While watching TV, you’ve probably seen a car dealership commercial that mentioned something about “certified pre-owned” vehicles.  You may have never thought anything of it, but what does it mean for a used vehicle to be “certified?”  According to Bob Zurlinden, Used Car Manager at Kings Volkswagen of Loveland, it means a whole lot.

In order to be certified, cars have to be under a certain age, and under a certain mileage.  Zurlinden said that after vehicles are qualified in those categories, they then are inspected.  According to Zurlinden, the inspection vehicles go through at Kings VW, and at any other dealership, is very thorough. The inspection includes an interior check, exterior check, underside check, under the hood check, and a road test.  Each dealership’s inspections vary slightly, but they all have a point system that vehicles have to pass; Honda’s is 150 points, while GM’s is 172 points.  Vehicles can only be certified at their manufacturer’s new car franchise dealerships; Chevys can only be certified by Chevy, Toyotas can only be certified by Toyota, and so on.

So with this very selective process, what’s the advantage to buying a certified pre-owned vehicle?  Well, there are a lot of advantages.  For one, since the process is so selective, you know that you are getting a high-quality pre-owned vehicle.  This vehicle has many of the qualities of a new car, but offered at a lower price.  Another advantage is that with certified pre-owned vehicles, there are usually warranty extensions on them.  This means that the car’s warranty continues on after the original factory warranty is up providing additional peace of mind for the customer.

Certified pre-owned vehicles cost a little more than other pre-owned vehicles, but a purchase such as a car may be worth the few extra bucks to you.  With a certified pre-owned vehicle, you know that you’re not going to be taking it in frequently for repairs, which will save you money in the long run.  You can also trust that this car will last you for a while, and if there are any problems, it’s under warranty and backed by the dealership.

Shopping for a used car can be stressful, but by shopping pre-owned vehicles that are certified, some of that stress can be relieved.  So next time you’re on the lookout for a high-quality used car, consider shopping certified.