USA TODAY
Despite the benefits associated with manufacturer-certified used cars, consumers still need to be careful. Consider these potential drawbacks:

• There are no industry standards for certifying used cars.

• While most experts will tell you that certification adds value to the retail price of a used car, it does not contribute to its eventual resale value.

• Some financial institutions — outside of the dealership — won’t realize that a certified used vehicle is worth more than a standard used car, so you may need to convince the lender to loan you the additional amount.

• Certification vehicles offers no guarantee that you will have fewer problems than a non-certified vehicle. Just because a car is certified, does not mean that is it better than another well maintained used car.

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Understand the warranty that comes with a Certified vehicle. Most all Certified vehicles warranties only cover the drivetrain (engine and transmission). Many people who buy a Certified vehicle believe there is a bumper to bumper warranty only to find out they are responsible for nearly all repairs.  In most cases you can buy the same warranty for less than the extra money you spend for a Certified used vehicle.

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Most in survey wouldn't pay more for certified used vehicle
Automotive News

Most buyers of used cars and trucks from dealerships place no value on used-vehicle certification and won't pay extra for it, a new study concludes.

J.D. Power and Associates released its 2005 Used Vehicle Sales and Certification Study in May. The study surveyed more than 15,000 people who bought 2000-model through 2005-model used vehicles last year.

Certified used vehicles have factory warranties. They are late-model vehicles without major damage. They get special inspections and reconditioning. Automakers that operate certified pre-owned programs use certification as a marketing tool.

But two-thirds of the Power survey respondents who bought nonluxury used vehicles from dealerships said certification was of no value to them. Three-fourths said they would not pay more for a certified vehicle than for a noncertified vehicle of similar make and model.

Among customers in the study who bought used luxury vehicles from dealerships, 56 percent said they placed no value on used-vehicle certification.

Todd Wilson, J.D. Power's director of automotive retail research, says automakers' efforts to market certification programs are not connecting with consumers.
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