JPS Posted September 8, 2004 Share Posted September 8, 2004 I had never been in a Subaru till the other day when my wife and I were test driving new cars for her. We drove an 04' Outback with 6,300 miles on it and she really loved the car. Everything we have heard about them is excellent. This car is at a Hertz car sales dealership that sell their rental cars as they rotate them out of their fleet. The salespeople have been great and we have heard good things about dealing with them. Here's the kicker. The car has a pretty good transmission oil leak coming from the tranny pan area. I pointed it out to the salesman and he said that since it was still under warranty it would get fixed right away and be no problem. Well I have a few questions... Why is an 04' on the lot with only 6,300 miles on it, when the other Subarus have and average of 20k on them. And another question is, being a rental car and knowing most people who drive rental cars drive them like they stole 'em; is this leak a cause of abuse? I know that these are tough questions to answer, but salespeople will send it out and get it fixed then tell you it was only a tranny gasket when three months later I am replacing a tranny. I know nothing about Subarus other than the fact everyone I talk to lately loves the heck out of them. Anyone have any input on rental Subarus, tranny pan gaskets leaking. Any feed back would be greatly appreciated. Thanks for your time. JPS Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rweddy Posted September 8, 2004 Share Posted September 8, 2004 I would NEVER buy a used Rental Vehicle. 1st with Carfax today, you will have a very hard time re-selling the vehicle. Other buyers will see that it was an ex-rental vehicle. 2nd Do you know what people do to rental vehicles? I travel a lot for a living and I get rental cars and beat the crap out of them every chance I get. Neutral drops, hitting pot holes, curb shots, e-brake stops, etc. 3rd They do not maintain rentals very well. They get rid of them after a year so why should they? Also it is hard to do oil changes and other maintenance on time when you never know how many miles the vehicle will go in and come back out with. Example, we rented a car for a road trip, it had 6k and the sticker said it needed an oil change at 6300. We put 2k miles on it in a 2 week period and took it back. There are a lot of very nice used Subaru around, and now with the new 05 being so damm nice the prices will be right on the 04s. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yukonart Posted September 9, 2004 Share Posted September 9, 2004 I'm with Ricahrd on this. . . go to a real dealership for a used Subbie. . . or buy one from a loving previous owner. Also very true is the fact that the 2004s are almost being given away at many dealerships with the introduction of the 2005s. In fact, I wouldn't be too surprised if you were able to get a 2004 with NO MILEAGE for UNDER INVOICE if you play your cards right. Not to mention the factory to dealer incentives on the 2004s and the low interest rates on ner car loans associated with them. Might even get one for less than the rental agency is asking for their abused model. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wavejunkie Posted April 16, 2006 Share Posted April 16, 2006 Do not buy a rental......... Go to a dealership get one off the lot and enjoy. You can even get one out of the paper that would be in better shape the a old rental. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shortlid Posted April 17, 2006 Share Posted April 17, 2006 I use to work for Enterprise Rent-A-Car so I know. DO NOT BUY A USED RENTAL VEHICLE. Body work is done AS CHEAP and QUICKLY as posible. They run 7,300 mile oil change intervals. In Montana most likly that ATF leak is from OFF-ROADING and hiting hard objects! !! With the Montana climate you could find a older Roo with no signs of rust that would serve you for MANY years!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cobalt Posted April 17, 2006 Share Posted April 17, 2006 I had never been in a Subaru till the other day when my wife and I were test driving new cars for her. We drove an 04' Outback with 6,300 miles on it and she really loved the car. Everything we have heard about them is excellent. This car is at a Hertz car sales dealership that sell their rental cars as they rotate them out of their fleet. The salespeople have been great and we have heard good things about dealing with them.Here's the kicker. The car has a pretty good transmission oil leak coming from the tranny pan area. I pointed it out to the salesman and he said that since it was still under warranty it would get fixed right away and be no problem. Well I have a few questions... Why is an 04' on the lot with only 6,300 miles on it, when the other Subarus have and average of 20k on them. And another question is, being a rental car and knowing most people who drive rental cars drive them like they stole 'em; is this leak a cause of abuse? I know that these are tough questions to answer, but salespeople will send it out and get it fixed then tell you it was only a tranny gasket when three months later I am replacing a tranny. I know nothing about Subarus other than the fact everyone I talk to lately loves the heck out of them. Anyone have any input on rental Subarus, tranny pan gaskets leaking. Any feed back would be greatly appreciated. Thanks for your time. JPS :cool: First time buyer; I am aware how Hertz aquires their inventory and not all cars are rental fleet stock. Hertz bids at auctions for their car-lot inventory just like any car dealer does, They will sell their highest-quality trade-ins on their lots all others are auctioned off to other dealers. . I am also aware of the quality of service their rental fleet gets and it is top quality. You only have to ask the sales rep about the history of the car and he will tell you where it came from and its previous owner. Over the years I have purchased 5 cars from Hertz including my present 2006 Forrester XTwith 7000 miles (I saved 6000 under new dealer price) and they have all been clean well serviced low mileage cars which Hertz will service for you if needed. Good luck with your purchase! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spacinjason Posted April 17, 2006 Share Posted April 17, 2006 Well, I have to agree with most of the other members. I personally would never buy an ex rental car. I know how I treat them! Drive them like I stole them! I know some people who have bought them though and have had no problems. I would have a Subaru tech check out the tranny before you buy the car. On the plus side, the car should still have about 1 yr. left on it's factory warranty, maybe more left on drivetrain warranty? Someone correct me if I'm wrong. Anybody notice that the original post is about 1.5 yrs. old? He's probably either bought that rental car or something else (hopefully a Subaru!) by now. Spacinjason:burnout: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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