Any experience with Hertz Rent to Buy

[captain_ramshackle]

My venerable Yaris '02 and 155K miles is on it's last legs with horrible clutch and gearbox noises (and slipping out of first).

I'm not the greatest at car mechanics so I tend to be wary of buying a car and my usual source of info (father) is inconveniently located.


So I have a few options

1. Buy an old banger and scrap it when it explodes

2. Spend 4-5K on something from a trade place and hope I didn't get a lemon

3. Try this rent to buy thing where the car will be more like 6-7K but I can take it to a garage and get it inspected

4. Some other option

So, does anyone have any suggestions or experience with this?

[Polarbear]

lease a car?
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[captain_ramshackle]

[daemonoid]

I doubt a reputable dealer would prevent you taking option 2 to your own choice of garage (well, within a reasonable distance anyway). If they don't like the idea then walk away...
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[captain_ramshackle]

[Sload]

Bangernomics only works if you know what you can get away with so if you are not confident with the spanners spend for security.
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[stevo as b4]

There's plenty of 5-7year old normal family hatchbacks out there for sale for between £2k and 3k. You should get something decent, reliable and with plenty of life left in it for that price range.

I've had 2x under £550 car's that have each lasted me over a year with minimal spend. One was only scrapped for a relative to get the scrappage scheme discount.

I have friend's that use the just add fuel scheme. Their argument is that they work long hours, have kids to ferry around a lot, and live in a rural area where the car is an essential. They say at this moment in time Just add fuel suits their needs, and they can live with the never owning anything or having anything to show for their cash in 3years.

If you don't need or use the car every day or depend on it hugely, then I don't think Just add fuel is right for you.

[Wonko The Sane]

[iooi]

[captain_ramshackle]

[Shaft]

[Rogerborg]

[andyscooter]

Little bit more then five grand buys a brand new dacia sandero
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[Shaft]

[Rogerborg]

I think we're agreeing...

I'd pay under £1K (and as little as possible) or over £5K and not bother with what's in between.
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[pdg]

Cheap cars needn't be a source of constant breakdowns and oily hands...

My mum's car for instance, a '97 Peugeot 106. We bought it for her about 18 months for £250 with a brand spanking new (day before) MOT.

Since then, we have replaced 2 tyres (she wore them out) and I now have to put new brake pads in the front. Oh, and the exhaust backbox needs replacing for ~£25.

Previous to that car, she had an old-style Fiat panda - bought for £250 and lasted over 5 years with nothing more than normal servicing. She only wanted to replace it because she wanted rear doors (loading grandchildren). We sold it for £250.

Almost a year ago, we sourced a car for a my dad - a '95(ish) astra. Bought for £300 (again with a new MOT). So far, the only 'work' it's had done is checking the tyre pressures.

That astra replaced a Renault scenic that cost over 6 grand and was a constant source of expense and hassle. For instance, the remotes stopped working completely so to lock/unlock 3 of the 5 doors we had to bodge a pair of wires out of the boot - touch them together to lock/unlock. To 'secure' the doors that didn't lock at all, well, just park near a wall... Following it deciding not to run on more than one cylinder that got sold for £200 and scrapped 2 weeks later by the new owner. Plugging it into a Renault diagnostics machine was going to cost over 200 quid and even then it was apparently (according to the Renault garage) was still going to be a case of replacing electrical parts until something worked. Bargain.

The wife has a 106 as well, we paid somewhere around 600 for that with 40,000 miles on it. That's gone a couple of years and maybe 18-20k (I really don't take that much notice) now - a few tyres have been replaced and I also had to replace the glow-plugs.

Apparently, my Discovery was also 'banger money' at just over £1,500. I did 40k in that over 5 years when the cambelt went (there is a thread on here somewhere). That cost about 70quid to fix the engine when I finally got my arse in gear and it's back in almost daily service again.

With the exception of the Renault (and the disco cambelt, which to be fair could have been avoided by changing it a bit sooner - it was only about 2,000 miles before interval replacement), none of them have needed anything other than normal servicing.


So, from that massively representative pool of 6 cars, the most expensive and most hassle example to keep running was the one that cost more to buy than the other 5 put together.
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[Rogerborg]

[captain_ramshackle]

It's really interesting because what people are saying does make sense and I was dismayed at how little £3K gets you.

I bought my Yaris in 2006 for £3,200 with 50K on it. I've driven a further 100K miles with almost nothing needing doing on the car.

Then I look to see what I can get for 4K is it doesn't seem much better than what I have now.


Currently looking to see how much a reconditioned gearbox would be (fitted) and considering a £1000-£1,500 car as I can't bring myself to spend 6-9K on something I don't really think is that essential.

However, it has been made clear that spending 3-5K is a stupid idea.

[Shaft]

I'd go and buy another Yaris, you'll get one with half the mileage of yours for less than £2000, then go and put another 100K on it for pennies.

Cars don't come much more reliable than the Yaris and if that's what you're used to, better the devil you know.
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[Northern Monkey]

Brand new Suzuki alto for £6k?

£99 a month for 42 months then a 1 1/2k balloon.
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[dodsi]

I have one of each. An 11k Honda Civic Diesel that the Mrs mainly uses and a £1200 E46 BMW 323ci.

The BMW has electric everything, 6 cylinders and 2.5 litres and averages 25mpg. However, bought with 78k miles in June 14' spent money on 4 x tyres at about £70 per corner and £100 on a bush repair for the MOT. The mileage is now 87k nearly and its always fired on the key.

The Honda does 45/50 mpg average, has decent enough performance and looks a bit snazzy with its type R styling thing. Bought 2 tyres only because the Mrs fucked them up by driving around on under inflated tyres for a few weeks (I was using the BMW) straight through MOT and issues we have had have all been common things done under warranty. However, I imagine the car is worth 3k less than we paid. It had 36k miles when bought but is now at 50k since Feb '14.

Where is the value in the 'reliable' expensive Honda?

And the BMW is a more comfortable ride.

[Robster]

Ahem... vvv £1000 T reg E39, 30mpg 90k miles and bargelicious
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[Rogerborg]

[stevo as b4]

I loved my mk3? Alto GL. a 953cc 645kg car that was simple, easy to work on, and consumables lasted for ages. I sold it 2years on for £50 less than I payed for it and spend just a couple of £££ on it at most I reckon.

Then had a brainwave and spent £3000 on a 20year old Rover 200 with few std parts, lots of the comfort bits removed and with a best cruise mpg of around 24. Seemed like a winner!

[hmmmnz]

there is plenty available for a grand privately that will see you right
i paid £700 for a69k mile passart estate 2 years ago,
and barring a cv joint and a couple of dodgy sensors, its been pretty hassle free,

i for one wouldnt rent to buy, when my car dies, ill still get a couple of hundred in scrap, and ill repeat thee process
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