Originally Posted By: bepperb
Obviously there is no difference between a "Certified" and a non-certified car. Did the previous owner know it was going to be "certified"? Did they baby it so the dealer could certify it, because the certification status of the car they just sold was important to them? More importantly, did they explain to other people who may have driven it to be extra careful as to maintain the vehicles ability to be certified in the future?
What it does include is some warranty protection, though, the value of which is up to the buyer.
The miles are low, but it is a 4 model year old car for 75% of the price of a new one. If you like the car it's a fair deal, but not a fire sale by any means. The current car market has used car values high and new car values low because new car sales have been low for the last few years and a gloomy economic market has people trying to be frugal.
If it were up to me, 15,000 for a 4 year old car or 20,000 for a new car... and the new car probably has better financing. I'm in the same boat, it's a difficult decision to make.
I would say that in general, certified pre-owned vehicles tend to be in better shape than non-certified vehicles. Certainly some non-certified vehicles are in better shape than some certified, but I rarely see true junk being sold "certified".
With that said, it's not a practice I agree with or use (the "CPO" deal). I'd rather save the money and go over the vehicle myself to assure it's in good condition.