Where rental car companies buy their cars from?

Answer 1

Rental car companies buy their fleets brand new from the manufacturer, usually as a pre-order. Usually they are only kept for a year or so before being removed from the fleet. Most used rental cars are sold on the used car market, either directly (such as Enterprise Car Sales), or to car dealerships.

The actual models that are available for rental will vary a great deal from location to location. Typically, cars are purchased based on price rather than options and trim lines (with the exception that all rental cars in the United States tend to be automatics). So there can be some variation even within models. For example, the rental car branch I work for has several Ford Focuses in its inventory. One of them has a sport package, with leather seats. Most of the others are a standard option package, with upholstery seats and electric windows/door locks. One is the base model, with manual window cranks and door locks.

Some manufacturers, such as Chevy, make a special "fleet" model of their cars that are intended for use in rental fleets. They are not available for purchase by the general public. These cars have certain options (such as air conditioning and automatic transmissions) that are standard rental car requirements, but may lack other features common to that trim line (such as sportier wheels, a bigger engine, or a premium stereo).

The price sensitivity is one reason many rental fleets are composed of domestic cars, such as Ford, GM, and Chrysler. These cars tend to be less expensive. You may find other marques mixed in with the domestics -- some companies will have Hondas, Toyotas, and Nissans commonly. Kias and Hyundais, and the occasional Saturn or Suzuki, are also typical because of their lower cost.