BigGunna

What should I receive from the dealership or private party as proof that a vehicle is Toyota Certified? Is there an actual certificate that tied to the VIN or ... ?

FirstToy

There is paperwork tied to the VIN

It costs about $500 retail to certify a Toyota. All that means is it qualifies for a factory warranty and that it has been "inspected" and meets the mileage/wear requirements.

All in all, if it's a clean used car the Certified doesn't really mean anything except a few bucks in dealer's pockets.

Bob_98SR5

first toy is right about most of what he wrote but from my time there at the certified dept, the reconditioning and warranty costs are much higher than $500. what youre really buying is 'added peace of mind". i find that the program was, and still is, a beneficial program. if it were not, why has so many mfgs copied it?

You should get a certificate that says the vehicle has been inspected and Certified by Toyota. The dealer is supposed to recondition the vehicle (i.e. hammer out any dings, fix anything mechanical, etc) to a certain level, depending on the year of the vehicle. the majority of the reconditioning runs well over $500, which does not include the price of the extended warranty.

Also be wary of any dealer that says "we can certify it for you". Meaning, that there might have been some reason why it wasn't certified, but the dealer will "bend and change the rules" (so to speak) in order to sell it as certified.

Bob

edit: if you are buying it from a private party, check w/ the dealership. i cannot remember if the certified certificate/warranty is transferable or not.

PutzRunner

Big,

I purchased a 99 limited from a dealer the last day of September this year. One condition of the sale was it would be certified. Teh dealer did it at no cost to me.

I recieved in the mail a letter from Toyota staing it had been certified and also 2 small cards like a credit card I keep with me. They state it is a certified vehicle.

Hope this helps.

Ray

Unhappy99

pppffffftttttt

cool rob

Does anyone know if part of the "reconditioning" includes replacing all the fluids(tranny, differentials, etc.)? I just bought my certified Runner w/ 52k miles on the clock. My guess would be 'no', but I'm hoping otherwise.

Bob_98SR5

rob,

look on the certified website and there is a check list of what they take care of.

unhappy: when i was there analyzing the data at toyota, karl malone toyota didn't run their certified program very well, so i can understand your displeasure.

bob

Unhappy99

cool rob..
Be sure the fuel gauge has been fixed per TSB EL010 (do a search). Otherwise it will give you lots of mi$ery. Even if its working correctly now, it will fail.
Here's a interesting thing to try, drive it until the low fuel warning light comes on. Fill the tank. How many gallons? You have an 18.5 gallon tank, the warning light should come on at 16.5 or so, not at 14.5. TSB EL010 addresses this as well.

Get it done immediately!

cool rob

Unhappy99...
Funny you should mention that. I bought my Runner about two weeks ago and was already aware of the fuel guage problem. My guage needle dropped to the half-tank line after driving less than 100 miles. I bought my truck certified and w/the extended warranty, which would cover the repair. I took my truck in and the service manager said first of all, I would have to leave my truck for at least a day BEFORE they can even order the new replacement sender unit, and an additional day to install it. I hadn't even had a chance to bond w/ my new used truck, so I just left. I get separation anxiety. I'll get it fixed later though.

BigGunna

Well, I went to the dealer and checked out a Certified 2001 4R Limited. It had 39,000 miles and had all the options. When I walked into the dealership, I told myself I'm not paying more than $22,000 for this one. Dealer was asking $27,000 and I started out at $21,500. My final offer was $22,000 and dealers was $22,300. Neither of us were flexible after that point, so I walked.

I would have loved to get that 4R, but it was more than I was willing to pay. If it had a bumper-to-bumper warranty, I would have dropped the $300 in a heart beat, but this wasn't the case. I'm glad I was able to hold off my emotion and do the right thing - I think. But now that I've worked my first deal, I'm ready to try again . I'll be searching the classifieds this weekend...

BTW... the dealer did show me the Certified paperwork. There is a check list and some of the items were not checked, but it still passed the Certification process. The technician and the service manager both sign the Certification check list. Items that were skipped were spare tire, emissions, and floor mats. The dealer told me that they would supply the spare tire, and that it had passed state emissions.

FirstToy

biggunna,
Yup, you hold your line on what you feel comfortable paying. The true value of a used car is what someone is willing to pay for it.

Spectre

I just got a certified 4runner about 2 weeks ago and I feel I got it for a very good price.. It was higher milage then all the other 2001s I was looking at..but it by far looked, drove and sounded the best..the only thing I do not like is the center locking diff instead of the rr diff lock. There was a non-certified with only 31,000 and it did not look good at all..the owner did not take care of it ...

I am very glad I went with a certified 4Runner.