lhrocker Posted April 19, 2007 Share Posted April 19, 2007 Does a certified pre-owned car mean anything to the buyer? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gnuman Posted April 19, 2007 Share Posted April 19, 2007 It means that the car is certified to be pre-owned. . . Also it means that the car has had an inspection on a number of standard items which can have an effect on reliability. The value of this inspection (and whatever corrective action) is dependant entirely on the quality of the dealership doing them. In some cases they are very good. In other cases, they have no value at all. IMO, getting a certified car does little more than give you leverage to complain loudly about anything on the checklist until they make it right. This leverage lasts perhaps a month after buying the car. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idosubaru Posted April 19, 2007 Share Posted April 19, 2007 depends who the buyer is. if it implies some kind of warranty that you otherwise wouldn't have then maybe for some people. but probably not worth it for the high, top dollar costs associated with a used car lot. depends on the definition of "Certified Preowned" but in general i say no. for the most part a low mileage and newer subaru is going to have so few issues that this "inspection" is more marketing than anything else. it's a way for them to convince people to buy vehicles for top dollar. the benefit to cost ratio is really low for the buyer. but if you're not familiar with cars and checking obvious things then it might be worth it. OF COURSE the CV joints aren't busted, OF COURSE the tie rods don't need replaced. OF COURSE the engine and transmission run fine and the brake fluid isn't leaking, the transmission fluid isn't leaking, the diff fluid isn't leaking....that wouldn't be normal or expected on a car only a few years old, these items just typically don't exhibit issues at only a couple years and low miles. and those are easy to spot items anyway. it's easy to come up with an enormous list of "checked over and inspected items" and that's very good that they aren't broken. but it's also very unlikely for them to have been broken in the first place. so yes it's important for these things to get checked, but not worth paying top dollar for either. if you can't do a quick glance yourself of fluids and boots and stuff, don't want to bother paying a mechanic to check it over (say doing a private vehicle sale) or don't have time then yes it's worth it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nipper Posted April 19, 2007 Share Posted April 19, 2007 It is also a sales gimmic at dealerships. Its a nicer way of saying used car. The multipoint inspection is no differnt then what is done for the cars saftey inspection, and then they just make sure everything worsk. The other spin on it is that you look at the car, make a list, and the dealer (whoever is selling it) will fix everything that you found wrong. For the most part its just a gimmick. nipper Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dmanaenk Posted April 19, 2007 Share Posted April 19, 2007 Basically its an inspection bundled with a service contract. Generally I stay away from service contracts, but it all depends on the price and converage of one. Subaru certified cars by default are bundled with a crappy contract called "Classic Plan". The good one is "Gold plan" which is almost like bumper-to-bumper coverage, and if the car is under 3yo/36km (still have basic warranty) your can get that whether its a certified car or not. So I would probably shop for a car with remaining basic warranty, figure out how much would a "gold plan" cost separately, and compare that to price of certified car with "gold plan" Good luck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lhrocker Posted April 19, 2007 Author Share Posted April 19, 2007 So the car I bought came with the remaining power train warranty, but not the 3y/36000. There was no mention in the contract or pricing regarding any "extended" waranty. For what it's worth, most of the basic stuff, I will do myself, except fluid changes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dmanaenk Posted April 19, 2007 Share Posted April 19, 2007 Yeah, if the "certified car" is over 3 years/36km it only comes with powertrain warranty, but not only the remaining factory powertrain, but extra 12month/100kmiles. At least that's what is says here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Subarupusher Posted April 20, 2007 Share Posted April 20, 2007 Used car at a premium price. Just passed a lot today that had "Certified pre-owned" on one sign and and "Mechanic Wanted" on another sign. Makes you wonder. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MDW25gt Posted April 21, 2007 Share Posted April 21, 2007 Does a certified pre-owned car mean anything to the buyer? Does not mean anything to me. Pay a mechanic, and look it over for your self. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
njdrsubaru Posted April 21, 2007 Share Posted April 21, 2007 it means that is not yet rusted!! :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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