Here's my take on used cars as a whole. Used vehicles are always going to be a gamble if you're trying to predict how they've been treated. All vehicles new or used for that matter are a gamble. All you can rely on is making a very solid inspection of the vehicle and doing as much research as possible. Take a full hour without the sales guy/girl around and inspect it to your ability. If you don't have the mechanical ability then bring a friend or a trusted mechanic with you.
My Armada is my 2nd vehicle in 5 years that has been a prior Enterprise rental. The first was my wife's Mazda 5 that she drove for about 3 years. We bought that with about 60k on it and when it was a total-loss last year it had over 100k on it. Flawless, perfect, no issues, very easy ownership experience.
The Armada is also a prior Enterprise vehicle. I have no reservations about this at all. Here's why....
When I was younger and dumber I owned a near new 2008 Honda Ridgeline. I offroaded it, loaded it with dirtbikes and gear, towed, once (accidentally, maintenance minder was reset by dead battery) went 17k between oil changes, got in a really nasty wreck ($9k in damage). That accident only displayed as "Front end damage, air bags not deployed, vehicle driveable". The unibody was tweaked and required extensive repair, radiator was pushed back into the drive belts, etc... Now when I traded that in, it cleaned up beautifully. Cosmetically inside and out it was close to perfect. The dealer actually commented what great shape it was in and said he wasn't worried about the carfax because it showed that airbags didn't deploy (which they did not). Did the next owner have absolutely any idea what life that Ridgeline lived?
Next example, My 2006 Tacoma Xrunner. Mint inside and out. I raced it, frequently. Short shifted, ground gears on too-fast missed downshifts, used up 2 sets of brakes in 2 years, that's how aggressively it was driven. Again, when it was traded in I spent the time to clean it up. The dealer was again impressed with it's condition. New owner has not the slightest idea what life that truck lived.
I take care of my vehicles, I keep them clean and well maintained, but I use them....hard. I'm OCD about maintenance schedules, fluid selection, undercarriage anti-corrosive, waxing/sealing, etc... But, I highly doubt that any time spent as an Enterprise rental is going to be harder on a vehicle than I am.
And now to my Armada. It's previous life as a rental it was on a strict PM schedule, was cleaned weekly or more, most people that drive rentals baby them for fear of charges or damage, and I have a full, extensive vehicle maintenance history and clean carfax. Is it still a gamble? Sure. Now to it's current life. It tows, a lot. Over 60% of all miles that we will put on the Armada will be towing our 4200lb (dry) camper. I don't take it easy on it. I mildly offroad it and I enjoy the HP. It is pristine in and out. However many years down the road when I trade it in or sell it, the next owner will likely not even ask if it was used to tow. They'll only pay attention to how it looks inside and out, engine bay, and chassis. That won't tell the story of how it was used.
And the 2nd part of your post. I shopped Sequoias as well. Coming from a Tundra I knew exactly what to expect for reliability. I wanted to want a Sequoia, but they just don't compare to the Armada. The Armada fit and finish is just higher end. The Armada also tows the same camper with much more confidence and enthusiasm than the Tundra did. I attribute this to the much more modern powertrain and 7 speed transmission.
Good Luck.
Lots of compliments. And I think I’m finally done with mods for now. Might gloss black the calipers and vinyl over the wood interior trim.
