never buy a rental if I wanted a reliable car.

[ou.grizzly]

We purchased the vehicle last night. We did find the window sticker in the glove box along with the little metal tag with the numbers stamped into it. Trying to remember if those digits were what number the vehicle is, for a new key being made, or both. Quote, originally posted by ramenboy... »how do the itres look? do they have a bunch of miles on them? you may just need them to replace tires and/or balance them. and as cole said, probably alignmentThe tires are new, the dealer replaced them with Good Year RS-A (OEM). The shaking was due to the right passenger tire being out of balance. We also found the under body plugs in the glove box, so the dealer install those also. We will keep an eye out on the alignment Any Vibe tends to track weird, either it drives straight or wanders to the left depending on the road and what lane one is driving in; this is our 2nd Vibe and the 1st did it since day one and still does it to this day. Quote, originally posted by SLORegal »Our 2006 Vibe is also a previous rental, and it also needed tires, but it hasn't proved to be a problem being a rental, though every once in a while when it sits in the sun it smells faintly of cigarette smoke.Interior is almost flawless, despite 1 scratch on the center console near the cup holders and 2 small nicks on the passenger air bag cover. Can not smell any smoke so far. Maybe that will change with warmer weather; we shall find out. We have yet to check the cargo compartment for other accessories due to the weather. Quote, originally posted by northvibe »dont worry about a 09 it seems the 08's and prior got better gas mileage We love the 09 due to the 2.4L engine, but the interior room is a bit smaller for the passenger. Could of easily afforded it, but rather be on the safe side since the way the economy is right now. Quote, originally posted by Mavrik »I'd never buy a rental if I wanted a reliable car.One would be curious on if the owner who bought TRDVibe's GT or the Legacy knew about all the mishaps and how they were driven.

[ou.grizzly]

Here are a few pictures from via the Dealer. After X-Mas, we will try to get some better pictures posted. The digital camera for my someone special is wrapped and under the Tannenbaum awaiting to be opened.

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[ou.grizzly]

Picture of the back seat. Nothing pretty exciting.

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[ou.grizzly]

We did find the tie down straps/anchors in the cargo area, yet to look in the smaller compartments for the cargo cover itself; may make our own as we can use the one from the other Vibe as a template. What is odd, the carpeted cargo cover is present, yet the floor mats were missing. Weird!

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[ou.grizzly]

I know they are not the best tires, but they could be worse. Brand New Good Year RS-A's. I will be trying to get my hands on a set of OEM 17" Rims.

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[ou.grizzly]

The perks of a 1st Gen Vibe over the 2nd Gen Vibe that we like:1. Fog Lights Standard2. Rear Hatch Glass Opens3. Grey cladding for durability was available still4. Passenger seating area has more knee room5. Variable Intermittent Wipers6. Standard Roof RailsThe 2009+ Vibe's look great, have a more refined interior and exterior than the 1st Gen, and come have more options/features, but lack in some areas on the base versions. Do wish this vehicle had OnStar, Traction Control, and ABS. But, for the mileage and price, it was a 1/2 way decent deal.

[ClunkClunk]

Looks nearly identical to the one I picked up. It's also a frosty w/grey and had the same wheels/hubcaps. I bought a set of 17" OEM Vibe wheels and had them installed, but beyond that it looks nearly identical to yours.The build sheet on mine didn't even include a cargo cover, so that may not be standard equipment anymore, and might be the reason yours doesn't have one.

[ned23]

Are you getting a price that's better than a single-owner car from a dealer? If so, then the discount may be worth it. Generally, there's nothing inherently wrong with a rental car particuarly one with mileage that's fairly low, except that it's been driven by a lot of different drivers. Each different driver is going to stress the car in different ways. They're all going to drive differently, brake differently, accelerate differently, steer differently, etc. I would check the brakes, and if the transmission fluid hasn't been changed I might have that changed to see how it looks. If you're worried, maybe you can have the oil and transmission fluids tested to see if they show any signs of unusual wear. It's not a very expensive test. Update: I see you already bought it. The steering sounds like an issue. Someone may have smacked the front wheels into something really hard. I'd have the front wheel alignment and the front steering and suspension checked out very thoroughly. Also, wouldn't hurt to have an oil test.

[ou.grizzly]

Quote, originally posted by ned23 »Are you getting a price that's better than a single-owner car from a dealer? If so, then the discount may be worth it. Generally, there's nothing inherently wrong with a rental car particuarly one with mileage that's fairly low, except that it's been driven by a lot of different drivers. Each different driver is going to stress the car in different ways. They're all going to drive differently, brake differently, accelerate differently, steer differently, etc. I would check the brakes, and if the transmission fluid hasn't been changed I might have that changed to see how it looks. If you're worried, maybe you can have the oil and transmission fluids tested to see if they show any signs of unusual wear. It's not a very expensive test. Update: I see you already bought it. The steering sounds like an issue. Someone may have smacked the front wheels into something really hard. I'd have the front wheel alignment and the front steering and suspension checked out very thoroughly. Also, wouldn't hurt to have an oil test. We compared prices of all used 2008 Vibe's that were at dealers. This one was by far the best price and lowest mileage.The shimmy/shake has been corrected. As I stated before, the right front passenger tire was out of balance. At 70 mph + it rides very smooth and tracks slightly to the left. We may take it back to the dealer Friday to have then double check the alignment just in case. As for the brakes, oil, and transmission. The dealer who we purchased this through replaced the tires, changed the oil, and checked all the fluids. We may have an oil analysis done later on in the Spring, but nothing right now. We will have the coolant changed and transmission fluid changed before summer. Of course, it will be going to a Toyota Dealer or a shop that specializes in Toyota's for those services.

[ou.grizzly]

Update... Alignment was off and it was fixed. All is well with Frosty. Slowly will be adding accessories and etc.Purchased Husky Liners from a member here. The fit is very nice and they are saving the interior as we speak!

[ou.grizzly]

Another Update....Currently have put around 1,700 miles on the Vibe that I purchased less than 30 days ago. Everything seems to be good so far. A few things that I have noticed is that I really need to get an Auto Dimming Mirror and some window tint. I have also been thinking of adding some front and rear anti-sway bars, unless I can get away with just adding one in the rear. What are your thoughts?

[ClunkClunk]

I'm in a nearly identical situation, ou.grizzly. I also purchased an '08 Frosty two tone that was a previous rental, though mine had 28k on it. I officially bought it in mid December, but wasn't able to pick it up until early January, so I've only been driving it for about two weeks (under 500 miles - still on my second tank of gas).So far it's been rock solid. The only real thing I had to do to it was to replace the tires, so I found some 17" Vibe wheels for sale to replace the 16" steelies, and put some General Altimax HP tires on there.