Cheaper to Rent a Car than to own one for Victor

Jim Parker writing in the Post and Courier in Charleston US relates the story of one Victor Owens who is a regular customer at the Enterprise car rental outlet situated on Meeting Street. Victor lives nearby and on nearly every Friday throughout the year he goes to the office to rent a car for the weekend. He takes whatever is on offer and the bill comes to around $120 for the three day hire.

The Enterprise employees look forward to seeing Mr. Owens and have become so attached to him that they even decorate the chair he uses in their waiting area on his birthday.
Mr. Owens does not own a car of his own as he has no need of one to get to his place of work. He has for about the last six years rented a vehicle for his weekend shopping, visiting and taking members of his family or his friends out on day trips.

Victor has a computer programme that works out the cost differential between owning and renting a vehicle. Taking into account the amount of time that the car would be parked up and not used during the week the rental at the moment comes out as the cheapest option. He has said that if the tide turns in favour of purchase then he will change his habits and buy a car.

Enterprise have said that this kind of renting pattern seems to be a growing trend with many customers preferring to rent rather than having a car that they own standing idle most of the time.

www.enterprise.com