Is it any better to buy a Toyota Certified used car?
I wanted to ask the TN members that are from the North how adversely does snow and road salting affect modern cars. I've narrowed my search for a Touring Avalon down to two cars.
One is from Ohio, that is a 05 Touring w/66K that is toyota certified with a clean carfax (for what ever its worth), and the other is a South Fla car with only one owner with the same milage this car is not Toyota certified.
Both cars have the same options sunroof, JBL Syth. In regards to price they are just off by around $600. Now the Ohio car, I'm having an inspection done by SGS vehicle inspections. So the question is should I be worried about rust and the over all condition of a northern car
What ever help the TN members can give would be great
many articles out there will tell you modern car has under coating and rush shouldn't be a concern compares to old cars. I really don't see rush is an issue but again, I am from the NW where we really don't use salt until last winder blast.
As for CPO, every dealer is different no matter what they say about cars go to have 160 point inspection.... I once checked out a Honda CPO boys did that thing drive like an old car.
The best approach is to check out carfax 1st (but don't belive everything from the report) and see how the car was sold. Use common sense. If the car has been served by toyota dealer and they aution it out at the end, it kind of tell me even the dealer didn't want to keep that car. So even another toyota dealer pick it up and say CPO, I will stay away.
You really need to go test it out yourself. I will caution to buy car miles away. Be patient, the right car will come.
Why on earth would you consider a car that's in Ohio that you have to rely on someone elses eyes (for the Toyota certification as well as an inspection service - and what ever that costs) when you can touch, feel, hear, smell and drive one near where you live? Especially with only a $600 price difference.
Having to pay for a car inspection in another state (I assume it isn't free) added to the expense of having to get yourself to Ohio, make the purchase and then the added expense of driving it home just doesn't make 'cents' (pun intended) to me.
A quick online search shows no lack of used Avalons in Florida - with a wide range of 2005+ with all trim levels available.
What am I missing here? Help me understand your thinking...
Why on earth would you consider a car that's in Ohio that you have to rely on someone elses eyes (for the Toyota certification as well as an inspection service - and what ever that costs) when you can touch, feel, hear, smell and drive one near where you live? Especially with only a $600 price difference.
Having to pay for a car inspection in another state (I assume it isn't free) added to the expense of having to get yourself to Ohio, make the purchase and then the added expense of driving it home just doesn't make 'cents' (pun intended) to me.
A quick online search shows no lack of used Avalons in Florida - with a wide range of 2005+ with all trim levels available.
What am I missing here? Help me understand your thinking...
Tom
The reason that I'm looking at these two cars, is because they are in my price, mileage range. The factors that have me leaning to the Ohio car is the color combo, and that it is Toyota certified with a warranty. Now I have seen and driven the SFLA car, and its clean in and out, one owner clean carfax and a year newer, but no warranty.
In a recent thread, a member that worked at a Toyota dealership mentioned that he'd seen quite a few cars that became 'certified' that perhaps shouldn't have been. In my mind it's no more a better car than if you were to take it to an independant mechanic or reputable service center for an inspection. To me, 'certified' is a marketing tool.
If a warranty is important to you, you can buy either car and purchase a warranty from pretty much anywhere, including a local Toyota shop. Of course it will increase your cost (but so does travel expenses)
Not trying to give ya a hard time. I'm just trying to steer ya away from what, for me anyway, is setting off alarm bells.
In a recent thread, a member that worked at a Toyota dealership mentioned that he'd seen quite a few cars that became 'certified' that perhaps shouldn't have been. In my mind it's no more a better car than if you were to take it to an independant mechanic or reputable service center for an inspection. To me, 'certified' is a marketing tool.
If a warranty is important to you, you can buy either car and purchase a warranty from pretty much anywhere, including a local Toyota shop. Of course it will increase your cost (but so does travel expenses)
Not trying to give ya a hard time. I'm just trying to steer ya away from what, for me anyway, is setting off alarm bells.
Tom
Not at all man, I need a straight up advise from someone that is looking from the outside in. Someone that doesn't have a dog in this fight!
The one thing that I'm hearing about the car in Ohio is that you like the color. The other things; warranty, certified (or an inspection), mileage, can be reproduced in other cars nearer to you - including the car you looked at locally.
Is that color really that important to you or is there another color that might grow on ya?
One last thing (and then I'll shut up for a while), these cars are very reliable and, with proper maintenance, will last you a couple hundred thousand miles. I'd certainly want to get a used car inspected before I bought it but with the reliability in mind I'm not so concerned about flaws or poor design.
To Me Best Advice Is To Drive It..Certified Is DEF a Marketing Tool.....b4 I Bought My 06 Avy..I Saw It Online For A Price(Non Certified)...When I Got To The Dealership 2 Days Laters...It Was Certified and Almost $3k More Than Advertised...Luckily For Me I Took A Pic Of The Ad Online With My Iphone...They Claimed That Ad Isnt Up Anymore & Over..Showed Them The Pic As If It was The Website...And Got It Cheaper Than Advertised On The Ad...Anyway A Car Purchase Should Be HANDS ON IMO
Great advice IMO. I was looking all over a year or so ago, kept my patience, and I saw my current Avalon sitting on a used car lot in my own city. Test drove it, and bought it that afternoon. Been very happy since. Have patience and buy locally, or within a reasonable distance. DO NOT BUY LONG DISTANCE.
__________________
Bill in Mississippi
2008 Avalon Touring
72,000 miles and counting.
only buying NEW, then I will care about what color I want. When buying used, your option is limited and as long as the color is natural, it should be ok. Sure you can focus on the right color combo but it takes time and patient. Not to mention the price that might not be flex too. Touring only comes in Black interior ( I believe) so what color are you looking for? I used to have a Silver/gray limited and now has a Dark Red/tan Limited. They both looks great
I would like to thank everyone that has given me advise, and me being the type that takes good advise I have gone with a 2006 Avalon touring with 64K. I only had to drive from Miami to West Palm Beach to pick her up. It was a one owner car, with a complete service record I mean every little thing that was ever done the previous owner documented everything. It's extremely clean in and out and underneath, I had the sales guy put it on a lift so I could see check for any leaks.
The drive from WPB to MIA was great, smooth and almost as quite as my GS300 ( I think that the sound that I was hearing is the crappy tires), what I'm not use to is the feeling of a front wheel drive car (how it pulls you, I'm use to the feeling of a RWD push) and how it brakes. In regards to the brakes I'll address that with EBC red stuff pads, and Stainless Steel Brake lines (my first upgrade on all my cars)
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