When Buying a Used Car – Does “Certified” Mean it’s Better?
March 15, 2012 2:39 pm Consumer
This Inspected & Certified 2010 used Camaro was for sale in Tampa.
© DenLorsTools.com Summary: Car buying advice from a Master Auto Technician that has personally inspected over 1,000 vehicles for CarMax, the largest used car company in the USA. Is a certified used car better than a non-certified used car? Does paying the extra money when buying a certified pre-owned (used) vehicle make sense?
In my 14 years that I worked for the CarMax Superstore in Tampa Florida, I inspected over a thousand vehicles. That was just in the first several years I worked there. I first started working on the mechanical reconditioning side. That’s the department that does the 125 point inspections and then fixes problems found before the car becomes sellable-able. After going through the extensive checklist a decision is made whether to fix the car and sell it on CarMax’s front lot or to sell the car “as is” on the back lot in a wholesale auction.
If a car or truck has frame damage, flood damage or has been banged up too badly previously in an accident; the vehicle will not meet the standards to allow it to reach the front lot. Also if the vehicle needs too much money put into it to bring it up to standards, it will be “kicked” – that means sent down to the wholesale lot. The kicked cars are sold every couple of weeks in a dealer only auction. The buyers for the wholesale vehicles are typically from near-by small independent car lots which have no issue selling cars that don’t meet CarMax standards.
This 2009 Ford F150 looks new.
CarMax was one of the first used car lots to have a checklist for inspection and then to market the car as certified. Many other dealerships now have similar checklists and certifications, although they all vary a little. Some car lots do a mechanical inspection but not a cosmetic inspection. CarMax does both. Some used car dealerships will fix some issues and not others. For example; I would say that most car lots will fix brakes because that is a safety issue. However, some used car dealerships may not fix a cigarette burn in the seat upholstery because this is not a safety concern.
Does an Inspected Certified Car Cost More?
The short answer is yes. However, a vehicle that has hidden problems can be more expensive in the long term to own. If someone is not that knowledgeable about cars, it is advantageous many times to purchase a vehicle that has been inspected to verify among many other things that the car has not been in a flood. It helps to insure that the vehicle hasn’t been in a severe enough accident to require frame straightening. It helps to insure that tires and brakes are not going to need replacement right away. At CarMax, we even removed valve covers on certain vehicles that were prone to having engine oil sludge.
Just remember that not all vehicle inspections and certifications are the same. When it comes to buying many things, used cars included, be sure to ask questions.
If purchasing a car at a “buy here pay here” be even more cautious. The 14 years I drove to CarMax, I passed by many small used car lots. Some of them changed names frequently. I would notice a new sign at a particular location and then a couple of months later (sometimes less) the lot would be empty. Then a new tenant would move in, change the sign, put used cars back on the lot and the cycle would continue.
We all know a “certified car” does not mean a “perfect car”. So, when purchasing a used car or truck, is it better when it has been certified? In most cases I answer this with a resounding, YES.
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