Last Year's Model

[tw]

Originally Posted by Perry Winkle

Is there an issue with former rental cars other than that people generally drive them harder than they drive their own?

People generally drive their own cars just like rentals. But rentals usually get properly maintained. And the rental companies tend to sell their better models directly. Their reputation is attached to that sale.

Today, a car with 40,000 miles is still a new car.

Unfortunately, auto manufacturers, who could not maintain sufficient sales due to that model's quality, then sold cars to rental fleets at a loss. To maintain factory production. Notice few if any Toyotas, Hyundai, or Hondas in a rental fleet. Those manufacturers don't need rental sales to maintain production.

As for Land Rover and Jaguar, well, those are now Indian companies. The Indians (Tata Motors?) are upgrading those those products.

Consumer Reports' April issue is essential to the decision process.