When you start shopping around for a used car you will see some cars advertised as a Certified Car. However, there are two types of certified cars, you should be aware of the differences. There is a Manufacturer Certified Car and a Dealer Certified Car. There can be some big differences between the two of them.
The Manufacturer Certified Car:
The manufacturer “Certified Car” or also know as Certified Pre-Owned Vehicle is certified by the manufacturer. The dealer will do an inspection required by the manufacturer according to their instructions. These inspections usually involve 150 to 190 points that the dealer is required to inspect. The dealer may also service the vehicle and repair or replace anything that does not meet the manufacturer’s guidelines for certification. These guidelines are often very strict and any parts that need to be replaced must be original equipment parts from the manufacturer. There are also minimum wear requirements on items such as tires, belts and brake pads.
Certified Car Dealer
There must be a vehicle history report to ensure there have not been any major accidents, floods, outstanding recalls or mileage discrepancies. The main reason that the guidelines to be a certified car are so strict is because the manufacturer is standing behind the certified car. They are the ones that will be backing up the car if there is a problem. Certified Cars can only be manufacturer certified by the same brand dealer that is selling them. For example, a Chevy dealer can only certify a Chevy and a Ford dealer can only certify a Ford. If you come across a Chrysler dealer selling a Certified Honda car, you can be assured that the car is not certified by Honda, but by the dealer.
Certified cars include a fully comprehensive warranty on all items anywhere from 3 moths to a year depending on the manufacturers program. They also include a 5, 6 or 7 year or 100,000 mile power train warranty, these certified program benefits vary from brand to brand. Some include towing, trip insurance, and many other benefits. Some manufacturers have special interest rates for financing a certified car. The special rates, warranties and strict standards for certification will often make the certified car a good value.
The Dealer Certified Car:
There are many dealers selling used cars that they say are certified cars. They may be certified, but they are certified by the dealer not the manufacturer. The dealer decides what repairs or servicing they want to do and want parts they want to replace and what inspections that they want to do. It is up to the dealer to say that the car is certified. Beware of the dealer selling many brands of used cars and claiming they are certified cars. These are obviously certified by the dealer. The dealer will buy an extended warranty from an aftermarket warranty company that will provide you warranty. They make sound pretty good don’t they!
When shopping for a used car, a certified car can be a great value when it is manufacturer certified. When it is certified by the dealer you have to trust the dealer’s discretion and desire to make a profit by selling you a pre-owned certified car. Think carefully about a dealer certified car, at least with the manufacturers certified car you have a very large company backing up your vehicle. When you buy a dealer certified car you have the dealer and a warranty company standing behind you. You pick!