Buying a Prius from Hertz Rent2Buy - one experience

Yes, it came with only one key. I plan to pay the exorbitant charge and get a second key when I have the money.

Update, I wired the down payment and opened the new rental contract without extra insurance as they advised me to do. So far, Hertz has charged over $1100 to my credit card. All but two days of extra insurance at the rate of $60 dollars a day ($120) is SUPPOSED to be credited back when they receive the funds for purchase from the bank. We shall see. I am becoming LESS than enthralled with this whole ordeal the longer it drags on. I will probably have to fight them to get the promised refund. This might not be the best way to get a Prius.

 

I was going to buy from Hertz, but at the last minute, I decided to give the dealer one last look. They had an '08 that had just come in with <4k. Even then I didn't think they'd meet my price (what Hertz would sell and '09 with 25-40k), but they did.
I've love driving it for over a year.
Now it is time for new tires.

 

That is a great deal....

Hertz called yesterday and said they didn't have me sign on a place that needs a signature..so the bank is sending the papers back to Hertz and Hertz is sending them back to me, and we start all over. Really? Then today a different area of Hertz called and wanted to know why I haven't returned the 'rental' car.

I think you made the smarter decision.

 

Earlier this week I reserved a 2010 Prius II for a test drive/ 3day rental through Hertz. Due to pick up today (Fri), but they called Wednesday and said it won't be available until after the weekend, at least. So don't sign up for this program if you are in a hurry!

I successfully got them to agree to some price reduction via email for a 2nd Keyfob since all their cars only come with one. But in the meantime my autobroker has located a 2010 from enterprise's fleet with higher miles but for $2K less, so I'm going that route. Should be picking it up Saturday!

 

UPDATE : Re: Buying a Prius from Hertz Rent2Buy - one experience

Well...just as I thought, when it came time to refund the charges, I got screwed. I figured I would have to fight for the promised refund and I did. But, they refused to honor it and implied I was lying about it.

That's not the worse part of this deal, either. I took it in to have some suspicious empty screw holes in the tire well checked out. It turns out the "minor" accident, wasn't so minor. The worse part is they destroyed all the supporting structure for the front bumper. Reattached the bumper by drilling holes where holes were not supposed to be...a real mess. I am going to have to replace almost everything on the front end. When I informed them of the findings, they basically said "too bad". They won't fix it, pay for it or share the cost of this hidden damage.

As a single woman, I have been taken so many times by dishonest people. I thought I was getting better at spotting this sort of thing. Apparently, I am not. I really don't think I am naive, I just assume people are being honest. Maybe that is naive.

I am really depressed about this. I spent all of my money getting this car and now I have to spend thousands to fix it.
All I can say is, DON'T BUY from HertzRent2buy. Or do so with extreme caution. They don't have any problem with dishonesty.

I saved for years to get my first Prius. Now I don't even want it.

 

Re: UPDATE : Re: Buying a Prius from Hertz Rent2Buy - one experience

I think you'd be smart to talk to an attorney about your recourse – sounds like Hertz was very deceptive and misrepresented the condition of this automobile.
Here's just one page I found when googling Louisiana lemon laws for used cars:
Louisiana Used Car Lemon Law | Used Car Lemon Law LA

Also I think you are dealing with two different entities: Hertz Rental for the excessive rental fees, and Hertz Sales for the vehicle. Sounds like a good case for The Haggler.

 

I watched an Indy 500 in which half the cars dropped out with mechanical failures. Not any cars, these are multi-million dollar cars, built with the most durable high temperature alloys known to mankind.

Moral: No matter how durable the car, if you drive it hard enough, you can break it in under 500 miles. Good luck with your car, I wish you well, but i would never buy an ex-rental car. People too frequently abuse them.

I have a 2010. It has high miles, but I'm babying it because I'm going to sell it in the Spring when the Plug-in arrives. I change the oil and air filters regularly, I drive it gently enough to get a steady 50 MPG. And I'm nothing special; you can't buy a rental that's had that kind of TLC. They don't check the oil or the tires, they just beat them to death.

Really, I wish you the very best of luck and I hope yours lasts 250,000, but it's not what I'd do.