Just fucking say “used car”. Jesus.
That is all.
This last one I bought said “Great Shape” or something like that, in the ad, and you know, that actually turned out to be true, much to my, my wife’s, and even my dad’s (not easily impressed, believe me) surprise.
Truth in advertising. Wotta concept.
I curse the day that “pre-owned” became the euphemism for the perfectly honorable word “used.” Is there anything weaselier than a used car salesman who won’t admit he’s a used car salesman?
(Okay, maybe there is a technical difference between “pre-owned” and “used.” I might consider buying some “pre-owned” toilet paper, if it was still in the wrapper. But for cars, I don’t see the distinction.)
This one has pushed my apeshit button ever since its inception. Any car is pre-owned, even the ones showing a string of zeroes on the odometer.
You “bought” the car from the dealer, right? Assuming that statement to be true, the dealer “owned” the car, or was acting as an agent for the manufacturer, e.g. the owner. Therefore, all cars are pre-owned, unless you’re of the Preston Tucker genre, and your auto is one which you’ve cobbled together in your garage. :rolleyes:
One of the best cars I ever had was a six year old “certified pre-owned” Ford Taurus that I got from a Lexus dealer. They took it as a trade-in and really wanted to get that horrid non-luxury car off their lot, so they sold it WAY below Kelly Blue Book.
Before they sold it, they put four new tires on it and gave a one-week warranty on it that I took advantage of when I realized one of the rear windows wasn’t working. They apologized profusely for not discovering the bad window in their inspection and actually took the car down the street to a Ford dealer to repair whatever was wrong with the wiring / motor.
I may not care for Lexus cars or their drivers, but their CPO program is amazing. It would almost be an insult to call them used cars.
Refurbished.
It’s a perfectly good word that describes the concept of a used car that meets current factory standards, without sounding stupid. And it’s shorter.
True, that. It also means that the restoration was done professionally, and that the car is every bit as good as it was when it left the factory.
My car is refurbished, in case you wondered.