Share your insights or perspective on the financial matter presented in the input.

Do rental car agencies sell their cars at a time when it is risky for the purchaser?
Many Web sites and articles warn against buying former rental cars,   because people renting these cars often mistreat them. Rental cars are typically driven by people over 25, these are typically people with some financial means (air travel, credit card). Additionally, rental cars are subject to frequent inspection and likely to be on tighter maintenance schedules than many owners would keep. So while some people may drive a rental harder than they would their own car, it's not typical, and not likely to result in some hidden damage that makes a rental less desirable (all else being equal) on the used-car market. Does the fact that they sell the car mean during this time suggest that they know the car's cost of further maintenance or other costs will be higher? Or is there another reason they sell at this time which, has a calculated advantage to them, but which is less than idea statistically for me, the purchaser? Rental companies buy at incredible volumes, as such, some manufacturers have programs where they will buy back used cars from the rental company at a set price and/or time. Other incentives are guaranteed depreciation, wherein the manufacturer will make up the difference if the used vehicle doesn't sell for a set percentage of it's purchase price after a set amount of time. Outside of these incentive programs, rental companies also get substantial volume discounts, and they typically are buying base models which hold value better than their higher-trim counterparts (according to KBB market analyst). So the conventional wisdom about depreciation doesn't really apply. The timing of their sales is primarily based on their purchasing arrangements and their desire to keep an up to date fleet, not on projected maintenance/repair costs. The best you can do with any used-car purchase is to test-drive, get a pre-purchase inspection, and review whatever history is available.