Looking at buying a CPO 2015 C300. From what I've seen, I can find a few with ~10k miles and the Premium1 package at a nice discount from new.

Some also appear to be dealer loaners that are now being resold.

Has anyone looked at buying or have bought a loaner, and if so, were they showing problems off the bat, or would the CPO checkup find and fix those issues before they're sold?

The discount over new is very tempting, but if there are going to be a lot of problems, I'm not sure if it's worth it.

Any help? Thanks!

 

2015 CPO C300 will have full manufacturer warranty so if there are any issues they will be fixed.

 

If the vehicle has been Certified, that SHOULD mean that the vehicle is mechanically perfect, in that the most recent service has been completed and any necessary repair work/refurbishment has been done to the vehicle. It also had to pass over 100 mechanical, electrical, and safety tests to be certified, it has never been in an accident or had damage reported, etc.

If you can get a great deal on a 2015 C300 ex-loaner or CPO, vehicle, you should go for it. Pretty much the only feature you'll be missing out on in a 2016 C300 would be Remote Start, which most people don't care about.

Either way, whether the vehicle is brand new or a year old, it's pretty rare that there would be any major mechanical issues within the first several years of service. And if there are or something unexpected should come up other than wear/tear issues, you'll be fully covered under warranty and wouldn't have to pay a dime for those repairs.

 

mine was a dealer loaner, had 5k miles on it when i got it in May, was MINT

 

CPO for this sailor provided a nice coupe with 21k for .65 MSRP. MBFS use provided 2.99% with first two payments on the house; ditto for first two 10,000 services.

Works for me.



ez

 

I beg to differ...a lot of people like myself care about remote start, and it's a good selling point for the vehicle. In addition, MY2016 gets mbrace free for 5 years, and can be had with a heated steering wheel.

OP...make sure you get a 2015 that's made AFTER 04/20/15 so you don't have to deal with potential engine issues, case in point the whole wrist pin replacement debacle where you'd have to have your engine taken apart to replace those parts.

 

Thanks for the tip. I've just started doing more research and hadn't seen this issue. I'll definitely look into the build dates to avoid that problem.

 

Correct, the remote start is a nice selling point, but for some people, definitely not nice enough to justify spending several thousand dollars more for a 2016 vs a 2015.

Also, 5 years of mbrace Connect -- not the full mbrace service.

 

Most of the loaners at our dealer are basic with not a lot if any frills.

 

The ones I have been looking at is the C300 base with P1 package, so it has Burmester and LEDs. I've even seen a couple of Sport package. Mainly just looking to save a bit, don't need all the bells and whistles like the airmatic suspension and such.

 

Some CPO will offer extended warranty so car may have only 3 years left and you may be able to extend to 5 years. A bit extra peace of mind if you want to keep it for a while.

 

if you buy a loaner, it is not considered CPO because of the low milage. Since mine only had 5k miles on it, it still has the factory warranty up to 50k miles.

 

My SA for the past eight years is also a personal and family friend. His wife worked for us and his kid and mine are on the same sports team. In short, I trust him. When I was first contemplating the C and reading about some pretty troubling QC issues in the 15's I made it a point to stop by and ask him how his fleet of 15 C300's were holding up, and how often were his customer's C's in for stuff.

He had no problem recommending the car. Nothing unusual about repair frequency or unresolved customer concerns in the 15's vs any other MB model.

On CPO, if you're planning on keeping the car past the factory 4/48, I'd recommend it. I've owned two S Class under CPO and it's the gold standard for extended warranties IMO. My first CPO S had over $13,000 in CPO repairs over three years. Never had an issue getting a repair approved or a claim paid.

However, CPO adds to the cost of the car. The dealer has to pay MB a couple grand to issue the certification. MB also makes the dealer recondition the car, at his expense, to a very specific standard, which is why not every used MB is offered as CPO, and why CPO cars are usually a couple grand more than a non CPO car with the same years and miles.

Basic CPO covers the first 12 months, starting after the original warranty expires. To add a year is $2500. Two years is $4500. I try to have the warranty duration last the length of the financing term. It is not as comprehensive as the original warranty...it doesn't cover trim for example...but it can save you from a major repair. (On an S, every repair is a major repair. Mine was in for two weeks for a strut, a flickering gauge cluster and a cam magnet. Ticket was $6,000. My end was zero.)

If you're looking at a CPO car you like, even if you don't plan on keeping it into the CPO period, get it. Unused CPO is 100% refundable.

 

I believe that depends on whether it was titled and whether it reaches a certain threshold for age. You couldn't sell a 2014 loaner with 2k miles as a new car anymore, for instance. But some loaners/demos under the mileage threshold are occasionally titled and then turned into CPOs. A lot seems to depend on individual dealers' policies for these cars.

The pro of a 'used' loaner is that you get the CPO warranty at the end of factory. The con is that you miss out on certain fleet incentives, e.g. USAA and AMA, which could drive the price down further.

Finally, pay very close attention to parts not covered under the CPO or factory warranty, especially the wheels. I got a 2013 last year, and all four wheels quickly turned out to be bent, and the rear rotors were rusted beyond an easy fix. MBUSA and my local dealer came through and basically bought it back in exchange for me leasing a 2015, but an independent inspection would have saved me a lot of hassle. My mistake was to assume that CPO would guarantee a level of quality upon purchase. It actually doesn't. All it really gives you is an extra warranty (which is totally worth it).

 

The decision by the dealer to certify is driven by eligibility and reconditioning costs. Essentially any one owner car and certainly a dealer loaner never titled would be eligible.

A CPO car should have passed a 129 point inspection and had any problems, including bent rims and rusty rotors addressed. I'm not sure how it's possible for four bent wheels to not show up in the test drive, but in any event, drive ability is one inspection criteria. Your regular factory warranty doesn't cover bent wheels or rusty rotors either.

CPO is not a full extension. The factory warranty is bumper-to-bumper, while CPO is a limited extended warranty. Trim for example isn't covered by CPO, nor are dings, chips etc. If you want those things (or anything else) addressed do so before taking delivery. Once you drive off you're stuck with what you've got.

CPO is both a quality/condition certification and an extended warranty.

 

My wife's ML 350 was a former loaner with 6,600 miles on it. We got 10k off the sticker and leased it at the same terms as a new vehicle. It's in fantastic shape and was a killer deal.

 

Per Blackjack, buy the CPO if you don't wish to buy new, for whatever reason.