Chuckinnj

EXACTLY! ^^^^^ Like I said in my other replies, the CPO car is a great deal IF you deal with a dealer who does the CPO process the correct way and "knows" the history of the car (EG: Sold and serviced it) I am very happy with my CPO car and feel it was a good deal...... However I did see a lot of crappy CPO cars at other dealerships. Again! Buyer beware!!

droclex

In trying to find the right CPO LS, I spent the last two years interacting with many many dealerships throughout the midwest, including Illinois, Indiana, Wisconsin, Michigan, Ohio, Iowa, etc.. During this prolonged search I examined at least 50 different cars - some in person, many on paper - and observed that CPO standards vary dramatically from one dealer to the next, despite the general corporate rubric established by Lexus HQ. For instance, there are 3 LS's in my area that are being sold as CPO's and have accidents named either in their carfax or in the fine print of their service histories, not to mention one of them with a complete repaint (from gray to white, then back to gray again). And mind you that these are vehicles with accidents/extensive repaint formally documented in one way or another. Many cars out their have had damage but the incident never made its way to the vehicle's service history, carfax or autocheck. We all know how that goes..

With any CPO sale, an individual dealer can explain away their justification for why a car received CPO status and only be reprimanded for selling a damaged or severely flawed example if the buyer decides to lodge a complaint with the attorney general (at least that is the case in Illinois) or takes action with their own private attorney. Even then restitution is not guaranteed. If you already bought it and then learn the car has not met the CPO standards (was in an accident, etc.), you may be in for a long and uncomfortable legal ride. Legally speaking, it's still yours and was "still a used car purchase" in the eyes of many whom generally uphold the caveat emptor principle, CPO notwithstanding. Lemon laws also do not apply.

All of this is not to say that all dealers are exploiting a lack of oversight with and inconsistency in CPO standards. I don't think my experience is anecdotal, though admittedly it is limited in scope. As another member mentioned, his dealership honors the criteria meticulously and that is great; we hope that there are many others doing the same. Nevertheless, and especially when it comes to the casual, uninformed buyer, it is relatively easy to pass off a crappy car as CPO, even if it doesn't meet the corporate standards. Bottom line: it is imperative to conduct a PPI before purchase for complete peace of mind. And if the dealer resists your doing so, I would strongly recommend walking away.

Wandl

Ditto - it really depends on the dealership (filter test 1) and the actual vehicle itself (filter test 2).

I've found a CPO LS vehicle here in the Dallas area several months back here sold by Sewell (great brand in the area), though it did show an accident. Lexus certification never guarantees an accident-free vehicle, and who knows this may have been a minor bumper damage type...but PPI for these vehicles really should take place.

Some dealers (Beepi, Autonation etc.) allows buybacks of new/used vehicles after a specific amount of time, which gives the new owner flexibility to get the PPI done afterwards. I've kicked myself in the rear many times by not having a PPI done then finding out afterwards of the issues...

Don't be fooled by the CPO status as not all things are warranty-able, and don't be lulled by the Lexus logo on the dealership building. Everyone's got to make a buck.

Chuckinnj

Another quick thing to look for is "IF" the CPO car had a prepaid Lexus service plan and was serviced at the selling dealer, also ask to see what was done at the service......... All this info will be shared, so just ask to see it.

litesoarer

VIN on Lexus Drivers.

CJITTY

I agree with others in the fact the CPO came with the standard 3yr/100k warranty which was great..because I racked up around $13k in warranty repairs. But, had I sold the car to someone that actually would have done an inspection, there is no way I would have received the offer I did and that's when it would impact me down the road because I didn't know about the repaint. So again, use paint meters if you have one or learn how to use one..I will do that going forward but it's also worth having a private inspector with no affiliation to seller to really tell you what you are getting into.

Gbp

Great idea. In retrospect, I should have done this...

The online service information is e extremely useful and makes investigating the car's service history much easier, assuming most or all services were performed at a Lexus or Toyota dealer, but the online information tends to summarize the information, not provide verbatim details. Seeing copies of the actual service records can be much more informative, and could lead to follow-up questions that might not have occurred if just the online service records were used.

Similarly, a thorough, independent inspection can provide useful information for following up on and/or price negotiation one of this is foolproof when trying to predict whether or not a used car purchase will result in a reliable car, but said precautions increase the chances of buying a reliable car.

I agree that a CPO car is no guarantee of reliability or even the integrity of a Lexus dealer, but it provides peace of mind and potentially is financially worthwhile.

I'm not a DIY'er and and am pretty happy with my local Lexus dealer's customer service. If I'm going to have free work done on my car, feeling a bit pampered is a nice bonus.

jasone36

This is a stupid question... but does "CPO warranty" cover anything that the standard "new car warranty" doesn't?

I understand that obviously you get a much longer warranty period... but is anything "additional" covered beyond the standard 4 year 50K mile warranty coverage?

I've been pretty happy with the 4 year 50K mile warranty coverage on my LS460... but that'll run out before I know it.

caha14

No, it does not cover additional items. In fact, it covers less: things like batteries, trim issues (e.g., leather cracking), rattles, etc. are not covered as in the 4/50 warranty. CPO warranty is, practically verbatim, the same as the Platinum VSA (extended warranty) that you could add to your car. So, it's basically another way to extend a car's warranty, with a bit more flexibility in the sense that a car that's up to 6 years old can be certified, and a factory VSA must be purchased while the 4/50 warranty is in effect.

In my case, I have a 2010 LS purchased CPO in 2014. It came with a 3-yr CPO, which I paid to extend to a total (maximum, at the time) of 6 years. So, my car will be under warranty through 2020. If I had bought it independently and purchased a VSA (like I did with my 460 years earlier), I could've only gone as far as 2018.

jasone36

Thanks for the insight, caha.

comotiger

I recall on another thread that you could have purchased a Platinum VSA before your 3 year CPO ran out (sometime in 2017). Since you have a CPO car, you could have purchased a 8 year unlimited mileage VSA (~$3700) that would have covered you until 2025 for unlimited miles. The poster on that thread indicated clearly that the VSA warranty would add on at the end of the CPO period, and not from the time of first purchase.

I am nearing the end of the 4y/50K new car warranty on the used 2014 LWB I bought two months ago. I am planning to get the 8y/125K Platinum VSA, which will cover me thru 2022 and an additional 75K. While this thread has highlighted many issues with CPO cars, the warranty benefits of buying CPO are awesome.

comotiger

Are the air suspension components a covered warranty item in the Platinum VSA? It appears to be included in the covered items list, but there is also an exclusion for wear and tear items. I have seen many posters discuss the air suspension as a wear-and-tear item, making me wonder....

CJITTY

Yes it does, I had two front air struts with actuators replaced. $4K job

comotiger

Thanks, that's very reassuring to know! Since the Lexus dealer did the repairs, I assume they replaced with OEM struts: I have read posts saying how some aftermarket air struts are much better.

rld14

I'm a Used Car Manager at a Lexus store.

You CANNOT CPO a Lexus that's had more than 3 panels (bumpers excepted) repainted.

Period.

So that car should have never been CPO'd. Period. End of story.

I will NOT CPO a car that has had any evidence of actual collision damage either (regardless of what the Carfax says).

As far as VSAs go... Lexus changed the L/Certified program, you can now add up to 5 years of additional coverage.