Mechanic warns drivers to 'steer clear' of some used cars despite any bargains

An experienced mechanic is advising motorists to think twice before purchasing a second-hand car.

The guidance comes from Sherwood Cooke Jr, owner of Royalty Auto Service, who has urged potential buyers to avoid old rental cars even if they spot a bargain.

He highlighted that while these used vehicles often come with attractive price tags, buying them could lead to issues in the future.

Sherwood acknowledged that maintenance of rental cars is usually comprehensive, however previous owners might have inflicted unseen damage over time.

In a post on his workshop's TikTok account, he said: "Generally speaking, and I know there's going to be a thousand people saying you bought one and it was great, but generally speaking I wouldn't buy a used rental car.", reports the Express.

He elaborated: "Why is that? The rental car companies tend to take care of them and they are going to do the services on them, they are going to do the oil services and stuff like that. So the maintenance part of it is going to be done."

But he warned: "Unfortunately, the drivers of the vehicles don't know the vehicle. You're getting in a car that you may not know really well. You're trying to mess around with it, you're looking at stuff while you're driving down the road, you're hitting potholes."

"Your attention is not 100 percent on the road like it would be in your car. You know where everything is in your car if you need to turn the radio up you know where it is in your car. This car you're just looking around."

He added: "You're somewhere where you don't know the city or the area that well. That's why you're renting a car you're probably in an area you don't know. So when you drive around your town you know where all the rough roads are and all the potholes are and stuff like that and you stay clear of that stuff.

"You're in a strange city and driving down the road, traffic is horrible and you're just driving along and you hit things all the time as far as potholes and stuff like that."

Sherwood stressed it was likely customers would be a little rougher on rental vehicles than their own models.

Although there may be a deposit to lose if the car is damaged, being aware the car belongs to someone else could lead to some motorists driving quicker.

This is another reason why car users should consider declining deals even if you are getting a good price. Sherwood concluded: "I would say you know maybe steer clear of that. Sometimes you can get good deals on them but be aware they are maybe a little rough around the edges on those cars."

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