What exactly is a certified auto warranty? Simply put, it is a warranty provided by the dealership on a pre-owned vehicle, with the promise that they have fully inspected and checked the vehicle for faults. This has come around due to the terrible reputation of both used cars and the dealers who sell them.
Used cars were once seen as junkers and lemons, leftover junk that had been abused by the former owner, and only a fool or a cheapskate would consider buying used. Now, these dealerships have repackaged the used car as a “pre-owned” vehicle. This term sounds much more dignified and cared for than a used car, which sounds dirty and old. But simply calling a car pre-owned was not enough to turn around the bad reputation. So dealerships began strictly reviewing and repairing the cars they sold as pre-owned, making sure that any obvious faults were repaired before the cars were again offered to the public.
Therefore, dealerships now offer certified auto warranties on these cars, to attest to the fact that these cars have been given a thorough inspection – so thorough, that any future problems would be covered by this warranty, at the cost of the dealer. But the thing you have to remember is that the dealership is the one completing these inspections themselves. So it’s still hard to know if they can be trusted.
