Test drives don't count!

 

Neither. Mine was bought off a Chrysler used lot tucked between a couple rental PT Cruisers. Previous owner was local and had the car for 13 months and 11k miles. They traded it in on a new Chrysler.

Don't fret buying used. Every single casr you see on the road is used.
'New" ends as the front wheels go over the curb leading from the dealership.

Rentals "Program cars" are usually high mile cars and well maintained, but driven by many people who don't care about the car.

Neither. Mine was bought off a Chrysler used lot tucked between a couple rental PT Cruisers. Previous owner was local and had the car for 13 months and 11k miles. They traded it in on a new Chrysler.

Don't fret buying used. Every single casr you see on the road is used.
'New" ends as the front wheels go over the curb leading from the dealership.

Rentals "Program cars" are usually high mile cars and "well maintained", but driven by many people who don't care about the car.

I bought only one new car in 30 years. I had it back to the dealer more then any used car in the first year for stupid small crap. kinda like this one. apparently the previous owner did not want to bother.

 

 

It would be interesting to track down the rental that I drove to Hot Springs last summer. I put 3700 miles on it in 10 days. Being a rental I put it through the ringer to make sure I still wanted an HHR. It took the flogging and convinced me these were great cars to own. 29.3 MPG @ 78mph most of the way. Here is a pic standing on a corner in Winslow Arizona

I just had to stop.

 

I like rentals..

 

There have been some rentals I would have bought in a heartbeat if given the chance...one was a 2004 Impala in California and the other was the HHR in San Antonio....drove the snot out of those cars and they did not make a peep or a yelp...

Standing on a corner in Winslow Arizona...love it !


Goose

 

Great pic! Almost worth the trip just for the photo-op.

 

Bought SB new with 14 miles. Dealer knew I was coming and had her warmed up, sunroof popped open and ready for my first ride ever in an HHR...he knew I was going to take it...

 

Julius was a used car, we had gone earlier and wanted to look at a silver one at another dealer that the slimey sob sales 'dude' said was there but was obviously sold way earlier... came home looked in auto trader abd found him. my wife fell in love when she came out her work to check him out, and i parked in good sun just to make sure . anyways when i read the auto trader ad, it had the carFax thing in there and we got a copy from the dealer, it was owned by 2 rental agencies, first went belly up and sold it at like 3000 miles, second was a 'large rental company' and sold it at 29000. other then the normal problems on an 06 we have had none. i would have been very leery of a rental with more miles then what it had. also the hhr doesnt attract as many car torture testers as say a mustang or an impala... but when you figure the ptloser was 3 grand upside down and we kept pretty much the same payments on this car, it was too good a deal to pass up.

 

I've bought many cars in my 40+ years of driving. The early years were used cars 56 Ford wagon, used 59 Plymouth convertible, with a used 66 Pontiac Catalina the best used car I have had. The first new car was a 72 Vega, one of the worst cars I ever owned. A 76 Nova was one of the best new cars I ever bought. A 78 Rabbit diesel Then there was an new 82 LaBaron a new 83 Pontiac 6000 LE an 87 Fiero GT (I still have it) a used 84 Escort wagon (winter beater), new 92 Suzuki Sidekick (good car), new 99 Buick Regal GS good running car (bad AC system,) now the HHR.

So I have discoverd a mixed bag of quality in new or used cars.

My brother picked up a former rental 05 PT cruiser that had <10,000 miles on it. He has put < 10000 miles on the car in the two years he's had it with no major problems. He beats the he[[ out the car too when he does drive it.