I recently was in the market for a VW TDI (turbodiesel) which was kind of hard to find since I wanted an automatic transmission and I found one at Larson's VW in Tacoma online. It was certified and I made a trip up to the dealership to look at the vehicle (2 hours each way) only to find the vehicle had a 3 inch hole in the bumper, a windshield that was chipped and starting to crack in 3 different places, and remote keys that didn't work.
Of course, the dealership offered to fix the vehicle for me, promising it would be good as new but they kept saying that I didn't need to take it to a mechanic because their mechanics had already certified it. They told me that "it wasn't a big deal" unless I made it a big deal. I honestly can admit that I would have bought the car without taking it to a mechanic had it not had obvious damage because I thought that the fact that it was a "Certified Preloved" VW meant that I would be guaranteed to be buying a decent car because the "112 point" inspection is so rigorous. Hah! I learned a big lesson that day and thank goodness I didn't buy that vehicle without having it mechanically checked out because if a mechanic can "certify" that car to be "free of cosmetic damage", they can easily overlook mechanical problems too.
Even if you're thinking of buying a precertified vehicle, still take it to your own mechanic for a prepurchase inspection. Lesson learned.
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