How to Buy Your Next Pre-Owned Luxury Car

Posted By: Jaguar Plano - 2011-04-06

When he was a kid, Lane loved to play with cars, admire the posters enveloping his bedroom walls and go to the auto show. At the show, he'd study the latest sports and luxury cars ranging from Porsche and Lamborghinis to Jaguars and BMWs. Like a typical kid, he'd sit in the vehicles picturing himself driving one of these cars someday.

Eventually, Lane grew up and did the whole college and first job thing all while working towards the dream of owning a pre-owned luxury sedan and sports car. He preferred a used car over a new one so he could get everything he wanted at an affordable price. As he got closer to reaching his savings goal, he researched the sedans and read used car reviews. He narrowed the list to a few pre-owned cars from automotive manufacturers with reliable certified pre-owned programs. Knowing pre-owned vehicle programs varied from manufacturer to manufacturer, he studied different certified pre-owned programs like Jaguar Select Edition.

One thing he learned was the difference between a dealer-certified vehicle and a manufacturer-certified vehicle. Only an official franchised Jaguar dealer can offer a Jaguar Select Edition manufacturer-certified vehicle. What's more, Lane found many independent dealers claimed their vehicles were certified - only to find out that they were only CARFAX certified, which is totally different than manufacturer-certified.

He easily opted for vehicles covered under the manufacturer's certified pre-owned program. It was essential the manufacturer backed the warranty instead of a third-party dealer. This way, he wouldn't have to worry about the dealership closing or him moving too far away from his nearest dealer.

Lane also learned that being CARFAX certified only meant that CARFAX guaranteed that the vehicle history report was accurate. It provides absolutely no warranty coverage as a manufacturer-certified program does. This twisting of the facts was meant to confuse him, but he was the wiser. Something else that was interesting, he also discovered that dealership inspection points ranged from 100 to over 300. It turned out that the exact number wasn't an important factor because manufacturers count the points differently. The most important thing was the manufacturer had a comprehensive inspection checklist.

The factors he looked at in a manufacturer's certified used vehicle program included:

• Warranty terms for both the original and the pre-owned vehicles.
• Maximum age and mileage covered in program.
• Comprehensive inspection requirements.
• CARFAX history report availability.
• Deductible, if any.
• Roadside assistance offers.
• Other benefits.

Lane selected the 2009 Jaguar XK from the available Jaguar certified pre-owned inventory at Park Place Jaguar Plano because the Jaguar Select Edition program and sedan best fit his needs. And, Jaguar didn't charge a deductible like its competitors did. Jaguar Select Edition had a comprehensive inspection checklist, CARFAX history report, six-year / 100,000-mile warranty without deductibles and 24-hour roadside assistance. A nice little bonus included a subscription to Jaguar Magazine, access to My Jaguar owner pages with maintenance and warranty information and an introduction to Jaguar Clubs.

Your nearest dealer like Park Place Jaguar Plano in the Dallas / Fort Worth area can provide details about its manufacturer's certified pre-owned program or the certified programs of any of the other 10 brands represented by Park Place Dealerships.