Certified Pre-Owned, thoughts?

[TridenT]

What are your thoughts on Certified Pre-Owned vehicles? I'm not just talking a car that was bought and returned six months later with 5k miles. Plenty of CPOs with 60k+ miles out there and are 5 years old.

What are your thoughts on them generally? Worth the extra cost? (Sometimes there isn't one, I've found a CPO for LESS than cars with similar mileage... But, that's uncommon.)

Chevy Volt's are coming off their leases now. You can get a 2012 w/ ~50k miles for ~$15k. Many (if not most) are CPOs too, so you get some extra warranty love. Attractive for those of us who live in California and have 25-40 mile commutes. (HOV lane, bitches!)

There's also various CPO programs. Some are through the manufacturer, some are through things like KBB. (I guess it's cheaper and easier than going through the manufacturer CPO or KBB has less restrictions? I don't understand the differences at times other than anything but manufacturer CPO seems scammy.)

 

[michal1980]

no matter what get it inspected by an independent mechanic. And be sure to see what the warranty covers. a manufacture CPO warranty > 3rd party.

Outside of a longer/added warranty the CPO doesn't do much for you.

 

[mvbighead]

I'd guess your costs might be more inflated with CPO. Not always true, but you could potentially find better deals on non-CPO. And definitely figure out what is covered and for how long.

 

[DarkManX]

Every manufacturer is different, sometimes a CPO warranty is better than a new warranty. So evaluate it on a case by case basis. The car price will be a little jacked up but its deff a better warranty than a 3rd party!

 

[Raizinman]

If you know pretty much nothing about auto mechanics, choosing a CPO can be beneficial. Keeping in mind that CPO is not a specific term. What is CPO at one dealership can be totally different at another. Normally CPO will have less mileage, perhaps some amount of warranty, new fluids, will pass safety and will often come with a CarFAX. Buying a CPO will save you from having to deal with these thing after purchase. Obviously you are paying for this, but to many, it works out better as it saves time.

 

[Midwayman]

FWIW you can typically extend the factory warranty so long as original hasn't expired yet. I'd shop the price of an extended warranty vs a CPO. There is definitely a price premium for CPO.

 

[exar333]

Every manufacturer is different, sometimes a CPO warranty is better than a new warranty. So evaluate it on a case by case basis. The car price will be a little jacked up but its deff a better warranty than a 3rd party!

This.

It really depends on the car manufacturer...some are better than factory while others are more like glorified powertrain warranties. They will be reflected in the sales price, but if you can get 60-70k btb warranty on a slightly-used car, that's amazing.