CPO Vehicles

[Zee09]

I have noticed recently that cpo vehicles are not very well presented these days. Even the prestige brands.
Meaning many are not properly detailed and have seen many just outright dirty.
If they can't present a clean car why would you assume they actually preformed a fancy inspection like they say they do?

 

[RooflessVW]

CPO is just an extended warranty. The "inspection" is a cursory glance in an effort to catch anything that may cost the warranty money.

They're just used cars, and I've never seen a new or used car on a dealer's lot that has been properly detailed.

 

[mrsilv04]

No, it is not "just an extended warranty". Please go have another cup of coffee, thanks.

The used car market right now is real tight, and has been for several months now. Inventory is down and prices are up. A lot of it is going to depend on the level of pride that the dealership has in their inventory. Many dealers realize that they don't have to do a whole lot to impress the buyer, to sell a used vehicle right now. And it really shows. Literally, "just good enough" is going to be exactly that... good enough. This isn't a CPO problem, it is a dealer problem.

The CPO that I bought, May of last year, presented itself the same as new. It had a new $200 GM battery installed. Measurements of the brake pad thickness and tire tread depth were provided. The oil and filter had been changed, along with the air and cabin filters. The tires had been rotated. The XM and wi-fi services had been turned back on. Both the bumper to bumper and drivetrain warranties were extended out (with a $0 deductible on both), along with roadside assistance. Also included were two oil changes (four gallons of synthetic oil total) and a tire rotation.

It was a Michigan truck, and I bought it in Indiana. Neither state has front license plates. But I needed a front license plate holder for Illinois. The dealer ordered one, and sent it to me via UPS, at no charge.

For the exception of the front license plate holder, when I drove it off the lot, it needed nothing. However, it was priced at 55% of its original MSRP, and had been reconditioned to be as close to new as possible.

Appearance wise, it had been completely and fully detailed, inside and out, and for the exception of a 1" scratch on the tailgate that didn't go down to bare metal, it presented itself the same as new. It was spotless under the hood. I'm a tough customer on vehicle purchases, especially from a dealer, but I found nothing to complain about.

Bought a CPO 2017 GMC Sierra SLE 4x4 Double Cab

This afternoon, I went to get a new to me 2017 GMC Sierra 4x4 Double cab. This is the first time that I've bought a vehicle that was Certified Pre-Owned, and I think it was a benefit to me. I've been skeptical in the past, but I am seeing value in the CPO program...especially when the truck is...

bobistheoilguy.com

 

[BMWTurboDzl]

I have noticed recently that cpo vehicles are not very well presented these days. Even the prestige brands.
Meaning many are not properly detailed and have seen many just outright dirty.
If they can't present a clean car why would you assume they actually preformed a fancy inspection like they say they do?

What do you mean?

I've never seen a dirty CPO vehicle on a showroom floor.

 

[JustN89]

No, it is not just an extended warranty. Please go have another cup of coffee.

The CPO that I bought, May of last year, presented itself the same as new. It had a new GM battery (probably had a weak battery when traded in- replacing it would've been done regardless of CPO), measurements of the brake pad thickness and tire tread depth (Standard for all used cars on the lot, aside from wholesale cars. All used cars will undergo a safety check before being listed). The oil and filter had been changed (again, also standard for every used car being sold), along with the air and cabin filters (not necessarily standard to see, but also not uncommon- CPO or not). The XM and wi-fi had been turned back on. Both the bumper to bumper and drivetrain warranties were extended out ($0 deductible on both), along with roadside assistance. Included were two oil changes (four gallons of synthetic oil total) and a tire rotation (incentives vary dealer by dealer, but this is not something that they wouldn't offer/negotiate for a used car as well).

It was a Michigan truck, and I bought it in Indiana. Neither state has front plates. But I needed a front license plate holder for Illinois. The dealer ordered one and sent it to me via UPS, no charge (I believe the manufacturer requires this, but don't quote me just yet. I'll ask my buddy who's still in the industry.)

Appearance wise, it had been completely and fully detailed, and for the exception of a 1" scratch on the tailgate that didn't go down to bare metal, presented itself the same as new. I'm a tough customer on vehicle purchases, but I found nothing to complain about.

The used car market right now is real tight. Dealers don't have to impress anyone to sell a vehicle right now.. Literally, "good enough" is going to be exactly that... good enough.

Bought a CPO 2017 GMC Sierra SLE 4x4 Double Cab

This afternoon, I went to get a new to me 2017 GMC Sierra 4x4 Double cab. This is the first time that I've bought a vehicle that was Certified Pre-Owned, and I think it was a benefit to me. I've been skeptical in the past, but I am seeing value in the CPO program...especially when the truck is...

bobistheoilguy.com

Truthfully speaking, CPO is really just an extended warranty in most cases. Some dealers will go above and beyond, and it sounds like yours did, but that's more the exception and not the rule. I've seen many cars that we were going to CPO just get labeled as such and put on the lot. Normally, it's supposed to go through an inspection and the manufacturer will send a list back of what needs replaced/repaired before it can be CPO. That takes time and money though, and to be honest, most CPO customers really only care about the extended warranty anyways. We keep costs down, which keeps the price down, which makes the car easier to sell to the customers who really only want the warranty. Win-win. Is it ethical or would I do it? Nope, but it's not hard to see why dealers go that route.

To answer the OP, why would they bother? I can pay my "detailer"- who's really just a guy working min. wage + flag hours with no real training, by the way, $20 to clean a car or $150 to "detail" the car. I'd spend more money if I'm the Sales Manager if I thought it would attract a better price and better turnaround time. However, the market is such anymore that the reality is this car is not going to sit on the lot very long. Car sales are through the roof right now and with the internet sites driving my prices down, I have no incentive to detail the car beforehand. Once someone comes in on it and wants to buy it, we can maybe negotiate it in, but otherwise let's try to save some money.

 

[RooflessVW]

No, it is not "just an extended warranty". Please go have another cup of coffee, thanks.

The CPO that I bought, May of last year, presented itself the same as new. It had a new $200 GM battery installed. Measurements of the brake pad thickness and tire tread depth were provided. The oil and filter had been changed, along with the air and cabin filters. The tires had been rotated. The XM and wi-fi services had been turned back on. Both the bumper to bumper and drivetrain warranties were extended out (with a $0 deductible on both), along with roadside assistance. Included were two oil changes (four gallons of synthetic oil total) and a tire rotation.

It was a Michigan truck, and I bought it in Indiana. Neither state has front license plates. But I needed a front license plate holder for Illinois. The dealer ordered one, and sent it to me via UPS, at no charge.

For the exception of the front license plate holder, when I drove it off the lot, it needed nothing and was as new as a 3 year old truck with 15,900 miles on it could get. However, it was priced at 55% of its original MSRP, and had been reconditioned to be as close to new as possible.

Appearance wise, it had been completely and fully detailed, inside and out, and for the exception of a 1" scratch on the tailgate that didn't go down to bare metal, it presented itself the same as new. It was spotless under the hood. I'm a tough customer on vehicle purchases, especially from a dealer, but I found nothing to complain about.

The used car market right now is real tight. Dealers don't have to impress anyone to sell a vehicle right now, and it shows. Literally, "just good enough" is going to be exactly that... good enough.

Bought a CPO 2017 GMC Sierra SLE 4x4 Double Cab

This afternoon, I went to get a new to me 2017 GMC Sierra 4x4 Double cab. This is the first time that I've bought a vehicle that was Certified Pre-Owned, and I think it was a benefit to me. I've been skeptical in the past, but I am seeing value in the CPO program...especially when the truck is...

bobistheoilguy.com

That's a basic used car inspection.

They put a new battery in it to save the customer grief and the warranty money post-sale.

You don't know how the truck was traded in. If I traded my 2yo 13k Atlas, anything the dealer could do would make it worse.

Everything else is just something a decent dealer should do.

 

[supton]

Maybe I'm thinking about it wrong, but I'd think it easier to do an inspection than to do a detail job. At the very least it's more work for me to do so.

Winter is also wrapping up; might some of this just be seasonal? Plus any sort of pandemic oddities on top of it.

I wonder if it is true, though. Perhaps dealers are having stock come in and out so quickly, and demand so high, that they don't have to detail? Maybe they plan to tack on a detailing charge during closing or something.

 

[JustN89]

Maybe I'm thinking about it wrong, but I'd think it easier to do an inspection than to do a detail job. At the very least it's more work for me to do so.

Winter is also wrapping up; might some of this just be seasonal? Plus any sort of pandemic oddities on top of it.

I wonder if it is true, though. Perhaps dealers are having stock come in and out so quickly, and demand so high, that they don't have to detail? Maybe they plan to tack on a detailing charge during closing or something.

You'd also be surprised at how little follow-up is done with a car. If a Sales Manager pays to have a car detailed, it gets taken to the back, the detailer does his thing, then takes it right back out to the lot. In a lot of dealerships, no one will even look at the work that was done. If the customer or salesman complains about it, then it will get brought to the SM's attention, but otherwise he'd never know. An inspection is always harder to do from a time and cost perspective.

 

[Zee09]

Truthfully speaking, CPO is really just an extended warranty in most cases. Some dealers will go above and beyond, and it sounds like yours did, but that's more the exception and not the rule. I've seen many cars that we were going to CPO just get labeled as such and put on the lot. Normally, it's supposed to go through an inspection and the manufacturer will send a list back of what needs replaced/repaired before it can be CPO. That takes time and money though, and to be honest, most CPO customers really only care about the extended warranty anyways. We keep costs down, which keeps the price down, which makes the car easier to sell to the customers who really only want the warranty. Win-win. Is it ethical or would I do it? Nope, but it's not hard to see why dealers go that route.

To answer the OP, why would they bother? I can pay my "detailer"- who's really just a guy working min. wage + flag hours with no real training, by the way, $20 to clean a car or $150 to "detail" the car. I'd spend more money if I'm the Sales Manager if I thought it would attract a better price and better turnaround time. However, the market is such anymore that the reality is this car is not going to sit on the lot very long. Car sales are through the roof right now and with the internet sites driving my prices down, I have no incentive to detail the car beforehand. Once someone comes in on it and wants to buy it, we can maybe negotiate it in, but otherwise let's try to save some money.

That is exactly what I'm saying.
The last several new cars I purchased were not even clean and I made mention of it.

 

[Zee09]

What do you mean?

I've never seen a dirty CPO vehicle on a showroom floor.

Just go online and look at cpos like on cargurus let alone at the dealer.
Lexus was bad and Lincoln was far worse.

 

[jstert]

my cpo experiences with mbenz and vw have been fine. carfax and/or dealer work orders show what fixes and maintenance have been done to bring it to cpo status. ask for brake and tire wear numbers. extra warranty is nice. no dealership games with incentives, rebates, delivery fees... why anyone buys a new, vs. cpo, vehicle is beyond me.

 

[AZjeff]

Low inventory, high demand, high prices, no reason to deal (much), why detract from profit with heavy detailing?

At the GMC dealer yesterday the only new 2500HD truck on the lot will sell for full $80k MSRP minus whatever GMC is offering.

Your car buying experiences from a year ago aren't right now.

 

[JeffKeryk]

We bought our '13 GS350 under CPO. The car was dirty when I first saw it, but it had just been taken on trade.
It was spotless when we picked it up.
Putnam Lexus gave us a new 2nd remote as the car only had 1. I was not worried about the drivetrain but wanted CPO because of the electronics in the car. CPO worked for me.

 

[Zee09]

Low inventory, high demand, high prices, no reason to deal (much), why detract from profit with heavy detailing?

At the GMC dealer yesterday the only new 2500HD truck on the lot will sell for full $80k MSRP minus whatever GMC is offering.

Your car buying experiences from a year ago aren't right now.

Not heavy detailing just a clean car which most are far from it.
I buy often and it has been this way for many years. New cars included.

 

[Zee09]

my cpo experiences with mbenz and vw have been fine. carfax and/or dealer work orders show what fixes and maintenance have been done to bring it to cpo status. ask for brake and tire wear numbers. extra warranty is nice. no dealership games with incentives, rebates, delivery fees... why anyone buys a new, vs. cpo, vehicle is beyond me.

I can answer that easy enough.
This crowd is so uptight about oil do you think most that can afford new wouldn't?
CPO or any used car to me is not real thrilling. Off lease cars or cars with issues unresolved possibly
poor maintenance etc. yes I like the deal aspect but I buy new. I treat my cars like most don't.

 

[Zee09]

I just saw a Lincoln with 26X miles with 3 actual owners listed by Carfax
Not resale owners but actual owners since late 2017- that sends red flags to me anyway.

 

[SatinSilver]

The 2013 to 2018 Avalons are real nice and highly recommended by a Toyota Master tech on YT. Preferred over the current gen and pretty bulletproof. Some updates like a better suspension are on the 16 to 18. Dealer here just got an 18 in and certified but no price. Great maint. history and 23k miles, silver. My guess will be abt 25k.

 

[gman2304]

That's a basic used car inspection.

They put a new battery in it to save the customer grief and the warranty money post-sale.

You don't know how the truck was traded in. If I traded my 2yo 13k Atlas, anything the dealer could do would make it worse.

Everything else is just something a decent dealer should do.

No, it is not "just an extended warranty". Please go have another cup of coffee, thanks.

The used car market right now is real tight, and has been for several months now. Inventory is down and prices are up. A lot of it is going to depend on the level of pride that the dealership has in their inventory. Many dealers realize that they don't have to do a whole lot to impress the buyer, to sell a used vehicle right now. And it really shows. Literally, "just good enough" is going to be exactly that... good enough. This isn't a CPO problem, it is a dealer problem.

The CPO that I bought, May of last year, presented itself the same as new. It had a new $200 GM battery installed. Measurements of the brake pad thickness and tire tread depth were provided. The oil and filter had been changed, along with the air and cabin filters. The tires had been rotated. The XM and wi-fi services had been turned back on. Both the bumper to bumper and drivetrain warranties were extended out (with a $0 deductible on both), along with roadside assistance. Also included were two oil changes (four gallons of synthetic oil total) and a tire rotation.

It was a Michigan truck, and I bought it in Indiana. Neither state has front license plates. But I needed a front license plate holder for Illinois. The dealer ordered one, and sent it to me via UPS, at no charge.

For the exception of the front license plate holder, when I drove it off the lot, it needed nothing. However, it was priced at 55% of its original MSRP, and had been reconditioned to be as close to new as possible.

Appearance wise, it had been completely and fully detailed, inside and out, and for the exception of a 1" scratch on the tailgate that didn't go down to bare metal, it presented itself the same as new. It was spotless under the hood. I'm a tough customer on vehicle purchases, especially from a dealer, but I found nothing to complain about.

Bought a CPO 2017 GMC Sierra SLE 4x4 Double Cab

This afternoon, I went to get a new to me 2017 GMC Sierra 4x4 Double cab. This is the first time that I've bought a vehicle that was Certified Pre-Owned, and I think it was a benefit to me. I've been skeptical in the past, but I am seeing value in the CPO program...especially when the truck is...

bobistheoilguy.com

No, it is not "just an extended warranty". Please go have another cup of coffee, thanks.

The used car market right now is real tight, and has been for several months now. Inventory is down and prices are up. A lot of it is going to depend on the level of pride that the dealership has in their inventory. Many dealers realize that they don't have to do a whole lot to impress the buyer, to sell a used vehicle right now. And it really shows. Literally, "just good enough" is going to be exactly that... good enough. This isn't a CPO problem, it is a dealer problem.

The CPO that I bought, May of last year, presented itself the same as new. It had a new $200 GM battery installed. Measurements of the brake pad thickness and tire tread depth were provided. The oil and filter had been changed, along with the air and cabin filters. The tires had been rotated. The XM and wi-fi services had been turned back on. Both the bumper to bumper and drivetrain warranties were extended out (with a $0 deductible on both), along with roadside assistance. Also included were two oil changes (four gallons of synthetic oil total) and a tire rotation.

It was a Michigan truck, and I bought it in Indiana. Neither state has front license plates. But I needed a front license plate holder for Illinois. The dealer ordered one, and sent it to me via UPS, at no charge.

For the exception of the front license plate holder, when I drove it off the lot, it needed nothing. However, it was priced at 55% of its original MSRP, and had been reconditioned to be as close to new as possible.

Appearance wise, it had been completely and fully detailed, inside and out, and for the exception of a 1" scratch on the tailgate that didn't go down to bare metal, it presented itself the same as new. It was spotless under the hood. I'm a tough customer on vehicle purchases, especially from a dealer, but I found nothing to complain about.

Bought a CPO 2017 GMC Sierra SLE 4x4 Double Cab

This afternoon, I went to get a new to me 2017 GMC Sierra 4x4 Double cab. This is the first time that I've bought a vehicle that was Certified Pre-Owned, and I think it was a benefit to me. I've been skeptical in the past, but I am seeing value in the CPO program...especially when the truck is...

bobistheoilguy.com

No, it is not "just an extended warranty". Please go have another cup of coffee, thanks.

The used car market right now is real tight, and has been for several months now. Inventory is down and prices are up. A lot of it is going to depend on the level of pride that the dealership has in their inventory. Many dealers realize that they don't have to do a whole lot to impress the buyer, to sell a used vehicle right now. And it really shows. Literally, "just good enough" is going to be exactly that... good enough. This isn't a CPO problem, it is a dealer problem.

The CPO that I bought, May of last year, presented itself the same as new. It had a new $200 GM battery installed. Measurements of the brake pad thickness and tire tread depth were provided. The oil and filter had been changed, along with the air and cabin filters. The tires had been rotated. The XM and wi-fi services had been turned back on. Both the bumper to bumper and drivetrain warranties were extended out (with a $0 deductible on both), along with roadside assistance. Also included were two oil changes (four gallons of synthetic oil total) and a tire rotation.

It was a Michigan truck, and I bought it in Indiana. Neither state has front license plates. But I needed a front license plate holder for Illinois. The dealer ordered one, and sent it to me via UPS, at no charge.

For the exception of the front license plate holder, when I drove it off the lot, it needed nothing. However, it was priced at 55% of its original MSRP, and had been reconditioned to be as close to new as possible.

Appearance wise, it had been completely and fully detailed, inside and out, and for the exception of a 1" scratch on the tailgate that didn't go down to bare metal, it presented itself the same as new. It was spotless under the hood. I'm a tough customer on vehicle purchases, especially from a dealer, but I found nothing to complain about.

Bought a CPO 2017 GMC Sierra SLE 4x4 Double Cab

This afternoon, I went to get a new to me 2017 GMC Sierra 4x4 Double cab. This is the first time that I've bought a vehicle that was Certified Pre-Owned, and I think it was a benefit to me. I've been skeptical in the past, but I am seeing value in the CPO program...especially when the truck is...

bobistheoilguy.com

My experience with 2 CPO cars from Flow Lexus in Greensboro, N.C. has been the same as mrsilv04. My wifes 2013 es350 bought used in 2016 presented as new when we bought it. New Michelin tires, new Lexus battery, new wiper blades, new Lexus rubber mats with the unused carpeted mats in a plastic bag in the trunk, fresh service etc. Her car was immaculate when we took delivery. Along with 3 free oil changes, free pickup and delivery to her place of work for the services, plus her car has been detailed after each service. Every dealer is different and YMMV but this has been my experience with this dealership.

 

[JeffKeryk]

My experience with 2 CPO cars from Flow Lexus in Greensboro, N.C. has been the same as mrsilv04. My wifes 2013 es350 bought used in 2016 presented as new when we bought it. New Michelin tires, new Lexus battery, new wiper blades, new Lexus rubber mats with the unused carpeted mats in a plastic bag in the trunk, fresh service etc. Her car was immaculate when we took delivery. Along with 3 free oil changes, free pickup and delivery to her place of work for the services, plus her car has been detailed after each service. Every dealer is different and YMMV but this has been my experience with this dealership.

My experience with Putnam Lexus in Redwood City has been stellar as well.
I especially like getting a different loaner car each time. They don't even care if you keep it for an extra day or so.

 

[supton]

my cpo experiences with mbenz and vw have been fine. carfax and/or dealer work orders show what fixes and maintenance have been done to bring it to cpo status. ask for brake and tire wear numbers. extra warranty is nice. no dealership games with incentives, rebates, delivery fees... why anyone buys a new, vs. cpo, vehicle is beyond me.

Doesn't depreciation come into play? Whatever one thinks of Honda/Toyota, they tend to have lower depreciation, and thus CPO tends to not be a good deal. But other makes, with higher depreciation (or even Honda/Toyota, I believe some of their models don't escape this), do make an argument for CPO.

I suspect this comes down to a per-model basis.