New Used Car Opinion

[Cyclonesrule91]

You're getting way too hung up on mileage....... If using your example where it felt like #1 was driven by grandma and #2 was driven by teenager, then that should have more focus on your decision than 9k miles. Hearing the rattles and feeling the way it drives could be telling you something which means a lot more than mileage. Maintenance records are also a joke IMHO as dealerships using that as a selling point also use that for people buying cars to get them to get all their maintenance at their shops at stupid prices.... but hey it's on the service record which proves it's better....screw that.

If the only thing that is getting you leaning towards #2 is the mileage, then throw that out the window. 9K miles is nothing anymore as long as it is taken care of. Go with the one that feels better unless they find the source of the rattle and get it fixed before you buy it. I'd rather buy a 90K mileage car that has been taken care of than a 40K mileage car that has been beat to heck and had oil changes ever 15-20k any day all day. But then I can fix about anything on a vehicle and do all the maintenance myself.

Good luck

 

[besserheimerphat]

Regarding the price difference on two seemingly identical vehicles, it may have something to do with how long they've been on the lot too. If a car has been sitting there for a long time and an identical one comes in, they might price the "old" one lower to keep the inventory turning over.

 

[MNCYWX]

Two oil changes? How old is the oil you are using?

It'd only be one change for me. Modern synthetics have come a long ways. The old 3k for an oil change has long been out the window.

 

[cloneluke80]

everything is more or less equal so go with your gut.

city miles vs highway miles is a huge deal so I am guessing rogue 1 is just more highway miles.

 

[Farnsworth]

We are in the market for a newer used car and this thread is scaring me. We've been to carmax a few times but now worried about fleet, corporate, and leased cars.

 

[ISUAgronomist]

We are in the market for a newer used car and this thread is scaring me. We've been to carmax a few times but now worried about fleet, corporate, and leased cars.

I'd worry less about a corporate fleet vehicle than one from Carmax. MY fleet company pays for all routine servicing and any needed maintainence. Since it's a company vehicle I treat it as nice as my personal car. Carmax is the place I'd offload a car just before it took a crap as they'll buy anything.

 

[psychlone99]

I'd worry less about a corporate fleet vehicle than one from Carmax. MY fleet company pays for all routine servicing and any needed maintainence. Since it's a company vehicle I treat it as nice as my personal car. Carmax is the place I'd offload a car just before it took a crap as they'll buy anything.

Company fleet may be the lesser of those evils, but the bottom line is there is still no pride of ownership in fleet vehicles. It's human nature to care more for something you've invested in. Not all, but many people don't treat fleet vehicles like they would treat their own. And all the little things add up.

 

[Farnsworth]

I'd worry less about a corporate fleet vehicle than one from Carmax. MY fleet company pays for all routine servicing and any needed maintainence. Since it's a company vehicle I treat it as nice as my personal car. Carmax is the place I'd offload a car just before it took a crap as they'll buy anything.

Based on my limited experience with Carmax, they often don't differentiate if it's a lease, rental, or fleet. They all just come back as fleet so you don't know.

Also a lot of people talking about the difference in previous owner, such as teenager vs. grandmother. How would you even have access to this through a dealership 99% of the time besides based on their word?

 

[besserheimerphat]

Do people really drive rentals/company cars harder than their personal cars? I'm guessing a random person drives everything the same way. And I'd bet fleet owners do a better job of keeping up with maintenance and cleaning than a normal driver because they are using that vehicle to make money. And with a fleet they are probably able to leverage some discounts on service compared to Joe Schmoe off the street.

 

[ISUAgronomist]

Do people really drive rentals harder than their personal cars?

Hell yes. I'd never buy a previous rental. Also, rental places are not know for doing routine maintenance. Those cars get beat on for sure.

 

[Macloney]

Do people really drive rentals/company cars harder than their personal cars? I'm guessing a random person drives everything the same way. And I'd bet fleet owners do a better job of keeping up with maintenance and cleaning than a normal driver because they are using that vehicle to make money. And with a fleet they are probably able to leverage some discounts on service compared to Joe Schmoe off the street.

I drove a fleet vehicle for 8 years and treated all of the vehicles (5) like complete crap. I would say that this was true for about 75% of the companies 100 fleet vehicle. We would rarely do the maintenance and if anything ever happened to the cars our bosses didn't care at all. They treated the vehicles like they were a disposable cost of doing business, which they were. The vehicles were then all auctioned off for next to nothing.