While Hertz is best known for rental cars and, more recently, AI scanners charging for damage that doesn't exist, it has a car sales division that may or may not give you a good deal. Hertz Car Sales has teamed up with another industry giant, Amazon Autos, to offer its used car inventory online, becoming Amazon's first fleet dealer. According to the Wall Street Journal, Hertz sells about one-third of its former rental cars through Hertz Car Sales.
Amazon Autos has quickly come a long way from only selling Hyundais, and it's no secret that it has wanted to get into the used car business. Just a couple of weeks ago, used models of any brand from participating Hyundai dealers in Los Angeles became available, with a promise to bring this to other cities "in the coming months." This partnership may be part of that plan. While initially available only in Los Angeles, Seattle, Houston, and Dallas, it plans to expand availability to include all 45 Hertz Car Sales locations in the United States.
Read more: These Are The Worst New Car And SUV Deals Right Now, According To Consumer Reports
How It Works
Hertz says that you can search specifically for its cars for sale on Amazon Autos. Presumably, they will automatically show up in general search results as well. These will have passed a 115-point inspection and come with a 12-month/12,000-mile limited powertrain warranty, 24-hour roadside assistance, and a seven-day/250-mile buy-back guarantee. Upon completing the sale, you will need to pick up the car from a participating Hertz Car Sales location.
While Hertz says that available vehicles within 75 miles of the customer will be shown in search results, this sounds similar to the deal with Hyundai, where you must live within 75 miles of the dealership. Being in northwest Arkansas, I live more than 75 miles away from anything. I simply get a splash screen that says, "Amazon Autos isn't available in your area just yet." No distance restriction exists when I search inventory on the Hertz Car Sales website, however.
This also raises the question of whether buying a used rental car is a good idea in the first place. Our resident car-buying expert, Tom McParland, says it's less risky than you may think. "The vast majority of people renting something like a Nissan Altima aren't launching it off a ramp or doing burnouts in a parking lot. I mean, you are, but most people aren't."
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