Wow...unreal frustration trying to find a car. CPO basically means nothing

[fitcious]

Aren't there good, stock ones being sold on this forum? If you really want a used one, look for one in this forum that's stock, under 36k mileage so it still has factory warranty and fly out to get it!

[RichardsFRS]

LOL I would never buy a car with those problems. I got into my 13 and drove the shit out of it, got out with a smile and said OKAY! She was smooth and quick and agile. She had 43k on her in oct and now has 47 on her. I hear no creeks bleeps crunches, cranks clunks or anything. Shes as smooth as a babies butt

I don't get the (why can't it shift to second) problem when its cold. But its garaged so that may have something to do with it, i dunno. Also in GA it doesn't get as cold as a lot of places you guys live

I had an idle surge but found out that's pretty common. Window rubber seal gets caught on window when it goes up. Need to take that in to see if window is off track and my extended warranty will pay for it. If its the rubber, Im SOL and will have to replace that myself.

Mine wasn't a CPO. I bought it at Ford and I went off the Carfax. Only history I had to go off of. I say stop looking for a CPO because CPOs are hard to find and like you said what does it really mean? Just look for a good used one, there are unmolested FRS/BRZs out there

[themadscientist]

Walk away. I'd rather wait for a clean trouble free car than a "mechanic's special." When I was flipping cars every car that a previous owner had "tuned" required either redoing or removing that shit. I'm too busy and impatient to deal with that crap anymore. Run away!

[finch1750]

CPO just means it has some kind of warranty really. No actual guarantee of it not being a pile of crap. Just find a good clean one and be happy in the long run imo

[Summerwolf]

CPO is a joke. Every CPO car I have ever seen had something wrong with it. Either an ex rental car, small accident, something.....

[Tcoat]

Toyota CPO is 160 point inspection
http://www.toyotacertified.com/inspection.html


The battery is 4 of those points.
Battery in good condition, has proper cold cranking amps and reserve capacity
Battery proper size and secure
Battery posts free of corrosion
Cables in good condition


Also important to note that the car can be advertised as CPO but not have had the inspection done yet. The inspection must be completed before the vehicle is signed over. Not at all unusual for dealerships to show the car before they do the inspection. Any issues found (in this case the battery) have to be fixed before delivery not before showing.

[Tcoat]

Originally Posted by Summerwolf

CPO is a joke. Every CPO car I have ever seen had something wrong with it. Either an ex rental car, small accident, something.....

There is this as well!
It is the selling dealer that does the CPO inspection. Good dealer = good inspection and corrective actions. Bad dealer = god only knows what they did or didn't do.


Again to reference the OP "Got there, the car looked to be in good shape overall but needed a wash" is telling. A good dealer does not keep dirty cars on the lot where people can see them and test drive.

[OUGrad05]

Originally Posted by Tcoat

Toyota CPO is 160 point inspection
http://www.toyotacertified.com/inspection.html


The battery is 4 of those points.
Battery in good condition, has proper cold cranking amps and reserve capacity
Battery proper size and secure
Battery posts free of corrosion
Cables in good condition


Also important to note that the car can be advertised as CPO but not have had the inspection done yet. The inspection must be completed before the vehicle is signed over. Not at all unusual for dealerships to show the car before they do the inspection. Any issues found (in this case the battery) have to be fixed before delivery not before showing.

Problem is dealer told me it had already been inspected by them through their normal process and the CPO process. They kept making excuses...kind of lame.

Owell, moving on...

[Braces]

I don't think CPO works with lower value cars. CPO carries a lot of weight with the higher end dealerships. They only CPO perfect cars and add the additional watrranty as part of the CPO.

On the lower end (FRS) .... dealers seemingly will take ANYTHING in trade and then call it a CPO. Their requirements for the CPO designation appears to be very general.

Find a private sale and consider a PPI.

[RickyBobby]

Originally Posted by Tcoat

There is this as well!
It is the selling dealer that does the CPO inspection. Good dealer = good inspection and corrective actions. Bad dealer = god only knows what they did or didn't do.

How true. I purchased a CPO 2013 FR-S from a Toyota dealer on 2/22/14 with 5500 miles on it. They had done the 160 point inspection on it on 12/3/13.

While inspecting the car I noticed 2 small dinks on the passenger side door, and some scratches on the bottom of the front bumper.

I asked to see the 160 point inspection check list. Items #123, 124, and 132 thru 159, 30 total, had not been checked off. These items were for Spare tire present, Exterior Appearance, Engine Compartment, Interior Appearance, Exterior Repairs, and Interior Repairs. The Tech, Service Manager, and the Used Car Manager had all signed off on it on 12/3. If they had done the complete inspection they would have noticed the dinks and scratches.

So back to the bargaining table to re-negotiate the purchase price. Other than the dinks the car was in excellent condition.

[djsyndrome]

Originally Posted by Braces

I don't think CPO works with lower value cars. CPO carries a lot of weight with the higher end dealerships. They only CPO perfect cars and add the additional watrranty as part of the CPO.

I had a great experience with a CPO Impreza years ago, but it was one older owner on a lease and had a spotless carfax (and was priced accordingly). Fully understand that this was the exception and not the rule; every CPO WRX I've looked at over the years has been garbage.

[extrashaky]

I've never been interested in buying a CPO car. I thought it was just a marketing gimmick to bump up the asking price.

[fumanchu1]

Originally Posted by djsyndrome

And this is why I'll never buy a used sports car. Too many science projects running around.

Good more treasure finds for people like me who are willing to sift through those horrid riceboxes and find a gem.

[AyeItsStevie]

Had a pretty bad time test driving a CPO car. A couple weeks back when I was looking around the dealerships to buy an FRS, I wanted to look at a used 2015 that came from Arizona. Clean Carfax. Only had 5300 miles and passed the certification.

Saw some misaligned panels, but didn't think too much about it. When it came to finally driving the car, something was off right away. Letting off the clutch, the car would shudder pretty hard and you can hear some grinding in the wheel wells. Out of all the times I've test driven a used model, this one had to be the trouble kid.

Ended up buying one of the last few new 2015 FRS from the lot, which drives buttery smooth and all. Only thing about it is a leak, but that's for another thread.