1994-2002 [Subscribe to Daily Digest] |
One of my former neighbors was (is) a general manager of a car dealership. He told me once that it costs them about $1,500 to certify a car. I'm not sure I believe him. I don't know what is involved other than going over the car in the service dept., really. I wonder how the warranty work is handled, ie is it billed to Saab or does the dealer absorb the cost? We just bought a used 9-3, certified, and it needs a new strut and anti-lock brake sensor (both on order). Also, the car is exhibiting some unusual behavior that I'm going to have an independent mechanic look at as soon as I can get an appt. HOw that car could have been looked over thoroughly (ie certified) and those problems not picked up is beyond me. I have to wonder what it was doing on the lot frankly, advertised as certified, in that condition. I'm kind of pissed about the whole thing.
I'm fairly certain the car mfg. has something to do with it-- ex. my wife bought a certified BMW from a dealer here, the car was perfect. If anything was brought to their attention, no questions asked they fixed it. We bought our 9-3 from a Saab dealer here, *same owner*, and the experience is completely different. Everything is denied or deemed 'normal operation'. I mentioned the repair items above, at the BMW place it would have been fixed up front. Lastly, beware of the salesperson trick of using the certification in the bargaining process. Before I bought our 9-5 wagon, we looked at a certified V70, we of course offered a lower price than the sticker. The guy comes back with a 'middle point' price and 'NON CERTIFIED' written in big letters on the offer sheet. Needless to say, we walked out, but my question was is the car certified or not? If its already been certified, the dealer supposedly paid $1,500 for the certification, what good would it do for the dealer to sell it 'non-certified' at a lower price? True, he gets more $$ from service appts., but who's to say I'd bring the car back to them for service later? Which makes me wonder if this 'certification' nonsense is just that, nonsense. If somebody can clear this up I'd appreciate it. Brian@saabcenter?
posted by 67.240.78...
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