New Law Gives 'Certified' Car Real Meaning In Minnesota

Buying a “certified” used car in Minnesota actually will mean something starting Tuesday.

That is when a new law begins to regulate what car dealers can call a certified car. It is part of a “car owners’ bill of rights” lawmakers passed last spring, and something consumer activists and car dealers both like.

“The term ‘certified’ was used liberally and probably loosely in the industry,” Scott Lambert of the Minnesota Automobile Dealers Association said. “The new law does give us some standards, which I think are important.”

However, Lambert warned, “’certified’ still means different things to different people.”

Under the old law, a dealer advertising a “certified” vehicle could define the term however he wanted. Now, state law says that, among other things, a certified used vehicle must include some form of warranty and the dealer must believe the car is in good shape and has not sustained significant damage.

“In general, it means they have gone through some sort of inspection and reconditioning,” Lambert said of certified vehicles.

DL-Online - Don Davis 12/27/07