While most people would prefer to buy brand new cars, not everyone has to buy a brand new car. In fact, purchasing a pre-owned car may come with more benefits than buying a brand new one.
You may be curious as to why you should buy certified pre-owner cars. I did some digging, and here is what I discovered!
Why Buy Certified Pre Owned?
People should buy certified pre-owned cars because they are good quality cars that go through various inspections. They are cheaper cars that are in like-new condition without a brand new car’s cost. Moreover, you can get cheaper car insurance premiums and free warranties with a certified pre-owned car from most dealerships.
Are you interested to learn about more reasons why you should buy certified pre-owned cars? I compiled a list of benefits below, so read on!
1. Good Quality Cars
There is a huge difference between buying a regular secondhand car to a certified pre-owned car, and that is the quality of car that you get.
Secondhand cars usually refer to any car that has already been bought and used by anyone, but it does not state what kind of condition the car is in.
On the other hand, certified pre-owned cars are labeled as such because the car has never had major repairs or accidents and has fairlylow mileage.
This means that certified pre-owned cars will always be in better quality than buying a normal secondhand car.
Certified pre-owned cars have to go through various checks to ensure that they are great cars.
2. Practically Brand New
As stated earlier, used cars can only be categorized as certified pre-owned cars once they get checked for mileage and if they have not had major accidents or repairs.
Therefore, certified pre-owned cars will be in “like new” condition despite being a used car.
For instance, certified pre-owned cars need to have low mileage because dealers want to ensure that they have a like-new quality.
3. Warranty Coverage
Generally, you will almost always get warranty coverage from the car’s original manufacturer when you get a certified pre-owned car.
Normally, you will not get any type of warranty when you buy a regular used car, especially not from the original manufacturer.
Usually, you get warranty because a certified pre-owed car that is still under the original warranty (from when it was brand new) can be transferred to the new owner.
While it will depend on the original manufacturer you got the car from, you can expect the warranty coverage to be valid if the car is under 4 years old or has less than 50,000 miles.
Moreover, some dealers may even throw in extended warranties to give you longer warranty coverage for the certified pre-owned car.
Usually, dealerships do this to remain competitive and offer more benefits to the buyer.
4. Free Maintenance
Again, this will depend on the dealership and what kind of contract you have, but most certified pre-owned cars will come with free maintenance.
Many CPO (Certified Pre-Owned) programs will offer free maintenance for a specific mileage or period of time once you buy the car as part of the certification process.
What free maintenance means will also depend on the CPO program and dealership that you speak to.
Normally, you can expect to have free tire rotations and oil changes according to the recommended intervals mentioned in the manufacturer’s car manual.
Additionally, the free maintenance could also include a free check up of your car, which may only be availed at the dealership you bought the car from.
5. Depreciation
Normally, a major downfall to buying a new car is that the car’s value immediately depreciates within a few years of owning the car.
For instance, if you bought a brand new car for $10,000, your car may only be worth $6,000-7,500 after three years.
While it will depend on the car, the car can lose as much as 11% of its value by merely driving it home from the dealership.
However, getting a certified pre-owned car means that a lot of the depreciation has already occurred, which will make it cheaper for you to buy.
Therefore, you will not experience the vast drop in value and buy the same car at a lower price.
Depending on the type of car that you buy, your car may even gain value, but this is only true to rarer cars, muscle cars, etc.
6. Cheaper Insurance Premiums
Another major benefit to buying a certified pre-owned car is that the insurance premium is usually cheaper.
Normally, it is expensive to insure completely new cars since they will have more value.
On the other hand, getting insurance for a certified pre-owned car means that the insurer will base part of your insurance premium on the car’s value, which has already depreciated.
Moreover, the car will be categorized as a used vehicle, and used cars are often cheaper to insure.
7. Saves You Cash In The Long Run
Typically, people will switch their cars every 5-6 years, and buying a brand new car can be costly.
By going for a certified pre-owned car, you could be saving a lot of cash since you will not be paying for the cost of a brand new car.
8. Little To No Hidden Fees
While this will depend on the dealership, certified pre-owned cars do not usually have hidden costs.
For instance, newer cars may have hidden advertising fees, but certified pre-owned ones will not.
9. Environmentally Friendly
Finally, a great reason to go for a certified pre-owned car is that it is a more eco-friendly decision.
Manufacturing and shipping a car can produce a lot of carbon dioxide, which is harmful to the environment.
By purchasing a car that has already been used, you will be avoiding the carbon dioxide production and slightly lowering the need for brand new cars.
Conclusion
Certified pre-owned cars are not your regular used cars since purchasing them can offer you great value and long-term savings.