Toyota dealers are more expensive because the dealership gives it a complete Toyota certified inspection to make sure things are okay, and extended Toyota warranties are available, which is not so with a Toyota vehicle sold by an independent seller. That was the issue confronting me when I recently bought my RAV4: Toyota dealer '09 Sport V6 or FORD dealer '09 Limited V6. Did I really want a meagre used-vehicle Ford warranty & Ford mechanics on a Toyota, or did I want a full brand new 60K km/3year Toyota warranty with any issues dealt with by Toyota mechancis?
People here will have all sorts of opinions on such issues, but ultimately it's up to you cuz you seen the vehicle, driven it, heard the info, and know more than anyone with regard to your proposed purchases.
BTW... glad I didn't go with the Ford dealer/Ltd 09 Rav. for various reasons not pertaining to your situation so I won't bore you (further
).
I could put 2 complete transmissions in my Rav4 compared to the difference of the Toyota "Certified" price. I bought mine at a Ford dealer. You couldn't pay me to take my Toyota or any car to the local Toyota dealer I have near me. If I had my choice locally, it doesn't matter what car I had, I would go to the local Ford dealer for repair, but I digress since I do 99% of my own auto work and go to a good independent shop close to me (I live in the middle of nowhere and dealers are 45 minutes away) for the other 1%.
$19k vs. $25k was quite a large difference between the flawless '10 V6 Limited I bought at a Ford dealer vs. the 2 scratched to heck (owned by werewolves as the OP stated) '10 V6 Limiteds that were available "Certified".
$6,000 for:
The Toyota Certified Used Vehicles Advantage
- 12-month/12,000-mile Limited Comprehensive Warranty1
- 7-year/100,000-mile Limited Powertrain Warranty2
- 1-year of Roadside Assistance3
- 160-Point Quality Assurance Inspection
- CARFAX® Vehicle History Report™4
- Certified customers are eligible for standard new car financing rates5
1 Year of roadside assistance? I've had a car towed twice in 25 years of driving, so $6000 isn't worth it to pay a $50 tow fee twice in 25 years. It's my wife's car, if she got a flat, she has a spare but would call me to come put the spare on it. If she had a dead battery, she would call me to give her a jump. If she ran out of gas, well, I'm the one who fills her gas tank and still fill it up at 1/4 tank because her previous vehicle wouldn't make it to work and back on 1/4 tank. The Rav4 would have plenty at 1/4 to get her to work, back, and work again compared to that last vehicle, but I still fill her up at 1/4 tank.
160 point quality inspection? Like I said, I do all my own auto work, I can figure that stuff out myself looking at the car. It isn't worth $6000 for them to look at the brakes and have them replaced if worn when I can do the same after I get home for $50. I'm pretty sure every dealer would check fluids, brakes, etc before putting a car on their lot to sell.
$6000 for a CarFax report? Pulled up the CarFax report on all 3 cars (1 at the Ford and the 2 "Certified" cars) from the internet ads for nothing. CarFax is utterly useless anyways as it only tells what was reported. I totaled my old 189k mile 4Runner 3 times. Guess what? It had a perfectly clean CarFax report because I didn't call anyone to put it in a report that I rewelded a 1986 pickup truck front end on my 1988 4Runner. I am only looking to see the registration information each year on the CarFax as I want a southern car when buying something 5 years old like my own work runner car (no salt in the winter down south.)
$6000 for finance rate? I got the same finance rate from my Credit Union as they were offering. It was 1.9% on Certified Pre Owned, same as my Credit Union.
That leaves us with warranty. I just received the note in the main about an extended warranty. What is it, like $600 or something? Far cry from $6000.
No, I definitely don't decide on a car based on what dealership it is selling at or whether it is "Certified" or not. "Certified" certainly doesn't seem to be the economical choice to me.
