Home › Used Vehicles › Certified Pre-Owned Vehicles
A certified pre-owned vehicle sits between new and used in the way that matters most to shoppers: it has been inspected against a factory standard and it carries manufacturer-backed warranty coverage past the original term. Cathedral City Auto Center is a group of nine dealerships representing fifteen brands, which means the certified vehicles here are certified through their own brand programs rather than an in-house standard we invented. Browse the wider used vehicle inventory and you will see certified and non-certified examples of the same models side by side.
That comparison is usually where the decision gets made.
The short answer is that certification transfers some of the risk of buying used off the buyer and onto the manufacturer. You pay more than you would for an equivalent non-certified vehicle. What you get back is documentation and coverage.
Each manufacturer sets its own inspection standard, and a vehicle has to meet it before it can be sold as certified. The checks run through the powertrain, brakes, steering and suspension, electrical and safety systems, and the interior and exterior condition. Anything outside the standard is repaired with the appropriate parts or the vehicle does not qualify. Vehicles also have to fall inside model year and mileage limits set by the brand, which is why not every clean trade-in can be certified.
Ask to see the inspection documentation on any certified vehicle here. It exists, and reading it is faster than guessing.
Coverage differs by brand, and the differences are worth understanding before you shop. Terms vary in length, in what the powertrain and bumper-to-bumper portions each include, and in whether roadside assistance and rental reimbursement come with it.
Our sales advisors can pull the specific program terms for whichever vehicle you are looking at so you are comparing actual coverage rather than the word “certified.”
Certified inventory turns over as trades and lease returns come in from all stores. Several certified vehicles are usually available across body styles and price points.
SUVs make up the largest share. Compact and midsize crossovers move through most consistently — the CR-V, RAV4, Rogue, Sportage and Equinox among them — with three-row models available for anyone who needs the extra seats. Start from our used SUV inventory and look for the certified designation on the listings.
Certified trucks are worth waiting for if timing allows, because they tend to sell faster than certified cars. Full-size half-tons and midsize pickups both appear. Our used truck inventory is the place to start, and if the configuration you want is not on the lot, the vehicle finder service lets us watch for it.
Certified vehicles often qualify for better financing terms than standard used inventory, because the manufacturer programs frequently include special rates. That can narrow or close the payment gap between a certified vehicle and a comparable non-certified one, which surprises people. Our finance team works with a range of credit situations and can lay out both sets of numbers before you decide. The finance department page covers what to bring, and the payment calculator gives you a rough figure ahead of time.
Drive more than one. Two certified vehicles in the same class can differ in seat position, visibility and cargo access in ways no listing conveys, and our advisors can stage comparable examples so the comparison happens in one stop. Bring your current vehicle if you plan to trade — we appraise on site.
Cathedral City Auto Center is at 68100 Perez Rd, Cathedral City, CA 92234, at CA-111 and Perez Rd. Schedule a test drive or ask which certified vehicles are on the ground by calling (844) 312-9940.
