What do I need to know about buying a rental car? 5 questions answered.

 

 

 

There are quite a few articles out there from some well-known automotive publications about what the advantages and disadvantages of buying a vehicle that came from a rental fleet. Click and Clack, the Magliozzi brothers from CarTalk, even talked about it. However, finding out exactly what happens from the seller's side can be a bit more challenging.

 

We can't speak for other places that rent cars, but we want to give you an inside look at how we treat, maintain, and assess our loaners before they go up for sale.

 

The first big difference is that we do rent vehicles, but the cars that get borrowed from us are almost all part of our Complimentary Loaner Vehicle program to our Preferred Guests. All of our loaners are brand new Subaru Outbacks, Foresters, Imprezas and Crosstreks! Our loaners are 6 months or younger. Since we maintain the fleet for our Preferred Guests, we try to make sure every vehicle is in immaculate condition so that our guests have the best possible experience.

 

 

 

 

Stanley Subaru here is a special case. Most rentals have somewhere between 25,000 and 40,000 miles on the odometer. They can be anywhere between 6 and 36 months old.

 

Stanley Subaru's loaner vehicles are available for purchase as early as 4 months. In fact, the cars that came from our fleet have been under 10,000 miles, usually somewhere between 6,000 and 7,500 miles.

 

 

 

Rental cars are generally well-maintained.

 

Here at Stanley Subaru, we are quite rigorous about following the Subaru service schedule. We are a Subaru dealer, and our mechanics know and maintain Subaru so well, we've won awards for our service department.

 

 

All our vehicles go to our reconditioning department after every visit. The most common gripe about rental vehicles seems to be that there's a high risk of lingering stains or smells. Our excellent reconditioning team makes sure that won't be a concern. From simple washes to the deepest of deep cleans, our reconditioners are prepared to make our loaners top to bottom spick and span every trip.

 

And apart from some anecdotes here and there, we've found that people drive our cars like they drive their cars. Most other car info sources agree. Because the vehicles from our fleet are loaners to our Preferred Guests who are getting their vehicle serviced, our guests treat them like their own, which Subaru owners will tell you is affectionately.

 

Even if we did have a guest who put one of our Subarus through its paces, we do a full inspection and maintenance before selling. Not only that, but...

 

 

 

We have a few. Since the ones we sell are still pretty low mileage, all of them are covered by the 3-year/36,000-mile factory warranty. And since they're from Stanley Subaru, you also get our exclusive Lifetime Powertrain Protection. We can save you a few thousand dollars on like-new vehicles. All told, it's a really great option to have.

 

 

 

 

It varies from car rental agency to car rental agency.

 

Our fleet of loaner vehicles and rentals is to provide our guests with a smooth experience while they're borrowing a car. So, yes we do have some base models. However, we also have Premiums and Limiteds. Many of our guests are fond of features like Eyesight, Starlink, and auto-dimming mirrors.

 

 

We always make sure to have a mix of trims so that our guests can always feel comfortable. That means that when we retire our loaners and open them up to sale, we have a mix of packages for you to choose.

 

 

Naturally, you want to do your research and find the vehicle that works best for you. 

 

We wouldn't want to have it any other way. We have comparison tools, safety data, and our FAQ full of how-tos and what's-thats so you can make the best decision for yourself.

 

With warranties, safety features, and the trim options available at Stanley Subaru, one of our loaners might be a great fit for you.