I was driving on Niles Avenue when the sign struck me in the face, figuratively speaking. It read: “Pre-owned cars.” I’ve seen similar signs before and they always catch me off guard. I mean, just what is a pre-owned car? Or, for that matter, a pre-driven car?
I sought my dictionary for guidance, and learned that “pre” is a prefix put in front of many words to mean “prior to” or “in advance of.” For instance, prehistoric refers to that period of time prior to history being recorded and preadolescence is that period before one becomes a teenager.
Taken literally, a pre-owned Cadillac is one that is for sale prior to anyone else owning it. And a pre-driven Porsche is one that is for sale prior to being driven. But car dealers have created their own definitions. When they use those phrases, they’re really avoiding the more accurate but also harsher word “used.”
To give car dealers the benefit of the doubt, I searched my dictionary further to see if the little three-letter prefix might be an abbreviation for the word “previously,” as in previously owned or previously driven. But Webster was firm.
Finally, I wracked my brain trying to think of how advertising departments for automobile dealerships could honestly and straightforwardly use “pre” in their promotional efforts. Truthfully, I couldn’t come up with a single reason.
I doubt car dealers read my blog, so it’s incumbent on those who do to recognize the double-speak involved when they purchase their next automobile. And, if “pre” can be redefined at a car dealer’s whim, it’s important for those in the market for a new car to analyze every other catch phrase just as carefully.
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