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Car_man
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Others don't really care all that much.
As I said in another forum, I'm sure that SOME car dealers do a sub-standard job of inspecting their certified cars. A quality dealer with a good reputation that takes pride will not do this.
This is why it's important to check out the reputation of a dealer before buying. Talk to your friends and neighbors.
And use caution with some of these private sellers. Low mileage doesn't necessarilly mean a good car!
Still, if the brake pads are at 50% or less we replace them which seems like a big waste of money to me. We also have to replace tires that really aren't bad. We have to replace car batteries that may have another three years of life in them.
So, the buyer is getting a good car that they shouldn't have to spend much money on.
And for a lot of people, that's a good thing.
2.) YOU HAVE TO DO A THOROUGH SELF-CHECK ON ANY USED CAR, ESPECIALLY PRIVATE OWNER SALES! The certified used checklists are good for one thing - they would make a very good self-check Checklist for anybody that is shopping for a used car... You should always consider asking for permission to take the car to a trusted mechanic for check-out if you are not confident in your ability to check everything!
Keep on selling those Certfied Used Hondas - according to my analysis your checklist is twice as comprehensive as VWs! Ha! Ha!
This is a wonderful marketing tool designed by the manufacturers too help promote their dealers, by pushing their used car inventories with a factory warranty that YOU pay for ..
That said, the vehicles get the "round the block" cruise, and anything that might Scream "fix me" gets fixed .. then you get the oil change, a nice pretty detail and a real nice little mirror or window sticker that says - CERTIFIED ....... wow.
Depending on the vehicle type, the dealer knows if there is a failure, the warranty pays for it ~ with your money of course.
You are better off with a great inspection from someone you trust, negotiate the CERTIFIED junk out of the deal, save yourself $800/$3,000 depending on the vehicle, then finding a good warranty via Edmunds or some other info source, if indeed that floats your boat ..
Terry.
All of this leaves you needing a good mechanic, if you're not one yourself. http://cartalk.cars.com/ purports to list good mechanics recommended by consumers.
But to the many yahoos out there who DON"T maintain their cars, they may actually be better off that way.
I personally want to buy the car dirty and just traded in, so the dealer didn't have to invest $$ into it... I'll do my own inspections and fixing up, thank you very much. I always think it's funny people talk about having "recourse" on a used car. I don't want recourse, I want a good car to begin with.. if it's been taken care of so far, it'll last me as long as I like it.
Terry's right, it's a marketing tool.
-Mathias
(Who's on vacation and should be doing yard work right now)
Yes, the inspection process may or may not be worth a penny, but as Carman noted, the manufacturer extended warranty is what makes the difference. Yes, it also depends on the dollar amount added to the sales price.
But I'll give you one good example: MB certification adds around 12-1400 dollars on a car. One leaky head gasket later, and you are ahead of the game financially. Trust me on that one.
And all those minor annoyances become fully-covered items. Power mirror acting funny? its covered. retractable cup holder squeaks? its covered.
Show me an aftermarket warranty that provides less hassle, and I'll eat my hat.
So maybe it is marketing but to a consumer it is also ease-and to many of us that is worth something.
Lots of liability issues to deal with.
Yard work done?
I like certified because we make consistently higher gross profits. Which isnt a crime. many consumers feel more comfortable buying a "certified" used car and that is fine.... But if I was buying a used car for myself, being certified would not matter. The reason is simple. I would buy from a quality retailer in the first place... The locally owned dealership with a great reputation in sales and service will service and prep their used cars as good if not better than many certified dealers.
Everyone wants to know the magic button to buying a good used car and it starts with a locally owned dealership that has a solid reputation!!!
Seems like a good value to me...After all, that peace of mind must mean something...
If a customer is "fully aware" of the program and the cost of it and also feels comfortable with it, then its not a biggie .. but $1,2/$1,400 for a MB ..? ~ let's try $2,5/$2,8 .. that's a lot of head gaskets.
Terry.
Keep a Pre-owned Car 60 months, pay the additional money...less than a buck a day...
Terry.
If the car rode in on a hook and it was not a CPO; you would be digging out the ole check book...Can you say $4000 for a new Transmission????
I just wanted to discuss the phrase "cerified
pre-owned". What do people think they are not getting a used car? This really irks me,this
twisted euphemism. What do you guys think?
Does this bother you like it does me?
David
Most manufacturers have a selection process and more serious checks and balances on a certified vehicle than on the typical trade-in from Mr and Mrs Smith.
Because of the checklist, additional warranties are usually a part of the deal, as are financing options, in some cases.
Whether a certified car really gets the whole shebang of the checklist checkout is up to each dealer and the actual technician checking the car.
I'd still pay a local guy (trusted private shop) to do a "once over" before buying.
Lexus and Honda are the only two I know of who try to sell the image that the car is "just like new", but they are generally in such good shape, it's hard to tell they're not.
Personally, I don't have any problems with the term, and may even consider one. Particularly if it would be a car I normally couldn't afford new.
My '98 Quattro wagon is now over 100k and running like a train. It's easily the best, most reliable car I've ever owned.
As for terminology, you could call them UFW (used factory-warranted)
or whatever. I'll be doing it again and we'll probably keep the wagon.
Not new but good as new works fine for me.
2001 BMW 330ci/E46, 2008 BMW 335i conv/E93
http://www.vw.com/vwcertified/112points.htm
I do see engine listed three times, though, as I scroll down
I just wanted to add another thought to this
discussion. What also gets me perturbed is
that there is no such word in the dictionary
as PRE-OWNED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Thanks
David
I prefer "used" or "new" - makes things much clearer.
On many cars, you can still buy the manufacturer's extended warranty as long as you purchase it before the factory warranty expires and have the service records. So, you don't necessarily have to get a "sleazy third party warranty" if you buy from a private party. It's also possible to find a car being sold by a private party that already has a transferable manufacturer's extended warranty that was purchased by the original owner.
The cost of the paying your mechanic and hour or two of labor, plus the cost of buying the factory extended warranty yourself, if needed, should still be much less than what you would pay for a CPO car.
If you are buying a newer car that still has some factory warranty left and has service records, it is very unlikely that there will be existing mechanical problems since the seller could have had any problems fixed free under warranty before putting the vehicle up for sale. The reason for having the mechanic check it out is for additional peace of mind and so he can make sure there are not problems that would not be covered by the warranty such as accident or flood damage or items that are simply worn out and excluded from warranties (such as brakes and so on).
To me, it's a toss up. Plus, as a retailer, the dealer can be held accountable if there's an jicky stuff with the car deal - tough luck if you're dealing with a private seller - the BBB and attorney general can't touch them.
Sounds like dealer salesperson scare tactics.
Just check the car out properly. You could even have the mechanical inspection done at a dealership service department if you pay them and you have time to wait.
If you don't want to, then pay the extra thousands of dollars to the dealer for the CPO program car and don't complain.
Buying from a dealer in a real CPO program can give you an avenue for resolution in event of a conflict.
I've never bought used, but I've sold used cars, and handed over all the papers and suggested a mechanic look things over, but other than that, you bought it, YOU deal with it if something goes awry, says I.
It is your car now and you should have saved enough money to deal with the warranty yourself. I am referring to newer used cars that are still covered under the factory warranty or the manufacturer's extended warranty.
What do you really expect even a dealership to do other than fix the car under warranty if the transmission dies a month after you buy a car from them?
With more and more near-lux, sport-lux and lux models going out the doors on heavily-subsidized leases, the end result is a goodly amount of inventory going CPO, so the chances of finding a particular model, equipped and colored as desired, with inspections done and warranties extended, at a great price, are getting better all the time.
I don't sell cars, so I can't say with a stake that anyone should go one way or another, but I see no reason whatsoever to avoid a good CPO offering. If the price ain't right for you, walk away! Works every time...
They will not be the same price because even if the dealers have a "great price," private parties will have to adjust their prices down even lower by a good margin or they will never sell them.
Most people looking at used cars are doing it to save money or they would just get a new car. Many of the near-new CPO cars I have seen are priced in a way that I would just skip them and get a new car instead.
Obviously you cannot always buy from a private party because there may not be anything available locally you would want the day you're ready to buy and dealers always have some selection to choose from. Some people need a dealer to give them financing or need the dealer to take their trade-in.
"What do you really expect even a dealership to do other than fix the car under warranty if the transmission dies a month after you buy a car from them?"
Well, they could simply exchange the car - easy to do on a certified used car, not like a new car. I've done that, for sure. A private seller can't do that.
I deal with lemon law and breach of warranty cases, so I'm jaded towards the law - I'll protect myself in any way I can, and I advise friends and family to do the same.
Hey, but if it's not for you, relax, have a latte, and buy from the guy down the street. Of course, you can't enforce a Magnussen-Moss Warranty Act claim or Unfair Trade Practices claim against Joe Schmoe down the block...
And no, I'm not in the car business.
Ok. If all or even most dealers will simply let you exchange the car a month later if something major goes wrong with their CPO program cars and they charge about the same as a private party would, then that is a good deal and everyone should buy those cars.
And I've said absolutely nothing that was meant as or could be construed as rude.
2001 BMW 330ci/E46, 2008 BMW 335i conv/E93
However, if you do have it inspected and you are buying a newer car that has factory warranty remaining, there is no particular risk you're taking. If the seller doesn't have an extended warranty he's transferring to you with the sale, you can buy one before the factory warranty expires and still come out ahead of the cost of a CPO car.
If the engine blows up a couple months later, you take it to a dealer and have the engine repaired under warranty the same as if you had purchased it from a dealer.
Lots of people don't want to bother with having their mechanic inspect the car, so they pay the extra cost for the convenience of buying from a dealer.
If you want convenience over savings, you can have them get financing for you and take your trade in so everything done for you and all you have to do is sign the papers. You can get rid of your old car and get a replacement in a few hours if you wake up one day and spontaneously decide "I want a new car right now!"
Yes, that is someting a private party can't do if you need that. Of course, now you are even deeper into the replacement car, but if you really hate the old car, that is a way out of it.