Alan Finkelstein, owner of two furniture and graphic design businesses in Cresskill, New Jersey, became hooked on second-hand luxury cars two years ago.
After comparing new and used Audi, Lexus and Mercedes-Benz models, Mr Finkelstein opted for a 2004 Mercedes S-Class 500 sedan with 40,000 miles on the clock. The price tag was one-third that of a new model, and the car came with a three-year, 36,000-mile warranty.
“In my opinion, it was pretty much the same car at a much lower price,” Mr Finkelstein says. He has already taken a shine to a used Mercedes S550 when the warranty on his S500 expires next year.
Luxury car makers increasingly have their eye on people like Mr Finkelstein. As hard economic times take a big bite out of their new-car business, manufacturers and their dealers are looking for ways to woo customers eager to save money without giving up their creature comforts or status symbols. One answer: high-quality second-hand vehicles.
“People may buy less luxury, but they're going to buy luxury nonetheless,” Martin Goldfarb, a Toronto market researcher recently told Goldman Sachs clients. “People want to maintain their lifestyle. Even if it's three years old, it's still a Mercedes, even if it's five years old, it's still a Lexus.”
While Lexus's US dealers sold a fifth fewer new vehicles last year, their sales of used models climbed by 4.3 per cent, and by another 19.5 per cent in January. BMW in the US sold 848 used 7-Series sedans in December, compared with 37 new units of its flagship model.
The luxury carmakers face a dual challenge in pushing used-vehicle sales. On one hand, they have to overcome the image of dingy lots and sleazy salespeople typically associated with the second-hand car market.
But as they try to close a sale, their dealers often hear that the customer can buy the same vehicle for thousands of dollars less at an independent used-car outlet.
Carmakers have responded by seeking to persuade buyers that brand-name dealerships are a cut above the rest. The terms “used” and “second-hand” have been all but banished in favour of “certified pre-owned”, or CPO, vehicles.
Lexus summed up the strategy in the slogan for one CPO promotion: “No Surprises. No Sacrifices.” Rolls-Royce uses the tagline “Provenance” for its used-car business.
“We've really tried to define CPO as a third category [in addition to new and used]”, says Matt Kaleba, Lexus's national certified pre-owned manager.
Bill Bates, his counterpart at BMW, adds: “My role is to make sure that the dealerships are as well-equipped and as comfortable selling a certified pre-owned car as a new one.”
The carmakers have pressed online car-shopping services to create separate pages for CPO vehicles. Furthermore, they are pulling out the stops to show customers that the quality of a CPO vehicle offers far better value for money than a typical, take-your-chances used car.
Mike O'Brien, who owns two Lexus dealerships in the Seattle area, says that while he typically spends $800 preparing a used car for resale, the budget for a certified vehicle is $1,800.
Mercedes has a 155-point CPO checklist. According to Mark Webster, national pre-owned operations manager at Mercedes-Benz USA, tyres and brakes are typically replaced. Buyers can bring the car back within seven days and exchange it, for any reason. Mercedes also offers the same roadside assistance available to new car buyers.
The used vehicle “drives like a Mercedes, it's got the safety of a Mercedes and, of course, the cachet of a Mercedes”, Mr Webster says.
Used as well as new Mercedes owners can take part in a promotion that the German carmaker launched this month at several upscale US resorts offering hotel-room upgrades, free use of Mercedes-Benz cars and discounts at local restaurants and spas.
Noting that most used cars are now sold through the internet, Mr O'Brien, the Seattle Lexus dealer, employs eight people at his two dealerships to handle internet inquiries.
For carmakers and their dealers, the benefits of the certified pre-owned trade go beyond sales volumes. Strange as it may seem, a strong used-car market can play a crucial role in maintaining brand image.
Leases on hundreds of thousands of luxury cars written during the heady days of the property and stock market boom are now expiring. Without CPO buyers, dealers would be forced to put these vehicles up for auction, forcing down prices and, as a result, future trade-in values. Many of the vehicles would end up at independent used-car lots that offer less protection to buyers.
Dealers count on CPO buyers bringing in their cars for servicing, thus providing an extra source of revenue. Today's used-car customer may be tomorrow's new-car buyer. Brand loyalty is much higher among luxury car buyers than for mass-market brands.
The carmakers' captive financing arms have joined the CPO push by directing a growing share of their loans and leases at two- to three-year-old models.
Lexus offered a special loan rate of 2.9 per cent last month on its RX sport-utility vehicle, its top-selling new and used model. A similar promotion is planned for early spring.
BMW provides bonuses and inventory financing to dealers who buy cars coming off lease. It also helps pay for their print and online advertising.
The German carmaker holds its dealers to the same customer-satisfaction standards on new and used vehicles.
“There should be no difference in the way the customer is treated,” Mr Bates says. “You treat him right and he's going to recommend you to his neighbour.”
参考译文：
艾伦•芬克尔斯坦(Alan Finkelstein)在美国新泽西州的克莱斯基尔拥有两家家具和平面设计公司。两年前，他开始迷上了二手豪华轿车。
在对新旧奥迪(Audi)、雷克萨斯(Lexus)和梅塞德斯-奔驰(Mercedes-Benz)车型进行比较后，芬克尔斯坦选择了一款2004年出厂、已行驶4万英里的奔驰S500轿车。该车的价格是新车的三分之一，还有为期三年、3.6万英里的保修期。
“在我看来，与新车相比，这几乎相当于一辆以极低价格买到的新车。”芬克尔斯坦表示。他已经看上了一辆旧款奔驰S550，准备在明年他手头这辆车的保修期过后换掉。
豪华车制造商越来越关注于芬克尔斯坦这样的人了。由于严峻的经济形势严重影响了新车业务，制造商和经销商正想方设法吸引渴望省钱却又不肯放弃物质享受或地位象征的客户。高品质的二手车就成了解决之道。
“人们购买豪华车的数量可能会减少，但他们仍会买，”多伦多市场调研员马丁•戈德法布(Martin Goldfarb)最近告诉高盛(Goldman Sachs)的客户，“人们希望保持他们的生活方式。即使用了3年，但它仍是奔驰；即使用了5年，但它仍是雷克萨斯。”
尽管雷克萨斯美国经销商去年的新车销量减少了五分之一，但其二手车的销量却增加了4.3%，今年 1月销量更是增加了19.5%；去年12月，宝马汽车(BMW)在美国售出了848辆宝马7系二手轿车，而其旗舰车型的新车仅售出了37辆。
在推动二手车销售方面，豪华汽车制造商面临着双重挑战。一方面，它们必须克服一个通常与二手车市场相关的形象障碍：脏兮兮的场地和低素质的销售人员。
但就在它们努力促进这一块的销售之时，它们的经销商却经常听说，客户可以在独立的二手车经销商那里买到同样的汽车，但价格要低数千美元。
对此，汽车制造商试图说服买家，让他们相信品牌经销商要优于其它二手车经销商。“旧车(used)”和“二手车(second-hand)”的说法几乎听不到了，大家喜欢说“认证二手车(certified pre-owned)”，简称CPO。
雷克萨斯在一款CPO车型的促销口号中总结了该公司的战略：“无须惊讶，不须牺牲”(No Surprises. No Sacrifices)。劳斯莱斯(Rolls-Royce)二手车业务的标语是“系出名门”。
“确实，我们一直努力将CPO定义为（新车和旧车之外的）第三类车，”雷克萨斯的全国CPO经理马特•卡拉巴(Matt Kaleba)表示。
卡拉巴在宝马公司的同行比尔•贝茨(Bill Bates)补充说：“我的工作是确保经销商在销售CPO汽车时，就像销售新车那样既准备充分又心情舒畅。”
汽车制造商也敦促在线购车服务商，为CPO汽车建立单独的网页。此外，它们还竭尽全力向顾客说明，相对于值不值全看运气的一般二手车，CPO汽车提供了更好的性价比。
迈克•奥布莱恩(Mike O'Brien)在西雅图地区拥有两家雷克萨斯经销店。他表示，一辆二手车的转售准备费用一般为800美元，而CPO汽车的费用则高达1800美元。
在奔驰公司CPO车辆出售时的清单上列有155项内容。奔驰美国公司全美CPO业务经理马克•韦伯斯特(Mark Webster)表示，旧车的轮胎和刹车通常都要换掉。购车者可以任何理由在购车后7天内把车开回来进行调换。奔驰也会提供与新车买家相同的路边援助服务。
韦伯斯特表示，二手车“开起来就像是开奔驰，同样具有奔驰的安全性，当然，也有奔驰的标识”。
这家德国汽车制造商本月在美国的一些高档度假胜地推出了一项促销活动，新旧奔驰车主均可参加。活动内容包括酒店房间升级、免费使用奔驰车、以及在当地的餐厅和温泉消费打折等。
西雅图的雷克萨斯经销商奥布莱恩指出，多数二手车现在都通过互联网销售。他的两家经销店聘用了8名员工，处理互联网咨询。
对于汽车制造商及其经销商而言，CPO汽车交易的好处不仅仅在于销量增加。虽然看起来可能有点奇怪，但一个强大的二手车市场可以在保持品牌形象方面起到关键作用。
在房地产和股市高峰时期，曾经有数十万辆豪华汽车被租赁出去，如今这些租约正在到期。若无CPO买家承接，经销商将被迫把这些汽车挂牌出售，从而压低价格，并因此降低未来折旧价值。许多汽车最终将出现在独立的二手车商店里，而这些商店对购车者的保护较少。
经销商指望CPO买家继续接受这里的维修服务，从而提供一个额外的收入来源。今天的二手车客户可能就是明天的新车购买者。豪华汽车买主的品牌忠诚度要远远高于大众市场品牌。
汽车制造商自己的融资部门也已加入推动CPO销售的行列，它们把越来越多的贷款买车和租车业务放在了车龄在2至3年的汽车上面。
上个月，雷克萨斯宣布，针对RX系列多功能运动型汽车(SUV)提供2.9%的特别贷款利率，并且计划在初春进行一个类似的促销活动。RX系列是雷克萨斯最畅销的新旧车型。
宝马针对购买租约到期汽车的经销商，提供奖金和库存融资。此外，该公司还帮助支付印刷媒体和在线广告费用。
这家德国汽车制造商要求其经销商，在新车与二手车业务方面需执行相同的客户满意度标准。
“对待客户的方式不应存在任何差别，”贝茨说。“如果你让客户满意了，他会向他的邻居推荐你。”
（转载）
