Honda Lovers Reunite: 3 Reasons for Buying Certified Pre-owned

The Honda brand is synonymous with not only cars, but also motorcycles and other forms of conveyance. When you get a Honda vehicle, you can probably enjoy it for many years. However, maybe you’re in a position where you don’t feel like you can afford a brand-new Honda car.

When you look at a used Honda for sale, it might appeal, and perhaps the price is right. If you spend a little more, though, you may be able to get one certified pre-owned.

Is it worth it to do that? Many consumers seem to think it is. In this article, we will talk about three of the reasons why buying a certified pre-owned Honda makes a lot of sense.

What Does “Certified Pre-Owned” Mean?

First, let’s briefly define the term “certified pre-owned,” just in case you are not familiar with it. A certified pre-owned car is a used vehicle. However, it is what most consumers would refer to as gently used.

A certified pre-owned car is not one that is usually very old. If it passes a certain threshold in terms of how old it is, then it usually can’t qualify as certified pre-owned anymore.

Often, if you buy a certified pre-owned car, you will get it from a dealership that is owned or operated by the manufacturer. This looks a little different than getting one from a used car lot that has vehicles made by dozens of vehicle manufacturers.

A vehicle might be able to get a certified pre-owned specification if it has been owned by a car rental agency for a couple of years. Then, the rental agency might sell it back to the original dealership, which will then pass it on to the consumer in the secondary car-buying market.

Now, let us move on to some of the most compelling reasons why you may want to consider buying a certified pre-owned Honda rather than one that is merely used.

A Certified Pre-Owned Car Seldom Has Very Many Miles On It

The certified pre-owned designation usually means something very specific. It’s not just a descriptive term that can be applied to any used car.

Let’s say that a vehicle was first owned by a rental agency, like we just mentioned a moment ago could be the case. The rental agency owns the car for two years, and it has about 20,000 miles on it.

That is the perfect scenario for this vehicle to potentially get the certified pre-owned designation. The Honda dealership that takes this vehicle back will make it available to the public, and if you come take a look at it because you’re in the market at this price point, you’ll see that it still has under 20K miles.

At this juncture, the car should still be in relatively good condition. It’s a lot different to buy a vehicle that’s used but has 20K miles on it versus one that has been on the road for 80K miles.

A vehicle without many miles on it will naturally be in better shape. However, a certified pre-owned car will also be checked out very thoroughly before it is made available for sale.

Each Certified Pre-Owned Vehicle Goes Through a Rigorous Checking Process

Speaking of that inspection process, that is another part of what gives a car its certified pre-owned designation. Before the Honda dealership says that this car is certified pre-owned and is ready to be sold, they will give it an inspection that usually covers more than one hundred total points.

The car will be looked at and tested meticulously inside and out. If anything is the least bit wrong with it, then that will be recalibrated or replaced.

By the time the car is made available for sale, it is not quite the same as if it was brand-new and had just rolled off of the assembly line, but it is pretty close to that. This process is part of why a car is not normally considered to be certified pre-owned unless the same manufacturer that made it is also selling it.

You should also keep in mind that if this car is only one or two years old, it should still have many of the most recent safety features. It’s another reason why you should be willing to pay a little more for a vehicle that comes with this particular designation.

You Can Often Still Get a Pretty Decent Warranty on One  

You should also think about one final reason why getting a Honda that is certified pre-owned is better than getting one that is just considered to be used. If you buy a used car that’s ten years old and has 80K miles on it, you might be able to get a 30 day warranty on it. Anything more than that might cost you a lot more, or the used car lot selling you the vehicle might not be willing to issue you a longer warranty at all.

Obviously, you will get the best warranty on parts and labor for your car if it is brand-new. However, you can still do pretty well in this department if you buy one that is considered to be certified pre-owned.

Honda is often very generous with their warranties anyway, but if you can’t afford a brand-new vehicle, getting one certified pre-owned often means that you can get at least a one-year warranty on parts and labor. If you’re willing to tack a little more onto the total price tag of this purchase, you might even get a 2-3 year warranty.

That matters if you run into any problems with the car over the next few months. Ideally, nothing will go wrong and the vehicle will be fine. If you find something to be malfunctioning when it’s still under that extended warranty, though, it should cost you nothing or next to nothing to fix the issue.

These reasons should be enough for you to seriously consider opting for a certified pre-owned Honda if you’re in the market.

 

 

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