On the 17th, with the chill of the wind penetrating to the bone, I visited the “Benz Hanam Certified Pre-Owned Car” exhibition hall operated by The Class Hyoseong, an official dealer of Mercedes-Benz.
The Benz Hanam Certified Pre-Owned Car exhibition hall is located on the second floor of the Hanam Service Center building. It opened on September 16 last year and has just surpassed one year.
Upon entering the second-floor certified pre-owned exhibition space through the first-floor reception, the Mercedes-Benz certified pre-owned cars greeted me in an orderly fashion. They have been polished and cleaned through the merchandising process.
Customers don’t visit a used car exhibition hall without doing their homework. They usually compare prices, mileage, and the condition of the vehicles online before making a visit. Lee Yong-jun, the manager at the Benz Hanam Certified Pre-Owned branch, emphasized that “few customers come to a used car exhibition hall without prior research,” highlighting the changing purchasing tendencies of customers.
The manager explained, “With the addition of the Hanam Certified Pre-Owned Car exhibition hall following those in Jukjeon and Cheonan, the sales volume of The Class Hyoseong’s certified pre-owned cars is on the rise.” In fact, according to Mercedes-Benz Korea, the total sales of certified pre-owned vehicles rose from 3,790 units in 2017 to 10,610 units in 2022, an increase of 2.79 times over five years. The certified pre-owned car sales are inseparable from the imported car market, especially for Mercedes-Benz.
The reason for the upward trajectory of Mercedes-Benz certified pre-owned car sales lies in the brand’s unique certified pre-owned program. This program restricts the mileage to 150,000 km (approximately 93,205 miles) within six years. The vehicles must pass a rigorous inspection process consisting of 198 strict criteria covering exterior, interior, electronic systems, and powertrains to qualify for merchandising and showcase in the certified pre-owned exhibition hall.
If there is no remaining warranty, an additional one-year or 20,000 km free warranty is provided, and a refund is possible in case of defects occurring within seven days of purchase. However, the manager stated, “Since I assumed my position at the Hanam Certified Pre-Owned Car exhibition hall, there has not been a single refund case within the branch,” confidently showcasing the quality of Mercedes-Benz certified pre-owned cars.
The Hanam Certified Pre-Owned Car exhibition hall is geographically advantageous. It is located near the Hanam IC of the 1st Gyeonggi Circular Highway, making it very easy for customers to access.
The manager commented, “Looking at the regional distribution of buyers, customers from various areas such as Songpa, Gangdong, Guri, Namyangju, Gwangju, and Seongnam, along with Hanam, come here.” They don’t only come from nearby areas. The manager mentioned, “A customer came from Busan yesterday after seeing a model they liked,” indicating that if there is a desired model, customers will travel from anywhere in the country.
The age demographic of Mercedes-Benz certified pre-owned car customers is also diversifying. The manager noted, “There is a wide age range from the 20s to 60s, but the primary customer base is mostly between the 30s and 50s.”
Finally, I asked the manager’s thoughts on the advantages of Mercedes-Benz certified pre-owned cars. He said, “Unlike general used car dealers, there is no free warranty, but the certified pre-owned cars that pass through the rigorous screening of 198 criteria and come with a one-year 20,000 km warranty boast new-car-level conditions. This situation has consistently driven the increase in Mercedes-Benz certified pre-owned car sales.”
Lee Sang-jin daedusj@autodiary.kr