So you want to buy a used Mercedes Benz car. There is nothing wrong with that, and you can save a bundle. But be smart when you buy. You are going to have to make some important decisions as you consider your purchase.
The most important decision you will make is where to buy.
You can obviously buy a Mercedes car from an individual owner. You might get a great deal that way, and if there has only been one previous owner, you will have a better chance of getting a car that was taken good care of.
But there are serious advantages to buying a certified, pre-owned Mercedes Benz car from a dealer.
Mercedes Benz prides itself on the quality of its certified, pre-owned cars. They intentionally make the certification process rigorous. The put each vehicle through nine different inspections, with a total of 162 different checks. That includes a complete check of the engine components and compartment (28 points), a road test (14 points) and a check of the electrical system (33 points).
Mercedes wants a certified, pre-owned car to be as close to new quality as it can be, and the results prove it. The reliability of these vehicles is superb. But they don't ask you to trust them on that.
Every certified, pre-owned Mercedes car comes with a comprehensive limited warranty. Any remaining part of the four-year/50,000 mile new vehicle warranty still applies, of course. Beyond that, the certified pre-owned warranty extends the coverage another 12 months, or up to 100,000 total miles. That warranty takes effect at the time of vehicle delivery for any car no longer covered by the new car warranty.
They also offer a Mercedes Extended Warranty that covers just about everything imaginable, including the steering, brakes, engine and powertrain, transmission, and so on. The warranty guarantees the work at over 300 authorized dealers nationwide in the U.S., and you will get all genuine Mercedes-Benz parts. There is no deductible for the extended warranty, and you can transfer it to a new owner if you sell your Mercedes car.
So the cars are exhaustively evaluated, and Mercedes stands behind their reliability with one of the best warranty programs in the business (right up there with BMW-maybe it's a German thing). But Mercedes goes above and beyond with their certified, pre-owned vehicles.
You will get 24-hour roadside assistance, just like new Mercedes owners do. You'll also get what they call Sign and Drive services, which gives you a free jump-start, flat tire change, or gas if your tank is empty and you are stranded.
And when you buy a certified, pre-owned Mercedes Benz car, you will get the seven-day/500 mile exchange privilege. That means you can return the car within that time and swap it for another pre-owned Mercedes of equal value (or greater value, if you want to pay the difference).
If you are considering buying a used Mercedes Benz car, it is certainly worth your time to investigate buying a certified, pre-owned vehicle from an authorized Mercedes dealer. You might get a steal if you buy from some other source, but you might be surprised to find that Mercedes itself is the best deal around.
