BMW Certified Pre-Owned Review

by Zach Shefska | Last updated Dec 8, 2020 | Certified Pre-Owned

All around the world, BMW has a specific reputation for providing quality, luxurious cars. However, buying a brand-new BMW is quite costly. That’s why we recommend going for the BMW certified pre-owned vehicle program. You can get into a BMW that’s been inspected and has a warranty without paying new car prices.

TLDR; We like the BMW certified pre-owned program. Although, the lack of a separate powertrain warranty does bring down the entire program. Most other programs include a powertrain warranty. We do appreciate that they add the CPO warranty to the end of the New Vehicle warranty. Their inspection process is thorough, and they offer great perks. The BMW CPO program is a great way to get into a BMW.  

BMW’s Certified Pre-Owned Warranty Information

BMW says their CPO program is “selective from the start.” While that’s an excellent sales pitch, what does it mean? Here’s what we’ve gathered:

• Less than 60,000 miles on the odometer
• A “late-model” vehicle with more than 300 miles on it
• A clean Carfax or AutoCheck report
• Only has genuine BMW parts
• An up-to-date maintenance history

The lack of a specific age range is a bit concerning, but with a 60,000-mile maximum, most vehicles will only be a few years old. We love the program criteria because they require an up-to-date maintenance history for the car, which is not standard for other CPO programs.

What does BMW’s Certified Pre-Owned Warranty Cover?

Every BMW certified pre-owned vehicle includes comprehensive coverage that kicks in after the New Vehicle warranty expires. We love to see automakers add a new warranty to the end of the New Vehicle warranty instead of replacing it.

The CPO warranty has the same coverage as the New Vehicle warranty, described as “specific defects in materials and workmanship.” They also include a complete breakdown of what is not covered:

• Maintenance, such as oil changes and replacing brake pads
• Upkeep, such as engine drive belt replacement and wheel alignment
• Suspension, such as ball joints and tie rod ends
• Body, such as mounts and partitions
• Interior, such as bulbs and floor mats
• Any non-original equipment parts, components, and accessories

While this might seem like a long list of what they don’t cover, it’s all relatively standard for CPO programs. Most CPO programs are a little more specific about what they will cover. Based on our interpretation, BMW will cover repairs if they are related to a manufacturer defect.

The warranty may be transferred to a new party, which significantly increases your resale value.

How long does BMW’s Certified Pre-Owned Warranty Last?

Every BMW certified pre-owned vehicle comes with whatever is remaining on the New Vehicle Warranty, if anything, which lasts for four years and 50,000 miles. After that warranty expires, the CPO warranty kicks in, which provides one year of coverage with unlimited mileage.

Since one of the requirements to be in the BMW certified pre-owned program is to have less than 60,000 miles, it is possible to buy a CPO vehicle with a New Vehicle warranty that has already expired. Fortunately, you’ll still be covered by the new warranty. Although, this does mean you would benefit from buying a newer CPO vehicle, if possible.

You may purchase extended protection at any point during the warranty to extend your coverage. BMW offers a few different types of extended warranties that you can view on their website.

BMW’s Certified Pre-Owned Inspection

BMW performs a thorough inspection of every vehicle before it’s certified. Unlike almost every other automaker, they don’t talk about how many inspection points they have. Instead, they call it a “360-degree vehicle inspection.” Even on their inspection checklist, they don’t number the inspection points. So, what are they inspecting? Let’s take a look:

• Vehicle background, including maintenance records and VIN report
• Wheel assembly, including tire measurements and brake inspection
• Body and mechanical, including bumper condition and glass condition
• Mechanic, including belt tensioners and exhaust system
• Stationary review, including pedal function and driver’s seat functions
• Road test, including pedal function and navigation system functionality
• Rolling review, including cold/hot starting and ABS condition

Something that jumps out about their inspection process is that their checklist has a section for “comments.” Most automakers have a simple “pass” or “fail” checklist. BMW may include this section for many possible reasons, but we like to think it was so they could more accurately describe the component’s condition.

Other BMW Certified Pre-Owned Perks

Most automakers provide perks with every CPO vehicle they sell, and BMW is no different. Here are the bonuses you can expect if you buy a BMW certified pre-owned vehicle:

• 24/7 roadside assistance for the duration of your warranty, including lockout assistance, fuel delivery, emergency tows, and jump-starts
• Trip interruption, providing coverage of up $1,000 per incident if your car breaks down “far” from home (although “far” is not explicitly defined)
• BMW Assist, which is a safety plan that provides emergency assistance and can detect collisions
• Loaner vehicles directly from the dealership during the duration of your warranty, if your vehicle is in for covered repairs
• Three months of SiriusXM
• A comprehensive Vehicle History Report

Some of these perks are standard, while others go above and beyond what is par for the course. Providing loaner cars directly from the dealership is a unique benefit and prevents the hassle of having to deal with a rental car business or going through the reimbursement process. We also appreciate the trip interruption perk.

We recommend the BMW certified pre-owned program. They provide a thorough vehicle inspection, although they don’t use the point-based system other automakers use. We do wish they offered a specific extended powertrain warranty. They make up for this lack of warranty with their other offerings, but overall the absence of a powertrain warranty does bring the program down. Ultimately, it’s an excellent program for someone looking to get into a BMW who doesn’t want to go for a brand-new car.

Ford Certified Pre-Owned Review

by Zach Shefska | Last updated Dec 8, 2020 | Certified Pre-Owned

Buying a Ford certified pre-owned vehicle is a fantastic way to own a relatively new Ford that comes with a warranty and has been inspected. You don’t need to pay new car prices to have a car with a warranty. We often advise people to go for a CPO vehicle over a Craigslist used car since you know the vehicle you’re buying has been inspected and comes warrantied.

We’re about to dive deep into the Ford CPO program, where we’ll discuss the warranty, inspection process, and go over the perks they offer.

TLDR; Ford’s warranty is unimpressive, but it’s also not disappointing. They are offering an industry-standard warranty. Their inspection process, while thorough, is also industry standard. There’s nothing that jumps out as unique or exciting about the Ford CPO program. If you’re a fan of Ford, it’s still worth buying a Ford CPO over a generic used Ford off the side of the road. 

Ford’s Certified Pre-Owned Warranty Information

The Ford certified pre-owned program includes two warranties that are on par with the industry standard. They don’t rise above the average, but they also don’t fall below it. To be eligible for the Ford CPO program, a car must meet the following criteria:

• Less than 80,000 miles
• Five model years old or newer

The mileage requirement is slightly higher than other automakers, who generally set the bar at 50,000 miles.

What does Ford’s Certified Pre-Owned Warranty Cover?

When you buy a Ford certified pre-owned vehicle, you’ll receive two warranties that cover different parts of your car.

Comprehensive Limited Warranty which covers over 1,000 components including:

• Engine
• Electrical system
• Brakes
• Steering components
• Front and rear-wheel drive
• Safety systems

Ford also provides a Powertrain Limited Warranty, which covers:

• Engine
• Transmission
• Drivetrain

Both of these warranties are offering industry standard coverage. This can be considered a good thing since they aren’t dipping below the industry standard. However, we would like to see more components covered in the Comprehensive Limited Warranty.

How long does Ford’s Certified Pre-Owned Warranty Last?

The Ford certified pre-owned program provides two warranties of different lengths:

1. Comprehensive Limited Warranty: 12 months or 12,000 miles, whichever comes first
2. Powertrain Limited Warranty: Seven-year or 100,000 miles, whichever comes first

Both of these warranties are fully transferable to new owners with no transfer fee, enhancing your resale value.

Ford also offers Extended Service Plans, which cover more areas of the vehicle and have varying durations. These plans are available at a Ford dealer, and they do not post any information about them on their website.

It’s important to note that Ford does not explicitly mention what happens when you buy a CPO car that still has the New Vehicle Warranty. They should state whether or not that warranty will carry over, and if the CPO warranty kicks in after it expires. Perhaps it means you won’t be receiving a CPO warranty. This policy needs to be stated directly.

Both of their warranty durations are relatively standard for the auto industry. The Comprehensive Limited Warranty duration is the same as most other competitors, while the Powertrain Limited Warranty is slightly lower than others, as some offer ten years.

Ford’s Certified Pre-Owned Inspection

Every Ford certified pre-owned vehicle has been through a rigorous 172-point inspection. You can view the complete inspection checklist on their website, but we’ll go over the significant points:

• Vehicle history, including inspecting the VIN and looking through service recalls
• Road test, including engine starts, engine acceleration, and engine noise
• Exterior, including body condition and power liftgate functionality
• Vehicle interior, including interior amenities condition and navigation system functionality
• Vehicle diagnostics, primarily a self-test for all CMDTCs
• Underhood, including engine oil levels and belt conditions
• Hybrid/electric vehicles have unique inspection points, such as charging components and hybrid cooling system
• Underbody, including the presence of frame damage and tire tread depth
• Convenience, including owners guide and a complete set of keys

Providing a 172-point inspection is more thorough than some competitors, but not by much. It is an average amount of inspection points. We’re unimpressed by their inspection process, but still, we aren’t disappointed in it.  

We should highlight that this is Ford’s internal inspection. You should still have your own pre-purchase inspection done.

Other Ford Certified Pre-Owned Perks

Every Ford certified pre-owned vehicle comes with many perks. Ford provides these perks both as a ‘thank you’ and to persuade you to buy a Ford CPO vehicle. The perks are:

• A three-month subscription to SiriusXM
• 24/7 roadside assistance for the duration of the Powertrain Limited Warranty, which covers lockouts, flat tires, emergency tows, and gas delivery
• A Vehicle History report
• You can buy a Ford certified pre-owned vehicle with Ford Credit, which is their unique credit offering which gives you the ability to return the car within one year

This perk offering is pretty small as compared to other automakers. We’re a little surprised since Ford is such a big name in the auto world. Perhaps it’s for this reason that they don’t feel the need to offer too many perks?

Overall, the Ford certified pre-owned program is average in every way. They only fall below average with their perk offering, but that’s not as important. The critical aspects of a CPO vehicle are the warranty and inspection, and they’re perfectly average in those regards. Being average is certainly better than being subpar. We recommend this program for fans of Ford. If you are looking for a reliable certified pre-owned vehicle, Ford is an acceptable way to go, but there are other automakers with better programs.