Pre-owned vs certified pre-owned car pricing

[feetastic]

Hi all,

I'm in the market for a change in cars. This time around, I might opt to buy used but from a dealership. These days, many manufacturers are offering "certified pre owned" options. What I find a little confusing is an observation, sometimes the price doesn't add up.

Example:

Same year, same model, approximately same mileage. One is just pre owned the other is certified yet the pre owned is about $3000 more ! If the test drive is to my liking, why would someone not by the certified one ? Am I missing something or are dealerships trying to trick us? Are certified pre owned vehicles worth it or is it a gimmic ?

 

[hoorawr]

gimmick. stealerships will certify anything.

best bet is to have a mechanic friend shop with you.

general population is clueless when it comes to car maintenance and unable to spot the warning signs

 

[hoorawr]

Especially since a lot of the warranties don't last very long either

lol warranties. have you read BMWs suggested oil change interval? once a year. because they claim they use "special BMW oil" i won't even comment on this stupidity. and then this is what BMW owners listen to.

then you see 7 series on autotrader going for 15k

OP if you don't want headaches.. just buy a corolla or civic, change the oil every 5k. and it will probably run longer than you want it to.

 

[Occasionally]

Make sure to check the history of accidents the car has. For people who don't know cars well, you can eyeball the body to see if it got into an accident..... slightly misaligned panels, gaps, windows that look bland or unlabeled (these are replacements).

If you see an old car with seemingly perfect smooth body panels, but there are slight gaps, or slightly different colouring, it means it got into an accident, got new parts, but joining them together is hit and miss as the body shop did the best it could.

 

[spme]

OP if you don't want headaches.. just buy a corolla or civic, change the oil every 5k. and it will probably run longer than you want it to.

very well put, I doubt hovewer that newer hondas with turbo and CVT will last as long as before

 

[wazup]

I can't believe that people actually use the term pre owned, other than dealers.

 

[fcukhrd]

Preowned is a vehicle that passes basic government safety standard certification where brakes can pass safety with only 10%. It will be checked for safety items like tires being bare minimum thread, mirrors wipers check lights seatbelts and basic suspension. It just implies that when you purchase it is safe to drive but not necessarily 10 days after.
A certified preowned vehicle has to pass all that plus a few hundred other checks lkke radio electronics, fluid leaks, no tears in interiour, brakes and tires 50% or more maintanance has to be up to date ie filters, fluids etc. Its kind of like a peace of mind. If you are willing to take to independent mechanic for basic check you can skip that. You would have to also make sure yourself allelectronics inside are working order. A private mechanic will not test your gps or other systems like that.

 

[Damondean]

Is there such a grading system for ladies too? Pre-owned, well-lubed, lots of mileage left, used only gently? Just asking. )

 

[SchlongConery]

lol warranties. have you read BMWs suggested oil change interval? once a year. because they claim they use "special BMW oil" i won't even comment on this stupidity. and then this is what BMW owners listen to.

I know it is so old skool to get over the "oil changes are cheap insurance" and that oil has to be changed every 3000 miles mindset.

But keep in mind that those are the same oil change intervals that were being used in the 1960's and 1970's with engines that were much "looser" and had more blow-by that contaminated the oil with combustion gases, that ran cooler and thereby didn't evaporate all the water out, and actually "used" oil between oil changes.

And those were the days of oils with very rudimentary detergent and other additive packages.

Nowadays, engines are much tighter so far less blow-by contaminating the oil, engines run hotter so less water in the oil, and engines run much cleaner than they used to.

Also, modern oils have incredible detergent and additive packages that neutralize the bad stuff and keep the "dirt" in suspension in the oil. It is the additive package that wears out. The "oil" itself (synthetic or dinosaur juice) never "wears out". It just gets dirty.

So BMW engines are very tight and they use Castrol Syntec which has an incredible additive package. I know a senior engineer with BMW who was involved directly in the testing of the extended oil change intervals. From the testing stations in the arctic circle to the desert. He said that the oil provided protection for at least 100,000km. But they knew that the public would never beehive it and so they went with a one year interval.

Look, BMW would have to pay for worn out engines if they wore out. Tell me of ONE case where you know of a modern engine that wore out prematurely because of oil failure?

Now, OTOH, Toyota had real problems with SLUDGE build-up. That caused engine failures. That had a lot to do with wayyy too long intervals on cheap dinosaur juice.

Semi-Synthetic oil is fine for normal driving in any modern car engine for at least 15k or one year.

then you see 7 series on autotrader going for 15k

Has nothing to do with worn out engines. The 7 series is only "cool" to drive when you have the current series of the model. Otherwise it is ghetto. Plus, they are rotten cars to maintain outside of the engine block. So many electrical, transmission and electronic problems. Very sophisticated car with no reason for the factory to support low cost parts.

OP if you don't want headaches.. just buy a corolla or civic, change the oil every 5k. and it will probably run longer than you want it to.

Sounds like a granny car! Or a grandpa car!

 

[jaycam]

Preowned is a vehicle that passes basic government safety standard certification where brakes can pass safety with only 10%. It will be checked for safety items like tires being bare minimum thread, mirrors wipers check lights seatbelts and basic suspension. It just implies that when you purchase it is safe to drive but not necessarily 10 days after.
A certified preowned vehicle has to pass all that plus a few hundred other checks lkke radio electronics, fluid leaks, no tears in interiour, brakes and tires 50% or more maintanance has to be up to date ie filters, fluids etc. Its kind of like a peace of mind. If you are willing to take to independent mechanic for basic check you can skip that. You would have to also make sure yourself allelectronics inside are working order. A private mechanic will not test your gps or other systems like that.

Preowned is just that - used. Could be either "As-is", or with an Ontario "Safety Standards Certificate" (AKA Cert AKA Safety) issued by mechanic licensed with the MTO. All it means is that the car can be plated after the ownership transfer.

Certified Pre owned has nothing to do with the above certification, it's a marketing gimmick that plays on that lingo. Every manufacturer has its own take on it, and typically means the car we inspected and "reconditioned" by the dealer and has some sort of an extended manufacture warranty.