Get into a Certified Mercedes-Benz at an affordable price

Here’s the gameplan: you’ve taken a liking to some of those desirable cars in ‘From the Classifieds’, but you don’t have that much cash to spare.

Added to that, you do want something that will be reliable as well as prestigious – and maybe practical enough for daily driving.

The answer? Certified and approved used cars that have been given the tick of approval by the importer that sold the car new.

Certified used programs are available for a range of brands listed for sale at carsales, most of them prestige brands.

Buying a certified used car brings peace of mind, because you can be certain that the car will have been thoroughly checked out and signed off by qualified technicians.

Every car will have travelled low kilometres for its age; it will have been serviced in accordance with the factory schedule and it has been maintained in pristine condition by exacting and fastidious owners.

Through carsales you can filter your search to exclude cars that aren’t certified used models, and you can also select cars that are ‘carsales Approved’ vehicles. These are cars that have been assessed by RedBook Inspect and given two thumbs up.

The programs vary from one brand to the next, but one thing is certain: these cars have done the worst of their depreciation, they remain desirable and they are likely to be a good starting point for your classic car collection.

According to RedBook, a 2014 Mercedes E 400 coupe sold for $130,900 when new, but you could pick one up for $41,100 in 2021. That's two thirds off the original purchase price. Here are some ways you can filter your search for your next classic in the making:

Mercedes-Benz six-cylinder coupe under 50,000km

Audi A5 Sportback under 50,000km

BMW six-cylinder coupe/convertible under 50,000km

Here are some other examples of certified vehicles, admittedly not quite collectable, but they are currently available on carsales:

Certified prestige cars under $35,000