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Smart Shopper Certified Pre-Owned Vehicles
663 messages, Last post on Dec 06, 2009 at 10:53 PM
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I hope this question hasn't been asked already, but I'm new at buying a used car (have generally purchased new cars), and needed some advice. I am in the market for a used Acura MDX, 2004/2005. This will serve as a primary car for the next year, but will eventually be a second car. I have been searching around and came across a 2005 with 56K miles, Touring, and Navi for $19,500 (non-CPO). However, the lowest CPO that I found is around $24K-$25K. You will probably know my question, but is it worth the extra $5K-$6K for a CPO, or should I just save the money and just go with a used? This might also be a stupid question, but if I buy a non-CPO from a dealer/private seller, can I take it to a Acura dealer to have it inspected and get it CPO? Thanks for the help!
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Replying to: nameless (Jun 08, 2008 4:56 pm) Next, you can't generally have a dealer certify a car the dealer didn't buy. You may be able to buy a warranty for it though. |
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I purchased a CPO 2001 Lexus RX300 a number of years ago for my wife. At the time I purchased it, I ran a Carfax check which came back clean and the dealer told me the vehicle had never been in an accident. Today I went to another dealer to purchase a new car. I was using the RX300 as a trade in. Imagine my shock when I was told that the vehicle had obviously been damaged at some point because there was a significant amount of repainting on the entire body. They offered me about 1/2 of what the retail value of the car is because their policy is that they don't sell cars that were in accidents so there is no resale potential for them. When I told them that it was a CPO vehicle from a Lexus dealership, they were shocked that it had been certified. When I got home, I called Lexus customer service to find out how a vehicle that had obviously had some significant body work done on it could have passed their certification process. They told me that a vehicle could be certified as long as there was no frame damage. I have to admit that I was stunned. Their own website says that they will often not certify a vehicle if it has a strange odor, and now they tell me that as long as there is no frame damage its ok. Lord knows if there is frame damage. I didnt know there was anything wrong with the car before today. Now I'm stuck with a vehicle that may be worth only half of what I originally thought. I wish I would have known this 6 months ago before my in-laws purchased a 2008 RX-400 and a 2008 ES-350 for cash. Any ideas on what recourses I have? Thanks!
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Replying to: ny14337 (Oct 13, 2008 6:46 pm)
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Replying to: dtownfb (Oct 13, 2008 7:12 pm) |
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Replying to: ny14337 (Oct 13, 2008 8:13 pm) I tried to sell it to an independent dealer, thinking that would be the easiest way to get a decent deal on the vehicle. The guy on the lot pointed out signs of repair from what looked to have been a significant accident. He told me that he couldn't buy the car because of the liability he might have to absorb at some point, and he couldn't afford that as a small independent shop. He then suggested for me to take it to a Ford dealer, saying that they would be big enough to not share his liability concerns. So I took the car to a Ford dealership and asked them what they would give me for it. I didn't mention anything about the repair work that the other guy showed me. I felt it was fair since the dealer that sold the vehicle to my father-in-law never mentioned anything about it either. Fair dealership trade-in pricing for that car in good shape was around $4,200-4,800 at the time. They looked over the car for a few minutes and offered me around $4,500. Since it sounds as though you are in a similar predicament, I would recommend that you do something similar. I'd be sure to play up the part about how you purchased it CPO. That way, I would think, they should give you a pretty fair deal.
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Replying to: millikin54 (Oct 14, 2008 6:19 am) |
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Replying to: ny14337 (Oct 13, 2008 6:46 pm) Remember that CPO warranties cover the mechanical aspects of the car, not the cosmetic. Some dealers won't certify a car with obvious paintwork, others will. |
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Replying to: millikin54 (Oct 14, 2008 6:19 am)
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Replying to: ny14337 (Oct 15, 2008 8:11 pm) However, it is an 01 and the devaluing shouldn't be that much. A competent dealer can tell if the work was just cosmetic or structural. As for what dealers are ASKING for similar cars, asking isn't getting. Unless you have seen actual buyers orders, you don't know what dealers are getting for similar cars. The tendency when selling used cars is to ask the moon for them, it allows for big discount to impress the buyers. The big lesson learned here is, if you buy a used car with some chips or scratches LET THEM BE. You didn't buy a new car, you saved money and went used. Used cars aren't perfect, they are used. Painting a car is NEVER a good idea. |
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