Certified Pre-Owned Car
Used cars come with a full range of issues and problems. This is a commonly known fact. In order to convince you to buy a used car without the worry that comes with buying a used car, dealerships now sell “Certified Pre-Owned” cars. Certified Pre-Owned vehicle sales have been on the rise over the last decade or so, and are promoted as a safe alternative to paying full price for a new vehicle. Generally speaking, “certified pre-owned” means it comes with some of additional certification that says the car is better than other used cars. Usually the car is a late model (only a couple of years old), has been extensively inspected, maybe refurbished, and given a warranty beyond the standard manufacturer’s warranty. The dealership charges you a premium for this extra certification. However, what you are paying for is not always what you get.
What does is mean to be “Certified Pre-Owned?”
Just because the car you bought was “Certified Pre-Owned” does not mean it truly has a clean bill of health. When it comes to cars, “Certified Pre-Owned” really means NOTHING. There is no industry standard definition. Most States do not regulate what it means. Congress has not set any standards for what is certifiable and what isn’t. Therefore, in reality, you may be paying extra for crap. Every dealership who offers a car as Certified Pre-Owned has it’s own standards for inspection. Some may boast a 160 point inspection. Some may say they follow a manufacturer’s certified inspection guidelines. Other dealerships may provide you a checklist of items that were supposedly inspected before certifying the car. The point is that you really have no idea what you are buying, nor do you have any idea whether the car you bought is truly free of issues.
What Should I Do?
Its a good chance that you are reading this because you recently bought a “Certified Pre-Owned” car and now you are experiencing problems. If your car does have problems, the law may require the dealership to reveal those problems to you before you buy it. The best way to determine whether the dealership violated the law is to contact our office immediately. Don’t call the dealership and try to work with them to resolve the problem. They won’t help. We will immediately begin our background research on your car. We may even send your car to one of our experts for a low cost head to toe review. Background checks may reveal prior damage, rental histories, salvage titles, or other problems that you don’t know about. If the law requires the dealership to reveal these problems before you buy the car, and they did not, you may have a lawsuit against the dealership to get most or all of your money back.
How We Can Help
“Certified Pre-Owned” vehicles are targets for auto fraud. Through a quick review of the car, a dealership can call the car “Certified Pre-Owned,” increase the sales prices, and make a lot of profit. The dealerships know, and expect you not to know, that “Certified Pre-Owned” really means nothing. In our eyes, “Certified Pre-Owned” simply means the high potential for Auto Fraud. Not only are they selling you a car with a problem that should have been disclosed, but they are certifying that the car does not have that problem.
If you believe that you are a victim of Auto Fraud give us a call. We will provide you a free consultation during which we will determine whether you have a potential case or not. If you do have a case, we will be able to sue the dealership for little to no cost to you. Best of all, we often handle these matters at no cost to you. The law permits us to ask for the dealership to pay for our representation.