Even if you're buying a newer, low mileage ""CERTIFIED"" vehicle check it out very carefully! When I test drove a 2010 S40 with 14,000 miles on it I noticed the steering wheel shook when I would apply the brakes. I was told this was because it was AWD. I pushed the issue and sales manager drove it and admitted the rotors were warped and they would fix that. That wasn't caught in the ""certification process""??!! OK, maybe someone missed it....I start looking closer at the vehicle and notice there is some rust underneath. It was from the east coast and looked pretty minor. I was very hesitant to buy it, but there are not many around and I loved the car. I went ahead and bought it on a Friday and got in writing that I could return it by Monday if I didn't want it. I took it home and had someone check it out. They told me the rotors were warped, it needed a tire balance, the drivers side rear window auto-up didn't work, it needed new wiper blades (which I found ironic since Volvo certification process touts they check everything down to the wiper blades), and it had had some body work, and sloppy at that, on the rear drivers side door/quarter panel area. I was worried this may have been a flood car. I looked under the seats and behind the pedals and there was tons of rust! This was INSIDE the car. I took it back Monday. The return was pretty hassle free and they did listen to what I said, but they insist all the rust is perfectly normal for a car from the east coast. They also said they looked at 4 other cars on their lot and THEY ALL HAD THE SAME RUST!! Hmmm....check for rust and get the car checked out, even if it is ""certified"".
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