avlis

My wife looked at a 2006 R350 CPO that was under $20k. She said the paint was chipped/pitted, a trim piece on the center console was broken, and there was a tear on the seat. This was at an MB dealer.

I thought CPO was supposed to be "like new" condition? I didn't see the car, but from my wife's description, we've seen non-CPO R350s that were in better shape. CPO would be nice, but we're looking to pay around $20k and that's really limiting the choices.

So, with that said, what are the REAL benefits of CPO? Just one extra year of warranty?

R. Reyes

I would say that the vehicle in question was in no way CPO, and maybe the dealer/salesperson was trying to pull a fast one.

A '06 CPO may be had for about $20k, but it's gonna be high mileage. But in no way should there be a tear on the seat or a broken console piece.

bigben320e

You just answered the question you asked. Only 1 year.

Check into getting an MB Extended warranty after you buy a car, it will get you up to 7Yr, 100K miles. I do believe that is a better choice.

melvinh

We have looked at probably over 10 CPO at different MB dealers. Some are in worse shape than the other. We seen one with dented interior trim and door dings and paint chips. We also seen one that the power door lock not working while we test drove it. There is another one that the keys' plastic covers are all ripped.

We finally found one that's in almost perfect condition inside out and with all the options that we need. We paid about $29K OTD with extended warranty up to 4 years (remaining warranty and CPO warranty plus 2 years additional warranty up to 100,000 miles). For me, I rather paid a bit more to have peace of mind and with all the options that we need; instead of regret it after.

I am very sensitive on future repair after warranty expired. I had very bad experience on my Lexus RX300 that I spent over $6000 just months after warranty expired.

There is no way to find out everything in detail at single test drive. I believe CPO also has 3 days to exchange (return?) the vehicle. I would not buy any car in this class just to save couple thousands. You may ended up spending more if it does not come with proper warranty.

avlis

This car was advertised on Cars.com and at the dealership as CPO. There was no ambiguity on whether it was CPO or not.

The point of this thread is to get a feel for if the CPO program is just another marketing gimmick or it provides real value. We've seen some extremely clean non-CPOs, but I keep telling my wife a CPO may come up for a few hundred more. Now that I've seen some less-than-pristine CPOs, I'm thinking we should largely ignore the CPO program and focus on getting a good vehicle at a good price.

melvinh

Why not have both? CPO and clean R350 at same price. Extra 1 year and 100,000 miles warranty!

aggst1

One of the benefits of a CPO vehicle is the fact that all maintenance has been performed by a MB dealership. You can request to see the records from the day the car was sold.

avlis

That would be great. But the one CPO R350 we saw in our price range was in worse shape than some similarly priced non-CPOs.

avlis

Not so much a reply to your statement, but you made me think of something.

When i bought a C-Class in 2002 maintenance was included in the price for the first 50k miles. Newer models missed out on that deal. Am I correct to assume '06 R-Classes did not have included maintenance?

melvinh

No, it's not included.

Scott E350 Saks

To me, there are huge benefits to buying CPO v. non-CPO. You get the extra year/100k mile warranty and you have an option to purchase up to a 2 year extended/100k mile warranty. To qualify for the extra 2 years, I believe it must be a CPO. I'm surprised by the shape of the car you're describing because that doesn't seem like it meets MB CPO qualifications.

acr2001

There are very strict CPO qualifications for a car, and there is a rather lengthy inspection process to check all of these things.

Does that mean a damn thing when MB lets their dealers do whatever they want with no repercussions? No. Are 80% of MB dealers lying scheming scum of the Earth? Yes.

bigben320e

No, I don't think so. Matter of fact, most of the time not. It really boils down to this:

For the 1 year of CPO what is the cost? 100K is irrelevant, in most cases no one will run up to 100K in one year. That part is marketing, the 100K is the part the gets you.

For the extended warranty, you get 7 Yrs/100K which will cost more, but you get a lot more time, which for most is more relevant.

This will depend on cases by case basis, but keep in mind the extended warranty is not available for CPO cars. For me, I would rather do without CPO and get extended. As many have found out, more and more cars of "CPO" status have been found to not be properly inspected. i.e. one member here found a mouse in his air box after getting he car. Wrecked, and others have been stamped with CPO as well and found about later. I won't name the dealer but they had a S Class that was sent as loaner and came back with the front pushed in some. Whatever you decide, be careful.

I always suggest to do:
1. car check
2. car fax
3. MB inspected and actually see the report

Do these before you buy a car. Just a suggestion...

zoink

I think CPO is a plus point... but to me, it's not worth more than $1K from one w/ same miles, conditions & options but not CPO. $1K is considering additional warranty a CPO has. $2K if the dealer would throw in another 1 year.

aggst1

I think you have been misinformed. I purchased a CPO and added a two year extended warranty just last month. This is the best way to go since the CPO adds 1 year to the new car warranty plus 2 years for the extended.

In my view a CPO is a better way to go. I have noticed that non-CPO cars have either very low mileage or high mileage, or simply the dealer does not have all the maintenance records. It makes sense since a car with very low mileage does not need too much to be sold so the dealer will try to sell without certification. For high mileage cars the dealer will simply pass as the certification makes no sence from a business standpoint.

Another plus of the CPO cars is that they have new tires (most of the time) and breaks. I know mine did.

At the end of the day however, the car is still a used car , so it is up to the buyer to do their homework.

bigben320e

Not misinformed, it is in the documentation from MB on extended warranties for criteria to get an extended warranty. I was also told this by MBUSA.

The rest is as noted, it varies. You are correct in some respects but that depends on lots of factors. It's a case by case basis.

aggst1

Are you saying that one of the criteria to obtain an extended warranty is that the vehicle is NOT a CPO? That is false, because I bought a CPO and extended the warranty. I have the paperwork from MBUSA. Unless of course they have a different extended warranty program for the non-CPO cars. In that case what you were told makes sense.

melvinh

I was also offered 2 additional year warranty and my car is CPO.

Scott E350 Saks

bigben,

Not sure where you came up with this information, but you are wrong. To begin with, adding 100k miles to the warranty, plus a year is huge. Remember, the 4 yr 50k mile is based on an average of 12,5k miles per year. Many people will drive further than that. So adding another 50k to the warranty, plus the year is worth lots of money--especially if it breaks down during that time.

Now on to your erroneous statement. This came from the MB USA home page under the certified pre-owned > Warranty Information > Warranty FAQ's > When does the extended coverage take effect? It reads: "Your MB Certified Pre-Owned Extended Limited Warranty coverage begins the moment the vehicle's new car warranty and subsequent Certified Pre-Owned Limited Warranty coverage ends, with no time overlap among the three warranties." I think based on this, it shows the extended warranty is available for pre-owned.

Further proof. Same web site under Certified Pre-Owned > Service and Support > Extended Limited Warranty Program it reads: "MB Certified Pre-Owned Extended Limited Warranty time periods span up to 12 or 24 months (depending on existing mileage and age of the vhecile at time of sale/lease) or up to 100,000 total accumulated vehicle miles, whichever comes first."

Google MB USA and look for yourself. Not sure how you were told or what documentation you looked at, but I'd like to see it since it conflicts what they write on their website. Call back MBUSA and let them know they don't know what the heck they're talking about. Bottom line is you can buy an extended warranty up to 2 yrs/100K miles from MB on cert pre-owned cars, which is also transferable to someone else.

Scott

whoover

MB only sells two kinds of extended warranties. One is for new cars and is available only to the original owner, although he can purchase it after the car within certain specified time and mileage limitations.

The other is the Starmark warranty, which only is available on Starmark (CPO) vehicles. One year extension comes with the vehicle and one or two more years can be purchased.

You cannot buy a MB extended warranty for a a car that you did not personally buy from the dealer, either new or Starmark (although the Starmark warranty can transfer to one subsequent owner in a private sale).