I am considering purchasing a 2009 TCH from a rental car company. It's one year old with 49,000 miles and they want $15,500 for it. Am I crazy to consider this? If the high mileage doesn't kill the deal what should I offer them?

 

Generally speaking I would stay away from purchasing a vehicle from a car rental company. These vehicles have been driven by hundreds of people all whom have different driving habits.

 

What's the per mile depreciation compared to a new model? It looks like it's about 20 cents per mile, assuming you can get a new model for about $25.5K. If so, it's not a good deal. If you kept each car to 150K miles, the cost per mile would be almost identical. If you keep either car to only 100K, the new car is cheaper per mile by a lot. And, you haven't calculated the value of driving a new car, nor the value of a warranty that protects you from unexpected repairs for 3 years.

That price needs to come down.

 

Very good point about calculating and comparing the cost per mile with a new TCH. Thank you. Trouble is I can't afford new. I am assuming that the renatl car co. would have done the necessary maintenance but I'm also concerned with the severity of putting 50K miles on a car in one year. Wouldn't that run the car into the ground?

 

The earlier comment about rental-car miles might well be hard miles is a good one. Mostly freeway miles would be easy miles, but you can't know how or where the car was driven. And while the power train and hybrid warranty is still in force, you're on your own for other things. Toyota hybrids haven proven themselves reliable, but the potential for expensive repairs is something to consider.

Must you have a hybrid? I believe you could buy a used 2 or 3-year-old regular Camry (the year-to-year changes are trivial) with fewer miles for a less money. Good luck.

 

I would suggest comparing the rental car with certified used Camrys available in your area.

What is your maximum budget for a car?

Joe