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Rental arithmetic
In May of 2008 we purchased a 2,000-mile Mazda 3 TS2 first registered in March 2008, for £8,400 including VAT of £1,097 from the Mazda main dealer in Tunbridge Wells. We were told that it had previously been a "Mazda fleet car.” Some months ago the Daily Telegraph published an article regarding the practice of a car rental company in registering their cars under an obscure company name. When we checked, we found that indeed our car was previously owned by this company and was not therefore what we were lead to believe. Do you think, that we paid a fair price for the car, considering its previous ownership? And do we have any grounds for complaint as we were not told the truth about its previous ownership?
Asked on 30 January 2010 by P.K., Warlingham
Answered by
Honest John
If it was a Mazda 3 (not a Mazda 2) it was very cheap indeed. The front page Telegraph story was unduly alarmist. I was consulted but was completely ignored. There is no difference between the used value of an ex rental car and a privately or company owned car. More than 80% of nearly new cars are, in fact, ex rental (because where else would they come from). An ex driving school car would be a different matter and could have suffered driveline and suspension damage.
Our honest used car pricing is a little bit different to all the others. You can get to our values through make or model - you don’t have to follow a prescribed route. Plus, it’s live, which means we can react to changes in the market quicker than any printed price guide.
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