Lincoln is one of the top names in the luxury vehicle market. If you’re looking at getting into a Lincoln, you should consider looking into their certified pre-owned (CPO) program. You’ll be looking at cars that have been inspected and come with a warranty. It’s a nice compromise between buying a new car and buying a used car.

We’re about to look at the Lincoln certified pre-owned program, including the warranty offering, the inspection process, and the included perks.

TLDR; We’re pleased with the Lincoln CPO program. Although an extended warranty or separate powertrain warranty (like General Motors) would be appreciated, the existing warranty offering is sufficient. They have a thorough inspection process that gives us faith in the quality of the cars they’re selling.

Lincoln’s Certified Pre-Owned Warranty Information

Every Lincoln certified pre-owned vehicle must meet the following requirements:

• Passed a 200-point inspection
• 60,000 miles or fewer
• Clean Carfax report

Once these conditions are met, the car will be warrantied and sold as a Lincoln certified pre-owned vehicle.

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

Every Lincoln certified pre-owned vehicle includes a Comprehensive Limited Warranty. While they direct you to contact the dealership for the warranty manual, they do provide a list of the significant areas that are covered:

• Brakes
• Steering components
• Front-wheel drive system
• Rear-wheel drive system
• Transmission
• Engine
• Front and rear suspension
• Electrical systems
• Air conditioning and heating
• Technology components
• Emissions
• Factory audio system
• Safety system

Overall, they say that their warranty protects more than 1,000 components. Lincoln says you’re protected against failure of all covered components due to abnormal wear resulting from defective materials or workmanship, in addition to mechanical breakdowns.

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We want to dive deeper into what this coverage means, but they don’t make a comprehensive warranty manual available on their website. You’ll need to clarify what this phraseology means when you visit the dealership. Does it mean they’ll buy you new tires if the wheel alignment is off due to poor workmanship, resulting in uneven wear on your tires? It’s an important distinction to make. They state that the warranty excludes ‘wear-and-tear’ items, but what if a part is worn down faster due to their workmanship?

Lincoln does not discuss if they have a deductible on warrantied repairs. If they had made a warranty manual available online, we’d be able to tell if there was a deductible. Instead, you’ll need to ask the dealership if there is a deductible on covered repairs.

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

Lincoln’s Comprehensive Limited Warranty lasts for six years or 100,000 miles, whichever comes first. The clock started when the car was initially purchased, however, not when you bought the vehicle.

When compared to the mileage requirements to be included in the CPO program, you’ll at least have 40,000 miles left on the warranty, possibly more. We believe that this is a perfect amount of time for any manufacturer’s defects to become apparent.

However, we would like to see Lincoln add another warranty to the end of the Comprehensive Limited Warranty. Another alternative would be adding a powertrain warranty to the overall warranty offering.  

The warranty is completely transferable to a new party if you decide to sell your car while it’s still covered. We love to see this policy, as it significantly increases your resale value if you choose to sell your vehicle.

Lincoln’s Certified Pre-Owned Inspection

Lincoln performs a 200-point inspection of all cars before they are sold as certified pre-owned vehicles. You can view the complete list online at the Lincoln website, but we’ll cover the main points below:

• Vehicle history report, including VIN inspection and a clean title
• Road test, including engine idle functionality and cruise control functionality
• Vehicle exterior, including body panel condition and bumper condition
• Vehicle interior, including airbag functionality and interior amenities condition
• Vehicle diagnostics, including checking for any current or historical trouble codes
• Underhood, including fluid levels and timing belt condition
• Underbody, including checking for frame damage and emissions control test
• For hybrids, check the hybrid cooling system and the 110V power outlet functionality

Once a vehicle has scored a perfect 100% on Lincoln’s inspection, it will be warrantied and sold as a CPO car.

Lincoln inspects more points on their cars than many other automakers (Volkswagen only inspects 112 points). We’re happy to see that they’re conducting a thorough inspection, as we believe the inspection is a vital element of the overall CPO program.

Other Lincoln Certified Pre-Owned Perks

Like other automakers, Lincoln has decided to offer a few bonuses to go along with all their certified pre-owned vehicles. These perks are:

• Carfax Vehicle History Report
• 24/7 Roadside Assistance, covering emergency tows, flat tire replacement, lockout services, and battery jump starts

Surprisingly, those are the only perks listed on their certified pre-owned website. It’s a minimal perk offering. It’s possible that they think the same way we do, that perks should not persuade you into buying a car.

Overall, we are pleased with the Lincoln certified pre-owned program. They have a thorough inspection and reasonable warranty offering, which are the two most essential parts of any CPO program. While they could stand to offer more perks, that’s not a mark against them in our eyes.

Even though Lincoln has a thorough inspection process, you should still have a third-party mechanic perform a pre-purchase inspection before making your purchase.

The Lincoln certified pre-owned program is a perfect way for Lincoln fans to get into one without breaking the bank on a new car.