Five Tips when Buying a Certified Pre-Owned Car
Author: ellsworthmciltrot | Posted: 14.05.2012You’re about to buy your very first car but you currently can’t afford a brand new one. That’s totally fine because you still have another option. You can get yourself a used car, or better yet, a certified pre-owned (CPO) which is comparable to a brand new but at a lesser price.
You’re bound to find many used cars when you check out some dealerships in a city like Edmonton, Alberta’s capital and major economic centre. Judged by fDi magazine to have the best economic potential among any North American city, Edmonton allows car manufacturers and their dealerships to offer used and CPO cars to the growing used car market. Between a used and a CPO car, you will save yourself time and money for inspection, repair and warranty if you purchase the latter. To ensure that you get a good CPO car deal, here are five tips to consider.
Research
Even with just the Internet, you can research everything you need to know about used cars. You can check for dealers, makes and models of vehicles in their car lots, prices, financing plans, warranties and after sales service. The more you know, the more informed decisions you can make.
Certification
Car manufacturers stamp a used car as CPO after passing a rigorous inspection, including a warranty to service the vehicle at any dealership that sells the brand. When it’s the dealership that certifies a car, it includes its own warranty to bring back the vehicle to them for service. Other dealerships also sell an extended warranty to ensure coverage. Better to look for a car that’s certified by the manufacturer instead of the dealership.
Inspection
After seeing the car Edmonton dealers offer and negotiating with the dealer, inspect the unit. While the idea behind a CPO is, it’s already inspected and repaired, just go over it for blemishes or scratches, or for any sound that may have been overlooked. A reputable dealer won’t mind inspecting the car with you.
Records
Inquire about the car’s service record or maintenance history report to see what repairs or replacements were done on it. You can also ask for a Car Proof report since it gives comprehensive details of a used car in Edmonton and throughout Canada. While not lawfully required, some reputable dealers offer this as part customer service.
Warranties
Finally, try to read through the warranty of used cars Edmonton manufacturers give since some only offer partial coverage. If you want bumper-to-bumper coverage, you might have to get that separately. You can learn more tips on CPO cars at Edmunds.com, Cars.com, voices.yahoo.com and canada.com.
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