Certified Pre Owned cars?

[Aunt to sweet baby boy]

I have a 98 Pontiac Minivan that has $3,000 worth of oil/fluid leaks. I have put about $2,000 into the car in the last 6 months in various repairs and this is the last straw. I am going to take it to another shop this week to see if there is any other problems that i do not know about yet but i am most likely not fixing the car. Sooo that means i get to go car shopping!

I am looking at the 04-05 Toyota Sienna, 05-06 Honda Oddesy

Has anyone bought a certified pre-owned car? I am not sure right now whether i will be getting another van or a sedan. I will be buying this car rather than leasing.

Does anyone have a car that gets relatively good mileage and is not over $40,000? I drive a combination of city and highway and would really like to get more than 13 MPG. I am looking for either a midsize sedan such as the Camery or a Minivan.

Thanks!

Ilana, aka Nana to my sweet nephew Avi

http://lilypie.com/pic/060403/hfNw.jpg[/img]http://b2.lilypie.com/h2bbm7/.png[/img][/url]

[daniele_ut]

We have never bought a brand new car and we've been happy with our purchases. The last car we bought was a 1 year old Subaru with 15000 miles on it and we saved a great deal over buying brand new. We prefer to buy something that is still covered under the manufacturer's warranty and then buy an aftermarket extended warranty, NOT from the dealer. We used www.warrantybynet with the Subaru and have been very pleased. We purchased it when we got to just over 3000 miles left on the warranty and it extended the warranty from 3/36000 to 7 years from purchase of the warranty/100,000 miles. There are warranties that just list what they cover and leave out most of the car. The one we have has a small list of exclusions and everything else *is* covered. It has already more than paid for itself, since we had an expensive repair a few months ago that was fully covered.

If I were in college, I wouldn't be looking at minivans. I would never have been able to afford to fill the tank! We're still driving my college vehicle - a 1988 VW Jetta that still gets 32 MPG. I don't think you can really go wrong with a used Honda or Toyota, but keep in mind that you are paying a bit of a premium for buying a "certified" used car at a dealer. Buying from a private owner is cheaper, of course, but buying a car that has been inspected and repaired at the dealer might give you more peace of mind that it won't have problems soon after you buy it. There are tons of cars that get great gas mileage and cost less than $40,000. The April issue of Consumer Reports is the annual car issue and it has tons of info on used cars as well, which years to avoid, etc.

[Piglet]

I have never bought a certified used car, but the Hondas and Toyotas tend to keep their value far better than other similar aged cars. We are also looking for newer Siennas and Odysseys and have concluded that there is nothing to be saved (when you consider the lack of immediate depreciation coupled with the fact that a newer van will be worth a bit more if you are reselling it x number of years later). The ones that depreciate quickly are generally the domestic vans and even moreso, the domestic sedans, I found. If you are simply looking to get the biggest bang for your $40K, I would go domestic or Korean (Kia Sedona/Hyundai Entourage). I checked out the prices on a bunch of larger sedans (that fit 3 carseats across) and by the time you get the extra features that make them safer/more convenient, you might as well buy a minivan. Another option if you are mostly driving by yourself, with the occasional passenger/car seat/etc. is the Mazda5. There was a good thread about them a few days ago. For your needs, I think it would be perfect. For my needs (2 kids + gear + potential for 1 more kid), it is too small, but if I were starting with no kids and the occasional passengers, it would be ideal and the mileage is awesome!

Have fun!

[Aunt to sweet baby boy]

I have a teenage brother and i have to have a car to fit at least 4 teenagers 2x per week, sometimes more often. So it is not very practical for me to drive a small sedan right now.

Ilana, aka Nana to my sweet nephew Avi

http://lilypie.com/pic/060403/hfNw.jpg[/img]http://b2.lilypie.com/h2bbm7/.png[/img][/url]

[Aunt to sweet baby boy]

Marina,

are you saying that it is more worthwhile to buy a brand new toyota/honda rather than a CPO? i have a feeling i will end up buying a new car but i want to look at all my options.

Thanks!

Ilana, aka Nana to my sweet nephew Avi

http://lilypie.com/pic/060403/hfNw.jpg[/img]http://b2.lilypie.com/h2bbm7/.png[/img][/url]

[Piglet]

In that case, I would probably look at the least equipped Toyota Sienna CE. You will get all the safety features of the Sienna, but no power doors, trunk, etc. You can seat 5 people semi-comfortably in the Mazda 5, but it is a hard squeeze to get them all into the seats (specifically the back row).

Or just make your brother and his friends ride the bus :) (just kidding... sort of).

[jennabear]

We bought a certified pre-owned Oddyssey and love it. We've had it over a year and no problems.

[o_mom]

Ditto here - just over a year and no problems.

[Mommy_Again]

the word 'certified' means nothing - it is just a marketing ploy. anyone can say their car is certified. I would strongly suggest getting an independent mechanic to check the car out- don't trust the dealer's word- they are trying to sell the car. (OK, this is actually Clark Howard's advice, so I can't take credit!)

[o_mom]

Actually, at most dealers, the Certified does mean something. In our case, it meant a 12 mo/12,000 mi bumper to bumper warranty on a 3 year old car. Depending on the dealer and program, it can also extend the powertrain warranty for several years.

You need to check out the program at the particular dealer, but my experience with Honda was great. It can't hurt to take it to a mechanic, but if they are going to offer a warranty, they are most likely going to make sure that there are no major problems before they 'certify' the car.

[shilo]

have you considered adding subaru's to your list? specifically a newer (2-3yr old) outback or forrester?? we have a subaru wagon (smaller impreza WRX, but as a brand we've been so happy with it and i have 1 friend each who rave about their forrester/outback/legacy wagon) which we love, love, love. their pretty good on the gas milage, and have great features for the money. the impreza wagons would be tight with 4 teenagers, but we have gotten DH, myself, 2 6ft friends and DS carseat in it in a pinch.

lori

Sam 5/19/05 How lucky I am that you chose me.

[Aunt to sweet baby boy]

>Or just make your brother and his friends ride the bus :)
>(just kidding... sort of).

Good idea! I think he would love it if i told him to take the bus rather than me driving him places(not!).

I do like Subaru's, i went on a test drive with my sister a few months ago and the car was really nice. I will have to go back and look at them again.

Thanks

Ilana, aka Nana to my sweet nephew Avi

http://lilypie.com/pic/060403/hfNw.jpg[/img]http://b2.lilypie.com/h2bbm7/.png[/img][/url]

[Piglet]

You might want to ask the same question on the carseat forum, because I recall you take your nephew places as well. Here is a link on car selection http://www.suvsafety.info/carguide.html
and here is a forum on car-safety.org that helps with car choices - http://www.car-seat.org/forumdisplay.php?f=8
I also really like this page - http://www.informedforlife.org/CRSriskorder2006.pdf
You can find psat years here - http://www.informedforlife.org/
It combines the NHTSA and IIHS ratings into an easy to read spreadsheet.

The only problem with Subarus (from what I remember on the car seat forum) is that they are a major pain to install carseat in. Somehow, it stuck in my mind that they are problematic for some reason or other. You might also do a search for Subaru in past threads. I know that car seat safety is big for you, so it might be a worthwhile consideration when car shopping. If I were doing it all again, I would not have the 2 cars I currently have, I think. Neither one has the capacity for 3 carseats!

[o_mom]

One other point - as recently discussed on the Carseat board. Avoid the 2005 Odyssey. It only has one top tether anchor in the third row (center) and you cannot add more. The 2006 has them in all three third row positions.

[daniele_ut]

>
>The only problem with Subarus (from what I remember on the car
>seat forum) is that they are a major pain to install carseat
>in. Somehow, it stuck in my mind that they are problematic
>for some reason or other.

Yup, this is a major issue with Subarus. We have tried and tried to get a carseat installed in the center but have so far failed because of the long buckle stalk. We thought we had it licked (you can see and old post in the Carseat Forum) but I haven;t been able to get a tech to look at it. The newer models have shorter buckle stalks but have big humps in the center! I wouldn't get an Impreza wagon if you have to tote lanky teenagers around. The backseat is very tight, and the Forester's isn't much bigger.

[Aunt to sweet baby boy]

Thanks, so i think Subaru's are out. I sat in the backseat of one for 10 minutes on the test drive but i am 7-10 inches shorter than my brother and his friends. I also sat there alone and not with two other teenagers.

The honda tether thing is not an issue right now but if i have more than two children in the next 6~ years it will be an issue. I will look into the 06 rather than the 05's.

Thanks again

Ilana, aka Nana to my sweet nephew Avi

http://lilypie.com/pic/060403/hfNw.jpg[/img]http://b2.lilypie.com/h2bbm7/.png[/img][/url]

[jennabear]

Certified does mean something. DH is a manager for a dealership and the cars have to pass a really long list to become certified. There's much more to it than that but DH is sleeping right now. I'll ask him tomorrow. I know it's a big ordeal though.

Plus with certified cars you also get a warranty. My certified Odyssey is has a 10 year bumper to bumper warranty. Yes, I said 10 years.

Because it is certified they treat it as if it is a new car. Basically they have "certified" that this car is in perfect working order. If anything goes wrong within a certain amount of time it's on them. When our windshield cracked (not by a stone) 3 months into owning the car they bent over backwards for us. They came to my house to pick up the car and we live an hour from the dealership, dropped off a 2006 Odyssey loaner car and a few days later came back and dropped off mine and picked up the loaner.