What is a Certified Pre-Owned Car?

Toyota Boston is like many dealerships in the United States; they offer certified pre-owned vehicles as a purchase option to their consumers.  Car shopping can be confusing enough and now there are more words to add to our vocabularies!  Ford Motor Company is known for the quality of the certified pre-owned vehicles available at Ford Greenfield.  Their vehicles undergo a 169-point quality inspection prior to going out on the lot.  And when you consider that the price of a brand new Volkswagen from Peoria VW can be costly in this tight economy, buying a certified pre-owned can be a great and smart way to save some funds.

So what exactly does certified pre-owned mean?  Typically these vehicles are relatively new and still come with some kind of warranty.  If they are new enough, they are going to still be covered by the manufacturer’s warranty.  If the vehicle is older than the standard three year bumper-to-bumper basic warranty coverage, the dealership will usually do a thorough inspection of the car and then offer it for sale with an extended warranty.  That extra peace of mind should make used-car shoppers less nervous!

The only words of caution are to read the fine print of your extended warranty very carefully.  The original warranty that comes from the dealership on a new vehicle is usually very comprehensive and drivers are covered in many situations.  The extended warranty is not always provided by the manufacturer or the dealership, so just be cautious and make sure it is a reputable company.  Take the time to do a Better Business Bureau search on the third-party company to see if other consumers have been satisfied with their services.

Lastly, know that certified pre-owned is a great value, but you are going to spend more than if you bought a regular used car.  Also, ask the dealership how rigorous they inspect their used inventory before slapping that trusted word “certified” on the sales sticker!