To Certified Pre-Owned or Not?

[IlandVoid]

Ok, post #2 for me here. Short background... I've had 5 cars in my life, enjoyed them all. However, they were 5 different Crown Vic's Police Interceptors that I always saved and paid straight cash for(never spent more than 6 grand on a single one). My current vehicle is an '03 CVPI with 132K miles and no A/C. This will not do any longer

So I'm shopping around for my first "real" car. Looking at 2012-13 Ford Explorers, Prefer the XLT model 4WD. However, vehicles around my area seem to be going for a pretty penny but I , like everyone else, am looking for as much quality as possible. This boils down to...

Should I only be shopping Ford Certified Pre-Owned as the title states OR should I open up my options? Will I be able to get a decent warranty/coverage from the dealer or elsewhere?

Any help is appreciated. Thanks all

 

[sheltonfilms]

Big question is are you mechanically inclined? Do you like to do maintenance on your car yourself?

I always like to buy a car that is 1 to 2 years old with less than 20k miles (knocks the big depreciation off). Still have a year or two of B2B warranty to correct the issues that the original owner didn't notice. Plus you have powertrain till 5 years 60k miles.

Good thing about certified pre-owned is that you get a 1 year 12k mile bumper to bumper extension (if still under original warranty) or just straight 1 year 12k mile if out of original plus power train up to 7 year/100k.

Its kinda like buying the 1 to 2 year old car, cheaper but it has a little more "wear" on it.

If you go the certified route expect to pay 1500 to 2000 more than a comparable vehicle without being certified.

If you want the best deal don't buy local. I flew to Cincinnati, OH from Birmingham, AL to get mine (2013 Limited 2WD V6 with 302A package, tow, sunroof and only 13k miles for 30,000 OTD, original MSRP was 47,750). According to auto trader no other dealer/seller came close.

 

[IlandVoid]

Thanks for the reply sheltonfilms... I'm only "ok" mechanically speaking but I have no big problems cause I have a buddy down the block who is a really good "alley mechanic".

I think the biggest thing confusing me is all the warranty possibilities. I've only owned cash-deal out the door, as-is Crown Vic's. I knew I was on my own if something broke. But having a warranty through Ford with a Certified Pre-Owned or just buying used and purchasing an extended service plan from the dealer or on-line(as I've seen discussed in another thread) is throwing me off a bit.

 

[veloduffer]

An increasingly important issue with used vehicles is whether they were subject to any recalls and did the owner have the recall performed. I don't know if those items are checked by a Ford dealer as part of its "certification".

 

[182RG]

OR should I open up my options?

Yes. There are many nice, private sale vehicles that are priced below dealer inventory. Google CPO, and read. People have purchased CPO vehicles needing oil changes, and with bald tires. It's a clever marketing scheme, that is often a pencil-whipped "certification".

An extended warranty on a used car is going to cost you way too much money, for a very limited benefit. If you have a good relationship with a shop, you are better saving the money in a repair fund that you may or may not use.

There is a great love on this forum of dealerships, and extended warranties. I have little regard for both, since they are usually a waste of money.

 

[IlandVoid]

veloduffer, I've used the sticky at the top of this forum and the vehicles I'm currently looking at don't seem to have any outstanding recall issues, along with carfax reports, they look ok.

182RG, I do have a great relationship with a good independent mechanic. Maybe I'm over-thinking all this warranty stuff, these Explorers sure do look slick though lol

 

[orangesoda123]

I'm mechanically inclined and I still really enjoy having our CPO Extended warranty. I'm also more inclined to keep the vehicle longer. Typically when I run out of powertrain warranty I'll get a new car but since I have a 7 year warranty instead of 5 I'll probably end up saving some cash since i'm not taking the hit on trade in as often.

 

[cwescapexlt4x4]

I have purchased a 2013 XLT 4wd CPO - the only negative really is the $100 deductible on the warranty/service if the greater vehicle warranty doesn't cover it. I wasn't told about this and apparently somehow in my research I missed it - but the dealer covered the first thing (Purge valve that went bad) with no out of pocket this time and now my MPG's have gone up too. If you go CPO, i'd suggest FORD ONLY CPO as that is dealer wide, vs a dealer's own "CPO"

 

[IlandVoid]

Thanks for all the responses... Getting ready to hit the road armed with a lot of good info from this forum. Wish me luck!

 

[Miami-Beach]

Since 1985 I also had 5 vehicles..All were the Crown Vic LX and one Town Car..

All were CPO cars with less the 20K miles when I got them and kept them all for over 200K miles..Never used any part of the CPO warranty..For the most all those vehicles just needed plain old regular routine maintenance..When I sold them everything worked perfectly and A/C was still ice cold and I kept it on constantly.

I do have a awesome independent who only uses Motorcraft parts but I do let the Ford dealer do the ATF fluid changes..He loves working on my 2005 Crown Vic..He does not have much experience with the 5TH Generation Explorer..He definitely does not want me to sell the Vic anytime soon!

I do plan on getting a 2012-2014 Explorer by the end of the year as my Vic is heading to 200K miles..With that said I do plan on getting a CPO Explorer..If I did not I would probably have trouble sleeping at night.