NORTH LIMA -- When Darla and Gary Schumacher were thinking about buying a Budget Rent-a-Car

NORTH LIMA -- When Darla and Gary Schumacher were thinking about buying a Budget Rent-a-Car franchise, they had the luxury of checking out another franchise first.
Schumacher got the chance through his connections in the auto industry. He started selling cars at Jim Sarvas Dodge in Sharon in 1974 and became used-car sales manager by the late 1970s and general sales manager in the early 1980s.
In 1987, Sarvas, who owned three area Budget franchises, wanted to sell his Boardman store. About the same time, Schumacher was giving serious consideration to opening his own business.
One of Sarvas' Budget franchises was in Sharon, and he told the Schumachers they could check out the operation and see if they liked it.
Mrs. Schumacher is a registered nurse and was working part time to spend more time with the couple's three children.
"The summer of 1987 just happened to be a good time for me to go over to Sharon and see what the car rental business was like," she said.
Business moves: She worked there for three months. In February 1988, they bought the Boardman store, which was at Market Street and Shields Road. They moved the business to a spot near Market and Boardman-Canfield Road.
In 1999, they bought land on the corner of Market and Western Reserve Road, which used to be the home of Triangle Meats. There they built offices and a garage.
Initially they had 24 cars in their fleet. They now have more than 100 with an additional 50 cars for sale.
All the cars that are rented are from the current model year. At the end of the year, those cars, along with the ones that are traded in, are sold.
"It's a popular misconception that rental cars might be abused and are therefore not a good buy, but that is not true," Schumacher said. "As rental agents, we control the maintenance of the vehicle."
There is scheduled maintenance of the mechanical components and the interiors, and exteriors are taken better care of then most privately owned vehicles, he said.
The vehicles are usually still under factory warranty with mileage in the 20,000 range when they are put up for sale.
Family involved: Two of the Schumachers' children are now involved in the business. Son Ehren works as a rental agent while attending Kent State University. Another son, Ethan, is a sales representative when he is home from the University of Toledo, where he is a student.
"When the boys were young, they washed cars here when they needed money. Now that they are working here on a regular basis, it is easier for Gary and me to get away. That's one of the definite disadvantages to owning your own business. It is difficult to take a vacation," Mrs. Schumacher said.
"People don't realize how much time we put into this business, but if I had to start over, I'd do it again," Schumacher said.