Approved used dealerships

ps124

Hi all, my car has finally packed in and I need to get a new car. So many traders online these days and so many purchasing options so it can be very confusing. I’m looking to get a small Mercedes A class. 

I’ve seen a few but are not from an ‘approved used Mercedes’ dealer. Is there an advantage of buying from one or does it matter? Warranty seems to be the same and the approved used sellers all seem to be priced much higher. If anyone has any stories/experiences/guidance, that would be really appreciated. 

Goudy

Approved Used is meant to mean the quality of the car have been assured by the manufacturer via the main agent.

So an Approved Used Mercedes should have been quality checked by a Mercedes dealer and meet Mercedes used car standards.
If this happens or not is up for debate!

It's likely these cars have been in the dealer network all their life. Some times they have been on lease or PCP and returned to Mercedes finance company or an ex demo rather than the dealer buying in stock from an auction, though they can buy them in like this if stock is short.

Of course another used Mercedes for sale by a non franchised Mercedes dealer could have also been quality checked to the same standard, or not.

Some people feel more comfortable buying Approved, others don't see the point.
I have always tended to buy the nicest car I can find within my budget and have found those are usually approved more often than not.

You are aware the 4th gen Mercedes A Class (W177) from 2018 is are Renault/Nissan under the bonnet?
The 1.3 petrol and 1.5 diesel engines are from the Renault/Nissan alliance.
Not saying that's a bad thing, my 1.3 Clio runs great and have been really reliable. 

Dave_5150

Warranty is normally excellent on aproved used cars from premium brands e.g. Mercedes, BMW or Lexus. By comparrison a none franchised dealers 3rd party warranty is unlikely to cover anything that goes wrong.

This matters less if the car you are buying is still new enough to be covered by the manufacturers warranty. Typically 3-7 years and must be serviced to the manufcturers specification using genuine parts etc.

ontheroad1970

The Approved Used warranty by Mercedes is one of the most comprehensive.  If you lock your keys  in the boot, they will get someone to get them out - AA/RAC etc can't.  Done it, bought the tshirt.  Locked my keys in the boot in the lake district, and they attempted to find a courier who could drive the spare from South Wales.  Failed to find one, so they see a technician from Manchester who instructed the car to release the boot lid.  No, I never thought I'd ever lock my keys in the boot, either.

motorguy

ps124 said:

Hi all, my car has finally packed in and I need to get a new car. So many traders online these days and so many purchasing options so it can be very confusing. I’m looking to get a small Mercedes A class. 

I’ve seen a few but are not from an ‘approved used Mercedes’ dealer. Is there an advantage of buying from one or does it matter? Warranty seems to be the same and the approved used sellers all seem to be priced much higher. If anyone has any stories/experiences/guidance, that would be really appreciated. 

i would seriously consider an Approved Used car, if for nothing else, for the warranty.

I bought a BMW from a non franchised dealer with a years "warranty" on it and at the first fault the car developed there was teeth sucking and "sorry, that wouldnt be covered under the warranty".  I know for a fact the same issue would have been with an approved used car.

Grumpy_chap

ontheroad1970 said:

The Approved Used warranty by Mercedes is one of the most comprehensive.  If you lock your keys  in the boot, they will get someone to get them out - AA/RAC etc can't.  Done it, bought the tshirt.  Locked my keys in the boot in the lake district, and they attempted to find a courier who could drive the spare from South Wales.  Failed to find one, so they see a technician from Manchester who instructed the car to release the boot lid.  No, I never thought I'd ever lock my keys in the boot, either.

That's a bit better than Ford.
I locked my (only) key in the boot of a Mondeo only for Ford to dilly dally for weeks insisting that I had not locked the key in the boot as it was impossible and then wondering how on earth they'd ever get into the car.  Eventually, the route was to smash their way in via the rear light cluster.
I suppose Ford security must be better than Mercedes security as Ford were insistent there was no "back door" route to open the car.

WellKnownSid

My son is an apprentice at a premium brand. Approved used gets the most thorough inspection - and they carry out proactive checks - replacing tyres and anything which comes up as a possible future problem on the computer.

Cars not meeting the standard get sent to the local car supermarket.

Modern cars are complex so people can still be back within a week with a warning light on but it’s sorted no questions asked - even when it’s a new engine required which can happen from time to time.

ontheroad1970

Grumpy_chap said:

ontheroad1970 said:

The Approved Used warranty by Mercedes is one of the most comprehensive.  If you lock your keys  in the boot, they will get someone to get them out - AA/RAC etc can't.  Done it, bought the tshirt.  Locked my keys in the boot in the lake district, and they attempted to find a courier who could drive the spare from South Wales.  Failed to find one, so they see a technician from Manchester who instructed the car to release the boot lid.  No, I never thought I'd ever lock my keys in the boot, either.

That's a bit better than Ford.
I locked my (only) key in the boot of a Mondeo only for Ford to dilly dally for weeks insisting that I had not locked the key in the boot as it was impossible and then wondering how on earth they'd ever get into the car.  Eventually, the route was to smash their way in via the rear light cluster.
I suppose Ford security must be better than Mercedes security as Ford were insistent there was no "back door" route to open the car.

Mercedes technician plugged machine in under the car and instructed the boot to open.  Breaking a window wouldn't have opened the boot.  The buttons wouldn't work.

400ixl

WellKnownSid said:

My son is an apprentice at a premium brand. Approved used gets the most thorough inspection - and they carry out proactive checks - replacing tyres and anything which comes up as a possible future problem on the computer.

As an apprentice he has been shown what is supposed to happen. Reality is that they get no more attention than any other car and its up to the buyer to spot the issues and get them fixed before accepting the car.

Know plenty of people who work at main dealers and there is no comprehensive and scrupulous checking going on. Its the same checks as any decent garage will do.

Buying a used approved typically means that you get a manufacturer backed warranty for a period (usually 1 year) if it is outside of the original warranty. Often this also included recovery services as well for that period.

Being a main dealer means that sometimes having finance on a used approved car can also bring additional benefit. For example with VAG cars, if you take out at least £10k as finance then they will add a 2 year service pack as part of the finance. You get to keep this if you pay off the finance in the cooling off period. Going to a non franchise dealer would not likely get you these benefits.

WellKnownSid

400ixl said:

Know plenty of people who work at main dealers and there is no comprehensive and scrupulous checking going on. Its the same checks as any decent garage will do.

I would agree - mileage will definitely vary, I was surprised to discover that the brand routinely identifies warranty work which isn’t requested for by the owner… try that at most value brands and the dealer would get a sanction 😀

MikeJXE

The way I see it is if a dealer ship is going to put their name to an approved vehicle surely it must be fairly safe to buy.

I bought my Jaguar XE approved in December 2019, 2016 plate 22,000 miles on the clock £16,000 

Best car I have ever had, the first fault was last week with an ABS fault, it was the sensor, took half hour to fix at the garage I use who specialise in jags, cost me £131. 00

They service my car every year and I do about 6,000 miles a year, yep I know it only needs servicing every 2 years but I believe in keeping on top of things as it might save me money