Shitey Car Rental - Ideal Vehicles

[cort16]

I noticed that on Lord Sterlings post there's a company that basically hire out old cars at low low prices.

 

Now I'm one for a good half baked business idea and it got me thinking what would the ideal car be for a crappy rental fleet? I guess you'd want to stick to a similiar model so you can re- use parts. You probably don't want to spend more than £1000 (maybe even half that on the budget runners) on a car or van. You'd also want to think about fuel economy, parts availability, price, insurance, practicality etc.  You don't want it hanging in rust or pissing oil everywhere.

 

My first though is a Mk2 Mondeo. Maybe a 1.8 or 2.0 pez but they're thinning out now and ones that are around are a bit grotty looking. I think the mk3 is a bit more complex. I also thought about running maybe so Merc 190d or W124ds so you could allow your renters to fillRup on veg for an extra 12 quid or something and impress potential employers ar job interviews by arriving in something that smells like chips. You could maybe have a couple of mx5's in there for some sporty fleet mix up.

 

Rather than hire satnav you could rent them a 1994 copy of the AA road atlas for 50p. Possibly add an entertainment package that includes an etcha sketch and a well leafed copy of classic tractor magazine?  Rather than a damage waiver excess you could offer to sell them a roll of gaffa tape for £2 to lash up the bumpers.

 

Any ideas?  Obviously BMW's post 1995 are NOT WELCOME!

 

 

 

We also do van hire

 

[Jim Bergerac]

Executive Class fleet:

[cort16]

I like the XG30 but what happens when you need parts?  I was thinking Vauxhall Omega Elite for the prestige section.

[Junkman]

I drove one of those Kias as a hire car last time I was in the A of the US and actually quite liked it - until I reached my friend's place, where my '63 Imperial is kept.

[Mr Lobster]

Sadly its been tried before and the economics don't stack up - it's cheaper to run a fleet of new cars than old ones from a rental perspective unfortunately.

 

However if you were going to do it then I reckon that a fleet mix of early Toyota Yaris for the small cars, Mk2 Mondeo for the mediium size stuff and maybe a earlyish Galaxy for the people carrier punters. Couple of Berlingo vans and smiley Transits and you'd be away.

[barefoot]

Sadly its been tried before and the economics don't stack up - it's cheaper to run a fleet of new cars than old ones from a rental perspective unfortunately.

Are the economics of renting old VW T2's even worse?

I can't understand why they wouldn't get broken every time they went out.

[phil_lihp]

Autoshite Rentals, Costa Del Sol office.

 

[phil_lihp]

The local firm I rented an 07 Transit from on Friday now runs a large fleet of shiny vans, the one I had was by far the oldest.  I do however remember when they first started up about 10 years ago, to my recollection they possessed one shabby smiley Transit and a really, really battered Uno-style Fiat Fiorino.

[cort16]

I rented a van earlier in the year and it was id'd by someone on here as been their ex works van that regularly had it's interior jetwashed.

 

I recon early e46 3 series 318's could be a decent bet . They're pretty simple, reliable and comfy.

[Ghosty]

Wasn't there a family on that Tales of Modern Motoring series that did basically did that?

They had a bright yellow Mk5 'Tina estate that would have been about 14 years old then.

[scruff]

 

 

We also do van hire

 

 

WELCOME TO JERSEY LOL

[Sudsprint]

A beaten up 1961 Facel Vega Excellence.

 

A white four speed TR7

 

An immaculate silver 1981 VW Derby

 

And a shabby metallic green 1972 Hunter GL estate

 

Job done.

[Mr Lobster]

Are the economics of renting old VW T2's even worse?

I can't understand why they wouldn't get broken every time they went out.

 

Probably not because if something is old enough to be 'a classic' then they can charge £££££££s and afford to maintain them properly. There a few places do classic car hire and whilst they do have some nice stuff nothing is ever cheap.

[dollywobbler]

It's an appealing prospect, but only if you can avoid the mouth breathers who will no doubt take interest. I think you could solve that quite easily by putting a sign in the window saying NO TWATS though.

[320touring]

Why dont we go down the route of having a chod car club- people could buy memberships, get points then use them to book out cars.

 

kinda like a supercar club but much better?

[oman5]

volvo 240/740/940 obviously. (they don't go wrong very much)

LDV Pilot/convoy. dirt cheap. yes they are shit but YOU don't have to drive them, that's the punter's job.

Nissan Micra for small/cheap entry level renting.

Those Daewoo Leganzas, worthless even in pristine condition. ditto just about any Rover. (cheap enough to throw away when the inevitable OMGHGF rears its head)

[NorfolkNWeigh]

As that place that his Lordship posted is only for American servicemen,I didn't think it was actually possible to rent shite.

But anyone planning a trip Downunder ,should call Ron.

http://www.ronsoldercarentals.com.au/#!fleet/c1p9k

The fact that this

 

Is cheaper per day than this

 

Is a bit strange,

 

But this

 

Would obviously be the Shiters choice to explore the Outback

[cort16]

I recon daewoo matiz, pay an extra £1.20 for a sirion upgrade.

Volvo 960s would be good as they're good for the ikea flat pack run and a tidy one is 600 quid. Mpg doesn't matter as your most folk are just going out of town.

 

Sanderos would probably make the ideal new hire car. 5995 with a manufacture warranty. They're basic but still better than an i10.

[Richard]

I rented a van earlier in the year and it was id'd by someone on here as been their ex works van that regularly had it's interior jetwashed.

 

Only the once, just before it was traded in- same goes for the exterior actually. He also managed to bugger up the side door, but you knew that already

[cort16]

I couldn't remember who it was. I moaned the face off the hire company when I took it back but they didn't give a monkeys.

[Pillock]

Are the economics of renting old VW T2's even worse?

I can't understand why they wouldn't get broken every time they went out.

My local Classic VW Rental place (campers4hire or summat) has just flogged all theirs, just to be left with a T5.

My mate used to run a place out near Newark with 3 or 4 classics - a 67 and then a few 70's ones. He sold them all on too, not because they were always breaking but because the bellends who hired them had zero mechanical sympathy and would wonder why they wouldn't do 80mph up Cornish hills fully laden with obese dogs and surfboards. He was having to service them after every hire just to keep them reliable.

[Lord Sterling]

I noticed that on Lord Sterlings post there's a company that basically hire out old cars at low low prices.

 

As Norfolk N-Guage pointed out, the rental company sadly only rents to American Servicemen stationed in the UK:

 

Can I Hire?

 

As a company we trade exclusively with US military, and only those stationed in the UK.

 

This is not because we don't want to, it's because US based insurance companies eg. USAA will not temporarily cover for liability overseas. Call us with your questions.

And as Ghost_lad pointed out, there was a family who rented a traffy old Yellow Cortina estate from some cheap-chod rental firm.

 

Sadly things like this simply wouldn't work now. There are too many mouth-breathers/chancers out there to make it a viable business. Our cars would simply be used for post-office/sweet shop robberies/petty crimes or penniless joyriders.

 

HOWever, I'm sure that chod-rental company pointed out in the A-to-B video is still trading. I'm sure I remember checking it out.

[Pillock]

It's quite common in the US. My sister rented something - something they called a compact, and was about the size of Cardiff. It was a sort of dark wood colour with a green interior and was a mid-80s car (this was in 1998). Apparently as long as they have working A/C, drive and sort of brake and steer, they rent 'em. I really wish I could remember what it was, I'll see if she has pictures.

[ProgRocker]

Sanderos would probably make the ideal new hire car. 5995 with a manufacture warranty. They're basic but still better than an i10.

 

Agreed. With those matt black bumpers it should be easier to sort out those scuffs and cracks.

[cort16]

They've got rentadent in nz too. I think there's a market for it makes monthly and weekly rentals more viable. As said though you need to avoid mouth breathers and have a good backup plan for when that 1999 Mondeo you rented in glasgow chucks it in Southampton .

[Mr Lobster]

Thing is, most of the big daily rental companies make their money on buying and selling of the vehicles and not the renting of them. Holding costs for a rental car are relatively low so buy running a fleet of ten fifteen year old cars you won't undercut them as maintenance will be a lot more expensive.  It's not difficult to find a newish rental car for £100 / week with insurance and VAT so if another rental company offered a older car for £80 a week most people would pay the extra for the new one. 

 

Plus its really not possible for a rental company charging less than £90 - £100 / week incl on any sort of car to make any money at all.

 

Additionally, renting cheap stuff means that you invariably rent to people who don't look after them and couldn't give a toss plus the bulk of the UK rental market is to companies rather than the man on the street and most companies probably won't want to rent a Mk2 Mondeo for their new employee to run around in whilst his new company car is delivered.

[Junkman]

I think the best would be a slightly tatty Silver Cloud, including a blond chauffeuress in a rather skimpy black Luftwaffe uniform, complete with polished brass buttons, cap, Naugahyde gloves and riding crop.

[twosmoke300]

My fleet would include

 

The world's only smiley transit with no rust ( there must be one somewhere )

99 Honda civic 3 door

Toyota corrola ( 90 s one )

Nissan terrano 2.7 td

[cort16]

Yes very true. I could do a budget hertz renta racer that's just a marina coupe with a stripe and slot mags .

[Skizzer]

Sadly its been tried before and the economics don't stack up - it's cheaper to run a fleet of new cars than old ones from a rental perspective unfortunately.

This, sadly. A few years ago when car clubs were the Next Big Thing, I looked pretty seriously into setting one up using a fleet of aged Volvo 850s. (It was provisionally named Grand Thrift Auto.)

 

But there was no way I could make the numbers work out. That was partly because of the car club model and the need for some sort of security gadget, but even so the economics and psychological risks of dealing with all the scroty customers, plus the liability insurance and stuff, made my ears bleed.

 

It's a lovely concept though.