certified pre-owned 2003 mystery

[talleykl]

Does anyone know about the 'certified pre-owned' offered by Volvo?

I am looking at buying a 2003 XC70 which the sales person said was "silly to have certified since the original warranty still exists." However, upon closer inspection I am finding tons of 2004 and 2002-2000 certified XC70s and only 1 2003 within 500 miles of my zip is actually certified.

Is there something wrong with the 2003 that Volvo won't certify it?

This forum is an amazing rescource. I look forward to participating more if/when I purchase my first Volvo XC.

Thanks for any input.
Amy

[4033]

i have an 03 that i purchased in november that is certified. i personally wanted the certification because it extends the warrenty for free. why wouldn't you want the extended warrenty for free? (or basicly free, i'm sure you pay for the warrenty some how in the price)

to me, the dealer is trying to get rid of the 03 without putting it through the certification process. i'm sure it costs them some $$$ to do this. maybe that cost will put them at a loss for that car?

for me, either certified or no deal.

[birddog]

First off let me say that if you find the right XC for you you will love it! Mine is the greatest car I've ever owned.Getting to your question....that comment doesn't say much for the salesman in my mind! Why wouldn't anyone want the certification? Gosh- hope their service dept. is better than their sales dept. if you decide to have the car serviced there.
My tech told me that to certify a car can cost upwards of $1500 to make sure everything is new/and or up to Volvo's standards for "certified" used cars. (Maybe that's why this salesman said what he did. I would ask him to explain such an unexpected comment, then see what he says.)
I've always felt it a smart thing to do to buy a certified vehicle from a dealership rather than try to find the best buy. Most of the time it seems the best buys end up needing the most attention. Two of our Volvos have been very "fussy" cars, but all the rest have been very giving, dependable and just a pleasure to own.

[TrueBlue]

I think it's a matter of both consumers and sales staff not knowing what the process is and how it works. It is also confused by Volvo dressing it up to be what it ain't.

To be sure the process is bound to be different between the UK and USA, but over here the dealer buys in a car - in theory as an unknown quantity. He then runs a number of fairly minor checks in order to "certify" that the car is what it is supposed to be. It also "absolves" the vehicle of an prior lapse in servicing.

The dealer then pays Volvo for a (another) warranty regardless of whatever is left on the original manufacturer's warranty (confused - ? I certainly am), and the customer walks away happy.

If the car fails within 30 days then the dealer bears the cost.

It's all a bit of a nonsense because if you buy a car on the open market then Volvo's warranty is still in place, so I can't see the difference....

I suppose it is just a general method to achieve a level playing field as far as the consumer is concerned.

If the car is beyond its Volvo warranty period then the scheme definitely has good value. So don't be pressed into taking short cuts without checking first.

[1Lieutenant]

As I understand it, the certification process involves a 130 point inspection (mechanical, electrical, body and suspension) If the vehicle is deficient in any of these areas, it is brought up to Volvo specification. Then the vehicle is given an extension of the original warranty from 4 year 50K miles to 6 years 100K miles. Seems like a good way to eliminate a lemon. Things like transmissions, bevel gears, turbos have a way of going after 50K!

The original warranty continues in effect for 4 year or 50K then the extended warranty takes over from there. The coverage is different so check carefully. As I understand it, the extended warranty has no deductible.

Steve

[talleykl]

Thanks for your input! It has become apparent that this dealer will not certify this car. No good reason has been given. We also found out that it was a rental. All in all we decided to pass on this '03.

Although I am still very curious about why '03s are not certified, but '04 and '02-'00 are around here. Maybe the '03s were all rentals?

However, we are looking at an '02 that has been certified. Your enthusiasm for this vehicle has me excited to be joining the Volvo XC world! I look forward to learning more from you and thanks again!
Amy