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Over the years I’ve heard (or used) every old-school dealer close in the book. “Closes” range from the salesperson putting “soft” pressure on you while acting as your “friend” to more advanced tactics like the 4 square. There is a certain art to it (as there is in all sales), but it’s not the type of art most people like (especially not when they’re at a car dealership).
Our job at CarEdge is to help you be a more informed and educated car buyer. Today we’ll cover one of the more common “close” tactics called the 3 “m” close. Although it is a bit old-school a lot of dealerships still employ it, and unfortunately new people to the industry are learning it.
The 3 “m” close attempts to overcome the common objections that someone might have when they’re close to signing the dotted line, but aren’t quite ready. Today, I’ll walk you through exactly what’s going on with this close, how to spot it, and what to do about it. As always, if you don’t feel like reading, simply click play on the video above.
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You need to be ready to walk into the dealership with confidence, and my hope is this article will help. Let’s dive in.
The First “M”: Is it the Machine?
The three “M” close comes into play when a salesperson hears a customer’s first objection, which is often “I need to think about it.” At that point, salespeople are trained to go into a maneuver like the 3 “M” close. You’ll hear something like, “Do we have the right machine picked out for you?”
When you hear this (or some variant of it), recognize what the salesperson is doing, they’re beginning to get into the 3 “M” close, and you just heard the first “M”; is it a problem with the “machine.” You could bet money that the following two M’s are next. This is a dealer favorite old-school close.
The goal of this M is simply to get to you to say that you like the car that’s been picked out and that it’s the right car for you. After all, if you like the car, then there’s some other issue that needs to be addressed. That’s the essence of this old-school dealer close: break down the three common barriers and seal the deal.
If you say it’s not the right car, then they’ll start showing you other vehicle options. If it’s an issue with the machine, your salesperson will act fast to find another vehicle on their lot that meets your needs, wants, and desires.
The Second “M”: Is it Me?
A decent salesperson will set up this M by saying something like, “Nobody wants to do business with someone that they don’t like, so am I the problem?”
It’s human nature not to want to hurt someone else’s feelings, so it’s almost a guarantee that you’ll say something along the lines of “No, of course you’re not the problem.” People usually want to avoid conflict, so it’s highly unlikely you’re going to say you don’t like your salesperson, even if you can’t stand them.
The car salesperson might even rope in other people that you’ve met from the dealership and say that everyone here would do anything to make sure you got in the right car. Everything said at this step is meant to set themselves up as your best friend who’s just trying to help you get into the right car.
Once they verify that they aren’t the problem, they’ll move on to what probably is the actual problem: the money.
The Third “M”: Is it the Money?
The final M is typically where the actual objection is taking place. You might like the car, you might like the salesperson, but if the numbers don’t add up, you’ll have an objection to signing your vehicle purchase agreement.
At this stage, everyone is on the same page, and the salesperson knows that the money is the issue. Don’t be surprised when they still ask if it is, it’s all part of how they were trained. Once you confirm that the money is the problem, they’ll break down how it’s a good deal or possibly waive some fee that should’ve already been waived.
One tactic that we saw when this topic was brought up on our YouTube channel was pushing to let the customer take the car on an “extended test drive.” This is a bit of a gray area, but can be legitimate. Some dealerships do actually let you bring the car back if you don’t like it after a few days, but you absolutely need to have it in writing. If you don’t get it in writing, then you’re just buying the car. Of course, if you get in a car accident during your extended test drive, you’re the one on the hook, so at the end of the day, I’m not a big fan or proponent of taking a dealer up on this offer.
Another option is that they switch to another closing tactic that’s more specific to the money issue. The purpose of this old-school dealer close is to have you admit where the problem is so that they apply more pressure in that specific place. If it were a game of chess, the 3 “M” close is getting you to move your pawns out of the way so they can strike where it matters.
Whatever their next step is, you can be sure it’ll involve overcoming your objection about the price. They might pull up vAuto and show you that they’ve got the best price around. They might also break down the financial figures one more time to show that the financing agreement being offered is incredible.
One of the things customers say that leads into the 3 “M” close is the classic, “I need to think about it.” Dealers hear that countless times in their careers and the 3 “M” close is used to overcome this objection. Car salespeople are well aware that “I need to think about it” is often an attempt to get out of the dealership, and salespeople are wired to think “How can I close this deal now?”
Unfortunately, your attempt to leave is their attempt to close you. Their job is to help convince you to sign the paperwork today, not tomorrow, not next week, not in a month. That’s where the 3 “M” close comes in. In theory, every objection is dismantled, and you’ll drive away in your new car.
Here’s what you do. Memorize this line because it’s your way to avoid the entire close: “I’m not ready to make that decision.” Short, simple, and conveys all the information they need.
It’s a similar concept to “I need to think about it,” but it leaves less room for pushy sales tactics. If the car salesperson keeps pushing, repeat it. You can always get up and walk away. It’s better to face a temporary awkward situation than sign up for a car payment that’s just a bit too high, and trust me, it won’t be the first time in that salesperson’s career they’ve heard “no!”
Don’t Fall for the 3 “M” Close! Say No!
Your absolute best weapon against this close is saying “no” at any point. You’re always free to say “no” and walk out of the dealership. Every car salesperson has heard no before, and they’ll hear it again. Don’t be afraid to make them hear it one more time if you’re not ready to sign the dotted line.
We firmly believe that arming you with information is the best way to prepare for the sales tactics that car dealerships employ. Not every dealership is going to roll out this old-school dealer close, but many will. Now that you’re ready for it, you should also be ready to say “no” and walk out.
It’s no surprise that working in the auto industry since the 70’s has yielded dozens of crazy stories. Zach asked me to gather together some of my craziest dealership stories in one place. You’ll hear some good ones, some bad ones, and they’re all a sneak peek into the life of working at a dealership.
Without further ado, let’s dive in.
Craziest Dealership Stories: The Robbery
Back in the late ’70s, we had a customer come to the Nissan dealership and go through the motions of buying a new car. When it came time to do a test drive, we took a photocopy of his ID, and he and the salesperson headed out. During the drive, the customer asked to make a stop at a 7/11 to pick something up.
It turns out what he wanted to “pick up” was all the cash out of the 7/11 cash registers. He planned to use our car as the getaway car for his robbery. The salesperson was an unwitting accomplice (don’t worry, the salesperson wasn’t charged), and the robber was arrested.
Back at the dealership, when the test drive had dragged on for longer than normal, we called the cops, and they were able to track down the robber and his unsuspecting accomplice. This is one of the many reasons why we take photocopies of driver’s licenses before test drives. In my 43 years of being in the car business, this experience might hold the top spot as one of the craziest dealership experiences I’ve ever had.
Craziest Dealership Stories: The Kidnapper
Much like the story above, I remember when I worked as a sales manager at singlepoint Pontiac dealership (yes those existed at one time), and a customer was going through the motions of looking to purchase a car. When it came time to test drive the car, he and the female sales associate disappeared. After being gone for 7 or 8 hours, there was cause for concern.
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Again, back at the dealership we called the cops (you’d be surprised how many 911 calls I had to make during the early days of my career), and fortunately the prospective customer (and kidnapper) came back with the car and our sales associate. When he arrived, the police were waiting, and he was charged with kidnapping. Thankfully, having a photocopy of the driver’s license helped the police bring a quick resolution to the kidnapping.
Craziest Dealership Stories: The Accident
At our old Mini dealership, we carefully picked all of our test drive routes based on showing off how well the Minis handled. Many people buy Minis because of how fun they are to drive, so our job as a sales team was to expose prospective customers to that experience anytime they got behind the wheel. I was a sales manager at the dealership back in the early 2010’s, and I still remember the day I had to rush from my office to a backroad only a mile from the dealership to once again call 911.
A customer out on a test drive drove right into a tree. The car rolled and was totaled, and both the customer and the salesperson were rushed to the hospital. Fortunately, everyone survived, and miraculously the salesperson only missed a few days of work.
I remember the salesperson telling me that their last words right before the accident were, “You might wanna slow down here.” If only the customer had listened. I always hated it when prospective customers drove too aggressively on test drives. I didn’t like having my life put in jeopardy. This experience was a good example of why you need to be careful when test driving a new car.
Craziest Dealership Stories: The Theft
Two mistakes were made in this next story: the salesperson said “yes,” and they didn’t take a photocopy of the customer’s ID.
This story took place at a Jaguar dealership, which is a car brand known for high-value cars. A customer came in one day and wanted to test drive a vehicle. He brought in a high-value vehicle to trade in. He said he wanted to take it home to show his wife, and he wanted to go alone.
This part is where our mistake happened. The salesperson agreed to it without even taking a copy of their license.
We never saw the customer again. It turns out the trade in vehicle was also stolen, and the Jaguar that was test-driven to “show his wife” was the next stolen vehicle.
Since there was no photocopy, there was nothing to give to the cops once the salesperson (and sales manager) realized what had happened.
Fortunately that experience didn’t happen to me, but the lesson was still learned: always get a copy of the ID every time.
Craziest Dealership Stories: The Cloud
This one didn’t happen at one of our dealerships, but it was a nearby dealership. There was a Mercedes-Benz dealership directly across from us when I worked at Acura North Scottsdale in Scottsdale, Arizona. All of the dealerships in the complex shared the same (or at least similar) test drive routes.
I still remember the day we saw a big smoke cloud on the not-too-distant horizon. It turns out; one of the driver’s test driving a new Mercedes-Benz AMG vehicle didn’t quite realize that the road had a sharp left coming up and kept driving straight directly into a storm drainage ditch. The car was totaled, but fortunately, nobody was injured.
Craziest Dealership Stories: The Ballpark
How about a change of pace? Let’s talk about a positive experience from our time in the auto industry.
Back at the Mini dealership, we had an arrangement with a minor league baseball team (the York Revolution in York, PA) to showcase our cars. For about four years, we would caravan 50 or 60 Minis up to the stadium from Maryland every year. I negotiated with the Revolution that our caravan would drive around the field, and as a group we would enter from center field and drive around the warning track.
The crowd loved it, the sales staff loved it, the customers loved it.
It was one of the things we did that brought our staff and our customers together. It helped show them that we were people just like them, not con artists out to raid their bank accounts.
One thing that we loved about this experience was seeing people from all walks of life come together over one mutual interest: their love of their Mini.
Craziest Dealership Stories: The Good Ones
Let’s finish up our craziest dealership stories with a few short positive stories.
Every year during Christmas at our Acura dealership, we would set up tables and all the necessary supplies to wrap gifts. We would invite sales staff, customers, and everyone’s families to come wrap presents for Toys for Tots. It was an excellent experience for us all, and it felt good to give back to the community.
When we were in Phoenix, we had regular BBQs for our customers. In reality, it ended up being for all the salespeople and their customers in the entire auto complex. We enjoyed providing a full spread of meats and sides for our fellow salespeople.
My last story is one of my favorites. One time, our dealership was selected as one of the top 30 best places to work in Phoenix. As they counted down and gave out awards to 30 small businesses around the Phoenix metro area, we wondered why they hadn’t gotten to us yet. As it turns out, they were saving us for last. We secured the number one spot as the best small business to work at in Phoenix, and the day of the announcement I was the one at the event representing Acura of North Scottsdale. I still remember getting up on stage to accept our award and not having a clue what to say. I was dumbfounded and proud at the same time!
The Ups and Downs of a Career in Auto Sales
Working in the auto industry for four decades has yielded plenty of stories. Much like any career, there are some excellent stories, some bad stories, and plenty that fell in between. I’m grateful for my time in the industry, especially now that I am able to help thousands of people from the other side of the desk.
Here at CarEdge, we get a lot of emails from car buyers like you looking for advice on how to get the best car deal possible. The question “should I pay cash for a car?” Comes into our inbox daily. If you’ve managed to save up enough cash to buy a car, kudos to you. Now, it’s time to be strategic about how you use it to get the best car deal possible.
Most people assume that telling a car dealer that you’re paying in cash is a negotiating tactic and will get you a better price. Here’s the truth: it doesn’t. Saying that you’re paying with cash kills your negotiating power.
If you’re wondering, “should I pay cash for a car?” The answer is complicated. Yes, pay the full amount as soon as possible. But don’t walk in with a briefcase of cash and slam it on the salesperson’s desk.
To understand how to answer this question, we need to begin by looking at how dealerships make their money.
How Car Dealerships Make Their Money
Car dealerships make about a quarter of their profit off car sales, yet vehicle sales make up about half of their revenue. That’s because of the slim front-end margins on most car deals (especially for new cars, used cars are a bit of a different story.)
You’ve heard me say it before, and you’ll hear me say it again—selling cars is merely a means to sell other products like finance options, insurance products, service, and parts.
Car dealerships make most of their money in the service department, but when it comes to vehicle sales, dealerships make their money in the Finance and Insurance (F&I) office. The F&I office is referred to as the “back-end” of a car deal. The “front-end” is what you spend time negotiating with the salesperson. The irony is that dealers are incentivized to sell as many cars as possible (frequently at a loss) simply to make money on the back-end (and from manufacturer incentives).
If you’ve ever bought a car before, you’ve heard a salesperson ask you “do you plan to finance the vehicle?” This is because if they know you plan to finance (and especially if you intend to finance through the dealership) they know the dealership can make money on the back-end of the car deal. Every car dealership out there will ask you to fill out a credit application so they can secure financing options for you. When they do this, they bake profit into the numbers. This practice is a significant source of profit for a car dealership.
So, if you walk in and say you’re paying with cash, you’re telling the salesperson that you’re going to eliminate the dealership’s primary source of profit.
What do you do? You take out a loan.
Take Out A Loan Instead
Let’s say you have all this cash, and you want to buy your car at the best possible price. It should be as simple as buying a meal at a restaurant, right? Unfortunately, that’s not the case.
You’ll pay far more for your car if you ask to pay for it all upfront with cash. That’s because the dealership will not be willing to negotiate as much on the front-end of the car deal since you will not become a sales opportunity for the back-end of the deal (aka in the F&I office).
So what should you do? Take out a loan through the dealership and pay it off immediately (or refinance it). Doing this will get you a much lower price than paying with cash at the dealership.
Like we discuss in depth in Deal School, you want to negotiate the out the door price of the vehicle with the salesperson. By informing them of your interest in financing your purchase through the dealership, you’ll find that the salesperson will be more likely to negotiate on the front-end of the deal.
One rule of thumb is that if it’s taxable, it’s negotiable. If a fee is not taxed, you can’t negotiate it down or away. It’s important to know exactly what you can negotiate.
Here’s the essential part of the entire process: make sure the loan does not have a prepayment penalty. If it does, walk away or ask for a different lending option. Fortunately, most loans do not have a prepayment penalty. Typically only exclusive financing options from captive lenders (the manufacturer’s lending institution) have these clauses.
It’s advisable not to tell the dealer that you plan to pay off or refinance the loan immediately. Dealerships incur “chargebacks” when this happens, so let this strategy be our little secret, and not something you blurt out to the F&I manager.
When you’re in the F&I office, decide if you want any of the ancillary products like an extended warranty, and then go through with the rest of the paperwork with the F&I manager. Once you’re happy with all the numbers, pay your down payment, sign the paperwork, and drive away.
Pay Off Your New Loan
You’ve got a brand-new car and a brand-new loan. It typically takes a lender about a week to put a new loan on the books once they receive it from the dealership. Wait about two weeks, then call your lender and ask for the payoff amount. They’ll tell you exactly how much you have to pay to end your loan. Send them a check or wire transfer, and you’re done.
If you don’t have enough cash to pay off your loan immediately, look to refinance the existing loan. However, if you took advantage of a rare zero-APR financing incentive, don’t expect to find anything better out there.
Remember that credit checks within a 30 days period for an auto-loan are grouped into one “hit” on your credit, so you don’t have to be too concerned about getting your credit run once again to find refinance opportunities.
You may have done it by way of a loan, but this is the best way to use your cash to buy a car. If you skip the loan and pay for the car entirely in cash, you’ll end up paying far more than if you take out a loan and pay it off early.
Assess Your Financial Situation
Now that we’ve unveiled our master plan for how to use your cash most effectively to buy a car, we should take a step back and ask if it’s a good idea in the first place.
If you’re asking “should I pay cash for a car,” we’re assuming you have a hefty savings account and financial portfolio. However, if paying cash for a vehicle will drain your savings completely, it might make more sense to finance the loan and put a large amount down for your down payment.
It’s also worth shopping around for different financing offers. No matter what, we always recommend having a pre-approval from an outside financial institution before you go to the dealership so that you have leverage when you are in the F&I office. In some cases, captive lenders offer special financing offers (like 0% APR) that no outside lender can beat. In those cases, financing through the dealership is the only logical option.
Not Directly or Not at All
Since you now know paying for a car with cash won’t get you a better deal, you might want to reconsider the entire idea. Is this the best use of your cash? If you still think it is, make sure you take out a loan and immediately pay it off instead.
It’s vital that you don’t tell the salesperson, sales manager, or F&I manager that you’re going to pay off the loan immediately. They really don’t want to incur the chargeback.
Instead, go through the motions of taking out a loan and simply pay it off a week later. With this strategy you’ll get the best car deal possible.
Infiniti is a brand known for quality and luxury, so how does their certified pre-owned program stack up to the rest? If you’re interested in buying an Infiniti certified pre-owned vehicle, you need to know the ins and outs of their program.
We are about to dive into the Infiniti certified pre-owned program and discuss their complicated warranty, inspection process, and go over their perks.
TLDR; The warranty policy is needlessly complicated. There’s also no additional powertrain warranty on top of the standard warranty, although the powertrain is covered within this warranty. Ultimately, we like this program, but it has some severe drawbacks that we didn’t expect from Infiniti.
Infiniti’s Certified Pre-Owned Warranty Information
To become an Infiniti certified pre-owned vehicle, the car must meet the following criteria:
Under 70,000 miles
Six years old or newer
Clean title history and Carfax report
The vehicle must undergo and pass the 167-point inspection. If a car doesn’t score 100% on the inspection, it will not become certified.
What does Infiniti’s Certified Pre-Owned Warranty Cover?
Only one warranty is offered by Infinity, and that is their Certified Pre-Owned Warranty. This warranty only covers mechanical breakdowns caused by parts not functioning as intended, which you could also call manufacturer defects. Their documentation explicitly states that the following are not covered:
Negligence
Accident damage
Failure of non-covered parts
Gradual wear and tear.
All of these conditions are standard for a CPO warranty, and there’s nothing out of the ordinary.
The Infiniti Certified Pre-Owned warranty covers most components in your vehicle, including the powertrain. That’s why they don’t offer a separate powertrain warranty; they decided to cover both with the same warranty.
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Infiniti does offer an extended protection warranty that can be purchased to enhance coverage and extend the warranty. This extended warranty adds coverage for 352 components, which you can view on their website.
It’s worth noting that their website does not make mention of any deductibles. They also don’t discuss the transferability of the warranty. Both of these pieces of information are vital when discussing a CPO warranty. Most automakers, such as Audi, explicitly state if there will be a deductible for covered repairs.
How long does Infiniti’s Certified Pre-Owned Warranty Last?
The Certified Pre-Owned Warranty has three different durations for the same warranty based on the age and mileage of the CPO vehicle that you’ve purchased:
A vehicle with under 15,000 miles receives a 6-year/75,000-mile warranty that begins when the car was first purchased
A vehicle with more than 15,000 miles that is also less than 48 months from the original in-service date (when it was sold) receives a 6-year/unlimited mileage warranty starting when the vehicle was purchased
Vehicles with more than 15,000 miles and more than 48 months from the original in-service date receive a 2-year/unlimited mileage warranty that begins when you bought the vehicle
Doesn’t that seem needlessly complicated? It’s almost as if they created this policy to confuse buyers. It looks like the best choice is option number 2, more than 15,000 miles but less than 48 months from being sold. With this warranty, you’ll have an additional four years of coverage with no mileage restrictions.
Ultimately, you’ll need to keep this complex coverage system in mind when making your purchase decision.
Infiniti’s Certified Pre-Owned Inspection
Every Infiniti must pass a 167-point inspection to be sold as an Infiniti certified pre-owned vehicle. Infiniti has made their complete checklist available on their website, but we’ll cover the main points below:
Vehicle history inspection, including Carfax and other vehicle history reports
Powertrain/chassis, including any fluid leakages and engine mounts
Cooling system, including hoses and radiator condition
Fuel system, including fuel pump noise and vacuum pump operation
Electric system, including wiring condition and ignition system operation
Transmission, including overall condition and transmission mounts condition
Hybrid system, including inverter coolant and hybrid battery charge level
Suspension/steering, including springs condition and struts/shocks leakage
Brakes, including brake fluid level and brake system lines
Body frame, including a visual inspection for rust or abnormal tire wear
Road test, including engine idle quality and shift interlock
Interior, including HVAC condition and audio system functionality
Body exterior, such as bedliner condition or windshield damage
Additional detail, such as body free from dents and scratches
This inspection is precisely what we’d expect from Infiniti, a brand known for being luxurious and of the utmost quality. It seems like they do their best to ensure that every vehicle in their CPO program will last for decades.
Other Infiniti Certified Pre-Owned Perks
Every automaker with a CPO program includes various perks to persuade people into buying from them. Infiniti has many perks in their CPO program as well:
24/7 roadside assistance, including lockouts, flat tires, battery jumping, and towing assistance (to the nearest Infiniti dealership)
Trip interruption coverage, providing up to $500 for meals and transportation for any breakdown that’s determined to be a warrantied repair
Car rental assistance, up to $35 per day for up to 5 days
These perks seem like the bare minimum for a brand like Infiniti. While these perks are more tempting than perks offered by some other automakers, Infiniti should certainly be doing more to entice people to buy one of their CPO vehicles.
We like Infiniti’s certified pre-owned program. However, we are not a fan of their complex warranty coverage policy based on mileage and the time since it was sold. It seems needlessly complicated. Plus, there’s no additional powertrain warranty, even though the powertrain is covered in the included warranty. Aside from these issues, the inspection appears to be thorough, which is arguably the most crucial part of a program. Still, make sure you have an independent mechanic perform a pre-purchase inspection to verify that you’re buying a quality vehicle.
To some, Porsche is the epitome of luxury and quality. While that’s an arguable perspective, we can’t deny that Porsches provide a certain level of luxury to their car owners. If you’re a Porsche fan, going for a certified pre-owned vehicle might be an ideal way to get into one. You won’t be paying nearly as much as you would be buying a brand-new Porsche.
However, you should carefully consider the Porsche certified pre-owned program. We’re about to take a look at their warranty, inspection process, and evaluate the perks the program offers.
TLDR; We are far from impressed by the Porsche CPO program. They need to add a powertrain warranty that lasts for at least seven years. They also need to provide more thorough inspections. While their expanded roadside assistance is nice, we think it’d be more beneficial to have a better warranty.
Porsche’s Certified Pre-Owned Warranty Information
To become a Porsche certified pre-owned vehicle, the car must meet the following criteria:
13 years old or newer
Fewer than 124,000 miles
Passing the 111-point inspection
We’re surprised that Porsche is certifying vehicles that are up to 13 years old. That’s almost double what most automakers will certify. We suppose that means they have confidence in their cars.
What does Porsche’s Certified Pre-Owned Warranty Cover?
Porsche provides a limited warranty for all Porsche certified pre-owned vehicles that covers:
Body
Comfort electronics
Brake system
Electrical systems
HVAC
Suspension and steering
Powertrain and transmission
Fuel and cooling system
Engine
That’s pretty comprehensive. However, to be covered, the issue must stem from a manufacturer defect. If the problem stems from misuse, an accident, neglect, or normal wear and tear, the repairs will not be covered under the CPO warranty.
The complete lack of a powertrain warranty is alarming. While the powertrain is covered in their CPO warranty, we’d prefer to see a separate powertrain warranty that lasts longer than the CPO warranty. This is done by many other automakers, such as Acura.
That exclusion list is relatively standard for CPO warranties. This warranty is intended to protect you from the manufacturer’s defects and not cover you for every issue you have with your vehicle.
Porsche states explicitly that there is no deductible for warranty repairs, which we love to see. They also specify that specifically trained technicians will do all repairs, and they’ll only use genuine Porsche parts.
How long does Porsche’s Certified Pre-Owned Warranty Last?
The warranty that comes with every Porsche certified pre-owned vehicle will last for two years and unlimited miles. This CPO warranty goes into effect when the new vehicle warranty expires or when the CPO vehicle is purchased if there is no existing new vehicle warranty.
The Porsche CPO warranty lasts for two years with unlimited mileage, but there is not a separate warranty for powertrain coverage that’s included in the two years. This is far below the industry standard for powertrain warranties, which is typically ten years.
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Porsche does not explicitly state that the warranty is transferable, although other websites claim that it is transferable. This is something to clarify before buying a Porsche certified pre-owned vehicle since a transferable warranty will significantly increase your resale value.
Porsche’s Certified Pre-Owned Inspection
Porsche has a modest 111-point inspection. The average for most CPO programs is around 150, so Porsche is well under the industry standard. You can view the complete CPO inspection checklist online, but we’ll cover the main points below:
Vehicle documentation, including owner’s manual and maintenance records
Lights, switch, and accessories, including the ignition switch and stop lights
Exterior, including axle joints and wheel locks
Tires/brakes, including tread depth and brake pad wear
Engine compartment, including alternator function and A/C compressor
Fluids, including engine oil and transmission oil
Interior, including sun visors and roof lining
Test drive, including cold start characteristics and clutch play
We’re surprised to see such a light inspection for Porsche, a brand known for quality. Perhaps their inspection is more thorough than the number of inspection points leads us to believe? Or maybe they aren’t that invested in their certified pre-owned program? It seems like having more inspection points is a great way to ease a customer’s worries about buying a CPO vehicle.
Other Porsche Certified Pre-Owned Perks
Porsche provides 24-hour roadside assistance for two years after buying a Porsche certified pre-owned vehicle. Porsche provides more robust roadside assistance than most automakers. It includes:
Battery jump-start services
Flat tire service
Emergency fuel delivery
Lockout services
Replacement keys
Winch services
Porsche also provides trip interruption benefits if your vehicle breaks down due to warrantied issues more than 100 miles from your home. This coverage includes reimbursement for meals, lodging, car rentals, and alternate transportation. They do not specify a dollar limitation with this coverage.
We’re surprised to see that these are the only perks offered by Porsche. Most manufacturers have an entire list of perks, while Porsche only offers two bonuses. One of the main perks we’d like to see them add is rental car coverage for warrantied issues. Having to cover your rental when the problem is due to a manufacturer’s defect does not sit well with us.
Overall, we’re not impressed by Porsche’s certified pre-owned program. The warranty is not nearly long enough. They should either extend it or create a separate warranty that covers the powertrain. Another concern is their inspection. They aren’t inspecting as many points as most other automakers. We recommend getting a pre-purchase inspection for any Porsche certified pre-owned vehicle.
If you’re set on getting a Porsche, going certified pre-owned is an excellent way to go. However, if you’re looking for a reliable CPO vehicle, there are other programs with a better offering.
CarEdge Insights
