28th Jan 2013, 17:52

I have no doubt that rental cars would receive the adequate scheduled maintenance, but what I'm saying is how the people who rent them (or some, anyway) abuse the crap out of them, because it's simply "not theirs". But yes, there are people such as businessmen who do use them for their correct purpose, but unfortunately not everyone is like that. Stuff like door creaks and the car pulling to the left can certainly be a sign of abuse.

28th Jan 2013, 21:02

I say this not to be antagonistic, but to clarify my concern. By twisting information & posting half-truths, I mean citing a source, but selectively posting only the bits and pieces that further your agenda, and not posting the entire facts. Also, continuing to insinuate that people are somehow disloyal by supporting an open market, as I feel you just did again with your backdoor comment, is just wrong, and really needs to stop on this site.

Regards, Jim in Massachusetts

29th Jan 2013, 15:49

The global economy is no friend of American workers. Two years ago the firm I worked for was approached by a company offering to outsource much of our work to India for $9 per hour. Our firm paid our employees $25 per hour for that work. Fortunately our company owner was loyal to his employees, some of whom had worked for the firm for decades. He hastily escorted the company rep to the door and said "Don't come back". I was lucky to work for a man of principal, but I have no doubt that other firms in my area, that were run by greedy and uncaring people, fired long time employees to make more profit.

Although my firm has nothing to do with automobiles, I feel the same principle applies. Any time we choose to send our buying dollars to companies based in and owned by other countries, we are taking money away from our own companies and putting our own citizens out of work. To me that is not a healthy thing for America.

30th Jan 2013, 20:10

There's two sides to this discussion. Certainly one is free to buy anything legal from anywhere. The real point is if that is a good thing with so many people downsized and unemployed. We have had free trade going well into the past. When companies are beat up over the Internet with not enough profits to keep the lights on, it is a concern.

31st Jan 2013, 15:55

Having friends and relatives who own companies in the U.S., I'm familiar with the damage done by foreign companies that undercut prices and steal U.S. jobs. I have long had a policy of researching most of our major purchases and buying only from U.S. owned companies, and preferably companies that manufacture their goods here as well. To me, saving a few dollars is less important that preserving my neighbor's jobs.

31st Jan 2013, 16:30

I keep seeing the term "abuse" used with regard to test drives and rental cars. Unless you crash them into something, it is virtually impossible to "abuse" modern cars. The computer on modern cars will automatically shut off the engines if they are over revved. My car's computer will shut down the engine if you attempt to run it while it is overheating. Modern cars are designed to handle hard braking, cornering and full-throttle acceleration, so I fail to see how you could "abuse" a modern car while renting or test driving it. The most serious damage you could possibly inflict would be wearing off microscopic amounts of rubber from the tires.

1st Feb 2013, 04:57

Kamikaze neutral to drive, high RPM burnouts, power braking, high speed pot hole runs, 3 point turns at speed would never happen to a new rental car.

2nd Feb 2013, 01:55

Most modern cars will not allow the transmission to be placed in gear with the engine revving or shifting to any other gear while the car is at highway speed. Burnouts only hurt the tires, the computer won't allow excess stress in power braking, and hard cornering does not hurt a car.

As far as potholes, my wife and I over the years have blown out tires and bent rims hitting potholes and curbs and never even required an alignment. If cars were as fragile as some folks think, they wouldn't last a week.

2nd Feb 2013, 18:32

Wow, if you think it's impossible to damage cars by driving them hard, then let me borrow your car for a few days. Then tell me if you think it has been abused. Wherever you are getting your information, it is terribly incorrect. I work in the auto repair industry, and there is a world of difference in the condition of a car, depending on how easily or hard it is driven.

2nd Feb 2013, 18:48

Maybe you can't over-rev, but what about revving when cold? Surely that isn't prevented by a system in the car. 75% of engine wear occurs at start-up and when cold. I'm sure the people who rent do not take this into consideration. Plus other things such as running the car's petrol tank to empty.

2nd Feb 2013, 20:55

In my opinion, this and the other claims that you cannot abuse a modern car are not true.

2nd Feb 2013, 23:45

I will remember when replacing my clutch and tires at Cecil County Dragway this summer.

3rd Feb 2013, 10:30

My sister in law buys a lot of flywheels, as she does not stop the car totally when backing up and going into drive. Can't be late for the daycare every morning.

My family also has a salvage and automotive repair place. My stepfather's favorite comment is "They all come home" like cows that come back to the barn to be milked. Either wrecked or needing repair... cars do break more often than you would think. I have seen salvage cars of all price levels. People do some pretty stupid things. A car can have had assembly issues when new. Perhaps the dealer can cover it under warranty. Or someone decides to test their driving prowess to the max. It's interesting to see the result at times.

3rd Feb 2013, 12:58

As a mechanic, I have trouble understanding many of the myths American car owners seem to have. Two of the biggest myths are that rental cars are "strippers" and that rental cars are a bad used car buy. The last rental I drove was a fully loaded Impala LTZ with every option, including leather and moon roof. It had over 30,000 miles on it and the interior looked showroom new.

The other myth is that people somehow morph into car-bashing monsters once they get behind the wheel of a rental car. Why on Earth would someone so drastically alter their driving style because they are driving a rental? The overwhelming majority of car renters are business people or families on vacations. Street racers seldom rent cars. They have their own.

I have friends, both young and old, who rent cars. None of them go through a Jekyll-Hyde transformation. They drive the rentals just as they drive their personal cars.

My family has owned three former rental cars. All were fully equipped upper line models with all the amenities. All three were totally trouble-free and the best used cars we ever bought. I highly recommend used rental cars. The interiors are generally cleaned after every rental, and they are meticulously maintained.

If you want to see real abuse, just watch how car salesman and service personnel at dealerships drive the new cars. And no, I don't think that really does them any harm. Cars are built to be driven hard. If they weren't, manufacturers couldn't offer 100,000 mile warranties.