WASHINGTON, D.C. – Three Washington, D.C.-area Toyota dealerships are among the top 10 Toyota Certified Used Vehicle (TCUV) dealers in the nation, accounting for 3,773 sales in 2004. The dealerships are Laurel Toyota, of Laurel Md., Miller Toyota in Manassas, Va., and Koons Tysons Toyota of Vienna, Va.

"Toyota Certified Used Vehicle dealers are on their way to record cumulative sales of 1.5 million vehicles since we launched the program in 1996," said Al Smith, corporate fleet manager for Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc. "Forty-six percent of TCUV customers are new to the Toyota family and drawn to the reliable, quality products we offer."

Toyota Certified Used vehicles go through a certification process that includes a 160-point quality assurance inspection, reconditioning conducted by Toyota-trained technicians, and a vehicle history report. Each TCUV comes with a six-year/100,000-mile limited powertrain warranty plus Toyota's 24-hour roadside assistance, calculated from its original sales date as a new vehicle.

Following a 2004 TCUV survey, nearly 90 percent of customers rated the delivery condition of their vehicle as good or excellent. In addition, 76 percent of TCUV customers said they would probably or definitely consider the purchase of a new Toyota, due in part to the reliability of their TCUV. Nearly half of all customers said it was their first time buying a Toyota. The most popular TCUV is the Camry, followed by the Corolla.