Omigod. People are now renting tires.

[Baitball Blogger]

High prices are driving more motorists to rent tires

When the tires on their Dodge Caravan had worn so thin that the steel belts were showing through, Don and Florence Cherry couldn't afford to buy a new set.

So they decided to rent instead.

The Rich Square, N.C., couple last September agreed to pay Rent-N-Roll $54.60 a month for 18 months in exchange for four basic Hankook tires. Over the life of the deal, that works out to $982, almost triple what the radials would have cost at Wal-Mart.

"I know you have to pay a lot more this way," said Florence Cherry, a 57-year-old nurse who drives the 15-year-old van when her husband, a Vietnam veteran, isn't using it to get to his job as a prison guard. "But we didn't really have a choice."

Socked by soaring tire prices and short on funds, growing numbers of Americans are renting the rubber to keep their cars rolling.

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/la-fi-rent-a-tire-20130609,0,714802.story

[treestar]

1. No public transportation

That would seem a better solution.

[shraby]

2. My question is why is a nurse and a prison guard (pretty solid employment) that

pays decently having to rent tires? I would think they should be able to pay outright for a set.

[Hassin Bin Sober]

7. That's what I thought.

Then I thought, maybe she is a $9 dollar an hour CNA and he is non-union in a right to work (for less) state. Just an hunch.

[BlueStreak]

32. If they had any credit, they would have put the tires on a credit card

Even the exorbitant plastic interest rates are a lot less than what the rental places are charging.

Basically this is just usury -- and they are calling it rental in order to get around the usury laws.

[Warpy]

35. Maybe the nurse is per diem, only works when the hospital is short

Prison guards don't get paid all that much. Then there's likely credit card debt run up during the last 30 years. Then there's a mortgage they can barely pay and that's underwater.

Yeah, I can see this. Last set of tires cost me $600. That's not chump change to either nurses or prison guards.

Being strapped for money is like this, it doesn't allow a person to buy something outright because that's too expensive but it does allow them to pay a small rental rate that will amount to three times what an item cost when the item is finally theirs.

[bike man]

40. Don't know about NC, but Fla prison guards make a decent salary, not too far off

of what was touted the other day here for Costco employees. And there's retirement as well.

http://www.fldocjobs.com/paths/co/salary.html

Correctional Officer Careers
Salary Information

Trainee Officer: $28,007.20 annually

Certified Officer: $30,807.92 - 45,033.82 annually

Annual salary additive of approximately $1,200 when employed in Indian River, Martin, Okeechobee, or St. Lucie counties. Annual salary additive of approximately $2,500 when employed in Palm Beach, Broward, Dade or Monroe counties.

Annual uniform and shoe allowance of $325.00.

Criminal Justice Incentive Pay up to $1,560.00 annually ($130.00 per month).

The trainee status ends when the employee passes the state certification test.

Edited to add: NC starts at over $28,000, according to this http://osp.its.state.nc.us/positiondetail.asp?vacancykey=4516-0000-0097-002

That couple renting tires was done out of dumbassery.

[Buzz Clik]

3. We are renting paper towels and toilet paper.

[Fumesucker]

54. I have a neighbor who rents a considerable amount of beer on weekends n/t

[PD Turk]

4. I don't know what she's making

But last year when I was manning my company's job fair booth, there was a recruiter for prison guards in the booth next to us. They were paying $8.25 an hour

[Schema Thing]

5. ugh. Violently Stupid consumers/Predatory capitalist. Ain't that America?

[niyad]

9. "violently stupid consumers"? wow

[Baitball Blogger]

16. It's Florida.

They have worked very hard to keep a large percentage of the work force chatteled for cheap labor.

[darkangel218]

22. Theyre in NC actually.

But I agree, FL is just as messed up.

[dixiegrrrrl]

27. Article says tire rentals are nation wide now.

even Cal.
If TIRE rentals can be such a thriving business, it truly paints a gruesome picture of our real economy.

[darkangel218]

28. Yes, but at least they had an alternative.

Imagine driving 60 miles per hour , in the rain , on bad, worn out tires. Life is more important than money at times.

[bike man]

36. From the OP "The Rich Square, N.C., couple last...", and it was your OP. nt

[Baitball Blogger]

38. True.

Well played.

[backscatter712]

51. Blaming the victim.

[Schema Thing]

55. I've been there

spent a few years there in fact.


supporting predators is not a requirement of being poor.

[customerserviceguy]

6. It's no stupider than renting appliances

that end up costing three times what they would at retail. People who don't conserve one of their most imporant assets (their credit score) end up paying way too much for everything from the vultures.

[niyad]

8. some of the comments were arrogant and heartless (and, considering their screen names, not

in the least surprising)

but, like a couple of the posters suggested, why not used? have never had a problem with mine.

[unrepentant progress]

10. There are a lot of reasons for the sharply rising price of tires.

One of them is Obama's "fault" in that his 2009 tariff on Chinese tires -- now stable at 25%, but it started at 35% -- resulted in a price spike. Of course, car culture, rising rubber prices, and inequality all play large roles too.

http://www.omaha.com/article/20100129/MONEY/701299933

[liberal N proud]

11. A new take on the company store

Only this is letting some other one-percent-er having a piece of the action.

Keeping the poor down and out!

[savalez]

12. It looks like they are actually buying them

on a payment plan at an outrageous interest rate. Doesn't "rent" mean you have to give them back at some point?

[bike man]

49. They tried to get out of paying for them via bankruptcy,

but failed to do so. From the article linked in the OP

"Don and Florence Cherry, the North Carolina couple who rented their tires from Rent-N-Roll last fall, filed for Chapter 13 bankruptcy protection after making just three payments on their tires.

[dkf]

52. Maybe they thought they found a loophole.

[darkangel218]

13. Prison guards make shit, some make less than a regular security officer

And yah, she can be a CNA and make $9 per hour. Do not judge if you don't walk in their shoes.

[southernyankeebelle]

14. If this is suppose to be capitalism then something is wrong.

[Orrex]

15. Is this different, in principle, from leasing a vehicle?

Also, I wonder why this couple wasn't able to purchased used tires.

[darkangel218]

17. Used tires dont last, and are dangereus in bad weather.

[Orrex]

19. Depends on the tire, I should think

I'd guess that almost everyone you know who drives a car is driving on used tires, after a fashion.

Also, even if it's not a viable longterm option, if it would help buy the couple a few months to save up for good tires, rather than spending close to $1000 for rentals, might it be worthwhile?

[darkangel218]

21. A few years ago i had to buy used tires for my SUV

They lasted 2 weeks and skidded on wet roads. I replaced them with another set used ones, same thing. Finally I had to get a cash advance loan to buy brand new tires.

[Orrex]

23. Damn--that sucks!

I had much better luck when I purchased two used tires a few years back.

They wound up outlasting the vehicle itself.

[darkangel218]

24. Yah i guess it depends on the quality of the used ones.

The reason I don't blame them, is because used tires could potentially endanger their lives and the lives if the other motorists. I think they made a good decision. IMHO.

[Orrex]

26. It's interesting that you mention the use of a cash advance service

As I'm sure you're aware, that's another devil's bargain that can end up costing a ton of money, and like all else it preys upon the weakest.

It's sad but unavoidable that people's economic circumstances frequently force them to choose options that turn out to be much more expensive in the long run.


Little in this country is more expensive than being poor. Or middle class, for that matter.

[darkangel218]

30. I agree. nt

[bike man]

41. Using a cash advance, or pay-day loan, service is as fiscally imprudent as renting tires. nt

[Orrex]

45. That was kind of the point

Imprudent and sometimes unavoidable, alas.

[bike man]

42. That $54/month rental would have bought one new tire each month for four months. nt

[Orrex]

44. Installed? I would like to find such a deal.

Typically, service centers around here will offer tires at, say, $69.99 each with the fourth tire free. And then when you actually have the work done, after mounting, balancing and shop fees, you're looking at $390 or so.

Even if you're doing one tire per month, you don't get their so-called "4th free" deal, and they can hit you four times for the side costs.


However, the underlying point remains the same--that there are better options than tire rental--but I've never been able to get tires put on my car for as low as $54.

[bike man]

47. And for a motorcycle, it's even worse. The last pair I got for mine was $360, just for the tires.

Plus the stems, mounting, balancing. I'm sure they would have charged for the air if they could have.

Motorcycle tires typically last only about 30,000 miles, so when people say they ride a bike for economy, they surely mean a bicycle - cause with a motorcycle it just isn't happening.

[MillennialDem]

18. I admit I'm more privileged than average, but I'd buy junkyard tires before doing this

The cost of mounting/balancing/unmounting tires is a lot.

[cynatnite]

20. We usually buy used at a fraction of the cost of new. n/t

[snooper2]

25. I can get used tires with 50% tread mounted & balanced for $30 a pop

[Schema Thing]

33. yep, and I'm can betting this company

now has an entry into the used tire market as well. They probably make your return the tire. And then what? rent from them again? Or buy the tire at a "used" price.... and from a company like this, when they have you over a barrel, it's a good bet the make you pay more than the 20-30 dollar going rate.

ugh.

There ought to be a law.

[JoeyT]

60. Given what companies like this act like?

Probably insist you put more than the allowable amount of wear on the tires and make you buy them for higher than they would have retailed new on top of what you paid to rent them.

I could just about compete in the Cynicism Olympics.

[BlueStreak]

34. I'd be curious ...

how the customers break down between:

a) People who just want the most basic, safe tires and have no other means of payment

versus

b) People using this rental option as a way to throw high end rims and tires on their ride.

[CountAllVotes]

59. the ones I just bought

Well, maybe it was an ok deal. They will rotate and balance the tires if you go there for the life of the tires. You don't even need an appt. This is good as I do rotate every 6K and it has been worth doing and it will be nice not having to pay for this any more.

I don't know about buying them with only 50% tread on them; not a great idea where I live as we have roads with huge pit holes in them everywhere these days and black ice in abundance in the rather harsh winters we get here.

Thank for this info. in any event -- I would have bought one with 50% tread until I could have bought a cheaper complete new set elsewhere had I known.

[Posteritatis]

29. High prices driving people to pay far higher prices still. Ugh. (nt)

[Historic NY]

31. If they only did some research..........

to save money rather than burn it.

Tire Rack with mail in rebate 4 Hankook tire for the mini van $286.00
http://www.tirerack.com

So yes they are dumb for not shopping around.

Some new cars and some crossovers are coming with crappy tires. I just had to replace a set for my truck it cost 700.00. Normally I wouldn't until the high 40's but apparently the supplied tires were softer low tread wear.

[Travis_0004]

39. They do this for two reasons.

First reason is obvious. The manufacturer wants to spend less on tires, and make more money, but the second reason is not so obvoius. They had fuel economy targets they are required to hit (and advertising higher fuel economy can sell more cars, so they will often choose a crappy low rolling resistance tire in order to have a higher fuel economy.

[Fla Dem]

43. That's not renting.....that's credit without the credit card.

When I think of renting, I think of something I am going to use temporarily and return, and I pay a fee for the length of time I am using it. It sounds like they are simply paying on credit, albeit at a very high usury rate.

[Schema Thing]

56. yep. Of course that's what "rent-to-own" is as well.

[Enrique]

46. special place in Hell

[malaise]

48. I could see folks here doing that when they need their fitness

license. It's frightening.

[backscatter712]

50. The usurious scumfucks charging that kind of interest should be curbstomped!

This is the same kind of interest charged by payday loan shops, and I think those places should be firebombed.

[madville]

58. Furniture/electronics stores do the same thing

Have been for decades. I saw an ad for iPads the other day, $799 cash or $99 a month for 12 months. They probably actually cost a few hundred bucks to Begin with.

[CountAllVotes]

53. Never knew you could rent tires

I would have done that.

My car had a nail embedded in the tire near the rim. It could not be patched I was told and the front tire was about gone too.

So, I needed two new tires and all they had in stock were ones that would go 70K or another set that would last for 50K. I bought the ones that would last for 50K being I don't drive very much any more (I have a 2002 Honda and it has 35,000 miles on it).

Being that tire with the nail in it would not hold any air longer than one day, I had no real option but to buy a whole new set.

The cost was $477.00 (ouch!!!).

If I could have rented even one tire, I could have gone and got a set at Costco for a lot less perhaps. I don't really know has I had no opportunity to shop around as I live in a rural area.

I wonder if I got ripped off or what?

*sigh*

& recommend.

[Safetykitten]

57. Seems some people need to go slumming a bit. Get out, see the non-Costco world.