Author Topic: First car - certified or no?  (Read 3708 times)

filkry

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First car - certified or no?
« on: March 28, 2017, 10:31:51 AM »
Hey all,

I've been living in Orange County for 2.5 years getting around by bicycle and the occasional Lyft/train. However, I've started to have back problems that require physical therapy and limiting my cycling for an extended period. I'm also getting "stir crazy" living in such a spread out area with no vehicle to get me to medium-range destinations. So my partner and I decided to get a used car.

We had settled on a Fit based on the Money Moustache List as well as the fact that I used to drive my father's and am comfortable with the vehicle. I also decided to look into certified vehicles since this will be my first car and I don't know the first thing about what to look out for when buying.

The thing is, certified vehicles seem to limit you to the last 4 years or so (2013 are the oldest I've seen) and tack about $2500 on the price. Dealers are asking $12500 for a certified Fit when we were hoping to spend more like $10000. So my question is: is it worth going certified? Is the risk that big for a naive first-timer like me buying from a lot or a private seller? I intend to drive daily until my physical therapy ends and then only use the car on weekends, so I think I'd be fine with higher mileage or an older vehicle.

Thanks for any advice you can share.

ketchup

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Re: First car - certified or no?
« Reply #1 on: March 28, 2017, 11:03:33 AM »
Certified is not necessary.  Get it checked out by a (good) mechanic before you commit to buy, shouldn't be more than $100 at the most for that.

4alpacas

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Re: First car - certified or no?
« Reply #2 on: March 28, 2017, 11:16:04 AM »
Certified is not necessary.  Get it checked out by a (good) mechanic before you commit to buy, shouldn't be more than $100 at the most for that.
+1

I know nothing about cars, but I've purchased several used cars with help from a local mechanic.  I stopped in and asked if they do the check, how long it would take, how much it would cost, etc.  I also found a great mechanic to work on my car.

I will admit that I ended up trying out so many lemons during my last used car purchase attempts that the mechanic felt bad and gave me a huge discount (that day and in the future).  I was also buying in the <$4k range, which can be difficult in certain areas. 

filkry

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Re: First car - certified or no?
« Reply #3 on: March 29, 2017, 10:59:34 AM »
Certified is not necessary.  Get it checked out by a (good) mechanic before you commit to buy, shouldn't be more than $100 at the most for that.

I'm a little confused. How do you get the car checked out by a mechanic before you have it? During a test drive?

4alpacas

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Re: First car - certified or no?
« Reply #4 on: March 29, 2017, 11:32:11 AM »
Certified is not necessary.  Get it checked out by a (good) mechanic before you commit to buy, shouldn't be more than $100 at the most for that.

I'm a little confused. How do you get the car checked out by a mechanic before you have it? During a test drive?
Yeah.  I stopped by the mechanic shop and set up times that would be good.  I informed the test drive people that I wanted to have a mechanic look at it, and then I drove it over there. 

ketchup

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Re: First car - certified or no?
« Reply #5 on: March 29, 2017, 12:42:30 PM »
Certified is not necessary.  Get it checked out by a (good) mechanic before you commit to buy, shouldn't be more than $100 at the most for that.

I'm a little confused. How do you get the car checked out by a mechanic before you have it? During a test drive?
Yeah.  I stopped by the mechanic shop and set up times that would be good.  I informed the test drive people that I wanted to have a mechanic look at it, and then I drove it over there.
That's an option.  There are also mobile mechanics that specialize in doing exactly this.  You can have them meet you and the seller, or schedule it after you look at it yourself and it passes the sniff test.  My dad did that tactic on his last car purchase.

4alpacas

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Re: First car - certified or no?
« Reply #6 on: March 29, 2017, 12:50:50 PM »
Certified is not necessary.  Get it checked out by a (good) mechanic before you commit to buy, shouldn't be more than $100 at the most for that.

I'm a little confused. How do you get the car checked out by a mechanic before you have it? During a test drive?
Yeah.  I stopped by the mechanic shop and set up times that would be good.  I informed the test drive people that I wanted to have a mechanic look at it, and then I drove it over there.
That's an option.  There are also mobile mechanics that specialize in doing exactly this.  You can have them meet you and the seller, or schedule it after you look at it yourself and it passes the sniff test.  My dad did that tactic on his last car purchase.
I didn't know that was an option!  I'll keep that in mind when I need a new car...in about 10 years. 

frugaliknowit

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Re: First car - certified or no?
« Reply #7 on: March 29, 2017, 12:51:44 PM »
Most "certified" cars are very new and not the most optimal on the depreciation curve.  For a given model, you might want a 4 or 5 year old, for example, which I doubt a dealer would certify.

You certify it yourself by having a mechanic look at it!
« Last Edit: March 29, 2017, 01:29:41 PM by frugaliknowit »

Ankenystache

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Re: First car - certified or no?
« Reply #8 on: March 29, 2017, 07:45:40 PM »
FWIW, I work at a high end car dealership, Jag/Land Rover/Volvo/Caddy/Infiniti. And all the brands have the same set of certified standards that doesn't really make up for the price increase. In our dealership and others I have worked at I can go as far to say that if you are buying from a reputable dealer and the car is not a salvage, then in most cases if a car has a mechanical issue it would be taken care of. This doesnt include putting new brakes on every car or new tires because that gets expensive. A lot of certified cars just mean that it comes with a additional warranty (most being 12 months/12k miles) and that the exterior body has been repaired/spotted in/touched up.
When I bought my volt I specifically asked when it came in to not certify it because I didn't want the markup. If you want a additional warranty because it will help you sleep, you can buy that separate from car, and in most cases a lot cheaper (Dealership mark up is 200-400% most cases)

The last dealership I worked at was primarily Honda used cars and I can say that with a Honda Fit you should sleep easy not being certified. It may need shocks, brakes, tires, but the engines on those things I have seen go through some real hell and still run like a champ.

coolistdude

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Re: First car - certified or no?
« Reply #9 on: April 02, 2017, 03:56:48 PM »
Certified is not necessary.  Get it checked out by a (good) mechanic before you commit to buy, shouldn't be more than $100 at the most for that.
+1

I know nothing about cars, but I've purchased several used cars with help from a local mechanic.  I stopped in and asked if they do the check, how long it would take, how much it would cost, etc.  I also found a great mechanic to work on my car.

I will admit that I ended up trying out so many lemons during my last used car purchase attempts that the mechanic felt bad and gave me a huge discount (that day and in the future).  I was also buying in the <$4k range, which can be difficult in certain areas.

+1. I know very little about cars. I have a mechanic friend that I will meet potential sellers at. Sellers are usually comfortable once you tell them that you are footing the bill and that they can get a copy of the report (if your guy does that. Mine takes pictures and documents what he finds). Anything under $3k will most likely have issues so weigh that with how much you want to spend at and paying the mechanic.

GetItRight

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Re: First car - certified or no?
« Reply #10 on: April 02, 2017, 04:47:53 PM »
I certify this car, pay me $2500. Do it, do it now!

filkry

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Re: First car - certified or no?
« Reply #11 on: April 08, 2017, 03:09:52 PM »
Hey everyone, thanks so much for the advice!

I'm moving forward on a private vehicle (2011 Fit with 68k miles and an aftermarket rear camera). The seller has agreed to meet at a dealership for a presale inspection and I'm waiting for them to get home and send me the VIN, after which I'll do a Carfax and title verification. They said their reason for selling is to upgrade to a bigger car.

Anything else I should make sure to do? If we go forward, I plan pay them at a bank where there are plenty of cameras. I'm in California, if it makes any difference.

Dave1442397

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Re: First car - certified or no?
« Reply #12 on: April 08, 2017, 03:25:40 PM »
You should be fine. Once it's inspected, you can negotiate the price based on needs, such as tires, brakes, etc. Find out when the seller had the oil changed so that you can figure out when you need to do it next.


filkry

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Re: First car - certified or no?
« Reply #13 on: April 11, 2017, 01:51:31 PM »
Thanks for all the help! I ended buying the Fit for $8450 after a $500 reduction due to a minor but labour-intensive issue that the inspection turned up. Now I just need to go to my buddy's mechanic to get that fixed.

Couldn't have done it without you! :)

ketchup

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Re: First car - certified or no?
« Reply #14 on: April 11, 2017, 01:53:54 PM »
Thanks for all the help! I ended buying the Fit for $8450 after a $500 reduction due to a minor but labour-intensive issue that the inspection turned up. Now I just need to go to my buddy's mechanic to get that fixed.

Couldn't have done it without you! :)
That's great!  Sounds like you found a good one.

 

Wow, a phone plan for fifteen bucks!