Starting tomorrow two years of free maintenance will be part of the deal if you buy a “Certified Pre-Owned” Chevrolet, Buick or GMC used vehicle.
The so-called Owner Care program, appears to be a first from an automaker in the U.S. for used vehicles. It includes a two-year/30,000-mile maintenance program that covers oil changes based on each vehicle’s Oil Life Monitor system, tire rotations, and multi-point vehicle inspections. This is offered at no charge to the owner.
The Cadillac Certified Pre-Owned program introduced this spring will continue unchanged without the free maintenance. (Although new 2011 Cadillac models come with four years or 50,000 miles of free maintenance, which is transferable.) Cadillac’s used vehicle program has a longer six-year, 100,000-mile warranty, 24-hour roadside assistance during the warranty period and courtesy transportation for warranty services.
The revised Certified Pre-Owned program has a 12-month/12,000-mile warranty, and a five-year/100,000 mile limited powertrain warranty for used Chevrolet, Buick and GMC vehicles when they are purchased through an authorized dealer. Courtesy transportation, 24-hour roadside assistance, along with free trials of OnStar and Sirius/XM Satellite Radio are also standard.
“Customers demand more value for their money, and we have responded,” said Jennifer Costabile, general director of marketing and sales support, GM Fleet and Commercial Operations.
About Ken Zino
Ken Zino, editor and publisher of AutoInformed, is a versatile auto industry participant with global experience spanning decades in print and broadcast journalism, as well as social media. He has automobile testing, marketing, public relations and communications experience. He is past president of The International Motor Press Assn, the Detroit Press Club, founding member and first President of the Automotive Press Assn. He is a member of APA, IMPA and the Midwest Automotive Press Assn.
He also brings an historical perspective while citing their contemporary relevance of the work of legendary auto writers such as Ken Purdy, Jim Dunne or Jerry Flint, or writers such as Red Smith, Mark Twain, Thomas Jefferson – all to bring perspective to a chaotic automotive universe.
Above all, decades after he first drove a car, Zino still revels in the sound of the exhaust as the throttle is blipped during a downshift and the driver’s rush that occurs when the entry, apex and exit points of a turn are smoothly and swiftly crossed. It’s the beginning of a perfect lap.
AutoInformed has an editorial philosophy that loves transportation machines of all kinds while promoting critical thinking about the future use of cars and trucks.
Zino builds AutoInformed from his background in automotive journalism starting at Hearst Publishing in New York City on Motor and MotorTech Magazines and car testing where he reviewed hundreds of vehicles in his decade-long stint as the Detroit Bureau Chief of Road & Track magazine. Zino has also worked in Europe, and Asia – now the largest automotive market in the world with China at its center.
This ought to keep the boys and girls (literally) in Dearborn hopping. Ford should have been first with this Better Idea–in fact, should have done it 20 years ago.