 |
 | Home | Contact Us | FAQ | Search & Site Map | Link to Us |
 | Sign In | Join | Other 45 Sites in Network |
Car Forum / Land Rover Cars / May 2006Many drivers?
A person called Honest John has a column on car-related issues in the Daily Torygraph. In this week's offering, someone was asking about the wisdom of buying an ex-rental car. (A guy had bought a car as "one owner" from a dealer. It turned out that the one owner was a car rental company.) I would run a mile, but Honest John advised that this would be a good purchase, as it would have properly run in (what?), well serviced (probably) and that "a lot of different drivers is a very good thing for a car". Is this true? And if so, why? Just curious.  SignatureRich ============================== I don't approve of signatures, so I don't have one. >A person called Honest John has a column on car-related issues in the Daily >Torygraph. In this week's offering, someone was asking about the wisdom of [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > >Is this true? And if so, why? I offer as anecdotal evidence the observation made by a chap I used to know who ran no car himself but rented one when he needed one, this after having hired a rover 800... "is it my fault they put the rev limiter all the way down at 7000?" SignatureAustin Shackles. www.ddol-las.net my opinions are just that Beyond the horizon of the place we lived when we were young / In a world of magnets and miracles / Our thoughts strayed constantly and without boundary / The ringing of the Division bell had begun. Pink Floyd (1994) > I offer as anecdotal evidence the observation made by a chap I used to know > who ran no car himself but rented one when he needed one, this after having > hired a rover 800... > > "is it my fault they put the rev limiter all the way down at 7000?" That's the same problem I have with the exceptionally horrible shared pool vehicle from work - it develops a funny miss at 80kph in 2nd. Worst bit is that depsite being driven significant distances hard on the rev limiter it refuses to die (and the boss has promised me that he'll buy a new one if I manage to do it a terminal injury). SignatureEMB >> I offer as anecdotal evidence the observation made by a chap I used to >> know [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] > limiter it refuses to die (and the boss has promised me that he'll buy a > new one if I manage to do it a terminal injury). heel-toe right foot slip-clutch left foot that should do it Company Cars? Bl**dy marvellous - never need oil, water etc. run for miles. SignatureWilliam Tasso In a couple of days time my wife's car will be traded in. When she bought it we were rather unsure if we were doing a wise thing -- it was an ex-rental Fiat Cinquecento (of all things!), but there were various complicated reasons why it was the only example of the model that she could find at the time. That little car has been a trojan -- she's tripled the mileage on it, and it still storms about, doubling as an economical run-to-the-city car and a farmer's truck. That's why it's been so difficult to find a modern replacement, and it's only going now because it's just beginning to make the 'hot' smells that herald not-wellness. Oh, and I've been underneath and seen what a couple of years of farm lane mud have done to the underside! So in our experience at least, an ex-rental car has proved to be a delight... but I must admit I'd probably not feel so happy about a rep's motorway chariot Mondeo/Vectra etc. GRAEME ALDOUS Yorkshire > So in our experience at least, an ex-rental car has proved to be a > delight... but I must admit I'd probably not feel so happy about a > rep's motorway chariot Mondeo/Vectra etc. My Defender was ex-rental, in the first month it had a new gearbox and some transfer box bits replaced under warranty, but the engine has been as sweet as a nut all the years I've had it. Given that I've only ever driven one landy extensively, I had to take the dealer on his word that it was very "revvy" and quick off the mark for a 300TDi, even before I put the Fearns intercooler on. It doesn't use a drop of oil between services, even when I was doing higher mileage in it than I do now. Not sure if the rest of the truck had been damaged due to ex-rental use as I replaced most of it within the first year due to being too brutal on the pay 'n' play sites at first. SignatureBlast off and strike the evil Bydo empire! Ours apparently don't need fuel either. Every time I've used one the fuel light is on and this appears not to have been noticed by the previous driver! >>> I offer as anecdotal evidence the observation made by a chap I used to >>> know [quoted text clipped - 16 lines] > Company Cars? Bl**dy marvellous - never need oil, water etc. run for > miles. >> I offer as anecdotal evidence the observation made by a chap I used to >> know [quoted text clipped - 9 lines] > refuses to die (and the boss has promised me that he'll buy a new one if I > manage to do it a terminal injury). Nah mate you are doing it the wrong way round 110kph ( 4th?) then drop it into second you can walk back and find out what snapped later or wait for it to break while somone else is driving it.In my younger days the hardest driven cars at autotests were always hire cars and I did hear of one getting rolled. Derek >Nah mate you are doing it the wrong way round 110kph ( 4th?) then drop it >into second you can walk back and find out what snapped later or wait for it >to break while somone else is driving it.In my younger days the hardest >driven cars at autotests were always hire cars and I did hear of one getting >rolled. Reminds me of the (probably apocryphal) tale of the motoring journalist's test drive. On returning to the office he was asked how it went. His reply was "sort of OK, but second gear isn't in the right place", colleagues asked what he meant, so he dug in his pocket and produced part of one of the second gear components. Adrian SignatureTo Reply : replace "news" with "adrian" and "nospam" with "ffoil" Sorry for the rigmarole, If I want spam, I'll go to the shops Every time someone says "I don't believe in trolls", another one dies. >>Nah mate you are doing it the wrong way round 110kph ( 4th?) then drop it >>into second you can walk back and find out what snapped later or wait for [quoted text clipped - 11 lines] > > Adrian ROFL sounds about par for journalists I recall a story about Ferrari launching a new high speed money pit.Before they let the scribes out on the road they wined and dined them in grand style - like Bertorelli (allo allo) would say "whata mistak-a to make-a" and a fair bit of work for the mechanics and body shop. Derek > A person called Honest John has a column on car-related issues in the > Daily [quoted text clipped - 10 lines] > > Just curious. I suppose that one reason it could be true is that multiple drivers not used to the car are more likely to spot problems and insist they get fixed. But I doubt this effect, if it exists, would outweigh the "I don't own it so I don't worry what I do with it" effect. JD || Richard Brookman wrote: || [quoted text clipped - 16 lines] || not used to the car are more likely to spot problems and insist they || get fixed. That reason was given in the article: all faults would have been reported and rectified before the next customer. Seems fair enough. || But I doubt this effect, if it exists, would outweigh the || "I don't own it so I don't worry what I do with it" effect. That's my thought exactly. Wheels will have been kerbed, clutches fried, gears crunched, engines slogged or over-revved. SignatureRich ============================== I don't approve of signatures, so I don't have one. >|| Richard Brookman wrote: >|| [quoted text clipped - 22 lines] >|| But I doubt this effect, if it exists, would outweigh the >|| "I don't own it so I don't worry what I do with it" effect. I've driven hire cars with all manner of defects, and have never insisted that they were fixed for the next customer! SignatureTim Hobbs '58 Series 2 88" aka "Stig" '03 Volvo V70 '06 Nissan Navara aka "The Truck" > A person called Honest John has a column on car-related issues in the Daily > Torygraph. In this week's offering, someone was asking about the wisdom of [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] > > Just curious. I'm not sure about many drivers, but I bought an ex-rental car - the nice thing about with it was that it had a printed out list of *everything* that had ever been done with it - even down to changing the windscreen wipers! It was obviously not a pool car - I know how badly they are treat! but given the vehicle was more likely some middle-management type had it, I guess you just have to think about who is likely to have owned or driven the car. Matt >> A person called Honest John has a column on car-related issues in the Daily >> Torygraph. In this week's offering, someone was asking about the wisdom of [quoted text clipped - 17 lines] > >Matt There's a big difference between "rental" as in Avis etc, and "rental" as in 'been to one user on contract hire'. I wouldn't touch the former with a barge pole - I drive them regularly. They are with customers from mile 0 and get no running in at all. SignatureTim Hobbs '58 Series 2 88" aka "Stig" '03 Volvo V70 '06 Nissan Navara aka "The Truck" >There's a big difference between "rental" as in Avis etc, and "rental" >as in 'been to one user on contract hire'. I wouldn't touch the >former with a barge pole - I drive them regularly. They are with >customers from mile 0 and get no running in at all. The main point is that the customers care not a fig for the longevity of the thing, as per my earlier comment about rev limiters. I've never revved any of my things to the limit on the road, far less as a habit. SignatureAustin Shackles. www.ddol-las.net my opinions are just that Satisfying: Satisfy your inner child by eating ten tubes of Smarties from the Little Book of Complete B***ocks by Alistair Beaton. || I'm not sure about many drivers, but I bought an ex-rental car - the || nice thing about with it was that it had a printed out list of [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] || || Matt I think the point was that a rental car (as opposed to a lease car) will have had a squillion and one drivers in its life, most in a hurry, most unfamiliar with the car, and not caring a hoot about damage or wear as long as it wasn't visible. You prove the point about good maintenance, though. SignatureRich ============================== I don't approve of signatures, so I don't have one. > A person called Honest John has a column on car-related issues in the Daily > Torygraph. In this week's offering, someone was asking about the wisdom of [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > purchase, as it would have properly run in (what?), well serviced (probably) > and that "a lot of different drivers is a very good thing for a car". I remember someone telling me that Ford wanted to homologise ? their Mustang ( Shelby ) for racing and persuaded Hertz to have enough to qualify the car as an everyday one ! Hertz then could'nt work out why the cars were coming back knackered after weekends. ( Apparently they were hired, the blueprinted engine removed and raced in a lighter car and returned after the weekend thrashed to death :-)) |
Reply to this Message |
 Sign In
 Join
 My Latest Posts My Monitored Threads My Blog My Photo Gallery My Profile My Homepage Start New Thread Enable EMail Alerts Rate this Thread
|
©2008 Advenet LLC Privacy Policy - Terms of Use
This website includes both content owned or controlled by Advenet as well as content owned or controlled by third parties.