Anyone buy from Hertz Car Sales in St. Paul?

[NickB79]

I'm looking to buy a Toyota Matrix, either new or used but in good condition, by August. I would prefer to go through a dealership, since my last car I purchased from a private dealer (a Ford Taurus) has turned out to be a major money pit/lemon. I'm located in Burnsville, which has a large Toyota dealership. Their new Matrix's are ~$17,000, and they don't seem to have many used ones. However, looking online I found that Hertz Rent-a-Car has a used-car dealership in St. Paul that is selling 2004 Matrix's for under $14,000. I am intrigued by the fact that they should be well-maintained since they are fleet vehicles, have a 12-month/12,000 mile Hertz warranty, and still have their factory warranty as well. Has anyone here purchased from them before? My one experience with Hertz was with renting a cargo van to move my girlfriend's stuff from St. Cloud to my apartment down here this spring, and it was very positive. Very good service, good price and the van was well-maintained and drove as well as a cargo van could be expected to drive. Thanks for any info!

[oscar111]

1. I HAVE heard that fleet cars are beat up because

the drivers are uncaring.
bernie ward show radio, source.

BTW, use Consumer Reports for chosing the kind of car. Repair records priceless.

me, i would hate to buy used car. A cheap new model beats any expensive brand, used ...IMHO.

Theory says all-electric car should have fewer repairs than gasoline cars. Few moving parts.

[dflprincess]

2. Check some of the outstate and out of state dealers

I bought my current car ('97 Civic, new when I got it) from a dealer in Sioux Falls. I saved about $600 doing it that way and, the dealer brought it into Minneapolis and took my trade in back with him.

[LTR]

3. Advice from a car salesman

Namely, me.

I've worked for a few dealerships (currently sell Chevy), and have seen quite a few rental vehicles on the used lot. Many of the former rentals at dealerships are 1-2 years old, and are bought from auctions. Likewise, if you see a 1-2 year old car on a dealership lot, chances are it was a former rental, since not too many people trade in cars that soon.

The fleets get rid of their cars usually before they hit 20K miles, though I've seen a few models (Chevy Monte Carlo, for one) that seem to be closer to 30K. It probably varies by car. Chevy Malibus, Chrysler Sebrings, Dodge Caravans and Ford Tauruses are popular fleet vehicles, and look for base model Chrysler 300's soon. I have seen a few fleet Mustangs as well. Domestics seem to be more common in fleets, though you may run into the occasional Kia product.

All in all, the fleet cars seem to be better taken care of than private owner trades. With private owner cars, you could run into a car that the owner did not maintain well (I had a customer once try to trade in a '01 Malibu that was falling apart, and she still owed $8K on it). Fleet vehicles seem to be maintained well, but you may encounter a coffee stain or two once in a while. I've never seen a bad fleet vehicle.

The Matrix is a good car, and since it's a newer model, likely the only ones you'll see are former rentals, at least until next year or so when the three-year old lease cars are turned in. As far as I'm concerned, you'll have better luck with fleet cars than with private owner cars. Just be warned that rental fleets tend to buy base models (ever see a rental Malibu or Sebring with a V6?), so if you're looking for fully-loaded cars, you might be out of luck.

Otherwise, if you just want a 1-2 year old Matrix, a rental may be your best bet. I would check Toyota's website or your local Toyota dealer to find out current pricing on new models, though. The manufacturers are going nuts with incentive programs right now (GM's Employee Pricing program is generating TONS of business currently, and Ford and Chrysler are being aggressive as well.) Currently, Toyota isn't going nuts on cash back promotions (compact cars are pretty low margin anyways, so don't look for massive discounting), but they do offer low interest financing. The coming months may change, though, depending on how aggressive they get against GM.

If you want to continue searching the lots for used Matrixes, go to Toyota dealerships, since they usually have Certified Used Vehicle programs with great warranties and thorough inspections.

Finally, inquire into Hertz's financing plans, unless you're paying cash. Do they use the same banks as the dealerships? Comparable interest rates? You could check with a good credit union that does car loans. Some offer great rates to customers with good credit.